We went to Switzerland for the first time for 8 full days, and there are few things we wish we knew before our trip. We did the mistakes so that you don’t have to repeat the same. In this Switzerland travel guide, we will cover all you need to know before you firs trip to Switzerland.
Switzerland has lot to see and do, as well as plethora of information on the internet. We feel still there are lot missing or not at one single place. You can take this post as your one stop guide to Switzerland.
Switzerland have multiple international airport
You might have heard about Zurich, as the main entry point to Switzerland, but you can chose Basel, Geneva as your entry point in the country. The point is to check all other airports, you might get cheaper flights.
Travel to Switzerland is expensive
Definitely it is expensive, to put a perspective on this. The meal deal in UK costs 5 pound whereas in Switzerland you will be spending 6/7 pound for a sandwich. Things can get easily expensive with stays and commute as well, specially activities. But, Switzerland is cheaper than Iceland.
If you are wondering about Iceland trip then read my posts here.
Travel guide to Languages spoken in Switzerland
This is what took me by surprise. In western part of Switzerland French is spoken, in East Switzerland German is spoken in general. They even speak Italian in few places. But, don’t be afraid they speak fluent English so you will not have any language trouble.
Pack this during your Switzerland travel
In our guide we will urge you to carry Swiss charging adapter. Yes! you’re universal adapter will not work at all as Switzerland have a completely different plug points. It is better to buy them from amazon in your home country so that you don’t have to buy them in Switzerland.
Mobile network in Switzerland
You will need to buy a local SIM card or get an international roaming activated in Switzerland. If you are based in UK and thought your UK SIM will work in Switzerland like any other European country, then you are wrong. We had Lebara and Lyca and it didn’t so, please make sure a relevant pack is taken or get a local SIM. You can use Wifi, which is free and available everywhere airport, railway station, hotels and restaurants.
A guide on where to stay during Switzerland travel
You will be overwhelmed with options in Switzerland, there are hardly any place where you won’t find any accommodation. You need to decide where you want to stay and book the relevant hotels. There are plenty hotels in towns and cities, but in villages it is BnBs or hostels. We have stayed in hotels, hostels as well as in BnBs. You can feel this is over priced specially during summer. We felt stays in Switzerland is expensive than even Iceland.
Your local commute option
You will get amazing connectivity by public transport in Switzerland, but by no means it is cheap. If you want to save some bucks then rent a car and drive. This will give you more freedom, more stops as you please, save some money staying remote, do book it early. You can also avail buses, make sure ask for the local transportation Free pass before arrival if you are staying in a location.
Swiss train is something you will see all over the internet. They are very expensive but scenic and comfortable. You can pre-book to get early bird discounts or by the passes to ease your travel. Swiss trains are engineering marvels so it is worth experiencing them.
Food in Switzerland
Switzerland is not known for its food but its chocolate. We did not eat in any restaurant while visiting, mostly relied on takeaways and grocery stores. You can chose to cook as well.
Hiking is free
If you are hiking enthusiast then you can visit top of any peak, absolutely free. Mountain top Gondola rides are very expensive, hence hiking is a good option to visit mountain lakes and peaks.
Activities during Switzerland Travel
You can opt for multiple activities in your Swiss trips. You can visit museums, chocolate factory, boat rides to start with. If you feeling adventurous then you can chose sky diving, para gliding as well, provided you are ready to spend the money. Apart from all these you can try different railway experience like top of Europe trip, Glacial express or Jungfrau mountain top trips.
Don’t think its going to be very cold in summer
If you are planning to travel in Switzerland during summer then make sure you pack light summer clothes mainly with one rain jacket. It is not that cold during summer months irrespective of mountain surroundings. It can feel cold if it rains or when you are at the mountain tops, hence its better to carry one light jacket and raincoats when you travel.
How many days are needed in Switzerland?
In our Switzerland travel guide we would recommend at least 7 days for a first timer. You can then explore Interlaken region as well as Zermatt region in those days. If you can have few more days then you can add more cities like Geneva, Zurich and Basel in your list.
But Swiss trips can be done even in a long weekend concentrating to a specific region.
Best time to visit Switzerland?
The peak season is the European summer months That is June to August. We visited in August and felt it was a bit too hot during this time. The best and budget friendly timing will be month of May or September. This will be shoulder season and less crowd, lighter on your pocket. Winter months are also very popular because fairy tale Christmas.
Hope this post helps you to plan your trip to Switzerland, if you need any further information please leave a comment below.
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