Money saving tips for Switzerland???

Gosia

Going to Switzerland:- Zurich, Lucerne & Bern at the beginning of July.

Does anyone know of any deals / bargains to be had there?

Also I will need to buy a 4 day train pass (hoping to book via myswitzerland.com site) but even so we're looking at 150 pounds each for the four day train pass - does anyone know of any way that the train pass can be booked cheaper?

Lastly all the hotels that I've looked at only do B&B - how expensive is it to eat out?

Albannach1876

Not a great deal of help, but if there are 2+ of you always travelling together there is a 15% discount on the cost. There are a number of different Swiss rail passes available - have you checked them all out to make sure you choose the right one? When I went to Interlaken a couple of years ago I spent weeks trying to decide! Have a look at:

http://travel.sbb.ch/swissrailpass

nearlyrich

We went to Switzerland last year and you can get some good deals on rail passes at the stations, they speak perfect English and can advise the best deal for you.

It's a great place but gourmet food is not their strong point, you can find reasonable priced food in most places..

Have a good time...

Sweets2

Hi Gosia
totally agree with the posters above. Also to add...

if you're London-based, you can pick up swiss tickets in person (save on cost/hassle of having them posted to you) from the Swiss Travel Centre;

if you do decide to order your train tix online, go through the Swiss Travel System link on quidco as they are giving 3% cashback on purchases at the moment;

re eating out, you can't beat sharing a fondue! Seriously, have a half-and-half between two people and it's a lovely sociable and tasty dinner, and a traditional taste of Switzerland;

if you're really on a budget and want to have a coffee and cake or buffet lunch or set menu and it's consistently great quality, look for the self-service restaurants inside the Migros or Manora department stores. The added bonus (for us anyway) is that as well as decent food at reasonable prices they are always no-smoking;

look at the T&Cs of the train passes carefully as the 4-day pass and other similar passes also allow 1) free entry into museums on the dated day you use them 2) and they also entitle the holder to up to 50% off train tickets, some funicular railways and some boat trips when you are travelling on your non-dated days;

the local tourist offices are a gold mine of information and have onsite sites too - including details of what's on and accommodation and dining options locally. In case your Swiss-German isn't your preferred way to communicate, we've found that the staff are equally willing to assist in English;

there are free brochures available from train stations and tourist centres in the cities you list (basically they're published at either city or canton level) intended for backpackers that have lots of deals and seasonal offers. Keep your eyes peeled for these!

Have a great trip. We have many happy memories of our time in Switzerland, hope you will too.

Sweets2

Albannach1876

Sweets2 wrote: »

if you're really on a budget and want to have a coffee and cake or buffet lunch or set menu and it's consistently great quality, look for the self-service restaurants inside the Migros or Manora department stores. The added bonus (for us anyway) is that as well as decent food at reasonable prices they are always no-smoking;

Also the Marche buffet-restaurant in Zurich main station is good for a quick bite to eat, where you select from different counters and get the food prepared for you - similar to the French Flunch chain.

Gosia

Hi

Thanks for all the tips and advice - very useful. :j

I am now thinking of doing the GoldenPass Panoramic route and staying in Montreux for a night (instead of Bern). Anyone know whether Montreux or Lousanne is more interesting?

Sweets2 - where is the Swiss Centre in London?? Do you mean the one on Bedford Street somewhere near Covent Garden? If so do they have a website - I wonder if they are open Sundays or whether it's just weekdays.

Ohhh yes and the fondue - must forget to have some of that!

Sweets2

hiya!
yup, the one on Bedford St is indeed the one I had in mind. Their web site is www dot stc dot co dot uk (u know what I mean! I can't post links at the mo). They've got a phone line too, if you need to chat to someone directly. Number's on the site. Open Mon-Sat.

In general, the web site dedicated to rail travel in Europe is worth a browse at www dot seat61 dot com
The guy who started that site is a total legend as the info is the best for pretty much every country.

Not familiar with GoldenPass Panoramic. Have travelled the Glacier Express and that had spectacular scenery and a terrific train which I believe is typical of Switzerland's scenic rail specials.

Montreux vs. Lausanne has gotta come down to personal choice. Montreux has palm trees, romantic lakeside promenade, lots of high end bars and restaurants and is especially gorgeous at sunset. Could potentially walk/visit the best parts in a day trip or so. It is also near to Chateau de Chillon which is a well known local landmark and heritage site.
Lausanne is much bigger, busier city and has interesting architecture albeit less "postcard pretty" than Montreux. The area around the lakeside (Ouchy) is younger and vibrant and there is also an old town with more traditional shops/houses/views. More to do than realistically could be squeezed into a day. It's the Vaud capital so there's always lots going on but it is less typically "picturesque" than Montreux so depends if you want to see or see and do.
As well as the train service you're looking into, both places have regular boat services (to and from one another - and also to and from Geneva, and Evian in France) so it is feasible to see both and avoid making the choice! :-)

All in all, the scenery around Lake Geneva is stunning - snow-capped mountains, vineyards and the lake itself make for a setting that would be difficult not to be captured by.

ali1972

As mentioned above, STC is a great website/shop.

I go to the Graubunden region most years for a week in the mountains, and tend to buy food from the supermarkets a lot for picnics and train journeys. I also second the sugggestion above of the self service restaurants. Very good value. Also I always select the Swiss wine at dinner if I'm eating out. It's usually very quaffable and cheaper than others on offer! As for eating out at restaurants I've never really found it any worse pricewise than eating in London. Not cheap cheap, but there's always a Pizzeria around that won't break the bank. As for the food, it's so different depending on where you go. I've been down south to the Ticino region (near Italy) and there was often splendid fish on offer and fantastic pasta dishes. Quite, quite different from the Graubunden stodge.

And get your souvenir chocs from the supermarkets too. Fraction of the price.

I am very jealous. Desperate to escape to the mountains again!