Your trip to Switzerland cost HOW much?
Here’s the lowdown on how much 5 nights in Switzerland from London for 2 people cost, including transport, accommodation, spending money and everything else!
All ticketed activities are included in this cost, and we always have a bit of a buffer for each trip [around £50] for contingency. For transparency, I have a 12 month #travelinsurance policy with Puffin Insurance, and so I do not include this cost in any of my trip budgets as it was paid for separately. Some other things that can help bring the cost down can be found here. [Add affiliate links or reference to Wise card etc]
We also found that travelling in December and in peak Winter season potentially sent the costs up.
“Most of my 'best time to visit' recommendations are not only based on the weather, but also cost, and so take a look at these in my city guides!”
Travel - £360
We had a complete change of plans with this trip and Covid cancelled our trip to Munich and Innsbruck. Instead, we went to Bern and Zurich, and even squeezed in an afternoon in Liechtenstein! We had to rebook this trip within 3 days of departure, and so this blew up costs, but oh well! We flew from Heathrow to Zurich, and then got the train to Bern which took 1 hour. We actually had an Interrail Pass with some days left over on it from a previous trip, and so all trains within Switzerland were free for us! We then flew back from Zurich to Heathrow.
I find that people always overlook the cost of travelling to and from Airports, however it can be a hidden cost that can catch you out if you’re not prepared! Costs to and from Heathrow are also included in these costs.
Accommodation - £524
Our hotel in Bern was in a great spot, and had everything we needed. We used Bern as a base to visit Jungfrau, and so weren’t too fussed on what accommodation we picked.
We ended up staying near the red light district in Zurich - who knew they had one! Despite this, it was very quiet in the room and we were also very centrally located here.
Book it for yourself if you'd like [insert affiliate link].
Daily spend - £540
The daily spend includes food, drinks, miscellaneous items such as sun cream, plasters, souvenirs etc. For reference, we ate out for lunch and dinner everyday, and grabbed a pastry and coffee to-go each morning. The places we went to ranged from cheap ‘grab and go’ eateries to boujie restaurants. We also ate out at the FIFA museum for 1 night, which was not included in this cost as it came from the activity budget. Food and drink was expensive in Switzerland in comparison to other European countries, but not all places are outrageous!
We usually allocate £108 per day for the 2 of us on average, and so far we have not gone over!
We could absolutely manage on less, however this is the sweet spot for us with seeing, eating and experiencing whatever we want. This might be different for you depending on your priorities.
Activities - £340
I always like to book my activities in advance so I can relax during the trip knowing I don’t have to faff around booking things. This also usually means that I get the cheapest rate for all tickets and activities as things typically get more expensive closer to the time or when paying on the door. Most things are always flexible should I need to cancel or change them, and it just means I can really maximise my time in each place. [Add Affiliate links for Get Your Guide/Viator].
We only had one paid activity in Bern which was our day trip to Jungfrau. We did this trip ourselves by booking the trains via Interrail and purchasing the Jungfrau entry tickets separately. This trip can easily become stressful, and so please ensure you do your research on this and book everything in advance. You can read my post on how we had a stress free day at Jungfrau!
In Zurich we decided to visit the FIFA World Museum which was such a cool experience. We also paid to have dinner there and watch the Champions League match that was on, and the commentators were 2 ex-footballers! I would definitely recommend doing this if you’re a football fan - you will also get to see the World Cup up close and personal!
There were lots of free activities going on in Switzerland as the Christmas Markets were everywhere!
Total Cost - £1,494
Cost per day £298 // pp £149
I found Switzerland overall to be a pretty expensive place, but we had the best time! There are many factors that could increase or decrease the total cost, of which a few are:
- The time of year you visit
- What your priorities are for your trip [eating out, sightseeing etc]
- Your travel style [hostel, hotel, villa etc]
- How far in advance you book
- What sites you use to book
Here are some tools that I always use to ensure I'm getting the best value for my trips and that there are no hidden costs. List affiliate links