Prices in Switzerland

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Powers, Heartland Staff on May 27, 2008 at 4:26am

I think all Untourists who have been to the Swiss Heartland or Oberland know this, but it’s helpful for those who are coming for the first time.

Eating out is expensive. Why? Costs are high to run a restaurant. A waitress makes a salary or approx 3,000CHF a month, imagine what the cooks and other staff are making. Restaurant & liquor licenses cost a lot. Electricity and water is up there too. Therefore…
Eating out at night with 2-3 courses, wine, coffee and all the trimmings will set you back a pretty penny.
BUT, there is hope! Eating out at lunch time, which most Swiss do, can be a bargain! Most restaurants offer lunch 'menus' with 2-3 courses, huge amounts of excellent food for 15-18chf. ca 14-17$. And there is sometimes the option of a smaller portion for ca. 12-13 chf, definitely enough for one person.

Also favorites are the self service cafes at Migros, Coop and Manor markets. They have good food for reasonable prices. A friend recently had a Plate of grilled Salmon with fresh veggies for 13chf at the Manor in Luzern, which by the way has the most beautiful open air roof seating with a view over the city.

Keeping in mind that the tip is included in the price of the meal, I don't know many restaurants in California (my home state) where I could get the same quality and amount for the same price.

You have to be prudent in Switzerland, but there are good value deals to be found if you're flexible and creative.

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Permalink Reply by Joan and Bruce on May 27, 2008 at 11:34am

Jessica and Amy! You get the highest marks for your home economic and meal planning skills. This will be very helpful for those who are going to Switzerland for their first trip. I belong to the "serendipitous shopper" group. I am accompanied on most shopping trips with my husband Bruce, the infamous coupon clipper. He keeps me on the straight and narrow.
No question we are spoiled as to the variety of vegetables and fruit available nearly all year round now in the US (both at the store and farmers' markets--every day of the week in the Bay Area). Though we pay top dollar at the FM's, unless you find a bargain at the closing hour. Personally, I love shopping in Switzerland. We enjoy the FM's in Luzern, Thun, and Bern, so plan our days there to coincide with the markets.
We do partake frequently of the salad bars that Jessica mentions. The Coop at Thun is excellent, and we have eaten at Manor--a good spot, and the Coop in Spiez is excellent.
I do find that I prepare more more hearty salads when we are in CH, and do not buy as much meat, which can be expensive. When I shopped for butter lettuce this weekend at Safeway it was $1.99 a head, and did not compare to CH quality. Purchasing meat at a stand-alone CH meat market is a treat and a good experience. The Coop roti-chickens are a best buy.
As for eating out, we don't find it much more expensive than the Bay Area. I usually search out the fresh lake fish on the menu--truly wonderful.
Did I mention that I am usually several pounds lighter when I return home? Even after all the konditerei sweets, the chocolate, the bread, the cheese, and the beer--perhaps it is the salad diet? Also walking many kilometers instead of jumping in the car makes a big difference in exercise over a month.
As for the dismal dollar, it is a fact of life, along with $4.00+ gas, and climbing.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 18th at the airport Jessica.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Schaffner on May 28, 2008 at 8:49am

Ha! This is so true! Despite all the additional calories, a trip to Switzerland is good for losing at least a few pounds. All that walking!

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Permalink Reply by Linda on July 30, 2008 at 4:05pm

The way I look at the euro/US dollar exchange rate is that with Untours I have ALREADY paid for lodging and transportation and the fridge is probably already stocked with food to get me through several meals so the only expenses left are discretionary. And, also remember, if you stayed home, you'd still have to eat. Chances are... if you were home and not even on vacation... you'd be treating yourself to a movie and dinner or a trip to the mall or a book or CD from Amazon.com somewhere in the course of two weeks so figure that in.

In 2007, my sister and I went to Swiss Ticino for two weeks. She had just bought a house so we called it our "Beth-on-a-Budget" trip and we only spent $500 each on site over two weeks. That's $35.70/day and it included food, the odd admission, postcards and postage, ice cream, ... in short, everything. Rachel Ray couldn't even beat that! We ate out at least once a day and consumed many, many liters of wine and a fair share of ice cream, too. Our apartment had a balcony overlooking Lake Maggiore and the nicest place to have dinner was there watching the sun descend slowly and the lights around the lake come up. Both of us have traveled a lot and we buy very few souvenirs any more.

In 2006, we were in Venice for two weeks and spent just under $950 each for the two weeks. Venice is a city whereas Ticino is not so that accounts for part of the difference.

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Permalink Reply by Edward on October 14, 2008 at 6:16pm

We just returned, October 9, 2008, from our Heartland Switzerland UnTour. It was a wonderful experience and I heartily endorse Mieringen as the perfect base. Anyway, regarding prices, yes, the prices are very high, typically between two to four times what comparable items cost in the USA. Nonetheless, by virtue of having a complete kitchen in our apartment we made good use of meal preparation and kept our costs down. The Rail-Pass was a lifesave, getting us into many venues and, of course, covering all but the luxery transportation of the highest lifts, and it usually got a 50% discount on those. If you enjoy cooking, as we do, Switzerland becomes affordable. If you like to eat out every meal, the Switzerland would be quite expensive. While we didn't eat at McDonalds in Zurich, we did pop in to see what a Big Mac cost - 11.80CHF - $10.45USD!!

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Powers, Heartland Staff on October 15, 2008 at 9:51am

Sorry! one correction so as not to have a McDonalds-induced panic...11.80 is for the entire menu (the usual fries or salad and drink) and it's 6.50 for the Big Mac alone. Not to split fries, I mean hairs...it just seemed like alot so I checked it out! Glad you enjoyed Meiringen!

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Permalink Reply by Jean and Fred Agneta on October 16, 2008 at 4:42pm

We also eat many of our meals in the apartment in Meiringen, and usually pack a great picnic lunch which we enjoy at a park, or even on the train. I wouldn't miss Switzerland for the world. we just enjoy our tour so much, we just know how to have a great time, and spend less money. We are there for the scenery, friendlly local people, and very special old friends and new ones we meet very year or so. Enjoy!!! Jean and Fred

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Permalink Reply by Edward on March 31, 2009 at 6:06pm

The smaller restaurants have very good specials. Here is a photo of my hearty lunch and the bill. #9 Swiss Franks - two big lunches and two large beers - actually reasonable.

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