However, it is possible to ride the rails without breaking the bank. With a little bit of scrappy research, cheap accommodations can be found. And as elsewhere in Europe, supermarkets are a reliable way to keep food costs low.

Let’s look at how I tried to keep this Swiss adventure as inexpensive as possible and how I decided where to go.

Transportation: Benefits of the Swiss Travel Pass

Cost

For 251 CHF ($249; €234), I bought a four-day second-class Swiss Travel Pass. Beforehand, I did some research to make sure it was worth it. Although it was far less of a deal than I’d hoped it would be, it did end up helping my budget. I added up each of the four days of travel and realized that I was just saving 25.20 CHF ($25; €23.50) over the four days of the pass. Not great but better than nothing!

Benefits

However, beyond the modest savings, there are distinct advantages to the pass beyond the modest savings.

One, it covers public bus transportation in many cities, including, for my purposes, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Zürich, and Scuol, places where I knew it would come in handy and save an additional, not insignificant, sum.

Secondly, it includes access to many museums, including the Musée International de Horlogerie (the International Watch Museum) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which otherwise charges 15 CHF ($14.90; €14) for adult admission.

Thirdly, the pass gave me a great deal of freedom. I didn’t have to make a single seat reservation, and I was able to break up my journeys at leisure and make on-the-spot itinerary changes.

Museums

Here is a list of museums included on the pass.

Switzerland budget itinerary

I keep a notebook with lists of places to visit. These are places I come across in articles, history books, novels, and blogs. A few months ago, I noticed that the page titled “Switzerland” had four places on it:

• La Chaux-de-Fonds, a gritty, watch-making city in Romandie, the Francophone western part of Switzerland
• Zürich, a city I hadn’t properly visited since I was a child
• Scuol, a Romansch-speaking town in Graubünden with natural hot springs
• Soglio, a tiny village of gray, slate-roofed houses in the Italian-speaking Bregaglia Valley, also in Graubünden

What of an itinerary that combined all four? I checked calendars and schedules. With a four-day Swiss Travel Pass and some serious research, it would be expensive but not impossible: a true mountain-to-shining-mountain tour of Switzerland. I planned it for June, flying into Basel and out of Zürich.

Looking out over La Chaux de Fonds. Photo: Nelson Minar

Day 1: La Chaux-de-Fonds

La Chaux-de-Fonds is a striking city, sitting at 1,000 meters above sea level in the Jura Mountains, just a few kilometers from the French border. Organized in a grid and historically dedicated to watchmaking, the city is also the birthplace of modernist architect Le Corbusier.

The architect’s first solo project, La Maison Blanche, a house he built for his parents in the foothills above the city, is a fascinating place, with mismatched wall heights and uncorrected mistakes. Lovingly cared for by the Association Maison Blanche, it is open to visitors on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for 10 CHF ($9.90; €9.30), with a 3 CHF reduction for under-12s and the elderly.

Hotel: I was pleased to come very close to my goal in La Chaux-de-Fonds. I found modest accommodations at Hotel Chez Gilles near the center of the city. The bill was just a bit over my budget for 120 CHF, but the location was great. This rate included a breakfast which I found to be pretty lackluster.

Day 2: Zürich

I stopped in Biel/Bienne, another city tied to watchmaking, on my journey from La Chaux-de-Fonds to Zürich. This bilingual city sits on the country’s Röstigraben or the German/French linguistic divide. Its old town is well preserved; one highlight is the town church, which was built in the middle of the 15th century.

From there, it was on to Zürich, where I spent an afternoon and evening soaking up the city’s amazing summer energy. The streets and parks were thronging, the vegetarian buffet at Haus Hiltl (Sihlstrasse 28) was surprisingly delicious (if not dirt cheap), and Im Viadukt is just as stylish as its reputation. After having avoided Zürich for so many years out of a generalized fear of the city’s cost index, I found myself taken by it. The city’s diversity, the hipster energy of Züri-West, the clean, quiet streets, the parks, and the crispness of its retail shops are all very attractive.

Hotel: In Zürich, I stayed at the very cute Zum Guten Glück for 71.50 CHF ($71.10; €66.70). Both the shower and the toilet room were shared. Breakfast is not included in this rate, though it is on offer in the café downstairs. I loved Zum Guten Glück — see my Hotel Crush article for more details.

Day 3: Scuol

Then I was off to the mountains, to Graubünden in the country’s southeast. Switzerland’s geographically largest and only trilingual canton, Graubünden is home to isolated valleys connected to the rest of the world by single train lines and efficient yellow Postbuses.

First up was Scuol-Tarasp, a Romansch-speaking town where I was greeted in shops and on the street with the Romansch greeting “Allegra.” I walked from one end of the village to the other and spent hours in the heavenly Bogn Engiadina, where 26.50 CHF ($26.40; €24.70) got me three hours of soaking in hot and cold pools, taking saunas, and sampling three distinct types of mineral water from the surrounding region – one of which, high in iron and carbonated, has a deliciously odd taste.

Hotel: In Scuol, I found Villa Maria, which has unfortunately closed since my stay. I found the hospitality of the proprietors quite remarkable. There was a small basket of fruit in the room upon my arrival, and I was sent off after breakfast with a newspaper, apples, and the offer of a sandwich.

If you’re planning your own trip to Scuol, check out over 100 accommodations in the city.

Hiking through the scenic village of Soglio. Photo: VC

Day 4: Soglio

The following day, after connections by train and bus, I walked the extraordinary Sentiero Panoramico hiking path, which stretches from one tiny village, Casaccia, to another, Soglio. It’s 17 kilometers long, and winds its way through fields, by a dam, through the sleepy village of Roticcio, across a dozen or so waterfalls, and through chestnut forests.

It is, without an iota of exaggeration, one of the most satisfying hikes I have ever undertaken. With several breaks, it took five and a half hours. I ran into just one other walker on the path. The one piece of advice I’d pass on would be to do this hike with someone else, or at the very least to notify friends of your plans – though not terribly demanding, the terrain was wet and occasionally slippery and the mountainsides are very steep.

Soglio is a treat of a village, with gray slate-roofed stone houses and a village church with expansive views over the valley. During the afternoon, tourists explore the town’s little alleyways and locals gossip in the squares. After sunset, most visitors leave. It becomes quiet and the mountain air gets cooler and cooler.

Hotel: In Soglio, I found Pensiun Mürias, a tiny guesthouse with a kitchen (and, crucially, a coffee machine!) for 87.50 CHF ($87; €81.60). An old farmer’s house rebuilt as a pension, it has all the atmospheric magic that you might expect, located on a narrow lane a few minutes’ walk from the epicenter of the tiny village.

Day 5: Back to Zurich

The following morning, I took two buses and two trains to get to the Zürich Airport. The journey was over. And though it was a whirlwind of a trip, it hadn’t felt in the least bit hectic. The variety of landscapes, the contemplative effects of train and bus travel, and lots of walking all had a restful effect.

Tips for eating on the cheap

Two of my hotels came with a complimentary breakfast. On those mornings I overindulged at breakfast. For lunches and dinners, I went with a combination of supermarkets and restaurants. The Swiss supermarket chain Migros offers delicious, fresh ready-made salads. I combined these with smoked salmon and cold cuts for lunches in the neighborhood of 15 CHF.

Restaurant dinners were more difficult to arrange on a budget. I splurged at Villa Maria, where, without a car, I was essentially housebound, and made a serious misstep in Zürich at an overpriced Japanese restaurant.

My big tip for affordable eating in Switzerland: Think of dinner as an extended picnic. Stock up on supermarket goods that don’t need to be refrigerated.

The post Switzerland on a Budget: Our 5-day cheapo itinerary appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The Bernina option

But let’s say you are in St. Moritz. As one Cheapo, commenting on our post last week, nicely put it “the Bernina route is more amazing and a lot cheaper.”

Tirano (via the Bernina Pass) makes a superb day out from St. Moritz. Trains run hourly and a return ticket from St. Moritz to Tirano costs 58 Swiss Francs ($68). If you have a Eurail or InterRail Pass valid in Switzerland, you’ll ride for free. By contrast, a return run to Zermatt on the Glacier Express is 338 Swiss Francs ($398) and neither InterRail nor Eurail will get you a free ride.

If you do ride the Bernina route and it’s a fine day, opt for the 10:45 a.m. departure from St. Moritz which until August 31 carries open-top carriages. Allow a couple of hours for lunch in Tirano, where the Ristorante Sale e Pepe (right by the station) is a great choice, and take the 3:40 p.m. train back to St. Moritz.

Zürich to Lake Geneva

But let’s assume you are a real rail-hound, keen on long journeys and want to see a lot of Switzerland through the train window. If you are in any of the main cities, and are pressed for time, you could do better than the Glacier Express.

Our favorite Swiss rail route is the seven-hour journey from Zürich via Lucerne, Interlaken and Gstaad to Lausanne on Lake Geneva. The journey is often dubbed the GoldenPass route. It requires changes of train along the way (as the track gauge switches from standard to narrow and back again).

For a map and a table showing the main stages of the journey from Zürich to Lausanne, just follow this link. Distance-wise, this route is much the same length as the Glacier Express, though the overall journey time is about an hour shorter.

The one-way fare from Zürich to Lausanne by this route is 89 Swiss Francs ($104). The Swiss Pass, InterRail and Eurail Pass are all valid for the entire route. And there are no nasty supplements. Major agents such as Rail Europe UK or their US representative can give helpful advice on ticket deals and packages or simply buy your ticket on the Swiss Railways Web site and hop on the next train.

Route highlights

The first part of the ride south from Zürich is tame, but south from Lucerne the hills close in and the train climbs steeply to a summit station at Brünig-Hasliberg, which happens to have in the station building what must surely rate as one of Europe finest bric-a-brac shops. With trains running every hour, it is easy to break your journey.

From Brünig, it’s downhill all the way to Meiringen, a town that claims to be the birthplace of meringue (the confection rather than the Caribbean musical genre of the same name). Then west to Interlaken and Spiez — with fine views over the Thunersee — before climbing the Simmen Valley.

Hills roll into more hills and the train traverses several ridges, passing the resort town of Gstaad, before a spectacular descent down to Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva. The final part of the journey to Lausanne traverses the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a wonderful sweep of ancient villages and vineyards that is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Options

From Lausanne, you can continue to Geneva, with five fast trains each hour taking about 40 minutes. Or you can return north on the main line with trains that run every 30 minutes to Berne (1 hr 10 mins travel time) and Zürich (2 hrs 10 mins travel time).

If you want to spread the journey over several days, obvious places for overnight stops are Lucerne, Interlaken, Gstaad and Montreux.

The post Switzerland by Train: Alternatives to the Glacier Express appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Riding the Glacier Express in Switzerland

Yes, the 180-mile journey from St. Moritz to Zermatt is a very fine trip, though hardly the express run implied by the name. The Glacier Express journey takes a shade under eight hours, and the route’s summer season is now in full swing. Departures from St Moritz are twice daily through September 25, with the schedule dropping back to one departure daily until late October, when the glitzy trains with their panorama coaches are shunted off into the sidings for a fall break.

A panoramic view aboard the Glacier Express. Photo: Mark & Gideon

The route: Tunnels, bridges and gorges galore

Travelers have a tendency to flock to well-known sights, and the Glacier Express, which has been particularly heavily promoted in the North American and Japanese markets, now features on the “must do” list of many non-Europeans visiting Switzerland.

Don’t misunderstand us. It is a super journey, but we are far from sure that it is the best on offer in Switzerland. The views while the train is in 191 tunnels are not great. And it would be difficult to contrive a route of similar length elsewhere in Switzerland that is so utterly devoid of lakes. The Glacier Express is very much a route in the mountains, much of it through deep gorges or barren high terrain.

Some who know the route well comment that the two stretches of industrial valley scenery (around Reichenau and later at Visp) come as a rather welcome relief from dark, forbidding crags and brooding snowfields.

Go local

Our issue with the Glacier Express is that it is promoted outside Europe as an up-market “exclusive” tourist experience with a price tag to match. That drives away the locals. And there are plentiful local trains that serve exactly the same route which have sensible prices (no hefty tourist supplements, no need to reserve seats in advance) and are often very much less busy than the Glacier Express.

Seven daily departures from St. Moritz on those regular local trains provide connections through to Zermatt in just over eight hours — so just 20 minutes slower than on the so-called “express.” The only downside with the local services is that you do need to change trains along the way, but the connections work perfectly in a way that only the Swiss can manage.

And the big advantage of the local trains is that on some of them you can open the windows (great for photography, and also a chance to enjoy the fresh mountain air).

The fares

It is not that locals despise the idea of traveling with tourists. But the prices drive them away. The one-hour stretch of the Glacier Express from Disentis to Andermatt is in our view one of the finest parts of the entire route. The trains chugs up over the wild Oberalp Pass. On the local trains that ply this route, generally once each hour, the one-way fare is 19 Swiss Francs (about $23). But use the Glacier Express — which isn’t any faster on this stretch—for the same journey, and the fare hikes up to 52 Swiss Francs ($62).

The regular second-class fare to ride the full Glacier Express route from St. Moritz to Zermatt this summer is 169 Swiss Francs ($202). This includes the compulsory seat reservation fee.

Travellers with a Swiss Pass may ride the Glacier Express by just paying a 33 Swiss Franc reservation fee. Holders of InterRail and Eurail Passes receive a discount, with fares for travel this summer as follows (always including the seat reservations): Eurail passes 94.50 Swiss Francs ($113), Adult InterRail passes 115 Swiss Francs ($137.50), Youth InterRail passes 74 Swiss Francs ($88.50).

Is it worth the ride?

In our view, it’s a fun day out and certainly a journey through magnificent scenery. If you are tempted, ride the local trains on the same route which have far more character. But eight hours is a long time, and the unremitting diet of gorges and glaciers can pall. There are, we think, other rail journeys in Switzerland which are cheaper, shorter, and—by virtue of being more varied—much more appealing.

Next week we shall review one of our personal favourites.

Have you boarded the Glacier Express?

Share your Glacier Express experience with us in the comments section. How much did you pay for your ticket? Was it worth it?

The post Switzerland by Train: Is the Glacier Express worth the ticket price? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Onwards to Italy

Even before the coming of the railway, Brig (or “Brigue” in French) held a commanding position in transport across the Alps. Napoléon had decreed that a carriage road should be built over the Alps, and over 5,000 workers struggled to build the Simplon Pass highway over the mountains to Italy.

When it was opened, travelers were surprised to find that in good weather a ten-horse carriage could make the journey from Brig to Domodossola in just 12 hours. Nowadays, sleek modern trains purr through the Simplon rail tunnel and reach Domodossola in just 25 minutes.

Visiting Brig

Brig is more than just a railway junction and the town certainly warrants a visit in its own right. Brig’s star building is the superb Stockalper castle with its handsome triple-tier arcade courtyard and stately cupolas. It is a mark of the town’s erstwhile wealth. That castle, a brace of fine churches and several good restaurants around a fine piazza all combine to make Brig the perfect place to linger.

A great base for exploring Switzerland

The town makes a fine base for rail-based holidays exploring central and western Switzerland. Few other European cities can claim to be as perfectly connected to key tourist destinations as Brig.

Top destinations by direct train from Brig include:

1. Kandersteg: one train per hour (travel time: 40 mins)
2. Stresa (for Lake Maggiore): every two hours (travel time: 55 mins)
3. Berne: two trains per hour (travel time: 1 hr)
4. Montreux: two trains per hour (travel time: 1 hr 20 mins)
5. Zermatt: one train per hour (travel time: 1 hr 20 mins)
6. Lausanne: two trains per hour (travel time: 1 hr 45 mins)
7. Milan: every two hours (travel time: 1 hr 50 mins)
8. Andermatt: one train per hour (travel time: 2 hrs)
9. Zürich: one train per hour (travel time: 2 hrs 10 mins)
10. Geneva: two trains per hour (travel time: 2 hrs 25 mins)

Holders of Eurail passes might just note that services to Andermatt and Zermatt are operated by the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn (MGB), a private mountain railway company that does not accept Eurail passes. But the Swiss Pass (sold by Swiss Travel System) is recognized by MGB.

The post Brig, Switzerland: A major rail connection worth exploring appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.