Don’t make the same mistake! Zurich is a wonderful city worthy of your time with vibrant energy and a charming Old Town. With the right planning and some help from our budget travel experts, you can enjoy the city without spending a fortune.

To get started, we’ve picked some of our favorite budget accommodations in Zurich to save on your hotel bill.

More budget tips for Switzerland:

• Travel Guide: 50 Ways to save in Switzerland
• Switzerland on a budget: A 5-day cheapo itinerary
• Zurich Hotel Crush: Sleeping cheap at Zum Guten Glück

Best budget hotels in Zurich, Switzerland

All of the hotels we’ve chosen offer spotless rooms, personal service, and a great location. Rates are below $175 per night — a very nice price for Zurich!

Enjoy a stylish, hip stay at Zum Guten Gluck. Photo: Booking.com

Zum Guten Glück

Neighborhood: Sihlfeld
Doubles from $95

At Zum Guten Glück, you’ll find not only a hotel but also a beloved café and bar. Rooms are stylishly retro and impeccably clean. Rates are low because the guestrooms share bathrooms, but even the shared bathrooms are spotless. You just might want to wake early to get in a shower before the morning rush. Read the full review

Sit in the sunshine on the patio at Zurich Youth Hostel. Photo: Booking.com

Youth Hostel Zurich (Jugendherberge Zurich)

Neighborhood: Around Zurich
Doubles from $132

Whether the hostel scene is your vibe or you’re looking for a private room, the Youth Hostel Zurich is a popular spot with affordable rates. The hostel sits further afield, but it’s only a 15-minute bus or tram ride to downtown. Individual rooms have your choice between private or shared bathrooms. The hostel also offers a restaurant, bar, and lounge for guests to enjoy. Read the full review

Hotel Marta has a clean and modern style without a big price tag.

Hotel Marta

Neighborhood: Altstadt
Doubles from $173

The no-frills Hotel Marta offers clean and comfortable rooms in the heart of Old Town. While the hotel is overall pretty basic, it does offer free Wi-Fi, a plentiful breakfast, and private bathrooms. Furthermore, we really like the minimalist style of the decor. But our favorite part? The Hotel Marta is socially conscious with a mission to employ disadvantaged women in the community. Help a good cause while you save! Read the full review

The rooms at Alexander Guesthouse are absolutely spotless.

Alexander Guesthouse

Neighborhood: Altstadt
Doubles from $167

The Alexander Guesthouse offers nice rooms and outstanding service in an incredible Old Town location. The rooms are simple but come with private bathrooms and complimentary Wi-Fi. We recommend asking for a room in the front, which are slightly more spacious and are filled with natural light. Read the full review

Looking for more options in Zurich? Search our hotel listings. We have 20 cheap hotels to choose from in Zurich.

The post Top budget hotels in Zurich for 2024 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here’s our quick guide to your choice of north-south rail routes if you are traveling from central Europe through Switzerland to Italy.

There are just three routes to choose from: the Simplon, the Gotthard and the Bernina.

The Simplon route

Our rating: **

Used by four daily EuroCity services from Geneva to Milan and by the thrice daily EuroCity trains from Basel to Milan. Not our favorite option as the best of the scenery is missed in tunnels. The Geneva and Basel routes converge at Brig, and then run through the Simplon tunnel into Italy. The trains from Geneva do offer some super views as they skirt the northern edge of Lake Geneva. But the Basel route south through Berne is pretty but unspectacular, and then plunges through the 34km-long Lötschberg tunnel to reach Brig, where you get a breath of fresh air before diving into the Simplon tunnel.

On the plus side, there are some super views of Lake Maggiore as the train cruises through northern Italy towards Milan. Sit on the left for the views. And it is those lake views which are the redeeming factor for the Simplon route. So we give it two stars.

The Gotthard route

Our rating: **

Used each day by seven EuroCity trains from Zürich to Milan (and also one from Basel to Milan). This route is also taken by domestic Swiss services from Basel and Zürich to Locarno and Lugano. Indeed, this is the main north to south rail axis through Switzerland. The approach to the north side of the Gotthard Tunnel is classic Switzerland. Sit on the right side of the train for super lake views with range upon range of mountains edging ever closer.

With the opening of the new 57-km Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016, the journey is now even less scenic.

The Bernina Express running right along Lake Bianco. Photo: Terry

The Bernina route

Our rating: *****

Far and away the finest of the three north-south routes from Switzerland into Italy. No ifs, no buts. The Bernina knocks spots off the competition. If you are in a rush to get into Italy, take the Simplon or Gotthard routes. But if you want to see the Alps, the Bernina is the obvious choice. This is the only route that goes over the Alps rather than tunneling through them.

The Bernina is served by Rhaetian Railway services from St Moritz (in the Swiss Engadin) to Tirano (in Italy). Local trains run hourly on this route throughout most of the day, although evening services are very limited. There are also some through trains from Chur and Davos to Tirano (branded “Bernina Express” and with a supplementary charge).

The beauty of the Bernina, particularly if you ride the local trains which stop at every tiny station, is that you have a real sense of engaging with the landscape. There are glaciers and Alpine meadows, with moments of high drama as the train drops down from high mountain terrain into serenely beautiful valleys. Beyond Tirano, the route runs south-west to Milan, skirting the east side of Lake Como for more than an hour.

The time question

So why does everyone not take the Bernina route? It seems to be really a matter of time. Sadly, most travelers are in a rush. And the lure of a direct train tempts folk to the faster Simplon and Gotthard routes. Journeys from the principal Swiss cities to Milan via the Bernina route require several changes of train. Here are some comparison journey times for Zürich to Milan:

via the Simplon route: 4 hrs 15 min
via the Gotthard route: 3 hrs 45 min
via the Bernina route: 10 hrs 05 min

The travel times speak for themselves. Yes, the Bernina journey takes more than twice as long, but it’s so very, very much better that canny travelers give the Alps the time they deserve. Indeed, there are a heap of places along the Bernina route which warrant an overnight stop, so why not spread the journey over two days?

Editor’s Note: Looking for more insider information on train travel across Europe? Pick up a copy of Europe by Rail, now in its 15th edition, it is the definitive guide for exploring the continent by train. You can also follow them on twitter at @EuropebyRail.

The post Crossing the Alps by Train: Three rail routes from Switzerland to Italy appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Unfortunately for Cheapos, the Alpine paradise is not exactly Europe’s most budget-friendly destination. In fact, it often goes down as Europe’s most budget-unfriendly destination! It’s no Portugal or Spain…

But that doesn’t mean that you need to steer clear of Switzerland, or that a visit has to empty your entire bank account. You may have to “adjust” your standards a bit — and get creative — but the chance to explore this spectacular European country is well worth the effort!

Related:

• Switzerland on a Budget: Our 5-day cheapo itinerary
• Switzerland: A Budget travel guide to Interlaken
• Switzerland: A Basel budget travel guide to help you save

Switzerland Budget Travel Guide: 50 Tips for saving

Here are 50 of our best tips for spending fewer Swiss francs on your trip. Whenever possible, we’ve also included links to more in-depth articles for further advice. We’d love to hear about any additional tips you have in the comments section at the end.

Geneva, Switzerland is easy on the eyes. Photo: Daniel J.

When to go

1. AVOID MAJOR EVENTS IN BIG CITIES

Want to keep your trip on budget? Avoid popular events in big cities like Geneva and Zurich when room rates can double or triple. Not sure when events are on? Look up each city’s calendar of events on the Swiss tourism website.

Desperate to attend a major event like Switzerland’s biggest carnival in Basel? Book as far in advance as you can manage.

2. PLAN YOUR TRIP FOR SWITZERLAND’S OFF SEASON

For the best airfares and hotel room rates in Switzerland, stay away from late spring, summer and the winter holidays. For the best prices and fewer crowds try late winter or early spring.

Getting Cheaper Flights to Switzerland

3. FLY OPEN-JAW

Don’t get attached to the idea of a round-trip fare into and out of Zurich. It may make your trip more expensive, and waste a lot of time. It might be cheaper to fly into one city and home through another. We found direct “open-jaw” flights into Zurich and out of Geneva for $600 or less in late September and early October.

4. YOU DON’T HAVE TO FLY INTO ZURICH

Depending on your travel dates, it may be cheaper to fly into Geneva, or into a major European hub like London or Frankfurt, and then hop a budget flight on to Switzerland.

5. ADD A STOPOVER FOR SAVINGS

While there are plenty of direct flights to Switzerland from New York, you could save some cash and gain a stopover in Iceland if you book round-trip flights with Icelandair. We found fares in late September for less than $500.

6. FLY BUDGET AIRLINES

Once you’re in Europe, hop a cheap flight with a low-cost airline like RyanAir or easyJet to Switzerland. Just make sure to pack light — excess luggage fees can get scary fast on these flights.

Want some more advice on how to get a cheap flight? Check out our guide to budget flights in Europe.

7. SKIP THE TAXI INTO THE CITY CENTER

Never take a taxi into the city center from the airport if you’re traveling alone. It’s just not worth the expense. Wrangle your bags and hop the bus or the train. If you’re traveling in a group, it might be worth the splurge late at night with lots of luggage.

Planning your trip

8. TAKE IT SLOW

Don’t try to cram in too many things. If you stay in one place, you’ll have time to discover off-the-beaten-path restaurants and shops along with free events and attractions. You could easily spend a few days in any of the country’s bigger cities just exploring museums.

9. FOCUS ON ONE REGION

Switzerland may be small and landlocked, but it’s covered in mountains. That means things are almost farther away (in time, if not in miles) than you imagine. Focus on one area or region for a better trip.

10. FOLLOW THE LOCALS

Skip touristy attractions and vacation where the locals go — which generally means renting a car and heading to villages that are more out of the way, like Gimmewald and Thun.

Want some more itinerary tips? Check out the following articles:

• Gimmelwald, Switzerland: A visit to the tiny mountain village
• Mythic Waters: The Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen

Saving on transportation

11. SKIP TOURIST PASSES

Generally speaking, extra tourist passes aren’t a great deal in Switzerland. For one thing, in many Swiss cities such as Basel and Interlaken, a transit pass for visitors is already included with hotel and hostel stays. If your hotel doesn’t hand it over at check-in, ask for your pass, and if you end up dealing with someone who isn’t willing to cooperate, head to the tourist office with a print out of your paid reservation and confirmation numbers.

12. BOOK TRAIN TICKETS BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Nowhere is booking train tickets ahead more important than in Switzerland where the train is lovely but terribly expensive. Fortunately for Cheapos, booking ahead of time will save you some serious cash.

13. BUY YOUR TICKETS DIRECTLY FROM SBB

Unless you’ve found an amazing multi-country deal with Eurorail, you’re best off buying your train trips directly from Switzerland’s national rail service. You can buy tickets at a local office after you arrive or on the SBB official website.

14. BOOK TICKETS ONLINE FOR BIG SAVINGS

The best deals to be had on train tickets in Switzerland are online. Using the SBB official website, you can book “Supersaver” tickets and pay substantially less than what you’d owe for a walk-up ticket in the station.

15. USE YOUR FEET
Switzerland’s beautiful scenery and compact city centers are often best explored on foot. And the good news is that walking is completely free.

16. BUS IT FOR A CHEAP RIDE

Want to travel between cities for less? Forget romantic notions of Swiss travel and hop on a bus. There are limited schedules (and it’ll take slightly longer than in the train), but taking the bus just might be worth the sacrifice for Cheapos. Check out schedules and ticket prices on the SBB website.

17. CONSIDER A RIDESHARE

While Europe’s growing rideshare company BlaBlaCar isn’t currently available everywhere in Switzerland, it is  available between bigger cities like Basel, Zurich, and Bern. For a fraction of what it costs to travel via train or bus, you may find more flexibility when it comes to scheduling and meet an interesting local.

Need some more tip on using ride-sharing services in Europe? Check out our guide to BlaBlaCar.

18. FLY BUDGET FOR LARGER DISTANCES

It may sound ridiculous, but with the onset of budget airlines flying between Swiss cities, and the expense of Swiss trains, sometimes it’s cheaper (and faster) to fly between Swiss cities than to travel overland, especially if you haven’t booked super saver tickets ahead of time. Do a budget air search here.

Rental Cars and Driving

19. BOOK A CAR WITH FREE CANCELLATION

Book your rental with free cancellation — that way if your plans change or you find a better deal, you’re covered. Most of the agencies we work with do offer free cancellation, but be sure to double check before booking. Find rates for Switzerland car rentals on CheapoSearch.

20. BOOK EARLY

The earlier you book your car, the better selection you’ll have to choose from. This is especially important if you want a cheap car, or a car with certain amenities (automatic transmission, etc).

21. CANCEL IF YOU FIND SOMETHING BETTER

If you’re not satisfied with the vehicle and price you booked in advance and find something better, cancel your existing reservation and re-book. Just beware of sneaky fees and deductibles.

22. PICK UP YOUR CAR AT THE AIRPORT

It’s almost always easier to pick your car up at the airport. It usually costs the same (or sometimes less) and can save you time driving through the city.

23. GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME FOR PICK-UP

Don’t book your car pickup too close to the time your plane lands or expect to pick up a car just before the rental office closes. Allow yourself lots of time to avoid stressful last-minute surprises because of delays.

24. ALLOW EXTRA TIME FOR DROP-OFF

Sometimes there’s a line to drop-off your rental, and you want to have plenty of time for a careful inspection you can sign off on to avoid any fees. Give yourself extra time to return the car — especially if delays could make you miss your flight.

25. PARK CAREFULLY

Switzerland is expensive. You don’t need to add a parking ticket to your expenditures. Unless you’re really sure that space on the street is free, stick to parking garages open to the public — it’s worth ponying up the parking fees to avoid the much bigger expense of a parking ticket.

26. KEEP YOUR SPEED UNDER CONTROL

Drive carefully and keep your speed within legal maximums and minimums. And don’t run any lights! If the rental car license is ticketed by a camera, the bill will get to you eventually — trust us.

27. HAVE A PAPER MAP AND GUIDEBOOK

Batteries die and sometimes you don’t have reception or the GPS hasn’t been updated — paper maps and guidebooks are a good back up for this probability.

28. USE GPS

If you don’t have reasonably priced data on your phone with a maps program, pay extra for a GPS with your rental. When you’re trying to find that picturesque Swiss chalet in the middle of nowhere, you’ll be very grateful.

29. DON’T DRIVE IN BIG CITIES

Large cities in Switzerland have dependable public transit systems, and while they’re not exactly what we’d call cheap, they’re certainly cheaper than paying for gas, a rental car and parking. Besides, driving in cities is almost never worth the headache for visitors.

30. PICK UP YOUR CAR WHEN LEAVING TOWN

If you’re flying into a big city (like Zurich or Geneva) and sticking around for a few days before heading off through the mountains, start your car reservation when you’re leaving town. It will will save you the hassle of having a car in the city, and the expense of extra days of renting (and parking!).

Hotels and Accommodations

31. BOOK EARLY FOR THE BEST PRICES

Book as far in advance as you can manage for the best selection of rooms at the best price in Europe. Search and book on EuroCheapo, and check out our favorite budget hotels in Zurich.

32. STAY CENTRAL

You can find deals way outside the city center, but you’ll spend a lot of your time and money on getting around.

If you’re headed to Zurich, one of our favorite cheap and stylish options is near the city center. Rooms at Zum Guten Glück start at only $70 per night for a single room —a bargain for the country’s biggest city.

33. DON’T BOOK A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Those mountain views out your hotel window in Switzerland sure are pretty… expensive! Since your room is really only a place to sleep, you can skip the view and save your francs for other activities. And who knows, maybe they’ll give you the view for free.

34. RENT SOMETHING WITH KITCHEN FACILITIES

Prepare yourself: A cup of coffee will cost you about $4 a cup, and eating out can be exorbitant. You’ll want to cook some of your own meals. A kitchen with your hotel stay would make that easier.

35. SLEEP IN A CAMPSITE

Where available, Swiss campsites are well priced for an alternative to a hotel. Some campsites even have cabins if you don’t want to pack a tent. Here’s a list of more than 200 campsites on the official Swiss tourism website.

36. STAY SOMEWHERE NICE WITH A LAST-MINUTE BOOKING

If you don’t mind gambling a little, you can wait until the day of to book a hotel and sometimes you can stay in an upscale place for the same price as a budget hotel. Read our guide to when to book for the best rates.

37. SEARCH BUDGET HOTELS ON EUROCHEAPO

Know your travel dates now? Search over 11,000 hotels across Switzerland. Save on your hotel bill and have plenty leftover for sightseeing and dining!

Seeing the sights

38. HIT UP THE TOURIST OFFICE FOR ADVICE

First stop: The tourist office for some free advice! The people at the tourist offices are there to help you and will do their best to save you money if they can. If nothing else, you’ll get a free map. Every city has one — usually in the train station and in the city center.

39. PREBOOK ANYTHING YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST SEE

Switzerland’s a popular destination, so if there’s something you really have to see (especially during high seasons at Christmas and in summer) you should go ahead and pre-book it. You’ll save yourself time waiting in line.

40. PRIORITIZE FREE ACTIVITIES

In large urban areas like Basel and Zurich, most museums have at least one free day or afternoon a week. Check those days in advance, as the savings can be substantial (plus you’ll feel less guilty about just popping in for an hour or so).

41. BE CAREFUL BUYING PASSES

As noted in #11 above, be careful when buying city tourism passes that include city transportation and museum entrances. Why? If you’re staying at a hotel in the city, a city transit pass will already be included in your stay. Thus, these other tourism passes are really just covering museums and sightseeing, so do the math and see if they’re worth it.

Do you like cheap eats? Keep an eye out for bakeries and supermarkets on your Swiss vacation. Photo: Kecko

Saving on eating and drinking in Switzerland

42. EAT OUT AT LUNCH

If you want to eat well for less, go out for lunch, not for dinner, and go for a fixed price menu. Lunch deals are much easier to come by in Switzerland than dinner deals.

43. HEAD TO THE SUPERMARKET

In Switzerland, food is expensive, especially when compared to destinations in Southern Europe. If you want to save on dining, eat out less, head to the grocery store for pre-made meals and groceries, and cut down on your meat buying (even in grocery stores). It’s so expensive in Switzerland that lots of locals have adopted at least one meat-free day per week.

For cheap and filling prepared meals, try the restaurants at area supermarkets like ALDI and COOP — don’t expect anything terribly fancy though. Imagine eating at a Swiss IKEA, and you’re pretty much on the mark.

44. FORGO FAST FOOD

Think you’ll save by simply eating out at international fast-food chains? Think again! Even chains like McDonald’s will hurt your budget in Switzerland. In fact, a Big Mac meal is more expensive than takeaway from many popular Indian and Chinese restaurants in Basel.

45. DON’T OVERTIP

When you do dine out, a service fee is typically included in the bill at Swiss restaurants. If you’re exceptionally pleased with your experience, you can always round up to the nearest franc, but more than that isn’t expected.

46. CUT BACK ON CAFFEINE

If you have a serious coffee habit, you may want to cut back during your Swiss vacation. Caffeinated drinks can be pretty expensive. In most establishments, a coffee starts at around $4.

Another option? Drink as much as you can at your hotel’s breakfast service, and make yourself instant brew in your room. Or you could switch to tea…

47. CAREFUL WITH THE PRICEY ALCOHOL

When you’re on a budget in a pricier destination, alcohol price tags can quickly add to your costs. Sticking to water and cutting out soft drinks wouldn’t hurt either. When you want a tipple, stick to beer and wine (they’re always the cheapest) and scope out area hostels with happy hours for an inexpensive buzz.

Keeping in Touch

48. NEGOTIATE WITH YOUR CARRIER BEFORE YOU GO

Switzerland’s phone services don’t have agreements with the rest of Europe for roaming, which is disappointing, to say the least. Unless you plan to stay for a month or more, Switzerland is the exception to our general advice to buy a local SIM card when visiting Europe.

Instead, negotiate ahead of time with your carrier at home and use any services on an as needed basis. Your best option? Keep in touch with loved ones with your hotel’s free WIFI.

If you’re traveling in Europe long-term, grab a SIM card in a country that’s a full-on member of the European Union with a carrier that offers free roaming in the European Union, wherein you’ll be paying local rates for data, and calls wherever you go.

Banks and Money

49. USE NO-FEE CARDS

Call your bank and credit card company before you go to find out about fees and exchange rates (and let them know when and where you’ll be traveling to avoid unpleasant surprises). Then stick to using those cards and accounts with good rates and no (or low) fees to get the best deal on Swiss francs.

50. DON’T CHANGE CASH

While changing money at the airport is still common and sometimes a necessary evil, the exchange rates and fees never work out in your favor. You’re much better off taking out as much cash as you think you’ll need at an ATM. Remember, Swiss francs are only good in Switzerland, it’s not like you can use them anywhere else on your trip.

That said, in Basel, Euros are accepted at important places like the central train station and the airport.

Bonus Tip: You might want to buy travel insurance for your Swiss adventure. The coverage might be helpful for any hiccups that come up during your trip.

Your Switzerland budget tips

Have you been to Switzerland? Share your best money-saving tips in the comments section below!

The post Travel Guide: 50 Ways to Save in Switzerland appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

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 launch of the Unspunnenfest, a festival dedicated to Swiss culture highlighting traditions like stone throwing, wrestling and yodeling soon after only increased the region’s renown.

Unsurprisingly, the city’s storied background and popularity doesn’t exactly translate to bargain basement prices for travelers. But at EuroCheapo, we’ve made it our goal to help you find ways to save even in Europe’s priciest destinations — and Interlaken is no exception!

Related
• A Budget guide to Basel, Switzerland
• 5 Budget tips for Zurich
• Hotel Crush: A Cheap sleep in Zurich

Interlaken Budget Travel Guide

Getting There

The two nearest airports to Interlaken are in Zurich and Basel. For travelers looking for a direct flight from the U.S. or Canada into Switzerland, Zurich is the best option, but it comes at a price. For a better price on airfare, travelers may be better off hopping a transatlantic flight into a major European hub (think London, Paris, or Barcelona) and then connecting to Basel’s tiny EuroAirport on a low-cost carrier like Ryanair, Vueling or easyJet.

From Basel and Zurich, your cheapest, fastest, and most flexible option is renting a car, especially if you’re traveling in a group.

Related: Check car rental prices in Switzerland

That said, if you’d rather train it around on one of the world’s best-known rail systems, book super saver train tickets in advance online through SBB, here. The earlier you book the more you’ll save.

How to get around in the Interlaken Area

Once you’re in Interlaken, the city and surrounding area is small and very walkable. There are even dedicated hiking and biking trails between neighboring communities. If you’re staying in the area at a hotel, hostel, or registered holiday apartment (no Airbnb, sorry), you’ll receive an Interlaken Holiday Region Guest Card at check-in.

This card gives you access to free travel on local public transportation and other discounts. If you don’t, request one and if you get too many excuses, visit a tourism office and let them know — they were friendly and happy to help when our hotel didn’t give us our passes at check-in.

When to Go

While a summer trip promises sunny weather for hiking and winter is obviously ideal for snow sports, the somewhat fickle weather from late September to the end of October and from late March to early May can translate to savings when it comes to airfare and lodging.

For the best deals, zero in on early November and March and give the Christmas holidays and peak season (May through the beginning of September) a wide berth. Just be aware that some cable cars, funiculars, mountain trains, restaurants and hotels shut down partially or completely during the offseason.

Looking out over Lake Thun in Switzerland. Photo: Henk B

Free and cheap things to do in Interlaken

Your number one cheap thing to do in Interlaken and surrounding areas year-round? Get outside and take in the view. Bring your best walking shoes/boots and comfortable all-weather gear, because there’s a hike here to fit pretty much every interest and fitness level. Want to see views from on high? Local wildlife and plants? Check out medieval ruins? Gaze into the sky blue waters of area lakes? There’s something for everyone in the Interlaken area.

Longer hikes

Depending on the time of year you visit and your interests and fitness level, you can choose from a wide variety of trails. There’s the fairly rigorous two- to three-hour hike up Harder Kulm, the Alpine peak closest to Interlaken. For a more leisurely walk, follow the Aare River in either direction to see the clear blue lakes on either side of the city, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.

Neuhaus is another good day-trip destination. About one hour on foot each way, you’ll walk through lush green meadows, the ruins of a medieval fortress and the Neuhaus-Weissenau Nature Preserve to end up in a lakeside park perfect for a picnic.

A stroll to Bönigen

Looking for a truly short jaunt? Take a brisk thirty-minute stroll to Bönigen, a charming tiny village replete with bakeries and chocolate shops for a sweet treat. If you’d rather shorten your hike somewhat, be sure to talk to someone in the tourist information office, or at your hotel, about which public transportation routes are included on your guest pass before buying any additional transit tickets.

Biking

Prefer to see the sights on two wheels? Cycling will get your further afield faster (particularly in the summer months when trails are likely to be in tip-top shape). Rentals in Interlaken are available in the summer months starting at $30 for a full day with a private company or SBB’s (the Swiss rail network) rent a bike — with SBB’s program the more days in a row you book, the cheaper the rental costs per day.

Skiing and snow sports

Snow and adventure sports in Interlaken and surrounding areas don’t come cheap. If you really want to ski or snowboard, however, Outdoor Interlaken sometimes offers discounts on rentals booked for multiple days online, 10% discounts for groups of 10 or more participants (maybe get together a group at your hostel?) as well as package deals and discounts on multiple activities booked together.

Inexpensive eats in Interlaken

Interlaken is basically a Swiss resort town, so it isn’t exactly a cheap place to eat and drink. If you’re on a really tight budget, you should probably limit food out and buy groceries. (Tip: the Migros and Spar supermarkets are somewhat cheaper than COOP). Meat is especially expensive in Switzerland, so if you’re trying to keep costs in check, maybe skip it during your time in Interlaken — it’s not like Switzerland’s a famous destination for steak, anyway.

Seek out international fare

As in other destinations in Switzerland, for the best price to quality and quantity ratio, international fare, particularly Asian and Middle Eastern food is usually a good bet.

Supermarket buffets

The COOP at Interlaken Ost and the local Migros Supermarket have their own restaurants with reasonably priced self-service fare, not unlike offerings at IKEA or old-school department store cafeterias.

All-you-can-eat fondue and cheap drinks

If you’re dying to try more traditional dishes (fondue, raclette, etc.) get away from Höheweg, the touristy main drag for better food and lower prices. In Interlaken proper, for cheap raclette and fondue, try Balmers Hostel. Fridays and Saturdays during the winter, you can enjoy all-you-can-eat fondue for 15 CHF (about $15) and raclette for 20 CHF or a portion of raclette for only 6CHF. In the summertime, the hostel has an inexpensive beer garden with prices starting at 9CHF, and its Metro bar is known year-round for happy hour and inexpensive drinks.

A bright and airy private room at Balmers Hostel.

Budget accommodations in Interlaken

Hostels in Interlaken proper start at about $25 per night for a dorm bed and $65 per night for a private room (without a bathroom). Basic B&Bs and hotels start at $90. For a lower nightly rate, head to the hinterlands. In nearby (and decidedly more picturesque) communities like Wilderswil you may be able to book a nicer room with breakfast included for less, and you’ll still get an Interlaken area guest card at check in (which means free bus/train service around the region for the extent of your stay).

Balmers Hostel

For a cool hostel, we like the private rooms (from about $70) and dorm beds (from about $30) at Balmers Hostel. It’s well located and has a budget-friendly restaurant and bar on site. There’s a guest kitchen and free bikes are available in summer.

Hotel Bären is a rustic Swiss chalet with affordable rooms.

Hotel Bären

Hotel Bären in Wilderswil has traditionally-furnished rooms with rustic Swiss design starting at $125. Ask for a room with a view of the surrounding mountains and villages. An excellent hot and cold breakfast buffet is included. It may be a little bit more than we usually pay, but it’s very reasonably priced for private rooms with private bathrooms in Switzerland.

Search over 100 in Interlaken through EuroCheapo.

Your Interlaken budget travel tips

Have you been to Interlaken? Share your good money-saving advice from your own cheapo experiences in the comments section below, or on EuroCheapo’s Facebook page or Twitter.

The post Switzerland: A Budget travel guide to Interlaken appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

It’s not, however, known for being a budget traveler’s paradise, or even a budget-friendly destination — and with good reason. That’s why we came up with this Basel budget guide.

There are several ways to make your time in Basel easier on your bank account. You’ll have to be flexible, and a little creative, but Basel on a budget is more doable than you might imagine. Especially since at the time of writing, the exchange rate of Swiss Francs (CHF) to USD is nearly 1 to 1 ($1 buys 1 Swiss Franc).

Related articles
• Recommended Zurich budget hotels under $100
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• 5 Tips for finding cheap eats in Zurich

Basel budget travel guide

How to get there

Basel’s airport, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, is a small international airport operated jointly by France and Switzerland and actually has three official airport codes: BSL, MLH and EAP. And get this: The one-building airport is located in France and connected to Basel city proper via a 1.6-mile-long customs road ceded to Switzerland by France.

At the time of writing, there are no direct transatlantic flights to Basel, so depending on your European itinerary, it may make more sense to fly into a major hub outside of Switzerland, like London, Paris, Barcelona, or Munich and then hop a budget flight on to Basel (which start at around $50 one-way).

Trains from elsewhere in Europe are slightly more expensive than flying with European low-cost carriers, and tickets start at around $60. If you’re already in Switzerland, buses and rideshares like BlaBlaCar are your cheapest option, but if your heart’s set on riding the rails you can save money on train fare by booking a super saver fare ahead of time online on the SBB website.

The tram is a fun way to get around Basel. Photo: schnitzel bank

How to get around in Basel

Once you’re in Basel, the city itself is mostly flat and quite walkable. That said if you’re staying in a hotel or a hostel, you should receive a Basel Mobility Ticket at check-in. The ticket covers all public transport in the city and surrounding areas (zones 10, 11, 13, and 15 including the airport) for the duration of your stay.

If you fly into Basel-Mulhouse that means you should be able to hop the bus from the airport to the city center from the airport for free. Just make sure to have your hotel reservation on hand, if possible printed in German to show the driver if he asks (he probably won’t, but better safe than sorry).

Why in German? Because, for whatever reason, our confirmed reservation print-out included the note about the free transportation in German, but not in English. We had to nicely ask the lady at the information desk to double-check when she told us we’d have to buy tram tickets to our hotel after quickly glancing at the English printout. When she wasn’t to keen on cooperating, we showed her the German version, and she checked everything out. Turns out we did get to ride the tram for free, and when we reached our hotel, we got our mobility passes.

Basel City Hall features exquisite frescoes. Photo: Jean

Free and Cheap Things to Do in Basel

Basel’s known the world over as a capital of culture and art. Unfortunately, many of its attractions have a price tag in line with that renown. On the plus side, there are a few different ways around paying full price for a few hours of culture.

Fondation Beyeler
At the Fondation Beyeler, visitors under 25 can see the collection of masterpieces by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and Warhol for free, and students under 30 for 12 CHF (instead of 28 CHF) with appropriate ID.

Kunstmuseum for free
The Kunstmuseum, home to the largest and most significant public collection of art in Switzerland, has a free “happy hour” Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 6 p.m. and is free the first Sunday of the month from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Basel Minster
A turn around the iconic red sandstone spires of Basler Münster, the city’s cathedral, can always be had free of charge. This striking building was built over the course of several centuries, and Erasmus of Rotterdam is buried there. The back courtyard is a lovely place to take in views of the Rhine and the city.

City Hall
Visitors can also take a look at the frescoes in the courtyard at the Rathaus, Basel’s 500-year old City Hall building for free.

The BaselCard (Now free!)
One final option for Cheapos who want to spend less is the BaselCard. This tourist card gives free use of public transport, 50% off admission to pretty much all of the museums in town worth seeing, the zoo, walking tours, theater, and even a free ferry ride across the Rhine. So what will the BaselCard cost you? Nothing! Every hotel guest receives this card for free when they check in. Read more about the details and perks of BaselCard here.

Carnival: Basel’s biggest street party

Basel’s carnival celebration (“Fasnacht“) is the largest in Switzerland and the most famous protest carnival in the world. It dates back to before the 14th century. It’s a three-day celebration starting the Monday after Ash Wednesday at 4 a.m. In the city’s old town, the streetlights are turned off and masked participants kick off the festival marching around with hanging lanterns to drums and piccolos.

This organized chaos is free to observe, but if you don’t want to spend a good-sized chunk of your time picking confetti out of your hair, you might want to spring for a Blaggedde carnival badge. They’re sold at kiosks around town during the festival and by participants themselves starting at for about 9 CHF ($9) and afford you some good will from local revelers as the sale of the badges helps fund the event.

It’s also important to note that for obvious reasons, accommodation during the festival will be substantially more expensive and harder to come by.

Cheap eats and drinks

Basel, as all of Switzerland, isn’t the cheapest place to eat and drink by any means. Compared to countries like Portugal and Spain, the prices seem borderline obscene. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to reduce the expense.

Grocery stores
For the most savings, travelers are best off shopping at grocery stores and cooking for themselves. Keep an eye out for the German chain ALDI which is cheaper than local chain COOP. Either one, of course, is cheaper than eating in restaurants!

Street vendors
Street vendors are always a good bet for affordable snacks (think about $5 for a hot dog) but the quantity to quality price ratio might mean you’re better off at a restaurant.

Our favorite cheap restaurants
For the best prices at restaurants, focus on informal Asian and Middle-Eastern restaurants or go out at lunchtime for a fixed price menu. Here are some cheapo prices (for Basel!)

• Kebabs and Falafels run around $8-10.

• A medium takeaway pizza will cost you about $15.

• For authentic local food, we like the open-faced sandwiches for 3.50 CHF each at the Brotli Bar (Gerbergasse 84).

• Or fill up on a plate of Indian Food for 11 CHF at Ganapathy (Mattenstrasse 50).

• A portion of Raclette (grilled/melted cheese) in a traditional restaurant like Walliser Kanne costs around 20 CHF.

Coffee culture
Coffee is particularly expensive, and pretty much everywhere I ordered one it cost $4-5, which incidentally, is the same price as a glass of house wine, or a pint of beer on tap in many establishments. Nice coffee shops will include a glass of tap water and maybe a traditional Leckerli cookie with your caffeine fix.

Tip: Skip major fast-food chains unless you’re dying to try McDonald’s “Raclette Burger” and willing to pay twice as much as you would stateside for your McMenu.

Cheap Sleeps in Basel

Very basic and centrally located accommodations in Basel with a private bathroom can be had from about 60 CHF per night.  Hostels are more wallet-friendly starting at around 25 CHF for a bunk in mixed dorms. Search budget hotels in Basel for your dates now.

Double rooms are modern and affordable at STAY@Basel SBB.

Hotel & Lounge by Hyve Basel SBB

For a very comfortable budget experience in a good location, we like the Hotel & Lounge by Hyve Basel SBB’s rooms with shared bathrooms and a fully-equipped kitchen for guests.

If your accommodations offer free breakfast or the possibility of adding breakfast for $5 or less per person, it’s probably worth it — remember a coffee will cost you about that. Even if the breakfast is just coffee and tea with cereal, toast and pastries, it’ll be well-worth it. Even better, there will probably be fruit, cheese and cold cuts, too.

Browse and book over 150 hotels in Basel

If you can’t find a reasonably-priced hotel in the city center for non-negotiable dates, don’t stress too much about booking something a little further out — you’ll still get a mobility pass, and Basel’s transit is fast, comfortable, and efficient.

Your Budget tips for Basel

Have you been to Basel? Do you have any good budget tips of your own?

The post Switzerland: A Basel budget travel guide to help you save appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Located upstairs from a restaurant-bar of the same name, Zum Guten Glück is that rarest of Swiss birds: a cheap and stylish place in Zurich to bed down for the night.

Related: All budget hotels in Zurich

Rooms: Simple & stylish

My room was spotless, with a single bed with a pillow and duvet – comfortable and austere in its simplicity, a single golden spotlight above the bed for reading.

The floor, painted gray, is offset with a woven black-and-white rug with a diamond pattern. Two stools, a pile of towels, and a vintage bedside table complete the selection. A well-designed white globe of a lamp hangs above, illuminating everything. My window overlooked an internal courtyard displaying a horizon of cars, bikes, and maintenance equipment: utilitarian but not unpleasant.

The interior of Room 4. Photo: Courtesy of Zum Guten Glück

Amenities

This is not luxury by any definition. There’s no television in the room. (But honestly, does anyone watch television on a television anymore? There is a fast internet connection at Zum Guten Glück for that in any case.)

For this nightly rate, you will also have to share a toilet and a shower. And while in a general way I prefer to have a private toilet and shower, it’s no huge loss to share both from time to time, especially in a guesthouse as aesthetically pleasing and inarguably inexpensive as this one.

A Low price for an expensive city

Part of the magic of Zum Guten Glück is, of course, the thrill of getting away with such a low nightly rate in Zürich. It certainly felt like a steal after my two meals in the city – the first, at the vegetarian restaurant Hiltl, set me back around 30 CHF ($31; €27) for a plate of vegetarian buffet items and a glass of wine; the second, at a mediocre sushi restaurant, cost me about 80 CHF ($82; €73) for two smallish plates of sashimi. Neither of these restaurants, it should be said, would be considered expensive in the context of Zürich.

Room 9 with a king-sized bed. Photo: Courtesy of Zum Guten Glück

Glancing back at the Zum Guten Glück listing on EuroCheapo, I find a distinctly mediocre review. This forces me to acknowledge, again, that my enthusiasms are sometimes only my own and nobody else’s. Then again, things change. The main criticism in the original review is of the sullen staff, but the people I interacted with at the guesthouse were both friendly and helpful. Perhaps the staff has either turned over or been retrained since the original reviewer’s visit.

The neighborhood

The guesthouse’s hodgepodge of a neighborhood, Wiedikon, houses a synagogue and a handful of interesting shops. It’s adjacent to the southern end of Langstrasse, rather satisfyingly the seediest bit of central Zürich, which heaves with nighttime activity. A few blocks from the guesthouse is the Wiedikon train station. Trains from Wiedikon take all of two minutes to reach Zürich’s main train station.

Learn about booking rooms at Zum Guten Glück.

The post Zürich Hotel Crush: Sleeping cheap at Zum Guten Glück appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Travelers can choose to launch their journeys from one of six airports: Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover and Stuttgart.

The airline has divided their mystery destinations into several categories. Cologne/Bonn offers seven summer season categories, all but one of them priced at €33 per leg: Culture, Gay-friendly, Metropolis, Nature, Trekking and Hiking, Party and Shopping. The seventh category, Sun and Beach, is priced at €49.99 per leg. Hamburg and Stuttgart offer four destination categories, Dusseldorf three and Berlin and Hannover one apiece.

The booking process

My mission was to yield to chance and to watch my pennies. Though quite pleasant to fly, Germanwings is a low-cost airline. Pinching pennies on a low-cost carrier means not paying extra for either a seat assignment or checked luggage. On the ground I prioritized supermarket meals and booked the very cheapest accommodation I could find.

I chose Dusseldorf for two reasons. One, it was easy and relatively inexpensive to reach from London, my home base. Secondly, the Dusseldorf “party” gathering of destinations appealed to me more than any other. The grouping included Leipzig, Dresden, Warsaw and Katowice, as well as Stockholm and Barcelona, cities where I have friends. (From the outset I found this category to be confusing. This group of cities didn’t really strike me to be particularly or relatively festive places. Marketing is hard!)

And the destination is…

I made my booking after dinner one evening. A receipt flashed on my screen and I discovered that I was destined for Milan Malpensa. Milan was one of two cities on the list I had hoped wouldn’t come up. I like Milan fine but had visited fairly recently. So my first reaction was disappointment. Here’s lesson one, perhaps the most obvious of all though worth repeating: Blind Booking is not an ideal holiday solution for anyone with a very fixed idea about where they want to travel.

That said, there are ways to game Blind Booking. For €5, customers can exclude a destination from the group list. Customers can also examine existing timetables to maximize their likelihood of flying to a particular destination.

Beyond these hacks, Blind Booking is about yielding to chance. Because the booking period extends to 45 days prior to departure, Blind Booking doesn’t have to be a fly-by-night endeavor. With over six weeks of lead time, there are plenty of opportunities to plan ahead.

I booked a two-night jaunt. Because my departing flight left too early to make it from London to Dusseldorf with a comfortable cushion for transfer time, I had to fly in the previous evening. And because my return flight from Milan to Dusseldorf arrived around 11 PM, I had to find a hotel in Dusseldorf for a night at the end of the jaunt.

These two additional details provided the second lesson of Blind Booking, equally as obvious as the first lesson, but worth articulating nonetheless: This cheap roundtrip ticket is essentially a clearance item. In exchange for €66, customers have to organize themselves around the itinerary on offer. My guess is that departures and returns in the early morning and late night hours are particularly common Blind Booking slots. Flexibility is key.

The trip

I headed for the mountains: Two nights in Lugano, followed by a scenic rail journey from Locarno to Domodossola.

I flew into Milan Malpensa, had a quick (and necessary) espresso at an airport café and took the Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale. Here I had about 15 minutes to buy my ticket on to Lugano, which was a snap.

Though EuroCheapo I booked two nights at Ristorante le bucce de Gandria, a small restaurant with several guestrooms in Gandria, a village on the edge of Lugano. My room was CHF130 ($145) for two nights, which around these parts is quite cheap. After arriving I made a beeline to the nearest gas station/convenience shop where I bought the holy grail of a simple supermarket dinner: salami, cheese, anchovies, yogurt, nuts and water. The damage: CHF20 ($22).

My two days were about reacquainting myself with Lugano, a city I’d last visited when I was 19. Supermarket lunches, long walks along the lake, two delightful swims, a pleasurable dinner on the balcony at Locanda Gandriese restaurant in Gandria, enjoyed with a local Ticinese wine and capped with a shot of house-made limoncello, wanders through Lugano’s hillside shopping streets, and a visit to the Museo Cantonale d’Arte, the cantonal art museum of Ticino.

Locarno is charming town just a short ride from Lugano. Photo: Luca G

On my third day I took the train to Locarno. Outside, Alpine vistas; inside, boisterous children set free on a field trip. In Locarno I caught a scenic train back into Italy, to regional hub Domodossola. This town, at the confluence of two rivers, features some noteworthy late medieval architecture and an attractive central square, Piazza del Mercato. Its stone and timber houses, arcades, and mountain peaks give Domodossola a rustic charm. I enjoyed risotto and steak for €13 at a quiet restaurant well off the central square and wandered for some time.

From Domodossola I caught a direct bus to Milan Malpensa for €15. This bus, which relies on government subsidy, runs on a demand-only basis and must be reserved in advance.

The Upshot

Germanwings’ Blind Booking is a little bit gimmicky but quite fun. It’s a good option for travelers with a broad interest in a great number of destinations; anyone with something very specific in mind should give it a pass. Anyone considering a Blind Booking break should take a look at their schedule and weigh the pros (surprise, cost) and cons (schedule, rigidity).

Note: Germanwings did not support this journey in any way.

The post Germanwings’ Blind Booking Deal appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

This is the common response I receive when telling people about my favorite Swiss destination of Gimmelwald. While not many people have heard of it, it’s more because of its remote location than its lack of offerings. Located in the Bernese Oberland, the tiny mountain village sits at an altitude of 4,500 feet and overlooks the UNESCO world heritage listed Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn.

Leaving the adrenaline-pumping Interlaken, I made my way to this car-free and quiet retreat by taking the cable-car from Stechelberg. Drifting higher and higher into the mountains, the buildings on the ground become like Monopoly pieces as you gently glide into the clouds. And when you step foot into Gimmelwald, it’s like heaven.

Gimmelwald isn’t a place you go for nonstop action, world-class restaurants or bustling attractions. Instead, it’s where you go to experience the quieter side of the Swiss Alps. Cozy timber homes and flower-rimmed guesthouses line the streets, which are actually footpaths since there are no vehicles allowed.

Gimmelwald offers easy access some of Switzerland’s most scenic and challenging hiking trails.

Things To Do

Because the village sits high in the mountains, you get the feeling you can fall off the edge if you stray too far. In reality, wandering beyond the wood buildings will lead you to some of Switzerland’s most scenic and challenging hiking trails. There are also easy hikes for beginners and families looking for something more leisurely than heart-pounding. Once you’re in the forest, you’ll see trail signs pointing in the direction of the nearby villages so you don’t have to worry too much about getting lost.

If you like waterfall hikes, head two hours downhill toward the powerful Trummelbach Falls, noted as Europe’s only subterranean waterfall, which sits at the base of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. There’s also the challenging Gimmelwald to Tanzbodeli hike, a steep 90-minute climb commencing in a bird’s-eye vista of the Swiss Alps. And for something leisurely, opt for the Gimmelwald to Chilchbalm trek. With no notably difficult sections, it’s two hours of caves, wild Alpine flowers, rivers, lush greenery and panoramic mountain and village views.

Say hello to Erica, the "Cheese Lady.”

It’s also worthwhile to visit one of the 13 farms in the village, selling eggs, milk, sausage and cheese. During my visit, my friends and I visited Erica “The Cheese Lady.” She brought us into the small wooden building where she ages her cheese and sausage and let us sample some of the varieties. Because there aren’t many restaurants in Gimmelwald – aside for the ones in the guesthouses – it’s a great opportunity to purchase some fresh local foods for a picnic.

The main thing to take advantage of when in Gimmelwald is the ability to relax. Read a book by the fire, play a game of Jenga with new friends, sip local wine while indulging in some Swiss cheese or chocolate or stare off at the white-capped peaks while breathing in fresh mountain air.

Playing Jenga and drinking wine with new friends at the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald.

Where to stay in Gimmelwald

If you’re on a budget, Mountain Hostel is a backpacker favorite and costs about $30 per night. There are single-sex dorms as well as one mixed dorm ranging in size from 6 to 16 beds. While there isn’t any nightlife in the area, this is the closest you’ll come, as travelers share bottles of Swiss wine and cheese and play board games until late hours in the cozy common area. It also doubles as a popular restaurant serving everything from pizza to fondue to homemade lasagna.

Esther’s Guesthouse also offers cozy accommodation in the form of two apartments and seven rooms with one to four beds. Each morning an expansive homemade breakfast as well as the chance to socialize is offered for $16, and there’s a community kitchen if you want to buy groceries from nearby Murren for cooking. In the summer, you can barbecue in the garden. Rates start at $59 per night, although you receive an $11 discount when paying in cash for three nights or more.

For those who want something rustic and romantic with breathtaking views from their room, Hotel Mittaghorn provides just that. Hosts Walter and Tim provide a welcoming ambiance, with Tim giving great advice on hikes and Walter whipping up delicious homecooked meals each night with dessert and wine accompaniments, all for $16. There is also a free breakfast of hearty breads, jams, cheese and coffee included in the $90 per night room rate.

Your visit to Gimmelwald

Have you visited Gimmelwald? Tell us about your experience in the tiny village in our comments section below.

Also in our guide: Visiting Switzerland can be hazardous to a Cheapo’s budget. If you’re planning your Swiss trip, swing by our guides to budget hotels in Geneva and Zurich. Yes, Cheapos, it is possible to enjoy this famously pricey country on a budget.

The post Gimmelwald, Switzerland: A visit to the tiny mountain village appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But every journey deserves time and in our recent meanderings by rail around Europe we’ve made some engaging slow diversions, favoring rural branch lines that really tap into the spirit of local landscapes.

Here are four great rural rail journeys that we have taken over the last four weeks, each one of them a ride to remember.

Pass traditional Trulli in Puglia aboard the FSE train. Photo © hidden europe

Italy: Peaches in Puglia

The regular Trenitalia rail fare from Bari to Taranto is €7.70. The journey between the two cities on the fast Trenitalia route is unexceptional. But for the same fare you can ride the Ferrovie del Sud Est (FSE) route via Martina Franca.

This really is the Italian outback. The FSE network in Puglia does not feature in most online databases of European rail schedules (not even in the Deutsche Bahn’s celebrated HAFAS system which shows only a subset of all European trains and is by no means as complete as some travelers imagine).

Our FSE train rattled south from Bari, eventually swapping half-built industrial parks for the orchards of the Puglian countryside. Peaches and almonds aplenty, and – as we climbed up into the hills – plenty of the classic Puglia trulli. These are dry stone buildings with distinctive conical roofs.

Czech Republic: Through the Erzgebirge

It is an easy journey from Bohemia to Saxony by train. Comfortable EuroCity services follow the main line through the Elbe Gorge and it is very pretty indeed. The run from Prague to Dresden takes just 2hrs 15mins.

But for a change last Monday, we took to the hills traveling via Karlovy Vary and Zwickau. There are four rail routes that cross the border between the Czech Republic and the German State of Saxony west of the Elbe Gorge, and all are worth a try. Each climbs over the hills, along the way making stops at the tiny villages that rely on the railway for links to the wider world. They are part of a family of routes, some entirely within Germany, marketed under the banner Erzgebirgsbahn – derived from the name of the mountain range that straddles the German-Czech border. The name Erzgebirge means the ‘ore mountains’, a hint of the rich history of mining in the region.

The Karlovy Vary to Zwickau train (with links at either end from Prague and on to Dresden respectively) averaged less than 40 kph (25 mph) on its tortuous and steep journey through hills and forests that this week still had plenty of lingering winter snow.

France: To Switzerland by stealth

We could of course have taken the fast train to Switzerland. Modern French TGV Lyria services streak from Dijon to the shores of Lake Geneva in just a couple of hours.

In mid-March, we opted instead for the slow alternative, taking local trains that followed switchbacks through the folded hills of the Jura. This is an exquisitely beautiful mountain range, the outermost ripples of the Alps that straddle the border of France and Switzerland between the Doubs Valley and Lake Geneva.

Highlight of the journey was the two-hour section from Besançon to La Chaux-de-Fonds. We found this little gem of a route tucked away in Table 376a of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable. It is served by modern trains with panoramic windows well suited to sightseeing. Trains runs thrice daily from Besançon to Switzerland via the rural cross-border route, so do check times before setting out.

Germany: Across the Lüneburg Heath

Even tame landscapes have their minor rail routes, so it is always worth checking if there is a credible alternative to the fast train. The Thomas Cook European Rail Map is a good starting point for your research.

The main line from Hamburg to Hanover in northern Germany wins no medals for its scenic charm. Twice-hourly ICE trains speed between the two cities in just 80 minutes.

But there is an alternative. The Heidebahn cuts across the Lüneburg Heath, a sparsely populated area of delicate beauty that you simply miss if you follow the main line. True, you have to change trains along the way (always at Buchholz and sometimes also at Soltau), and the entire run from Hamburg to Hanover takes twice as long as on the fast ICE train. But it’s a chance to see an area rarely visited by tourists.

This rural rail service across the Lüneburg Heath is run by a private company rather than the Deutsche Bahn, but happily the times are shown in the Deutsche Bahn’s HAFAS online information system and schedule planner. Eurail and InterRail passes are valid.

Your favorite rural rail routes

We are always on the lookout for good rural rail diversions that warrant a mention in forthcoming editions of our book Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide for Independent Travellers. If you would like to suggest your personal favorites, we’d love to hear them.

The post Rural Rail Diversions: Choosing slow alternatives to fast trains appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.