How I spent a week in scenic Switzerland

Switzerland is stunningly beautiful especially the scenery. It’s one of those countries where being outdoors is preferred. I spent an entire week here and all I did was visit mountains, go for boat rides and take scenic train journeys. Although I had a museum pass I never used it. 

 

So Switzerland is gorgeous but there is a downside; everything is super expensive and that keeps away a lot of people. Imagine having to pay 26 Swiss francs for a one-way train ride from Lucerne to Zurich (about 45 minutes) when in New York for a few dollars I am able to spend hours subway riding. Also, make sure you use the toilet before stepping out there. In the train station in Zurich, I had to pay over 5 francs to use the washroom, of course, that was the first and last time I used public convenience.

 

Apart from washrooms, lots of things become first and last experiences in the same go, for instance, bottled water. On the train, I asked the trolley attendant for regular water (forgot to refill my bottle at my hostel) and handed him 5 francs. Of course, I was expecting change but lo and behold the man said I was short 1 franc and some cents! Now a similar bottle of water sells for the equivalent of US$.55 in my country and maybe in New York for about $1. And I heard dining on traditional Swiss food is expensive too, didn’t go for the experience on this, just ate lots of affordable and tasty Thai food from a restaurant in Lucerne which was close to my hostel. Food from ethnic restaurants is more affordable. Although I didn’t cook, my hostel had two kitchens and a dining area opened to us, many persons cooked their meals there.

 

To really enjoy Switzerland without having to think about the cost of things constantly I bought a Swiss Travel Pass, a fantastic deal. It covered country-wide transport, boat rides on several lakes (I did Geneva, Zurich and Lucerne) and some mountain excursions plus it served as a museum pass too. Of course, I didn’t visit any museum but I did do all the mountain excursions, these are the most expensive rides.

Overall, the cost of all I did was twice the price I paid for the pass! From time to time the free excursions change, right now for instance you wouldn’t get Mount Pilatus covered but Schilthorn, showcased in one of the James Bond movies. 

I was even able to visit another country, Liechtenstein, on the pass as a day trip (transportation was covered). Liechtenstein is a principality, lies entirely in the Alps, and has been often cited as one of the richest countries in the world (per capita). It is interesting and in my case, I haven’t met another Guyanese who has visited or heard of it… 

 

Another way to cut costs is to find a cheap place to stay and luckily, there are hostels. I really enjoyed my stay at the hostel. It was right next to the lake in a tranquil spot yet quite close to the city centre. There was even a beach area, outdoor bar and park a few metres from the hostel and the cost per night was about 30 francs. The room even had a balcony with a lake view.

Overall, Switzerland is a fantastic place to visit and all about the great outdoors. It is one of my favourite countries and although, I was never the outdoor sort of person I was converted during my stay.