Switzerland, a fairy-tale country you should visit once in a lifetime
Plus, how to make the most out of a 3-day Swiss Pass in the wintertime
Snowy peaks, green lands full of cows, cute little houses and a clear blue river, what else can you expect?
After finishing my exams, in 2019, my aunties flew from Indonesia to visit me here in Venice, and we planned to visit several places in Europe. We went to Slovenia, Germany, Switzerland and Milan, Italy; however, in this post, I will be focusing on my trip to Switzerland, a beautiful country that becomes one of my favourites in the world because of its landscapes.
The best thing to do before visiting Switzerland is to create a reasonable itinerary for your visit. Switzerland is an expensive country, but there are some ways to use your money efficiently, especially if you have a limited budget (read: international student budget, if you work, it is even better!)
How about the visa?
Switzerland is one of the Schengen countries; therefore, to visit Switzerland, you should apply for a Schengen visa. You can apply through any Schengen country’s embassy (e.g. Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, etc.) in your country. For those studying in Europe with a valid student visa, you can travel to Switzerland anytime. Schengen visa costs 60 Euros ( around 960,000 IDR) and lets you travel for a maximum of 90 days. For visa requirements, you can check the Switzerland embassy’s website https://www.eda.admin.ch/countries/indonesia/en/home/visa/entry-ch/up-90-days.html
How much is the flight ticket?
From Indonesia, it costs around 7–9 Million Rupiah for a return flight ticket. (Jakarta — Zurich). I have been using Skyscanner to check the best flight deals, then check Tiket.com or Traveloka whether they have on-going promotion (e.g. for credit cardholders) since they often have flight promotion up to 600,000 IDR off.
How much was your budget?
For 4 days of travel in Switzerland, each person spent:
Accommodation (hotel/Airbnb/Booking.com): 20–40 CHF per night. Tips: Choose the accommodation that has a well-equipped kitchen so you can cook! You can get a discount of up to 90 AUD on your accommodation if you want to sign up for Airbnb with this link http://abnb.me/e/zdOHvxo7iU
Foods: Buy in restaurant 20 CHF (once a day), Buy foods from the supermarket 4–7 CHF per day, Bring foods from Indonesia/where you live would even be cheaper! ps: if you plan to travel to Italy, bring food from Italy because food is cheaper in Italy
Transportation: Swiss Pass Adult (above 27 years old) 238 CHF Swiss Pass Youth (below 26 years old) 198 CHF for 3 days + 1 day in your chosen city of arrival. This Swiss pass also covers the visit to all museums in Switzerland- Free entrance! (normal museum ticket 10–12 CHF)
Currency CHF — Euro
1 CHF = 0.89 Euro
1 CHF = 14,009 IDR
Total per person: min of CHF 279 = 246 Euro = 4,000,000 IDR
Max of CHF 418 = 368 Euro = 5,900,000 IDR
Where did you spend the most of your time in Switzerland?
We stayed in Interlaken, in the Bernese Oberland area. It is a strategic area where you can explore the region to the top of Europe — Jungfrau. Interlaken is 2 hours away from Zurich, 1,15 hours away from Bern, the capital city, and 2 hours from Lucerne.
Where did you go?
Day 1: Zurich ( Buy Zurich city 24h pass (8.80 CHF) to use for any transportation (tram, bus and boat within the valid zones if you stay not too close to the city centre). You don’t need to buy the city pass if you stay in a Zurich city centre. But if you live in the suburb area, you can buy Zurich day all zones pass. It costs you 26 CHF. Details of tickets: sbb.ch. We also purchased the Swiss Pass ticket for the upcoming three days travels in Switzerland.
Places to visit: Lindenhof Hill, St Peters Church, Grossmunster Church, if you have extra time — visit Uetliberg or take a 2-hours boat trip in Zurich lake (Zurich see).
Day 2: Early departure to Interlaken, arrive in Interlaken at 11.00. From this day onwards, we used Swiss Pass to get around.
Places to visit: Murren, Schilthorn — Piz Gloria(used to be 007 shooting scene)
Murren is a traditional mountain village in the Bernese Oberland close to Jungfraujoch, Eiger and Monch. It is at an elevation of 1,638 metres (5,374 ft) above sea level, and it cannot be reached by public road (it is a car-free village) therefore you have to reach it only by train and cable cars from Interlaken. Schilthorn can be reached from this village by taking a cable car for free with the Swiss Pass.
Murren is where you can find traditional Swiss houses in the ski resort area, where you can enjoy the view of the snowy peaks, do skiing and enjoy natural hot water in summer or even in winter. It is totally a breathtaking place to visit! (Note: Bring your sunglasses as the radiation from the snow reflection can damage your sight!)
Day 3: Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Blausee lake
Blausee lake ticket entrance normally costs you 5 CHF per person, BUT! A BIG BUT. If you visit after 5 pm, it will be free! Just for your information, always better to come when it is not dark. During winter, it starts to get dark at 6 pm, while in summer, it gets dark at 7.30 pm. Nevertheless, Blausee lake is beautiful in any season. Don’t be surprised if some people do diving in this lake in winter to check out the underwater statues. I couldn’t imagine how freezing it was.
Day 4: Zermatt
Unfortunately, in Zermatt, we could not see the Matterhorn as it was very cloudy. Thus I suggest you check the weather before coming to Zermatt. If it is cloudy, it is better to go to another place, such as Bern.
How to save money?
Exchange your currency in Indonesia, as there are fees to exchange money in Switzerland. In Zurich station, the fee is around 4–10 Euro.
Check the weather because the weather in winter can change quickly, so be prepared with alternative sites to visit.
Bring your own water bottles; Switzerland has a lot of free water fountain fresh from the mountain, just like the rest of Europe.
If you travel from Indonesia, bring a lot of Indonesian food to be consumed during the journey.
Buy bread from the supermarket. Always good to have some carbs when travelling.
How do you travel?
With Swiss Pass, we can travel by bus, tram, and train in entire Switzerland without paying an extra fee (except to specific destinations that are not listed) also you will get some discounts if you have a Swiss pass in some places, up to 70% off.
Where is the best place to visit in Switzerland?
Within the proximity from Interlaken:
Swiss villages, such as Murren and Grindelwald
Swiss lakes, such as Blausee, Bach see, Brienz see and Interlaken see (Brienz and Interlaken see are just next to each other, make sure you take the boat for a maximum experience)
Swiss mountains and peaks ( Jungfraujoch )
When is the best time to visit Switzerland?
Any time is good! Depends on your ‘curiosity. For example, if you want to see the snow and try skiing, visit between December — January but be aware, it will be cold, so bring your warm, thick jackets and waterproof shoes. Zermatt is wonderful any time of the year, except when it is cloudy, then you can’t see the Matterhorn. During this period, especially in January, there will be many discounts for those who love to shop!
If you want to see the green hilly mountain, visit during spring (April — May) or early autumn (October). Lauterbrunnen and Murren are magnificent during spring. You can see the cows, and the air is so fresh.
What to eat in Switzerland?
You definitely should try the Cheese fondue! Be aware, it contains alcohol if you don't ask for the non-alcoholic one. The good thing is, it is possible to request one without alcohol.
So, when do you plan to visit Switzerland?
