Switzerland Budget Travel Guide provides you useful details for getting to know Switzerland and planning a trip there. All the principal cities and major tourist attractions of Switzerland are listed and described for your benefit.
Switzerland, or officially the Swiss Confederation, or Confœderatio Helvetica in Latin, is a relatively small landlocked country in Central Europe. It has a total area of 41,285 sq km (15,940 sq miles), making it slightly bigger than the US state of Maryland. The country is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Italy to the south, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Much of Switzerland is mountainous, with most of its 7.8 million inhabitants concentrated in its major cities.
Switzerland is home to two global cities, Z&uum;rich and Geneva, which lead the country in having some of the highest per capita gross domestic product in the world. Three major languages are spoken in Switzerland, predominant according to region. They are German, French and Italian. In the canton of Graubünden, the people speak Romansh, an obscure language believed to have been derived from Vulgar Latin. Together they form the four national languages of Switzerland.
Traveling in Switzerland pose a challenge to many budget travelers at it is an expensive country. Having said that, every major town and city has at least one budget hostel. Alternatively, you should compare the price of hotel rooms in Switzerland before making any bookings. (Use our free hotel search engine - scroll down below - to compare prices quoted by different booking sites.)
Grand Combin glaciers as seen from Verbier, Switzerland Author: Jphoto (public domain)
Budget Travel to Switzerland
By Plane
The major airports in Switzerland are located in Zürich, Geneva and Basil. Budget travelers can also opt to fly to Friedrichshafen in Germany, a short distance from Zürich.
By Train
Being in the heart of Europe, Switzerland is connect by rail to most of the major cities on the continent. There are several high-speed trains that links Switzerland to its neighbors. Major Swiss cities are served by the French TGV trains from Paris, Avignon, Dijon and Nice. The German ICE links Zürich with Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin as well as to Amsterdam.
The most practical form of transport in Switzerland are the trains. Switzerland has a high level of public transportation that is famously punctual. When traveling in Switzerland, you should get the Half-Fare Card entitling you to half fare on all national buses and trains. The card costs CHF99 for one month and CHF150 for a whole year. The Half-Fare Card is available from the train station ticket office.
Here's some tips to understand the train schedule sheet in Switzerland. The yellow sheet shows departures while the white sheets are the arrivals. Express trains are printed in red while regular trains in black.
View of Paradiso in Lugano, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland Author: Valser (public domain)
Principal Cities of Switzerland
Zürich The biggest city in Switzerland and major center for banking.
Geneva Second largest city in Switzerland and its center for the arts and culture. Also home to many international organisations.
Basel Third largest city in Switzerland and gateway to the German Rhineland and Alsace.
Berne Capital of Switzerland with well-preserved old town.
Lausanne Medium-sized city serving as gateway to the alpine ski resorts.
Lugano The main Italian-speaking city of Switzerland, located in a picturesque setting beside a lake.
Lucerne Beautiful city and major tourist destination in the country.
Major Tourist Destinations in Switzerland
Davos The highest city in Europe with the largest ski resort in Switzerland.
St. Moritz The oldest winter resort in the world.
Zermatt Pristine mountain resort with views of the Matterhorn.
Interlaken The outdoor sports destination of Switzerland.
Locarno Scenic city at the tip of Lake Maggiore, the largest lake in Switzerland.
Gstaad German-speaking city with one of the most exclusive ski resorts in the world.
Grindelwald City located 1,034-meters above sea level in the Bernese Alps, with panoramic views of the mountains.
Crans-Montana Ski resort in western Switzerland.
Verbier Largest holiday resort in the Swiss Alps.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Switzerland
Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair
Convent of St Gall
Old City of Berne
Three Castles, Defensive Wall and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona
Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch
Monte San Giorgio
Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces
Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes
Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona
La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle, watchmaking town planning
Find lowest price for your Hotel Room
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
Our Flight Checker helps travelers compare flights and get the lowest fare for their trips. If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
