Is it possible to have a cheap holiday in Switzerland?

[munchbunch12]

Hello wise and well-travelled mumsnetters!

I enjoyed a couple of summer holidays in Switzerland when I was a child and would love to go back next year with DH & our 2 DCs, but know it’s expensive.

Does anyone have any tips on how to visit on the cheap? If we go, it’ll probably be for 4 or 5 nights at Spring Bank (so late May to early June 2025).

I’d love to stay where I stayed before, in the Grindelwald/Interlaken area of the Bernese Oberland if possible.

We are in the West Mids, so would ideally fly from there, but could travel to Manchester or London airports if necessary. We wouldn’t be going for long enough to make driving or trains to get there an option.

Does anyone have any tips on airlines with cheap flights? Good value accommodation? Attractions that a teen and pre-teen would both like? All for under about £3000.

I know it may not be possible, so am posting in hope rather than expectation!

Thanks

I'd be a bit wary of the cafes where you pay by the weight/size of the plate. While it is cheaper than a formal restaurant, you can still end up paying a fortune depending how big appetites are! I would recommend the supermarkets though for good sandwiches, things like pizza by the slice etc. I think if you go with the attitude of it not being gourmet eating, then it's doable.

I have family in Switzerland so no accommodation costs, and also get some meals provided by them, but even then I don't go often anymore. I actually have a Swiss passport and thought about retiring there as it is so beautiful but I've had to rule it out on finances.

Honestly with the exchange rate as it is No

Switzerland is very very expensive. However you could stay in the French alps. It's just as nice but so much cheaper

We stayed near Evian in Thollon Les Memises. It is in France but very easy to get into Switzerland. Not the area you want but loads to do like the Evian water factory, into Switzerland, the St Bernard museum and dog centre. Evian is lovely.

Thanks, I remember great swimming at Iseltwald but it was about July when we went. Might be OK for a paddle though.

Thanks for the tips. I haven't heard of Reka so I'll look them up.

You have to put in some legwork to find cheap holidays. Skyscanner and Trivago are your friends.

Interesting, I was assuming a package would be too expensive, but perhaps not. Thanks.

Thanks for the tip re weight of food, we don't want to be bankrupted by DS and his massive appetite!

Thanks, I was shocked when I saw how much a Swiss Franc is worth these days! Last time I went one was worth about 40p!!

Thanks, that's a good idea. I didn't even know Evian was a place!!

My niece went in her late teens with friends, I am fairly sure theres a sort of youth hostel /hotel type place in Grindelwald that she stayed in

Yes, I can see that and I'll check them out.

When I went there we got our lunches in the coop supermarket a loaf of freshly baked delicious Bread, some cheese great selection some tomatoes crisps if you want them sat in a mountain meadow eating them. You can often get a rail pass taking you on a lot of the trains. A lot of areas offer tourist cards with reduced rate cable cars etc. Soup is very filling and quite reasonable.

That would be my ideal location so I'll have a look.

Thank you for all the responses, everyone. I was thinking it'd just be a pipe dream and not actually be possible, but you've given me some hope (apart from about the exchange rate 😱)

Yeah sorry I don't have any more detail I will try and message her but she is off travelling again ! I do remember her chatting about it though as she was showing me all her photos

Nb. I think it maybe just did breakfast so as they were on a budget they didn't really eat out but bought food from supermarkets etc and either picnicked or ate back at their room

Sounds exactly like what we used to do, and will hopefully do again in the future. I'm sure we bought some kind of travel cards that meant we didn't have to pay any extra for trains, buses, cable cars, boats, even the Jungfraujoch, but I could be mis-remembering.

I think ours included the Jungfrau railway though it could have been half price on there. Don’t know if it is Austria or Switzerland that you get kaisershmaren chopped pancakes big portions and it is acceptable to share and have an extra spoon.

If your children enjoy the outdoors you can do walking awards get details from the tourist centre you go to various check points and stamp your cards.

I have done Switzerland on the cheapish a few times. Most thrifty was when I stayed in Kandersteg which is near Jungfrau, and very beautiful just slightly less idyllic, and much cheaper! We booked a rather tired looking but large and clean and actually good value (£600 pw, for 2 bedrooms) apartment through the tourist office, each town has a website with often relatively affordable accommodation to book. If you avoid places that you've heard of, the prices go down quite considerably. That also goes for ski resorts out of season. Switzerland favours the brave - its very to organise trips independently, so why not have a look at villages on Google maps then see where that takes you? Here are some places that I can recommend: Les Hauderes, Evolene, loetschental, Grimentz, Bettmeralp, Vals, Braunwald. Coop supermarkets are decent value and in most of those places. Public transport is incredibly well integrated so you can get literally anywhere. I have always used a Swiss day pass to get to the villages and back, I think it costs something like £50 each way per adult. Not cheap but straightforward at least. SBB have various deals. Good luck! It's a lovely place, and with some forethought is less unavoidably expensive as other pricey places like Norway, in my experience.

Along the lines of what Judellie said, stay in Basel and you get free public transport around the city limits free for the duration. Which means you can get out into lovely hills and countryside very easily on the excellent tram system - riding in the back end is great fun. We would hop on the number 8 to shop just over the German border in Weil am Rhein. Nobody checked our shopping bags on the return leg!

Oh, and we always stay in an Aparthotel Adagio and self-cater as you can get family rooms with full kitchenette.

You can definitely get cheap flights. Can't remember which budget airline we used but flew to Geneva for a long wknd a few xmas'a ago and didn't pay a lot. We stayed in and air BnB which wasn't too expensive either.

It is quite expensive when you get there though (although we were in Geneva and Montreux for the Xmas market so these things always are!) so I would look for self catering accomodation if on a budget.

Wow, that apartment sounds fab!! I recognise some of those place names, so will look into them. Thanks.