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

Kaiserschmaren look and sound delicious. We'd definitely be up for trying those!

We have stayed in a b&b in Zermatt a couple of times. I don't think it is still there but it is highly likely that similar establishments exist in other towns or 2✨type family run hotels which are worth looking at. They weren't expensive. You can then have a picnic for lunch and a pizza or similar in the evening .

Kaiserschmarm are Austrian. But they might also do in Switzerland.

If you want the lakes and hiking also consider Austria, especially the south. You can fly really cheaply into Klagenfurt with Ryanair all year now. And it’s much much cheaper. A weekly pass for unlimited cable car journeys, mountain toll roads, and many attractions like caves, castles, gorge walks, museums and outdoor pools is currently €50 ish for week pass. About half that for kids.
You can easily find nice accommodation for 4 for around €1200-1500 for a week.

Driving is by far the cheapest option because you can access accommodation that's less central. It's only a days drive, or one overnight stop if you prefer. Camping would be most economical of all.

I do recommend titisee or similar in German for a similar setting but cheaper (added advantage can avoid tolls by driving in Germany and closer to Calais)

We found a lovely little hotel and room slept 5 (only 2 of us so plenty of spaces to put luggage!)

Wow, that's great value for the weekly travel pass!

Definitely open to Austria or Germany, what you've described sounds good @Caspianberg and @mitogoshi . 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.

OMG yes! We once bought a salad in a service station travelling through Switzerland from Italy . Cost around £25 in the 1990s. We had no idea until they weighed our plate .

Wow @ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea that'd be expensive for a salad now, but in the '90s it was insane!!

This thread reminds me of going interrailing in Switzerland in the 80s as a penniless student. We found a camp site on the edge of Lake Lucerne which rented us a caravan to sleep in for the equivalent of £5 pp a night (total daily budget was £10 a day) and we lived on Milka chocolate bars which were the cheapest highest calorie food we could find. We would sit by the lake marvelling at the expensive hotels and the speed boats whizzing by

That sounds quite nice, I wonder if the £5 p/p per night caravans still exist 😁

Love Switzerland! You might be cheaper to fly to Milan, Innsbruck, Lyon or somewhere and then travel across the border. It is a ridiculously expensive country, it's not my cup of tea but camping?

Trentino is a bit cheaper than the German parts. It still has beautiful lakes and mountains. You get a Trentino pass that lets you use all the local trains for free and gets discounts on other activities.

But Italy, Austria or the French Alps will still be much cheaper. I don't think there's such a thing as a cheap holiday in Switzerland, unless you camp and drive all your food with you.

Look at the Wellness Hostel 4000 in Saas-Fee. We’ve stayed there a few times. They do a good value supper.

Oops sorry Ticino, not Trentino!

It was stunning the campsite was right by the lakeside and as we had arrived after dark the first night we didn’t see how spectacular it was until we woke up in the morning and stepped outside. So have a google of campsites by Lake Lucerne you never know, but this was in 1988!

Drive and camp, bring your own equipment. Easily doable plus, if you have a small tent you can be in the smallest campsites in the most beautiful spots.

Thanks everyone, some more great suggestions.

I think we stayed at Lauterbrunen. It was lovely easy to get around on the railways the hotel we stayed in was used mainly for schools but outside school terms other people could use it. I think it had a swimming pool. The food was basic but very good.