Budgeting for a one week itinerary in Switzerland

Luxury traveler or backpacker, wine connoisseur or adventure enthusiast, or may be a mix of everything depending on your mood. No traveler can be cast into a particular mould – every traveler is different. Switzerland with its scenic landscapes, exotic valleys, medieval old town buildings and luxury brands has something to offer to every kind of traveler. But, there is a catch. Switzerland is expensive. Especially when you are earning in Indian Rupees. So, it becomes imperative that you religiously plan and budget your travel before you set foot to explore this paradise.

There is no upper limit to spending. Be it a shopping spree for the likes of grand Tissot, Rolex watches, or Gucci Bags, savouring the Swiss delicacies with a six course meal at an exotic fine dine or enjoying your Swiss extravaganza at a meticulously designed five star, there is grandiose at every corner of the country if you wish to splurge. However, let us leave that to multi-millionnaires.

Many advocate backpacking and staying in hostels, cooking your own food to save money and so on. We are not a big fan of this concept either, especially when you are travelling as a couple/family to the most beautiful place on earth.

As for us, we wanted to wake up everyday with a gorgeous view, stay at a place with all the amenities, travel to all the places we had planned, relish on some fondues, chocolates and coffee along the way and take on the strenuous treks along the scenic routes that we had so carefully selected months prior to our departure. But while doing so, we wanted to save as much as feasible. Sounds about right? If yes, then read on…

1. Flight Tickets

Switzerland summers witness a heavy footfall every year. Snowy winters are equally enchanting with hoardes of skiers and adventurers heading towards this destination. If you love the peace and quiet, and ofcourse the unparalleled beauty of the Swiss Alps, we suggest you to visit Switzerland during the Shoulder Season (Late Spring/Early Autumn). The beauty will be at its peak, crowds sparse and pricing low.

Round Trip for a Couple to Zurich/Geneva Airport and Back (From Delhi) = Rs 1,50,000

Pro-Tip: Book your tickets atleast 3 and a half months prior for the best deal in Flight Tickets

2. Visa Formalities

Visit www.vfsglobal.com to book your slot for Visa online. The Entire Process for Visa Booking, Documents Required, Funds desired etc will be covered in our next blog. You have to apply your visa to the Schengen country in which you propose to spend the most number of Days. Ours was Greece, and hence we applied to the Greece Consulate in Kolkata.

Total Cost of Schengen Visa for a Couple=2 x Rs 13,100 = Rs 26,200

3. Accommodation Booking

Slightly fancy hotels in Switzerland cost a bomb. Also, we as a couple do not prefer staying in hostel dorms. So your best bet is staying in a well equipped Air BnB, especially in the country-side with magnificient views.

Average Cost of Stay per night in LuxeBnBs = Rs 9000 (including Taxes)

Cost for a Week’s Stay = Rs 63,000

Pro-Tip: Book your Air BnB 75 days in advance for best tariffs

4. Transportation

If you plan to stay for a week or less, Car Hiring is your best bet. Switzerland is very well connected by trains but each ticket can swindle the Euros from your purse faster than a tornado, especially if you earn in Indian Rupees. Getting a Swiss Rail Pass is not a Breeze either. It costs you upwards of Rs 35000 per person for a week’s pass. That sums upto around Rs 75000 for a couple!!! Add to that the ride in Gondolas (discounted) and Funiculars (discounted) to reach the car free villages and panaromic sites and the amount would easily reach Rs 90,000/couple

But with a most basic Hired Car

Per Day Cost without Driver/Fuel/Insurance = Rs 3000

You Receive Full Tank and you have to return the car with the same quantity of Fuel.

This amounts to Rs 180*60=Rs 10800 (Around 2.18 CHF per litre) [Considering 1000 km drive throughout Switzerland]

So the total cost for a week for a Couple/Family = Rs (3000×7) + Rs. 10800 = Rs 31800

But this is not to say that you would not have to take trains ever. Trains and Gondolas are a must experience in Switzerland and despite having your car, there will be sites and attractions where you would have to take the train or funicular.

Trains/Funiculars/Gondolas cost per day/ per couple = Rs 3700 ( Around 45 Euros per couple, per day)

Cost for one week = Rs 25,900

Toll Fees = NIL (Already paid for by the Company)

Total Cost of Transportation in a Hired Car = Rs 57,700

5. Parking

You have to pay for Parking in Switzerland. Mostly by Hourly rates. And you need to retrieve your parking ticket right after you park,  from that vending machine near you. If you don’t, be ready to spend a huge sum as ‘Fine’.

Some parkings are free for an hour or two, but you still need to get a ticket. On an average, you would spend about 8 Euros or Rs 600 on parking every day (if you use your pre-built car timer and parking lines efficiently).

So that comes up to about Rs 4200 for a week.

Adding this to the Total Cost of Transportation would amount to around Rs 61900. In our opinion it is still way cheaper and way more flexible than booking a Swiss Travel Pass.

6. Ticket Fee

This includes the entry to Museum, Churches and some Famous Sites and Car Ferry (if any)

We spent around Rs 8000 in Car Ferry and all other tickets combined cost us less than Rs 5000

So total ticket fee comes around Rs 13,000.

7. Food

A basic dinner spread with filling quantities and a glass of wine cost around 40 Euros (Rs 3500) per person in Switzerland. And I am talking road side Cafes/Restaurants, not the fine dine you would imagine. A cup of good coffee cost around 7 Euros (Rs 600). The occasional fondues/chocolates and sweet treats cost anywhere between 20-50 Euros (Rs 1600 – Rs 4200).

Pro-Tip: Prepare one meal yourself in your AirBnB. There is a COOP at every corner of your street from where you can purchase Bread, Jam, Milk, Eggs and Fruit at dirt cheap Price.

Even with all the planning your food bill per day per couple will come up to Rs 7,500

Cost for a week = Rs 52,500

8. Miscellaneous Expenditure

This includes your Flight Tickets to and From Delhi, your to and fro journey to Kokata (or your nearest centre) for Visa Interview, Stay in New Delhi, Stay in Kolkata, Domestic transfers in Taxi/Uber etc.

This entire miscellaneous dealwould cost around Rs 35,000 per couple.

THE FINAL MATH

Are we ready for the final plunge?

Flight= Rs 150,000

Visa= Rs 26,200

Accommodation= Rs 63,000

Transportation & Parking= Rs 61,900

Entry Ticket Fee= Rs 13,000

Meals= Rs 52,500

Miscellaneous= Rs 35,000

TOTAL Rs 4,01,600 (PER COUPLE)

What do you think, is it too High, Low or Reasonable Enough? Do share your thoughts in the Comments Section.

Disclaimer: www.coffeebreakdiaries.com in no way claims this calculation to be accurate or absolute. This is just a rough idea of a decently luxurious experience in Switzerland for an Office going Couple in the Middle Income Bracket. Backpackers (Budget Travellers) and Luxury Travellers would require a completely different price estimate and the figures mentioned here stands irrelevant in their regard.