SWITZERLAND TRAVEL TIPS FOR 1ST TIMERS | 30+ Must-Knows Before Visiting Switzerland + What NOT to Do
Planning to visit Switzerland for the first time? In this video, I'm sharing all my best Switzerland travel tips for new visitors, from important must-knows for your Switzerland trip to common mistakes that tourists make in Switzerland . Don't miss this video if you're planning your own trip to Switzerland!
➡️ Read the written version of this guide: happytowander.com/switzerland...
➡️ Follow me on Instagram for real-time Stories and shenanigans: / happytowander
➡️ Follow me on TikTok for more casual content: / happytowander
0:00 INTRODUCTION
0:17 TRAVEL PLANNING TIPS FOR SWITZERLAND
4:23 TRANSPORT & GETTING AROUND SWITZERLAND
7:32 CULTURE & ETIQUETTE TIPS FOR SWITZERLAND
9:16 ATTRACTIONS IN SWITZERLAND
11:31 TIPS FOR WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN SWITZERLAND
CHRISTINA'S TRAVEL GEAR
Note - many of the links below are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info on what this means, check out my website privacy policy and disclosure: happytowander.com/privacy/
➡️ My Camera {Paid Link}: amzn.to/3MhZ0VQ
➡️ My Favourite Regular Packing Cubes {Paid Link}: amzn.to/45OdSlI
➡️ My Favourite Compression Packing Cubes {Paid Link}: amzn.to/3MbIiYs
➡️ My Favourite Noise Cancelling Headphones {Paid Link}: amzn.to/46J6cTg
➡️ My White, More Elegant Carry-On {Paid Link}: amzn.to/3tESqlS
➡️ My Black, More Minimalist Carry-On {Paid Link}: amzn.to/478ROnf
➡️ My Pretty Re-Usable Toiletry Bottles {Paid Link}: amzn.to/3SeqaAJ
➡️ My Amazing E-Reader That Links to the Library for FREE Books {Paid Link}: amzn.to/3Mgfca2
OTHER TRAVEL RESOURCES
➡️ Swiss travel pass {Affiliate Link}: www.getyourguide.com/central-...
➡️ My favourite travel credit card - Wise: {Referral Link} happytowander.com/Wise
➡️ Honey for finding coupons automatically: {Referral Link} happytowander.com/Honey
➡️ Where I search hotels {Paid Link}: www.booking.com/index.html?ai...
➡️ Where I compare/book transport in Europe {Paid Link}: happytowander.com/omio
➡️ My go-to travel insurance {Paid Link}: happytowander.com/WorldNomads
➡️ Where I book activities/tours {Paid Link}: happytowander.com/GetYourGuide
➡️ Rakuten USA for cash-back on purchases {Referral Link}: www.rakuten.com/r/LECOUR23?ee...
➡️ Rakuten Canada {Referral Link} for cash-back on purchases: www.rakuten.ca/referrer?refer...
➡️ Airfare Watchdog {Paid Link}: happytowander.com/airfarewatc...
MORE EUROPE VIDEOS:
➡️ • 101 EUROPE TRAVEL TIPS...
➡️ • HOW TO TRAVEL EUROPE B...
➡️ • HOW TO OUTSMART PICKPO...
➡️ • HOW TO SPEND A WEEK IN...
➡️ • FIND THE BEST HOTELS I...
➡️ • HOW TO PLAN A TRIP TO ...
➡️ • CHEAP FLIGHTS TO EUROP...
➡️ • TRAVEL EUROPE CHEAP | ...
➡️ • EURAIL PASS REVIEW | 5...
➡️ • PACK LIGHT FOR EUROPE ...
➡️ • 20 TRAVEL APPS YOU MUS...
➡️ • 20+ EUROPEAN CHRISTMAS...
EUROPE TRAVEL TIPS & MUST-KNOWS:
➡️ My best Europe travel tips: happytowander.com/europe-trav...
➡️ How to travel Europe by train: happytowander.com/how-to-trav...
➡️ Grab my free Europe trip planning workbook: happytowander.com/EuropePlann...
➡️ Grab my free accommodation checklist: happytowander.com/accommodati...
➡️ My honest RyanAir review: happytowander.com/honest-ryan...
➡️ Europe summer packing list: happytowander.com/packing-sum...
➡️ Europe winter packing list: happytowander.com/travelling-...
➡️ How to avoid pickpockets in Europe: happytowander.com/how-to-avoi...
---------
Travelling to Switzerland for the first time? In need of Switzerland travel advice that caters to a newbie? This Switzerland travel guide is packed with must-knows before you visit Switzerland as a tourist, with a rundown of common tourist mistakes in Switzerland as well as answers to common questions like how to tip in Switzerland, Switzerland culture shocks, Switzerland culture and etiquette tips, where to go in Switzerland, places to visit in Switzerland and more so you can have the Switzerland trip of your dreams. Whether you're looking for Switzerland tips, Switzerland tips, or tips for Switzerland hidden gems, be sure to watch this video!
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this video about one of my favourite countries in the world! As usual, the written version here has more tips: happytowander.com/switzerland-travel-tips/ And feel free to comment if you have any more tips to add!
I agree, but you can adjust the speed by clicking the settings icon on the top right portion of the screen and select a slower playback speed. I personally set it to .75 and it was just right. Hope this helps.
@@soldierhobby2038 I did that too. This is very rare for me to slow the playback speed on KZhead. Haha!
@Happytowander Coop Naturaplan products can be a bit more expensive than the normal ones. The generic products from coop is called coop prix garantie
@@lovansmith149 Oh my apologies! You are 100% correct. I had it right in the written version but somehow got mixed up when doing the video edit. I unfortunately can’t edit that small bit without reuploading so I’ve added an info card clarifying the mistake. Thanks so much for pointing that out!
Really beautiful #way to moon@alkarathore3143
That was very helpful! Thank you for making this video, hope to see more in the future!
Random but your speed of speaking is perfect for informative videos like this 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Very Helpful, especially the food purchase ideas and reading the fine print on rides, traveling and etc. Thank you so much for sharing🌎
I am planning a trip to Switzerland. This video is extremely helpful! Thank you for all of the tips.
Thank you so much. Great content. Really has helped us to plan our up-coming trip to Switzerland. Can’t wait xx
I can tell you put a lot of time into making this video for us. Thank you for the useful tips and tricks. I haven't seen many of these mentioned in over videos and I've watched a lot! Particularly liked the specific grocery store call out and mentioning that some of the transportation means are owned by private companies.
I am Swiss and your video covers a lot. Very informing and spot on. Well done!
I love and appreciate your videos. Thank you so much for taking the time to make them.
Thank you very much for your informative video. Planning our CH trip this summer. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for this information, this is sooooooooo helpful, muchas gracias señorita 👍😎
Very helpful and great info. I haven't been in a long time, so looking forward to seeing this beautiful country soon. Thank you!
Found this to be an incredibly helpful summary, thank you 😊
This was sooo helpful. Thank you so much.
awesome tips! thanks for the intel.... love Switzerland and cant wait to get back!
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
Excellent and thorough information, so helpful, thank you!
That was so helpful! Thank you!
Thanks a lot for your great tips..most most usefull
That is so many tips... Thank you.
Thanks for showing up, will stay in touch, stay blessed and keep shining! Let's go! 💆💆💆💆💆💆
Nice. Going in march next year!
Great, great tips
This looks like the most beautiful place on earth!!! I would never want to leave! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I love your European series! You’re the hidden gem I found on youtube indeed!! Thank you so much for the thorough and informative videos❤
so helpful, thanks
Thanks for sharing excellent travel tips to Switzerland.
You're welcome - thanks for watching! :)
Exploring new countries is such a rewarding experience! For first-time travelers, I'd recommend considering destinations that offer a mix of cultural richness and natural beauty. Personally, I've been fortunate to travel to over 10 countries thanks to careful budgeting and smart investments.I wasnt financial free until my 40’s and I’m still in my 40’s, bought my second house already, earn on a monthly through passive income and got 2 out of 5 goals, just hope it encourages someone that it doesn’t matter if you don’t have any of them right now, you can start TODAY regardless your age INVEST and change your future.
Alright, speaking in general terms, investing requires a good amount of knowledge. That's why it's essential to have a solid support system like a financial counselor, especially when picking out assets. I've been working with Regina Louise Collaro, who is an investment advisor at a registered wealth management company. I can't recommend her enough; my financial journey has been fantastic thanks to her. She's quite well-known for her services, and she helped me achieve financial stability through investments. Now, I benefit from her passive income strategies every month. So, I'd strongly suggest finding a reliable investment advisor for yourself..
Regina Louise Collaro is based in the United States and can work with anybody wherever they stay. If you would like more information on reaching her, you can conduct a search online.
personally, I'm blessed and realizing I'm not the only one working with Regina Louise Collaro. I will consider myself lucky. I've been able to feed and make a living through her advice and great work. For such a person as Regina, I owe her gratitude, support and endless prayers as it is not easy to gain access to such a competent and reliable adviser. Who isn't just wise but has all it takes to handle an investment and is good at what she does..
Def gonna hit her up ❤😊thnks
thank you soo much.. straight on to points and no jibber jabber like other content creators... this was soo helpfull..
Great, straight to the point, useful tips!👍
Heya, thx for all these tips u share. Unlike many other videos, I find your tips very helpful n straight to the point. Truly from the experiences of someone who went there a lot n paid attention to details. Good work ^^b
We are going Christmas this year with my niece & nephew. So excited and being first time. Thank you for your info video.💥🎄🚄 😎
Great advice.. thanks for the tips.
No problem!! Thanks for watching!
Great Video!! Thank you!!
thanks for travel tips specially for first timers very intersting i love switzerland happy vlogging
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for watching!
very nicely covered, thank you :):)
I am a new subscriber. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. It is very helpful to me coz I am planning to visit one day!
Yay - welcome! Thanks for being here :)
V V helpful, thank you!😊
So happy to hear that! Thanks for watching 🥰
This is so good! Most informative and rich travel guide to Switzerland that’s succinct, that I’ve watched. Just subscribed and look forward to more!
I found it very much to the point and right pace of presentatio
SO helpful thanks so much!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching :)
Fantastic video 😊
Great video
Very beautiful places my dear friend! So nice trip!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks, plan a trip on April
As a Swiss I must say you did a great job with this video! I just want to mention that Migros is becoming more expensive tahn Coop now and Coop also has discounted items under the name "Prix Garantie" (It's a little pink circular logo). Denner is also sometimes falsly cheap where some ites are cheaper but some others are the same price if not more expensive than in other supermarkets.
Though I visited already for just 4 days, I thought of watching this masterpiece. HAPPY that the majority of the tips are followed by myself, many other tips are very useful. Thanks a lot!!!
Hi where did you stay? Did you rent a car?
I’ve been to Switzerland in April this year for the first time. It was a travel gift which I was really excited! Switzerland is really beautiful and stunning! I loved it. Going back next year with friends. We didn’t do any hiking but we went up to mountaintop using cable cars. I recommend to buy tickets from online ahead of time if you’re planning to go on cable cars as it’ll save you time from queuing. We tried fundue on our last day. Thanks for sharing 😊
Hi , Hope u r doing gd.I m going in april next year for 5 nights to lucerne /zurich .. mainly to go to titlis and jungforoh mountains.. how's the travel scene in lucerne and zurich if you knw.. pl update ... should I buy the swiss pass for travel ? Thanks any suggestions from your side .. thanks
Another April question .how was the weather ? Was there still snow, weather during day and night, please let us know
@@aaritgaming2150travel in April is good. Please visit my travel channel Rose Tours & Adventures to see some of the snapshots of Lucerne & Zurich if those scenery will do for you. It would be advisable to buy travel pass if you’re not hiring a car to drive. Hope it helps 😊
Going in April to Brienz, unfortunately landing to Zurich and leaving from Zurich such far travel from our staying destination.🤦♀️ how’s weather in April which pass I can purchase for is that Europe pass will cover schilthorn?
Great information
Love Switzerland ❤️
thank you!
Good tips but I disagree about the need to rent a car. We've done Swiss trips with a car, with a car and trains, and trains only. Not sure we'd ever go back to renting a car again. The trains, boats, and buses are amazing and so relaxing. My Swiss friends who actually own cars rarely drive them
Excellent
Thank you beautiful lady for this information. Have a blessed day.
so helpful
You talk so fast, thank you for the tips. I watched to the end and i still would have watched even if the video was longer at a slower pace. Great content
Haha sorry about that! I’ve always been a natural fast talker, especially when it’s a topic I’m passionate about. I’ll try to slow down for future videos after August (because I batch recorded a bunch of these in advance). Thanks for the feedback! Hope the video was useful to you otherwise :)
Nice tip about data roaming costs
We will land in Rome and fly to Zurich. We are planning a 4 day journey on a Swiss travel pass. Need all scenic routes with 2 stops on each day ending up at the Geneva airport on the 4th day to fly back to Rome.
Thanks for the video is was super informative. Any idea how to get rooms with Kitchen in Zurich, basel and Lucern for a group of 6/7 people travelling.
Super helpful. To the point. I took a lot of notes of this video! Thanks so much.
So happy to hear you found it helpful! Thanks for watching :)
Found the half fare card well worth the investment while visiting one week, carry with you always, often discounted tours, rail and gondola costs.
How do you use the half fare pass? I find the SBB app not so user friendly.
@@pikachuPoly purchase the half fare card from SBB then carry with you all the time, when purchasing train tickets or gondola tickets provide the half fare sheet, they charge you half normal entry fee.
@@donaldoswald5329 so I cannot buy my tickets on my SBB app ahead of time? It has to be at the station for the discount to be applied/effective?
Thank you for sharing. I’m planning to go in May 2024.
Amazing! Hope you have a wonderful trip!
Great information again and tip when on vacation I don't cook I hate cooking at home. I just really budget for food and expensive trips save as much as possible ahead of vacation eat cheaper at lunch and slurge on dinner to really experience the countries cuisine. I'm not really a breakfast person usually coffee and maybe a pastry sometimes most hotels will have free breakfast as a option I've noticed when booking accommodations.
Whatever you do, don't go to McDonald's & Co here since they're as expensive as a cheap restaurant but will still leave you hungry afterwards 😅
@@semi2893 Thanks for the tip. I was wondering about that option. :)
Tip 1 - Google Fi (available in USA) offers unlimited data in 200 countries and offers a pause feature when not traveling. Also allows up to 4 data only sims on the same account. Tip 2 - universal "world" travel power adapters do not usually include Switzerland type J and Italy type L. Fortunately Amazon offers both.
thank you
Liked the video. BTW: Christmas markets are not a typical Swiss thing. They are merely an import from Germany since around twenty years or so.
Just wanted to ask is Swizz travel pass would be fine for 8 days trip 😊. Wat is golden pass I saw in other videos? Is it different
Im planning on travelling next year late may, but im considering the weather and how to dress. What are your thoughts?
So, I purchase a travel “flex” pass. As soon as I arrived in Zurich do I just activate it and can go anywhere else for free by trains? Do I need reservations to do that?
Hi Christina! We are planning to visit Switzerland in November . I want to see those vibrant green fields you see in pics, would you say november is ok? Or should we wait until spring.?
I am currently here by way of train to Lucerne (Luzern) and we rented a car at the Europcar at the Radisson Hotel close tot he train station. So far I haven't needed any type of card to travel on the Highways...? According to the comments I should watch out for speed traps too. Great advice on getting a hotel/room with a kitchen. Every breakfast, lunch and dinner has been 60-80CHF (multiply by 1.2USD) and honestly the food hasn't been that great. Luckily we booked at Apart Holiday (guest pass included too!) and our apartment does have a full kitchen (minus an oven) and there is a resort shop across the street with basic groceries. Also thank you for mentioning the Eururail pass for discounts. Titlis does mention it on their website. Just an example of lift prices, it was 43 CHF PER PERSON to go up to Stoos. That's with 10% off with the guest pass. It would have been 25% off if we knew we could have shown our Eurorail pass! Thank you again for another great video!
Does a Eurail pass make sense if you are only in Switzerland for 3 days and plan to do Lucerne & interlaken and maybe 1 more day trip from Lucerne?
Thanks
Thankyou for this very thoughtful and informative video. 👏
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching 🥰
The mentioned "Naturaplan" is Coop's brand for organic food and quite expensive. Their own brand for "budget food" is "Prix Garantie".
Oh my apologies! You are 100% correct. I had it right in the written version but somehow got mixed up when doing the video edit. I unfortunately can’t edit that small bit without reuploading so I’ve added an info card clarifying the mistake. Thanks so much for pointing that out!
@3:28 where is that exactly??? Im going to switzerland for 2 weeks later this fall!! And thanks for the video, i appreciate all the tips :)
Hello. I'm Regin. A passionate traveler, too. I like your vlog.
Thanks for watching! :)
excellent!
Thank you!
Great video! I wanted to ask do you recommend staying near the airport. Hotels are much cheaper there and then I can just take the train to the city centre? Or should I just find a hotel in the city centre and pay more.
great vid, ass bar on my bucket list already
I want to go with my family in December in Griderland do you have some suggestions? Is that place worth it?
Stockholm is amazing this time of year
Thank you for your video, I have plans visit Switzerland on December can you help me please for recommendations for place to stay and tourists destination more less 7 day trip,thks
Hey, how did you take that ride and where @3:28 sec of your video?
I enjoyed your video a lot, We family of 5 from US visiting first time to Switzerland in end July for 4 days, please create an itinerary for us, we will follow your instructions 3 nights in Zurich area, one night and one one whole day in Geneva
I am moving to Zurich to my dear love who got great place at university and this video crushed my poor peasant soul.
Great tips. I plan to take my ife and 2 kids (14 & 11 yrs old) on a drive from South England to Venice and back. We want to pass through the Swiss alps scenic routes while visiting main land marks. Ny thoughts are Geneve or Zurich to Milan, then Venice and back to England through a different route. Any suggestions of scenic route with interesting stay-over between either Geneve or Zurich toMilano?
Great video! Funny story - in Interlaken, we took the cable car up to Harder Kulm but didn’t check to see if we got round trip tickets or one way and there were no operators at the top to let us know if our tickets would work to go back down. So we bought another set of tickets, only to realize later that our original tickets had two opposite arrows, we figured out meant 2-way 😅 They would not give me a refund on the one way ticket down. My Asianness was not happy 🤣🤣 We also didn’t realize one of the trains was private and the security guard (a cute young lady in braided pig tails 😜) wouldn’t let us just get off on the next stop (she said buy tickets or go to jail 🥴) so we had to switch plans and go to Jungfrau that day. It ended up being a perfect day to go but it could’ve been awful.
Swiss is like little paradise on this earth,
Yes it’s absolutely amazing!
Very well done! I had scheduled a vacation package through American Airlines to visit Geneva and yet after watching the video, I believe I made the correct decision in canceling it within the last month. We were scheduled to visit in October. There seems to be a lot to learn, and to understand, prior to making such a trip. Maybe I will reconsider it at a later time. I think the language issue is probably my greatest concern.
Like she mentions in the video, I think many people, especially that work in train stations and hospitality speak quite good English. And even signage in museums is often in multiple languages including English. 😄
Hey thanks for sharing ur video ! I would like to ask regarding the tourist tax... if i went let's say to Basel from Freiburg, will I have to pay that tax? also would you mind to share some tips for which train routes are budget friendly?
What website u used at 1:55 to purchase e-sim?
As a frequent traveler to Switzerland I can verify your tips as being spot on.
Thanks so much!
Hi, we’re coming from Paris and will take a train to go to Zurich ( this is our first time) we will stay there for 3 nights 4 days we have 2 adults and middle age children. Will u recommend to buy a train pass for just staying there for a few days? Because it is kids free but still not cheap for the 3 days pass. Pls. Help. Thanks
Can I know what spot is in 10:05? Looks so fun. thank you!
Great tips! Another tip to save money on the Glacier Express or any other Panoramic train, you can get a Half Fare card then buy a Saver Day pass. I got a Saver Day pass for 33 CHF (w/ Half Fare) then a seat reservation for 49 CHF - total 82 CHF ($90) to ride the Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz
Half Tax Abo is only available for Swiss residents. Not a good option for tourists.
Thank you for sharing! I am planning to take a train tour this winter. My family is going to stay for 3 days in Switzerland. Never been there before. So I am wondering which train tour should we take will be an unforgettable experience. Could you give me some suggestions? Thank you!
I have the Swiss Half fare pass, but how will it apply the 50% discount on the SBB trains/ buses? Will it automatically apply the discount if I buy the tickets thru the app?
Sometimes the half pass card is not automatically linked to your SBB account on the app, even if you purchased it on your account linked to the same name. So sign into the app in the name of your SBB account and manually enter your half-pass information. (In the "Tickets & Travelcards" section accessed at the bottom of the screen). Any ticket purchases made on the app after that should reflect the half-discount. I had to do this a couple times before it recognized my discount.
What month is best to visit?
I highly recommend people check out pretty much every city in Switzerland. They are all beautiful ❤️ except for St. Gallen it was only okay.
I haven't been to St Gallen but that's good to know!
The Abbey library at St Gallen is incredible.
I liked St Gallen! It wasn't #1, but I thought it had a lot of offer
We are planning to go there next month without not knowing which city to go to from Paris via train to get to ride the Eiger Express. We might visit one other city, but not sure which one that'll be near Interlaken. Any tips? Thanks!
@@Mia-ht8oi Interlaken is very beautiful and the surrounding areas. I really liked Thun as a city near there. Bern or Lucerne are both beautiful big cities roughly the same distance from Interlaken. I miss Switzerland so much. I spent a whole year there with a train pass. Everywhere you go will be amazing.
If you're going to rent a car in Switzerland, the Autobahnvignette [the Sticker for the motorway] is usually on the car. So no extra costs.
Thank you so much for your amazing video.. I have one question, Can I book Uber ride from airport to reach my destination? I mean does Uber work in Switzerland? because I have heard that in Switzerland, they have their own taxi system? Kindly clear my doubts. Thank you.
Most rental cars rented at a Swiss airport have a vignette on it. Keep to the speed limit ! They really like speed traps. The country is beautiful . Most of them speak English . Be on time. They don’t care much for American tourists, so keep it down and enjoy . My favorite area is the Ticino, around Lugano. Experience the mountain passes. It’s expensive everywhere. Unbelievable panorama views.
Thanks for sharing your experience!