Perfect 10 day no driving itinerary for Switzerland with a cost breakdown & budget tips - Swiss Travel Pass Information

Switzerland is a dream destination for so many travelers. Whether you're planning to hike in the Swiss Alps, explore historic towns like Lucerne and Bern, or indulge in delicious Swiss chocolate and cheese, proper planning can make your trip even more enjoyable. In this guide, we’ll share essential tips to help you navigate Switzerland efficiently, save money, and experience the country like a local. We visited Switzerland in June 2023. We had lovely sunny days and it was just before the peak season of July and August.

Here's our itinerary -

Day 1 - Fly to Basel - Spend the evening exploring Basel. *TIP: Show your hotel accommodation confirmation on the airport bus to get free transport from the airport to your hotel in Basel centre*

Day 2 - Start your 8 day Swiss Travel Pass (see information below) today. Take the train to Lucerne from Basel in the morning and explore Lucerne for a few hours. Then take the Golden Pass train to Interlaken. Spend the evening going up the Harder Kulm cable car. The cable car ticket will also be half price with the Swiss Travel Pass

Day 3 - Take the train from Interlaken to Randa or Zermatt (we stayed in Randa and took the train into Zermatt each day as it was a much cheaper village to stay in and the train is only 15 minutes each way)

Day 4 - Explore Zermatt. Use the Swiss Travel Pass to get up to 50% off cable cars and activities.

Day 5 - Take the train from Randa/Zermatt to Kandersteg in the morning. Take the cable car up to Osrasen Lake for the afternoon. The cable car will be 50% off with the Swiss Travel Pass

Day 6 - Take the train from Kandersteg to Lauterbrunnen. Explore Lauterbrunnen in the afternoon.

Day 7 - Day trip to Grindelwald from Lauterbrunnen via the train. Take the cable car up First Mountain and walk around Grindelwald town.

Day 8 - Take the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. Either stay in Stechelberg or Lauterbrunnen. Take the cable car up to Mürren and Birg Mountain or hike the North face trail starting from Murren to Gimmewald

Day 9 - Take the bus and train from Stechelberg to Basel or the train from Lauterbrunnen to Basel

Day 10 - Fly home from Basel - Use free Basel transport pass to get back to the airport via bus.

Total spend for our trip per person -

Flights - £170 return from Manchester

Accommodation - £605.50

Food - £138.27

Activities - £78

Swiss Travel Pass - £300

Total spend - £1,291.77

+

Car park - £48pp

Travel insurance - £32

= £1,371.77

Is the Swiss Travel Pass worth it?

For the amount of trains and buses we used i can confirm we definitely got our monies worth. We booked our Swiss Travel Pass on Klook and at the time there was a deal that meant if we got the 8 day pass we got an extra 2 days for free so the pass covered our whole stay. If you have a 10 day trip but only have an 8 day pass, make use of the free transportation in the bigger cities for tourists. Most of the main cities give tourists a free transport pass if you stay there for at least one night. You will get this pass from your accommodation or you can show your hotel confirmation to the conductor if you've not arrived at your accommodation yet. We found this in Basel and Interlaken but I know most bigger towns and cities across Switzerland have the same rule. The Swiss Travel Pass also gives you up to 50% off most cable cars, free boat rides and free museum entry in most cities and towns. If you're not travelling as far across Switzerland as we did, you can also get regional passes or the half fare pass. Regional passes work the same as the STP but only in the area specified such as the Jungfrau region. The half fare pass gives you half price on all public transport which works out a lot cheaper if you're not taking long train journeys between cities/towns. Its definitely worth looking into which pass is best for your trip to Switzerland as they're designed to make travelling on of the world's most expensive countries cheaper for tourists

Tips to make Switzerland budget friendly

- Cook for yourself! I can't stress this enough. If you want to make Switzerland budget friendly you need to make your own food. We always booked accommodation with a kitchen and also some of them included free breakfast. We also bought some basic none perishable foods from the UK to help cut food costs down. Eating out is by far one of the most expensive things you can do in Switzerland. There's supermarkets everywhere and if you go in the evening you'll get up to 50% off some food items mainly in Co-Op.

- Make use of the free BBQ stations in the mountains. We saw many BBQ stations free to use with wood and lighters provided by rivers and lakes. Perfect if your accommodation doesn't have a kitchen.

- As mentioned before - Get the Swiss Travel Pass/Regional Pass/Half fare pass. We travelled a lot in Switzerland and went up a lot of cable cars so we saved a fortune! *TIP: keep an eye out on the website before peak season for discounts and offers on the passes*

- Bring a waterbottle. There's so many drinking water taps in Switzerland, you do not need to buy water from anywhere! It's also very expensive to buy

Switzerland is a beautiful country that offers stunning vistas, seamless public transport, and a mix of hiking adventures and culture. With proper planning, you can experience the best of the country without overspending. Our 10-day itinerary, combined with the Swiss Travel Pass and budget-friendly tips, helped us make the most of our trip while keeping costs manageable.

Hopefully, this guide helps you plan your own Swiss adventure with ease—happy travels!