Buy or rent hiking poles in Switzerland
A traveler is planning a trip to Switzerland in September and needs advice on where to rent or buy hiking poles, as they cannot bring them on the plane. They will be flying into Geneva and out of Zurich, and are looking for practical solutions for their hiking needs.
- Consider renting hiking poles from sport shops like Intersport or Decathlon, especially near Geneva train station.
- The Swiss Alpine Guides near Interlaken offer trekking poles for CHF5 per day.
- If buying poles, remember that shipping costs can be high, so renting might be more practical.
- Check with your airline about the rules for carrying poles in checked luggage to avoid extra charges.
AI-generated summary-
I’d like to carry on for my trip from the US and i know hiking poles are not allowed. I am flying into Geneva and out of Zurich. Are there places to rent poles. If not i could purchase some but what should i do with them when i leave? I will be there in September. TIA
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Hi.
We are going to Switzerland in August/September and intend to buy our stocks while we are there and post them home before we leave. We normally pack them , but this time we are only taking Carry-On bags, so packing is not an option.
Alternatively you can hire them, but I’ve not done that before. I’ve included a link for Intersport which is a large chain of sport equipment retailers so you can get an idea of the procedure. Apparently, forward booking is recommended and not all outlets will carry them.
https://www.intersportrent.at/en/rent-shop/products/
Have Fun!
Alan
Hi mmminak,
I think hiking poles are allowed in your check-in luggage but not carry-on. You should check with your airlines. But it’s certainly ok to leave them at home and get new ones here. You can get good but affordable hiking poles from Decathlon. There is one just outside Geneva train station. You might also be able to rent them from sport shops such as Intersport and Migros SportXX.
More practical information about hiking in the Swiss Alps here: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/preparation
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
Hi Mmminak
We bought a pair of walking poles (20 CHF) when we were in Switzerland in 2018.
Our plan was to post them back to the UK.
We wrapped them up and took them to the post office in Lucerne. However the postage and customs duty costs came to double the amount we paid for the poles and so we left them behind and will be hiring poles when we go to Wengen in June.
Jane
Hello to all,
I am happy reading everyone’s questions and comments regarding hiking poles, as it reassures me that I am not the only one trying to figure out how to have access to some. Last year I flew (from Canada) to Zurich with carry-on, and had to pay CDN 120 for ‘luggage’ which was basically just an old duffle bag for the hiking poles! I am returning to the beautiful Bernese Oberland region to hike this summer, and luckily my sister and her husband will be joining me there and are bringing hiking poles for me (as they have suitcases to check-in, coming from the USA). However, it made me think about whether there are places in the Lauterbrunnen/Mürren/Wengen are that would rent poles.
Good luck to all of you hikers, with figuring out how to acquire poles! 🙂
Monica
Hi everyone,
The Swiss Alpine Guides near Interlaken rent out trekking poles for CHF5 per day. You can also rent climbing gears such as climbing boots, crampons, jackets and fleece. You can find the address and list here: http://www.swissalpineguides.ch/english/Rentals/default.html
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
I’ve noticed that some Swiss hotels have loaners, but I’ve always brought my own. I use a pole bag (I can get two pairs of poles into that bag) and strap/cinch it to the side of my checked bag. They have survived the journey several times (non-stop flight on SWISS.) Unfortunately, there’s no way to bring them if you opt for carry-on only.
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