Eating healthy on budget

I am travelling to Zurich, Lucerne, Gstaad and Interlaken for 9 days. I am looking for suggestions on healthy eating options on a budget while I am there? Breakfast is included in our stay but what about other meals? I heard food is very very expensive. Is there something if we carried form USA would help? I also saw the Swiss coupon pass worth 71$, has anyone bought it? Is it worth? I definitely feel its good , but it makes us go out of our way to eat at those places which are like 25-30 mins away from where we live and plan to travel!!!

Thanks!

Good morning!

We just got back from Switzerland, we were in both Zurich and Lucerne. When you look at the restaurant menus posted outside of the restaurants check out the salad section. You will find the salads are very different from the U.S. they are very large and have a huge amount of different types of vegetables and greens in the large bowls served. Several times we split salads, they were so large. You can get them with only vegetables or you can choose ones with duck or poultry. They have a very llite vinegarette dressing they put over the salad also. What was interesting, white pepper was always served at the tables.

Have a great time, and enjoy Switzerland. If I can be of anymore help please contact me. We traveled by train through Switzerland for 15 days from Lucerne to Lugano to Zurich, Innsbruck and then onto Austria.

Enjoy, Lary1047

Thanks Lary1047. Can I ask you how much should I average for every person every meal? Was the salad cheaper than other items? were the dinners expensive than the lunches? I am trying to see how much should I withdraw from the atm at the station upon landing.

Hi Bhavana!

We just got back from an 8day Swiss Tour and were in Geneva, Lausanne, Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich! We mostly had lunch on the go as we had places to see in the daytime. We usually picked up cold sandwiches/ stuffed croissonts from Aperto ( the collection was good in the mornings at Lausanne and Lucerne stations), or Coop which was available at all locations. Hot foods like pizza, strudels, etc are available at Migros (Geneva, Zurich). Would cost an average of 4 franks per person and along with a cake or yoghurt or a juice bought from the same store was enough for a quick meal! Dining in restaurants is very expensive and cost us almost like 20 franks per person when we went for the meal. Macdonalds/ Subway worked slightly cheaper. At Interlaken, we had an apartment and cooked in, way cheap!

Have a good trip and enjoy!

Hi all,

Just as an example: I paid CHF 25 today for a simple lunch (2 meals, 2 drinks). It was a mix of healthy and not so healthy food. As already mentioned, supermarkets offer a lot of choice and you can spend less than that on lunch there.

The Swiss Coupon Pass is definitely worth it, if, as you said, plan accordingly. You can save a lot if you use just a few coupons. It's a new product, so there won't be many people who have used it yet. Please see here for details, and how to win a hotel voucher if you buy one: myswissalps.com/ swisscouponpass.

I would not recommend to withdraw your whole vacation budget from an ATM upon arrival. Don't carry more than you can afford to lose. Most shops, hotels and restaurants accept a wide range of credit and debit cards. My experience is that debit cards are easier and cheaper to use than credit cards, but you would need to check with your bank to be sure. Having some cash available just in case.

Enjoy your stay!

Hi

I agree with everyone, the basic grocery stores have quick lunches hot food, the markets will have all kinds of fresh fruit which is great. The salads range from 12 to 15 Franks depending on what you want in them. As I mentioned the salads are large and delicious which we split.

Yes. Switzerland is expensive, however if you keep in mind your budget and what you can buy in both the grocery stores and eat in the restaurant you will be fine. Find out when the fresh air markets are happening in each city you are going to. Make sure you take time to visit and explore them, they are really fun.

Take care and have a great fun adventurous trip.

Lary1047

In the German speaking regions of Switzerland, breakfast always includes some cheese and cold meat (ham) and cold sausages, often ham as well. Usually, you can get a cooked egg if you ask. The protein available at breakfast helps you get through the day with a bit less need to eat heavily at midday. If I have only a "continental" breakfast ( bread, butter, jam) I am starving by lunch time.

Slowpoke