🇨🇭 Switzerland · Europe
Zürich
A medieval old town on a swimmable lake with alpine air — pricey but a joy.
citynatureslow☀ best: May – Sep
SHOESTRING
€82/day
dorms, street plates, transit
COMFY
€139/day
private room, sit-down meals, a treat
FLASH
€260/day
nice hotel, good dinners, no maths
🧮 Trip maths
€972 total
What Zürich costs, day to day
🛵 Getting around
Uber
Bolt
Tram/bus (ZVV)
ZVV single (city)€3.8
24-hour city pass€7.6
9 O'Clock day pass€7.6
Train from airport€5.9
🛏 Stays
Per night
Hostel dorm bed€35–€56
Airbnb 1-BR€113–€182
3-star hotel€130–€217
Lake-view boutique€260–€477
Monthly
Studio€1,562–€2,257
1-BR, decent area€1,910–€2,778
🛒 Groceries & daily life
Migros — the Swiss institution
Coop — the other big one
Denner — discount
Aldi / Lidl — cheapest, near borders
Milk 1L€1.5
Bread€2.4
Eggs 12€5.2
Cheese 1kg€19
Chicken 1kg€22
Rice 1kg€2.2
Beer 0.5L€1.6
Coffee jar€6.1
🍜 Eating out
Migros/Coop takeaway lunch€6.9–€12
Bratwurst + bread stand€6.9–€10
Zürcher Geschnetzeltes€24–€36
Fondue / raclette dinner€26–€43
Fine-dining tasting€130–€260
🎡 Things to do — with kids
Zürich Zoo + rainforest hall€26
Lake boat + Lido swim€6.9–€17
Swiss Science Center (Winterthur)€17–€22
🌙 Things to do — grown-ups
Uetliberg hike + view (transit)€4.3–€7.8
Lake cruise€6.9–€26
Kunsthaus art museum€21
Old-town + chocolate crawl€17–€43
🌤 Climate
Day °CSea °CRain
Best: May – Sep · Wet: May – Aug
Cold, sometimes snowy winters; warm summers perfect for lake swimming. Alpine day-trips are easiest May–Oct.
✈️ Getting there
SWISSeasyJetEdelweissLufthansaLondon€35–€95
Rome€35–€87
Berlin€35–€91
ZRH is 10 min by train to the centre (~€7) — supremely easy. SWISS hubs here; easyJet covers the budget routes.
🏧 ATMs & money
Fees: Bank ATMs (UBS, PostFinance, cantonal banks) add no surcharge; watch machines that quote in your home currency.
Limits: CHF 500–1,000 per pull.
Best machines: PostFinanceUBSCantonal banks (ZKB etc.)
Everything's expensive, nothing's a scam. Pay in francs, decline conversion, and note many places take euros at a poor rate — francs win.
🩺 Health & safety
Vaccines: Routine; tick-borne encephalitis for alpine hikers.
Health: Tap water is drinkable everywhere, even most mountain fountains. Care is superb and famously expensive — insure well. Altitude on peak excursions is real.
Tap water: ✅ Superb and drinkable everywhere, including most labelled mountain fountains. Refill constantly.
Safety: Switzerland is among the safest countries anywhere. Zürich's nightlife district (Langstrasse) is the one livelier corner. Mountain weather and expensive mistakes are the actual risks.
Emergency: 112 (117 police · 144 ambulance)
🛂 Visa & entry
This is a Schengen-area country. Most US, UK, EU, Canadian, Australian, NZ, Brazilian, Japanese and Korean passports enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen zone. From 2025 the EU's ETIAS pre-authorisation applies to visa-free non-EU visitors — check before you fly.
Rules change — always verify with an official source for your nationality before you book.
💬 Traveller tips & reports
Lunch from the supermarket, swim in the lake — Even locals dodge Zürich's restaurant prices at midday with Migros/Coop takeaway — hot dishes, salads, pastries for a fraction of a café bill. Eat it lakeside, then swim free at a Badi. The city's best day costs almost nothing.
@badi.days · Jun '26 · ▲ 90