Daily budget for Via Jacobi in Switzerland

The information below is for the Via Francigena in Switzerland but should be indicative of pilgrim type accommodation.

"We were dreading the cost of accommodation in Switzerland but we got lucky. We had a homestay in Sainte Croix with meals and gave a 50CHF donation. We had an apartment in Orbe for 50CHF and we had another homestay, in our own little apartment, slightly off route but on a nicer walk, just outside of Eschallons with lovely meals and lovely people. We were given a kettle and tea bags and cake as well, all for 85CHF. We stayed in the beautiful Vevey overlooking the square with lake views instead of in Laussanne for 74CHF.
These prices were for both of us and would be cheaper if you are on your own.
Jackie
PS at the time 1E =1.20CHF"

In the CPR Accommodation list there are donation type places in Orbe, Lausanne, Martigny and Orsieres but it is not the rule.

This is not exactly the answer you're seeking, but perhaps it is close enough to be helpful. In gasthouses in Germany this spring, I was averaging 35E per night, single with (hearty! and enough leftovers to make lunch) breakfast. Dinners were running 15-20E depending on alcohol choices. Based on my travel in Switzerland the previous fall, I would anticipate a general pricing level 10-20% higher than Germany.

Some other resources that might be helpful for you:
Phone app: Hostel Hero
Sites: http://www.hotels.com (and look for 1- or 2-star properties)
and http://www.homeaway.com

As a budget for planning purposes, that seems sound. Please let me know your actual experience, as I expect to be in Switzerland, from Konstanz to Einseideln, next June (having come from Nuremberg).

My wife walked the Via Jacobi route in Switzerland back in September 2010.

By staying in mixture of places including pilgrim style accommodation, a couple of B&Bs and 1-2 monasteries, and "sleep in the straw", she was able to keep the cost around 100 SF per day for accommodation and food. She generally bought and cooked dinner when ever possible or ate at the local Coop or Migro food stores.

She started in Appenzell and finished in Lausanne. I have attached a pdf of the walking plan spreadsheet I put together for her to use - that you may find helpful

Neville

gittiharre said:

Thank you Neville, that seems soooo expensive, a lot of the pilgrim and sleeping in straw accommodations are around 20 to 30 Swiss Francs, is the food really that expensive to beef the cost up to 100 francs per day????? Scary!!!! Gitti

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I agree that 100SF is expensive. I seem to remember this is what she spent but it has been a couple of years. It is very possible that you could keep the cost under 80SF as you suggested but much of this depends on where you actually end up staying and where you end up eating.

Working from memory, there are only a handful of pilgrim/hostel style accommodation places along the route and yes the average bed rate is approximately 20-25SF per person which normally does not include breakfast. Add another 10SF for breakfast. There was only 1-2 places that offered "sleep in the straw" and after what my wife experienced, it may or may not be your thing. The one place was actually off the trail, so keep this in mind. Cost again is generally about the same.

Beyond this, you are faced with getting a single bed in a B&B - cost is average 50SF (includes breakfast) or worst a single room in a small hotel - cost is 50-80SF. Single bed in B&Bs and hotels are hard some times of the year to get and you maybe forced to get a double room.

Dinner varies depending if you buy something at a restaurant (most expensive and not recommended) or buy something at the local Migros food store - average cost is 25-30SF. Keep in mind not all places have a Migros or Coop with a deli sections. Buying food and cooking it only works if the place you are staying at has cooking facilities - and many place do not.

My wife and I have traveled to Switzerland a number of times (this past May being the latest time - she has some extended family there). Generally we spend 100SF for 2 beds at a B&B and 50-100SF for food and other things. Local transportation while excellent can also eat up the budget - so keep in this mind. My wife bused through a couple of sections in the east (between the terrain and weather - it rained for a solid week in September). Train travel in Switzerland is an average 1/2 SF per kilometre for second class.

Buying hot/cold drinks and snacks also eats into the budget. A simple small coffee can cost you 3SF and a snack - 6SF. It is these little things in Switzerland that seem to burn through our budget. So in the past I have generally used 100SF per person as a base and most often we have stayed under this number. Nice to come home with a bit of money and not some outstanding Visa bills to pay.

Honestly you could get by with a budget less than 100SF, maybe as little as 75SF, if you plan ahead and pick the right time of the year to walk. July and August are the busy months so I would select either June or September.

Trust this helps

PS the scenery is to die for and even though it was expensive as compared to other caminos, and it rained for the first week, my wife never regretted it and throughly enjoyed the experience.

gittiharre said:

Thank you very very much for such a helpful and comprehensive rundown on Switzerland, I really appreciated it, regards, Gitti

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Some time ago I posted an entry on our blog about walking this route. You might find some of this additional information including the links useful

http://littlegreentracs.typepad.com/my_ ... rland.html

Regards

Neville

You can get basic accommondation for about 30 SFr, Breakfast included. However, for this you need to do some research first where you can stay. (Travel guide, internet). In cities or around tourist spots, it can be a bit more. Without preparations I also had to pay 50Fr. lately when I choose the cheapest place in a town.
What really can be expensive is eating and drinking in a restaurant. A meal in the evening can easy cost you 30 SFr, a single drink (coffee, cola, mineral water, beer etc.) 4SFr. If you are travelling on a budget, I can suggest you the following:
- Often the place where you stay also offers inexpensive meals for their overnight guests
- If not, eat out at lunch time insteat of in the evening. Between 12 and 1 you can get a excellent cooked meal for about half the price of what you pay in the evening.
- Take Aways are another option to get hot meals, from 8 sFr for a kebab up to 15 sFr for a full meal
- Buy food and drinks in the supermarkets, there the prices are like everywhere else in Europe. May be 10-20% more.
- If you like to have hot drinks during the day, carry a thermos flask and ask your host to fill it in the morning. In most huts in the alps it's standard that they offer hot tea (herbal tea mixtures) and the guests can fill their flasks in the morning for free.

If you do it like that you should get by with 50 sFr. per day living comfortably. But you can easy spend double of that or more if you treat yourself to whatever you like.
Most locals do it as described above if they are on a tight budget and go away overnight. An even cheaper option is have a tent and/or cook your own food.