Before coming to France, I had visited Genève and the small villages around Lac Léman only once. But after I moved to France, it took me a long time to actually visit Switzerland, even though it was a country close to France.
I had the opportunity to go climbing in Switzerland for the first time in 2018, and the following year (2019) I started going hiking in Zermatt and Grindelwald.
Sightseeing in Switzerland is soothing to the mind because of the wonderful scenery 😍 but the high cost of living brings me back to reality 😂
This page is a memorandum about the youth hostels (2019) and camp sites (2018 & 2020) where I have stayed in Switzerland so far.
🏨 Youth hostels where I stayed (2019):
1️⃣ Grindelwald：Jugendherberge Grindelwald
2️⃣ Saas-Fee：wellnessHostel4000
Reservations were made through the website: Swiss Youth Hostels. Rates are quoted at non-member rates. If you are a member, you have to book through the members-only link website.
Breakfast was included in both youth hostels, and well, the yogurt was delicious. In Switzerland, where prices are high, it is lucky that breakfast is included.
The breakfast was almost the same, but WellnessHostel4000 (Saas-Fee) had a larger selection. I guess each youth hostel is slightly different.
✅ Grindelwald：Jugendherberge Grindelwald
The chalet-style building was quaint and nice. The view of the Eiger (3970m) from the window was spectacular.
There was a light in each bed, but there were 3 power sources around under the shared table. If power was not available in the room, there was also power in the bathroom & toilet.
If you stay overnight in Grindelwald, you will receive a pass for unlimited bus rides around Grindelwald 🚌 This pass also gives you a discount on the ropeway between Grindelwald and First 🚠
✅ Saas-Fee：wellnessHostel4000
The price included breakfast and the pool. There is also a spa, but I was told that it is an extra charge.
The building itself is new and very clean, and the view from the window of Dom (4545m), the highest mountain in Switzerland, and Allalinhorn (4027m), covered with snow, was amazing.
Each bed was equipped with a power supply and a light 👍🏻
🏕 Campsites where we stayed (2018 & 2020)
1️⃣ Bauernhof-Camping Wyler (2018)
2️⃣ Gotthard Camping Andermatt (2020)
Campsites that could not be reserved and could not be accommodated
⚠️ Zeltplatz-Mattli
Silvia und Adrian Thöni
Sustenstrasse 32 3862 Innertkirchen
This is indeed a Swiss campground. The campground was clean and surrounded by beautiful scenery. It was cozy as we pitched our tents on the grass.
This campground is part of the owner's farm. During the summer months, the cows are taken to the higher altitude Alps, so it appears to be open as a camp site during this season.
When I heard it was a farm, I was concerned about fecal 💩, but I didn't see any, at least not around where I pitched my tent 😆
According to Honor, she could understand a little English, and the conversation was in German.
Payment was mainly in cash, which appeared to be Swiss francs. We did not inquire if Euros were accepted or if card payments were accepted. From what I saw of the people around me, they were paying in cash.
I was surprised to find a toilet seat in the bathroom. The showers had hot water and cost 1 CHF for a few minutes.
The campsite has an electrical plug, which is useful if you have a special connector ⚠️ For a picture of the special connector 👉🏻 see the blog of the campsite where we stayed in Fontainebleau.
We were told to use a dedicated site for BBQ. I think this means no open flames are allowed.
One thing that bothered me was that the campsite faces the road, so during the daylight hours there was a lot of traffic, especially from motorcycles 🏍, which I found to be very noisy.
Still, by nightfall (10:00pm), there were very few cars 🚗 or motorcycles 🏍 passing by and the campsite was quiet and surrounded by mountains.
The only noise problem during the night was the snoring 😴💤 coming from the tents next door 😆
Campsite located in Andermatt (Andermatt). The wifi and showers were included in the room rate. The showers were convenient to use anytime, but wifi was only available in a limited area near the reception. Toilets had toilet seats 🚽
We used the power supply in the building where the showers and toilets are located to charge our cell phones and other devices. If you are staying at a campsite, I thought it would be useful to have a mobile battery for safety reasons.
The camp site faced the road, but there was little traffic, so it didn't really bother me ⚠️ Usually this season could be full of hikers and bicycle tourists 🤔 but in 2020 it was deserted due to the new coronavirus (Coronavirus, COVID-19).
I have no complaints about Gotthard Camping Andermatt, but I thought Zeltplatz-Mattli campsite, where I originally planned to stay, had a better atmosphere surrounded by mountains. I was not able to make a reservation because the campground was already full on that day 😔 By the way, when I tried to make a reservation at Zeltplatz-Mattli campground, they did not respond to me in English 😔
💶🇨🇭 Do I need cash Swiss francs when traveling in Switzerland 🤔❓
Can't I just use euros 🤔❓
On the trip (2019) where we used hostels for accommodation, I traveled without exchanging money into Swiss Francs due to the short duration of the trip ⚠️ I took Euros in cash 💶.
I used the SBB Mobile App for all public transportation and paid by card at the youth hostel where I stayed. I bought food and drinks in stores (e.g. coop) and paid for everything there by card too 👍🏻
But the only time I needed cash Swiss Francs was when using the coin lockers in the youth hostel 😅
When using the lockers in the rooms of the youth hostel, the system did not require coins (cash), but the lockers we used to leave our luggage after check-out were coin operated lockers, so we needed cash 😅
I told them I didn't have any cash Swiss Francs and they were a little bit uncomfortable, although I was able to leave a small package at the front desk 😅
Most major tourist destinations do not use cash and allow payment by card, but there are occasional situations where only cash is accepted 😅
Conclusion ➡️ Swiss Franc is necessary 😅
Comentários