- During my trip to Switzerland, I made a few mistakes that would be easily avoided next time.
- I visited Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, and two towns in the Swiss Alps: Sion and St. Moritz.
- A few unexpected things happened, like restaurant reservations and bus stops.
I went to Switzerland for the first time last year and took the train from Zurich through the Swiss Alps.
I have Although I have plenty of experience traveling in Europe, I was surprised by some of the customs in the country during my nine-day trip.
On my way first to Zurich, then Sion and finally to St. Moritz, I made a few mistakes during my trip that I will definitely avoid next time.
Trying to enter a restaurant without a reservation
Many people had recommended that we dine at Zeughauskeller, Zurich's most famous classic Swiss restaurant, so we wandered in on our second night.
Even though it was a Wednesday, the former medieval armory was packed, and I joined a crowd of about 10 people waiting outside without a reservation.
Looking into the enormous dining room with its high, wood-beamed ceilings, I saw long tables packed with people eating and drinking, and over the noise a waiter told me the wait could be more than an hour.
When I arrived in the small mountain town of Sion, I thought I could get away without making restaurant reservations, but every highly rated restaurant in Sion I went to turned me away, saying they were fully booked.
I'd learned my lesson by the time I got to St. Moritz so I called ahead and made a reservation and had no problem getting into the restaurant.
Not realizing that your water bill is extra
I made another mistake. Inside a restaurant in Switzerland. Coming from America, I assumed water was free with every meal.
I later looked at my receipt and realized that most restaurants charge an extra 3-5 Swiss Francs for still or sparkling water.
Of Switzerland's 26 cantons (similar to U.S. states), only one has a law requiring restaurants to provide free water, according to restaurant guide website swissrest.ch, which urges customers to think of tap water as a “hospitality service.”
Use Airbnb instead of hotels
During my recent visit to France, I checked Airbnb first when booking my trip because it was so much cheaper than hotels.
I didn't have much of a choice so I stayed in an Airbnb in Zurich, which ended up being the worst place I stayed in during my entire trip.
The tiny studio apartment had an uncomfortable bed with scratchy sheets, a small table with a chair, a kitchen sink, and a bathroom.
Our only option was to either leave the window open and be exposed to direct sunlight and the noise of the busy road below, or close the window and make the room muggy.
Thankfully I only had to spend 2 nights there, I would have preferred to have stayed in a cheaper hotel room, probably with a better bed and no kitchen area, which I didn't need.
However, there are plenty of Airbnb options in the city, so if we had spent more or booked earlier we may have gotten a better studio.
And there may be even more options in the future: In its fourth-quarter 2023 earnings call, Airbnb said it would expand its “strategy” in several European countries, including Switzerland, and continue to “invest in under-penetrated international markets.”
In Sion and St. Moritz we booked boutique hotel rooms instead and they were lovely.
Find a bus stop using Google Maps
While Switzerland has a reputation for efficient, punctual train services with clear signage, the same cannot be said for buses.
I had a hard time finding the bus stop in Zurich. I walked to where Google Maps showed it, but there was no sign or bench in sight. I walked around looking for the bus stop, watching buses go by without stopping.
Every single time, I had to ask a local where the bus stop was, which was usually at least a block away from where I saw it on the app.
Additionally, the buses did not arrive as frequently as Google Maps indicated.
Next time, I won't rely solely on Google Maps to get around – I'll probably use the SBB website or mobile app to find bus stops and public transport routes.
Purchase a single outlet adapter at the airport
I forgot my adapter to plug my American devices into a Swiss outlet, so I had to buy one when I got to Zurich airport.
Unfortunately, you can only charge one device at a time.
I had my phone, my phone battery, my AirPods, two laptops, and my electric toothbrush. It also has a camera, so I wish it had a little more charging capacity.
I always had something plugged in while in a hotel room or at a cafe, and some nights I even brushed my teeth with an electric toothbrush that had dead batteries.
It would have saved me a lot of hassle. I saved about $15 by ordering an adapter with multiple USB ports on Amazon before my trip.
