Anyone Can See Swiss! - Here's How!

Bhavani Mohan
Mar 23, 2022
4 min read

There is no denying that Switzerland IS super expensive. 🙄

When I began curating the Euro Trip and started doing the math – The one country which DID NOT make ANY economical sense was Swiss. It was so obvious just looking at the rough initial estimate.

Swiss alone was going 6 figures! 😳

Those numbers are not for the faint hearted!🥴

BUT, there is a way around! AS ALWAYS. And, this is how I figured it all out...

Swiss is that really tempting land locked Europe country right in the middle. It makes it oh-so-convenient to include logistically BUT oh-so-expensive economically. It is definitely not an affordable country by any means and in any way I looked. I believe, its geographic position is the reason why they capitalize so much from it - Left, Right & Center! 🤷

In Swiss, everything you touch is gold! MIDAS TOUCH fairytale must have taken inspiration from this country, I tell you!😀

I literally gave up! I decided to skip Swiss! It’s sour grapes - I told myself. 😑

AND started pondering affordable alternatives.

Germany or Italy … Germany or Italy … I kept thinking...

TV was blaring in the Living Room “Anyone can cook!...”

The famous Ratatouille movie …

For the uninitiated, Ratatouille is an Oscar Winner for Best Animated Movie. The main character is a Rat – becomes the finest chef in France making Rat-atouille (French Dish) – establishing “Anyone” Can Cook... even a Rat!…

It was absolutely bizarre, but somehow I heard it as “Anyone Can See Swiss!” 😬

Swiss is Sour Grapes!!! I reminded myself & yelled , “Turn the volume down kids!!!”🤷

KIDS being KIDS, did exactly the opposite and increased the volume!

I went down to reduce volume… it was the final scene where the food critique was speaking…

“Anyone can cook... Now I truly understand what that means...

Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere…”

The rat became the greatest chef in France not because anyone can become a great chef... It's because of its resolve to become great despite being a rat! He didn't give up!

That message really melt my heart!🤩🤩🤩

Totally different context, but I somehow felt its a sign that I shouldn't give up on Swiss either!

Even Mr.Husband doesn’t know that it was the movie “Ratatouille” which brought Swiss back into our itinerary! Shhhhh! It's our little secret! 🤫🤫🤫

So….How did we manage to include Swiss?

I decided to dig deep literally like the Rat in Ratatouille!

It's NO-PASS for Paris, Right? After a little digging, I realized it doesn’t work that way for Swiss!

It’s ABSUHLOOTLEE-YES-PASS for Swiss!

But there is a Catch! AS ALWAYS.

People tend to get the wrong Pass & end up getting ripped.

The catch is to get the RIGHT-PASS because there are a zillion options to choose! Whatever you do or not do, I suggest to think twice before getting the SWISS TRAVEL PASS.

WHY??

SWISS TRAVEL PASS is the super advertised PASS for tourists. It’s very convenient and offers lot of flexibility but extremely premium.

Which is the RIGHT-Pass then?

Explore the Regional Pass – the one that is NEVER advertised. The one that cannot be uncovered without digging.

Swiss is divided into different regions. It makes logistical sense to be in one region and cover the attractions of that region instead of commuting across the entire country.

Regional pass are not cheap either.

180 CHF(~15K INR)/Adult for 2 Days is NO WAY a cheap PASS!

BUT, they are the relatively best value for money one can get in Switzerland.

Paying Entry for the same attractions or taking day trips will burn your pocket.

350+ CHF(~30K INR)/person without Pass.

When travelling with family, say 4, the compounded effect of that expense + Food can be quite a big hole in the pocket.

That makes Swiss a NOT-AFFORDABLE-DESTINATION.

15K vs 30K/Person is 100% more!

Now, do you see the apparent “Value” for Money in using Regional Pass??

Most tourists don’t know about these. They get the Swiss Travel Pass or do operator managed fully paid day trips and end up paying double for the very same things!

The ticket checker remarked “You gotta ‘Tell Pass’!? - Great Choice! You must know someone on the inside then!” and winked.

We didn’t know anyone. We just dug deep. Thanks to the Rat from RAT-atouille!

https://www.myswissalps.com/regionalpasses is a very useful resource. The Pass has different names in each region BTW. Book mark this page!

Day 1 – Paris – TGV Lyia (Highspeed Bullet Train) – Zurich – Luzern

Luzern City Tour at Leisure. Dinner at Tibits Luzern Vegetarian Restaurant

Got Online “Tell Pass” for the Next 2 Days that covers all transport and many attraction entries in the Central Swiss Region.

Day 2 – Yacht Cruise - Funicular train - Mount Rigi - Lucerne – Interlakken panoramic express

Switzerland is such a sheer visual treat! The lakes are so blue, the flora was so colorful.

The Cruise and Rides were WAY BEYOND WHAT WE COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE

-Wind Blowing and Mind Blowing! -

It was top of the line and included in the Tell Pass.

Swipe < > to check the snaps

We curated the trip in such a way that it covered multiple ways of seeing Swiss – Yacht Cruise, Steep Funicular train, 360 Revolving Rotair car, Chair lift Ice flyer, Cliff walking… The list was very long! Of coz we decided not to experiment breaking our back skiing in snow.

We went on a breathtakingly scenic golden pass roundtrip - Lucerne - Interlakken panoramic express. It had panoramic crystal clear glass windows as high as the coach!

Again, included in the Tell Pass. Not an extra penny from our pocket.

Day 3 – Mount Titlis | Cliff Hanger, 360 Rotair, Ice Flyer, Glacier Park

Included in the pass and covered in “TWIST-ER With REAL TWIST in SWISS” Post

After the real twist, we finally landed in Germany chasing trains like Tom Cruise from Mission Impossible!