After visiting the Baltics, we flew to Geneva to spend two weeks visiting Megan’s family in Montreux, Switzerland. We’re not sharing a budget breakdown for our time in Montreux because fortunately, we had very low costs, so it wouldn’t be that helpful. We did create a post with sample costs to show how much you can expect to spend while traveling in Switzerland, which we hope you will find helpful.

After leaving Montreux in early September, we spent two days in Bern (on our own, so those costs are included below) and two days in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Due to costs, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are definitely two countries we would not have visited on a RTW trip if it weren’t for visiting family—hence our very short visits to both Bern and Vaduz. Here’s everything we spent in these pricey countries:

Switzerland (Bern): $410.20

Transportation: $9.34

Our Airbnb was a little outside central Bern, so we initially took a local bus. Luckily, our Airbnb host provided free transportation passes for our stay, so we were able to travel within the city free of charge for the rest of our time in Bern (including riding the funicular!). Average: $4.67/day.

Lodging: $166.35

We stayed at this Airbnb in Bern (not available during winter due to no heating or electricity), mostly so we could soak in the cheese cauldron. 😉 And yes, we did pay $80+/night for a room with no heating or electricity. But it was fun! Average: $83.18/night.

Eating out: $179.52

When in Switzerland, we definitely recommend buying groceries when possible to save money. As we were only in Bern for two days, we ate out for every meal. Average: $89.76/day.

Treats: $22.86

We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). In Bern, this was mostly coffee. Average: $11.43/day.

Groceries/household items: $9.11

We bought a few drinks at the grocery store (to enjoy in our cheese cauldron!) and restocked some toiletries. Average: $4.56/day.

Entertainment (tours, etc.): $0

We did no paid activities in Bern. Average: $0/day.

Gifts & souvenirs: $9.58

Postcards and stamps. (Postage is expensive in Switzerland!) Average: $4.79/day.

Travel insurance: $13.44

We have travel insurance through World Nomads for $6.72/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.

Switzerland total: $205.10/day = $102.55/person* per day

(Note: Yippee! Looks like our estimate of $110/day per person for traveling to Switzerland was pretty accurate.)

Liechtenstein: $378.27

Transportation: $19.15

Vaduz has an amazing bus system, but compared to many other places we visited, it isn’t the cheapest public transportation. A typical ride for us was 4 CHF/person, but you can save money by buying a day pass (which is cheaper than a round-trip ticket). Learn more about the bus system in Liechtenstein in our previous post. Average: $9.58/day.

Lodging: $159.47

We stayed in this private room in Triesenberg, a village just up the hill from Vaduz. It definitely ranks near the top of all the places we’ve stayed on this trip, so consider it if you ever find yourself in Liechtenstein. Average: $79.74/night.

Eating out: $104.66

Liechtenstein is also not a cheap place to dine out (we paid 9 CHF for a bottle of water at dinner!), so we capitulated and bought groceries for about half our meals. Average: $52.33/day.

Treats: $6.35

Coffee and ice cream. Average: $3.18/day.

Groceries/household items: $46.94

We bought yogurt, salads and sandwiches at the grocery store to save some money in Vaduz. Our Airbnb also had a nice (reasonably priced) minibar, from which we enjoyed a few items. 🙂 Average: $23.47/day.

Entertainment (tours, etc.): $18.16

Despite being such an expensive country, most of the activities in Vaduz are actually free (including hiking to the castle and visiting the Postmuseum). We did enjoy a wine tasting at the prince’s cellars, which was a very reasonable 9 CHF each. (Looking for fun things to do in Liechtenstein? Check out our post on 24 Hours in Vaduz!) Average: $9.08/day.

Gifts & souvenirs: $10.10

In addition to our usual postcards and stamps, we also paid 3 CHF each to get Liechtenstein stamps in our passports. (As Liechtenstein is in the Schengen area and can only be entered overland from Switzerland or Austria, there is no border control, but the tourism office offers souvenir passport stamps.) Average: $5.05/day.

Travel insurance: $13.44

We have travel insurance through World Nomads for $6.72/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.

Liechtenstein total: $189.14/day = $94.57/person* per day

The above totals only account for money entirely spent in one place, in order to clearly delineate expenses for each country. We also spent $30.22 to take the train from Montreux to Bern, and $91.37 to take the train from Bern to Vaduz. 

Total: $910.06 = $227.52/day = $113.76/person* per day

*Did you know we have a new page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? Check it out! We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.

Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.