Mice in Switzerland, the Other Cheese Country! (page 4 of 19)

The view!

So pizza instead! !

I also like Lungern—it’s a bit closer than Brienz.

It’s my husband who’ll decide; he’s the driver (and he’s a little tired of driving...).

Still, a question: do you Swiss find your country too expensive?

The hosts for our first exchange told me that even for them, visiting Switzerland wasn’t cheap...

At least when you travel, everything seems affordable!

It’s true—even for many Swiss, visiting the country is expensive. That said, I get the impression that a lot of people are more willing to spend big on trips abroad than in their own country.

Plus, I don’t think everything is *that* much more expensive than elsewhere. When I see the prices for boats or ski lifts in France or some regions of Italy, it’s pretty much the same.

We were in Peru in April-May. We had to pay to visit churches in Cusco, and it wasn’t cheap. The train to Machu Picchu and the site itself are also quite pricey. Same in Southern Africa—accommodations are very expensive, some national parks too, and car rentals as well. Norway and Iceland? Don’t even get me started.

We just got back from Slovenia and made a detour to Austria to visit Vienna. We went in our camper, so I can’t say much about lodging. But life in Vienna *seems* really expensive. Drinks, entry fees for castles and other attractions—everything’s super pricey. We wondered how Austrians manage. Public transport is cheaper than in Switzerland, but the trams in the city are from another era. Though I think they’re renovating some lines and replacing the trams.

Same for Slovenia—never seen a country where you have to pay so much to access waterfalls, gorges, some of which aren’t even developed. On top of that, parking is also very expensive, as are campsites. Meals are cheaper than in Switzerland, and so is public transport.

We visit Switzerland often, and I think you can do plenty of things there without spending a cent. But we love hiking—maybe that explains it.😉

One thing’s for sure: eating out is expensive, way more than in France. But no more than in Iceland or Norway.

Another thing’s for sure: the Swiss get less state support than the French. Social benefits are much more developed in France. When I compare with my sister-in-law or brother-in-law, I don’t think they’re worse off financially. With them, it’s more about different spending mindsets. We think it’s normal to pay for certain things, while they always try to pay as little as possible. They have good salaries, though. But you can’t generalize…

Oh yeah, one thing that’s clearly cheaper in Switzerland compared to a lot of European countries is the roads. The highway vignette is really not expensive, and the tunnels (entirely in Switzerland) are free. Sometimes I think the Swiss are totally crazy for spending billions to build tunnels and not charging tourists or transport companies who use them.

Some countries really overcharge for tourist spots (I’m thinking of Slovenia, for example).

We do a lot of things on foot—yeah, the goal is to wander around, pretty much like everywhere else.

I was in Vienna at the end of 2023, and I found cafés and restaurants more expensive in Switzerland. Compared to Paris, though, cultural spots are *very* pricey—I think they overcharge because it’s touristy.

I was in Copenhagen before coming to Switzerland. Castles are expensive there too, museums aren’t much pricier than elsewhere, I’d say, but restaurants were a bit cheaper—though I mostly went to nice places with fancy dishes...

Yeah, Norway is expensive. It’s on my list too! 😄

But something I noticed: in Paris, cappuccinos are among the most expensive in Europe, especially compared to local salaries.

The prices relative to Swiss salaries don’t shock me as much. In France, salaries are much lower, so we have less purchasing power even at home...

But yeah, paying for nature? That’s not something we have in France. We were talking about that... At worst, parking is paid, but not the actual spot.

As a French person who hates paying for parking (oops), we mostly stuck to *zones bleues* (blue zones).

I paid in Gruyères (not too expensive in the end) and on the first day in Fribourg because I had no choice. On Sundays, it was free. Free zones on Saturdays in Lausanne.

Otherwise, *zone bleue* everywhere.

We might get there once at the Gothard... 😛 😏

Oh, for cable cars, actually I’ve only done it once in my life.

Yeah, it’s all so expensive.

The Jungfraujoch is especially outrageous 😲 but it attracts all the Asian tourists.

I’d love to come back for a more mountain-focused trip if possible...

Oh, one thing I noticed: you can find free public restrooms pretty much everywhere, generally clean with toilet paper. France could take a page from their book!

Of course, everything’s clean—what a change from Paris.

And in terms of safety, you feel much more at ease.

We might make it to the Gotthard once... 😛

I think I’d vote for it. But it won’t pass.

A day full of breathtaking sights!

I convinced my partner to take a road trip to Brienz.

We passed by Lake Sarmen, then Lungern, before ending up in Brienz.

It’s so beautiful! I spent the whole day in awe!

Sure, it’s very "postcard-perfect," but it’s nice every now and then 😄

Fewer people than in Lucerne, so that was a nice change too.

We had our first rösti in Brienz! Good, but so filling that I couldn’t finish it 😅 Big diet when we get back 😅

Switzerland is truly a stunning country. I really hope to come back to this area to explore more!

Next up, with a few photos of Brienz

This country is so beautiful it’s gonna be tough to leave...

Haven’t even left yet and I’m already hoping to come back! It’s the kind of scenery I love... The towns are pretty too! !

I just booked 3 nights to extend the stay a bit, see the Rhine Falls, Stein am Rhein, and still take a trip to Zurich.

Gotta figure out where to park!

Originally, I had spotted a place further into Germany that would let me visit Mainau and Tübingen, but the booking request was denied...

There aren’t many accommodations available this season...

Guess I’ll have to come back! !

Stein am Rhein to avoid on a Sunday in August... 😛

Yeah...

Maybe Zurich on Sunday instead...

Well, today it's hot and the driver's had enough of the road 🥵

Just wrapped up a new swap north of Lausanne!

So, 3 days in an Airbnb in northern Switzerland (well, actually in Germany right by the border), then back to French-speaking Switzerland. Depending on the weather, I might extend my stay. We’d love to take a trip to Sion...

We'd love to take a trip to Sion...

I really like Valais: Val d'Hérens, Val d'Herémence, I pass through Sion... The city itself? Meh... It's true that when I go to the mountains, I try to avoid cities. From what I remember: It's not easy to park there for free ;)

Ah...

I took a little look on Street View and I think the town has its charm.

It’s still just an idea...

The mice really want to visit the Gruyères cheese dairy!

And see a bit of the heights around Vevey, and Montreux too!

For a mountain stay, I hope to come back one day with accommodation... in the mountains!

But even in France, I don’t know our mountains very well.

The Vercors looks pretty!

My husband’s dream is Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (well, the Aiguille du Midi). We’ll see depending on the weather...

Right now, it’s too hot—we’re only going out now.

In Sion, Valère and Tourbillon are must-sees.

In the valleys, check out Evolène, Grimentz...

Mr. Dream is Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

It’s really beautiful, but it’s a small town. It’s better to go a bit off-season, like June or September. Otherwise, the area feels too urbanized for my taste.

The Vercors looks so pretty!

It’s not high mountain terrain (it’s the limestone pre-Alps). The few slightly larger towns (in the northern Vercors)—Villard de Lans, Autrans-Méaudre, Lans en Vercors—don’t have much exceptional to offer... except ski slopes in winter for enthusiasts. Outside of these "mini towns," nature reigns supreme, and even in July/August, apart from motorcyclists roaring through our villages, it’s so peaceful! No overtourism here yet!