Advice on caravanning in Switzerland
We are thinking of taking the caravan to beautiful Switzerland this year. Travelling probably third week in July. Probably stay about two weeks in total, including some stop offs on both outward and return journeys.Both of us are OAPs so not interested in big family oriented holiday parks and much prefer the quieter more sedate pace.
We would love to hear members views on where might be nice to stay and what might be nice to do. We have in mind travelling to the area around Interlaken as we definitely want to do some walking(not climbing) in the mountains and valleys and meadows. we are open to the idea of moving about but staying in one main site is also an option.
We will be using the tunnel to Calais.
Your suggestions and experiences would be most welcome.
Thank you
Brendan and Diana
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When we were younger and more active we took caravans several times an extra 15 miles from Interlaken up to Camping Eigernordwand at Grindelwald - in order to be in the real heart of the mountains. It's an informal site and can be busy because they never turn anyone away, but the situation and views at the foot of the north face of the Eiger are stunning, and the cable cars and mountain railway to reach the high level walks and lakes are so close.
But even an informal site is expensive and so are those cable cars, so I must leave you to do the costings in advance. Given good weather it's a stunning area - but not cheap.
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Agree totally with the comments above. Lovely people with English spoken everywhere.
The costs are a consideration - especially as you will need to buy two Vignettes (1 for the car and 1 for the caravan) when you enter Switzerland - and from memory these are about £30 a shot each.
I managed to get a used one which had not been attached to the windscreen from ebay a couple of years back at a significant discount. That is also a good way to maybe recoup some of the cost if you can manage to peel it off in one piece. A piece of clingfilm on the windscreen before attaching the sticker used to work but not sure if the Authorities have got wise to this now?
Anyway - just an idea 👍
Happy Travels
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Brenny If that’s the time you have available go fo it. I went to Northern Italy via Switzerland returning via Germany in a 2 week timescale and had a wonderful time. The tolls down through France were €80+ and the vignettes for car and caravan totalled £64. The Swiss vignette is valid for a year. I’ve met folk who have stayed close to the Swiss border then travelled into the country, Southern Black Forest could be a good destination to do this.
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Here's a photo of another site we went to near Interlaken - at Kandersteg about 20 miles away. It's a very simple campsite at the head of a lovely valley, with all sorts of opportunities for walks in the mountains with chairlifts to get you up there, such as the walk around the Oeschinensee lake, and a chalet cafe at the end of the walk.
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A very light smear of Vaseline or similar will also facilitate removal of the vignette, however, this is illegal and here are specific warnings at the border posts about this practice. I confess to having done similar in the past but it’s not really worth the risk despite the cost savings.
As others have said, the cost of living is very high (although fuel is reasonable). The mountain railways are very, very, expensive but worth it. If you go to Interlaken then the railway up through Kleine Scheidegg to the Jungfrau is not to be missed BUT make sure you have a clear day. The camp site proprietors are usually helpful in that respect. Sites like Lazy Rancho are an excellent base for Interlaken, Grindelwald etc. and there are enough sites that booking shouldn’t be needed (unless you can get a deal that way).
Self catering is a must because restaurant prices are eye watering, as are snacks and drinks on the motorways.
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End July/beginning of August is really busy. If you can go the first week in September you will not regret it.
Last Rancho is good but is always busy or seems to be, (probably because of its Caravan Club associations) Just up the road is Camping Jungfrau in Unterseen. Much quieter. Just check its still open because I have been going there since the mid 1970's and 4 years ago, (the last time I visited) it was the same old boy running it. Goodness knows how old he must be.
Shop at the Co-Op on the road into Interlaken (walking distance from the campsite) and drink in Hotel Krebs or any other bar the locals use. Its not that expensive (bought a drink in London recently?) Take the first morning train from Interlaken Est for the high mountains. It used to be half price, probably still is. Remember it is cold up there despite 30 C on the campsite.
Probably best not to pull some of the stunts I have pulled over the years with the Vignette (s). I buy them from the Swiss Centre in London (on line) these days. Saves messing about at the border.
Enjoy, its a wonderful place.
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We went to Switzerland, staying just outside Interlaken, for our very first overseas trip with the caravan. As others have said, and I'm sure you already know, the scenery is stunning and everywhere is spotlessly clean, (clinical was how it was once described to me).We got a half price, visitors travel pass which was valid on trains, cable cars, boats on the Interlaken lakes and the post buses which carry passengers.I'm assuming they still offer this. The saving was sufficient to go up to the top of the Jungfraujoch, a once in a lifetime experience.
What has put us off returning is the cost of everything. In 1993 when we first went, the cost of living was just about double the UK and I understand that costs are far worse now. Because of this we were recommended to go to the French Alps. OK, the scenery is not quite so stunning and there aren't all the little railways and cable cars which we really enjoyed but what a difference there is in costs and the scenery is not at all bad. There are also far more roads in the French mountains so exploring different areas, including crossing into Switzerland, is much easier without constantly using the same routes. Having said that, if money is no object, go for it, you won't regret it.
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We first visited Interlaken in 1981 and then again 2 years ago.First time was expensive but worth the cost.2cnd visit was an eye opener!now nearly all the shops are run by arabs and chinese.prices are out of this world even for a macdonalds!we ended up taking picnics for lunch and bbq at night!.There is even an indian restaurent at the top of the jungfrau and the cost of the railway was nearly a month of my government pension.Beautiful scenery but !!!!!!!!In and around Interlaken most motorists religeously obey the speed limits with the exception of the bmw,s driven by arabs!
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I have to agree with many of the comments made. Switzerland can be very expensive. The area around Interlaken though is absolutely stunning.
Do your research before setting out: there are transport passes available which can reduce substantially the cost of getting around:see https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/
and
https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/.
Self catering using Co-op or Migros supermarkets will keep costs within bounds - though still significantly dearer than the uk.
We find that we can get to Interlaken in 2 days from Rotterdam having used an overnight ferry, but will normally come back over 3 days travelling - plus an extra night or 2 spent at the en route stops.
If you try to go all the way from Calais to the Swiss border on French motorways, the cost of the Swiss vignettes will seem like a bargain, but a largely toll free route is available via Belgium and Luxembourg.
If you decide to go, enjoy it.
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