of a foreign passport, or from the Switzerland Travel Centre in London (www.stc.co.uk). Two or more people travelling together (up to a maximum of five) qualify for a 15% discount on the cost of the Swiss Pass and Swiss Flexi Pass.
If you plan to use a single valley base from which to go walking, climbing or skiing and do not anticipate any intermediate journeys by public transport, the Swiss Transfer Ticket could be worth having. It can only be purchased outside Switzerland (see www.swisstravelsystem.com), and gives one free journey from the airport of arrival to anywhere in the country and back again within one month. The Swiss Card has similar validity to the Transfer Ticket, but it also allows the holder to buy ordinary train and bus tickets at a 50% discount.
A regional pass is another option for moving within one specific area, providing five days of free travel in a 15-day period. And finally, the local guest card given to visitors staying in a resort for a few days will often grant free travel on local buses, and sometimes reduced fares on cable cars and funiculars.
Accommodation
Finding accommodation should not be a problem except perhaps during the high season (Christmas/New Year; February; July and August). The range and quality of hotels, mountain inns and hostels is uniformly high and not as expensive as reputation might suggest. (Mountain huts are dealt with in a separate section below.) Of course, opulent 4 or 5-star hotels are not cheap, but it’s not unusual to find a good quality en-suite room in a 2-star establishment costing no more than a b&b in the UK. And the standard of service will be high. Apart from hotels at the two extreme ends of the pricing scale breakfast is usually included in the cost of a room, and half-board (which includes an evening meal) is often available.
The Suls-Lobhorn Hut; simple accommodation in a matchless setting
Berghaus Obersteinberg, a typical mountain inn rich with atmosphere. Both huts are high above the Lauterbrunnen valley
The umbrella term mountain inn, covers a range of low-key, sometimes simple or rustic establishments, variously described as a berghaus, berggasthaus, berggasthof or berghotel. Invariably situated in a spectacular location, and often accessible only on foot, some of these are converted farmhouses, many have no en-suite facilities and a few do not even have electricity in the guest rooms. What most of them do have in abundance is atmosphere – creaking floors, pine panelled walls, and a history.
For those on a very tight budget, note that in many resorts low-cost dormitory accommodation is available; some hotels and mountain inns have a touristenlager set aside, while it’s not unusual to find a cable car station having a dormitory or two within or close to the main building. Such facilities may not be immediately obvious or advertised. Enquire at the local tourist office for details. Dormitories may be listed under touristenlager, massenlager, matratzenlager, dortoir or dormitorio. Communal washrooms with showers are the norm, and meals are usually available.
Switzerland has 70-odd youth hostels affiliated to Hostelling International (see www.youthhostel.ch) that also provide budget accommodation. Despite the name there is no upper age limit for users, and although it is a membership-based organisation, non-members can stay by paying an extra CHF6 on top of the normal overnight fee. Small dormitory rooms are standard.
A group of independent, less formal hostels has spread across Switzerland under the heading of Swiss Backpackers (www.swissbackpackers.ch). A number of these are located in cities and large towns, but as many exist in mountain resorts. No membership is required, and facilities on offer are similar to those of youth hostels, with self-catering kitchens and/or low-cost restaurants.
The Naturfreunde organisation also has a chain of traditional buildings in alpine regions that are a cross between backpackers’ hostels and mountain inns, offering a warm welcome to all. Meals are usually on offer, but self-catering facilities are also provided. See www.nfh.ch for details.
Self-catering chalets and apartments can be found in all major resorts and many smaller mountain villages too, and these can be cost-effective for small groups of friends and families based in one place for a week or more. Again, tourist offices can provide a list of properties.
Wild camping is officially banned throughout Switzerland, but approved campsites will be found in major mountain resorts. Facilities are not always of a high standard, although the majority are well equipped and efficiently run, and sites are classified from 1-star to 5-star, which should provide a clue as to what to expect. A number of sites are fully subscribed in July and August, so booking ahead is recommended. Check with the tourist office of your chosen resort for details.
Flexible holiday packages that provide both accommodation and travel can be useful for outdoor activists content with a base in a specific resort. ‘Lakes and Mountains’ specialists such as Crystal (www.crystalholidays.co.uk), Inghams (www.inghams.co.uk), Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk) and Thomson (www.thomsonlakes.co.uk) all have a range of competitively priced deals in a number of Swiss resorts.
Mountain Huts
Climbers, mountaineers, ski tourers, trekkers and keen hillwalkers too will no doubt make use of mountain huts at some time in their alpine careers. Known variously as a cabane, camona, chamanna, hütte, refuge or rifugio, Switzerland has plenty to choose from. The latest Swiss Alpine Club (www.sac-cas.ch) hut book gives details of more than 350, most of which belong to individual clubs affiliated to the SAC, but many others included are either privately owned or belong to other organisations, yet are open to all comers. The majority are staffed during the high summer season; some have part-time wardens in residence at weekends or when booked in advance by a group; a few are unmanned, and a small handful are little more than simple bivouac shelters with minimal facilities. For up-to-date information on all SAC huts check www.schweizer.huetten.ch or www.alpesonline.ch.
Zmutt, a traditional alp hamlet above Zermatt
Communal dormitories of varying size are common to all. While bedding such as pillows, mattresses, blankets or duvets is provided, users should bring their own thin sleeping bag liner for reasons of hygiene. Toilet and washing facilities vary widely. At lower altitudes many washrooms have hot and cold running water; some have showers and indoor flush toilets, while facilities in general are more limited and basic the higher you go. Bivouacking is not allowed within 400m of a hut.
At staffed huts a full meals service is usually available, with alcoholic drinks as well as a range of hot and cold beverages and a limited variety of snacks for sale. A continental-style breakfast is the norm, but a substantial three- or even four-course evening meal can be expected. Vegetarian meals may be provided if sufficient advanced warning is given. Meal times are usually fixed, with a schedule of breakfast timings (eg 4.00am–7.00am) for climbers arranged according to their chosen route. On occasion a warden will leave out a thermos of hot drink and a plate of breakfast food for those planning an even earlier departure. Given the difficulty and cost of provisioning mountain huts, the price of food and drinks will almost certainly be higher than in the valleys. To keep costs down, some parties carry tea bags and/or coffee sachets and make their own drinks with hot water bought from the warden, others bring snack food from the valley to eat during the day.
There are no self-catering facilities