Switzerland

Switzerland Tour Packages from India

Switzerland is the European trip most Indian travellers picture first the lakes, the peaks, the trains that arrive to the minute, and a country small enough to see properly in a week. SWISS flies nonstop from Delhi to Zurich in about ten hours, and the train from the airport into the mountains starts under the terminal.

Two things we will be straight about. Switzerland is expensive genuinely, noticeably more than France, Germany or Austria and the mountain excursions are the biggest part of that. Jungfraujoch alone is around CHF 200 per person return. Below, we set out what everything actually costs and whether the Swiss Travel Pass is worth it for your itinerary, because that decision is worth real money.

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Switzerland trip at a glance

 
What Switzerland actually costs and the pass decision

This is the section most Switzerland pages skip, and it is the one that matters. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world, and the mountain excursions everybody comes for are priced accordingly.

The mountain excursions

For a family of four, Jungfraujoch alone is a four-figure franc line before anything else. It is worth doing — it is genuinely extraordinary — but it should be a decision you make with the number in front of you, not a surprise at the ticket window.

Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card?

This is the real question, and the answer depends on your itinerary rather than on which sounds better.

• The Swiss Travel Pass gives unlimited travel on trains, buses and boats, free entry to many museums, and up to 50% off most mountain excursions. It suits itineraries with a lot of city-to-city movement and several mountain days.

• The Half Fare Card gives 50% off almost everything, paid as you go. It suits itineraries with fewer travel days, or where Jungfraujoch is the main excursion.

• The catch nobody mentions: the Swiss Travel Pass gives only 25% off Jungfraujoch, not the 50% it gives elsewhere. For a trip built around Jungfraujoch, the Half Fare Card often works out cheaper.

• We run the numbers for your specific itinerary and tell you which wins. On a week in Switzerland the difference is frequently several thousand rupees per person.

Everything else

Meals are where the daily cost adds up — a sit-down lunch runs well above what you would expect. Practical answers that genuinely work: buy lunch from Coop or Migros, which every Swiss person does; drink the tap water, which is excellent and free everywhere including from public fountains; and consider half-board hotels, which in Switzerland often work out cheaper than eating out twice a day. We build these into the plan rather than leaving you to discover them.

Our Switzerland packages

 Five of the eight need prices before this page goes live — the largest single blocker here, and particularly awkward given the site-wide banner promoting Switzerland "at Best Prices". Six of the eight also currently share the same two Zurich highlights, so each row needs a line saying what distinguishes it. See Defects 1 and 2 in Step 1.

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How many days do you need?

Six or seven nights covers Switzerland properly, and the trains make that genuinely comfortable — Zurich to Lucerne, Lucerne to Interlaken, all one to two hours, with departures every fifteen to thirty minutes and no need to pre-book.

• Two nights Zurich or Lucerne — the lakeside old towns, the Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument, and a lake cruise.

• Three nights Interlaken or Grindelwald — the Bernese Oberland base, with Jungfraujoch as a full day and Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald as another.

• One or two more — Mount Titlis from Lucerne, Bern’s arcaded old town, or a day on Lake Geneva.

• Add two nights if you want Zermatt and the Matterhorn. It is three to four hours from Zurich and a car-free village at the end of a valley — worth it, but not as a day trip.

• One major mountain day at a time. Jungfraujoch and Titlis on consecutive days is a lot of altitude, a lot of cable cars and a lot of money in forty-eight hours.

Choose your trip

Classic Switzerland - 7 Days / 6 Nights

Best for a first Swiss trip and for families

• Day 1: Arrive Zurich, transfer, evening on Bahnhofstrasse or the lake promenade.

• Day 2: Train to Interlaken on the scenic route, then Harder Kulm for the view over both lakes.

• Day 3: Jungfraujoch — the Top of Europe at 3,454m, the Ice Palace and the Sphinx observatory. A full day, and the big one.

• Day 4: Train to Lucerne — the Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument, the old town and a lake cruise.

• Day 5: Mount Titlis — the rotating cable car, the glacier cave and the snow park at 3,020m.

• Day 6: Bern’s arcaded old town, or back to Zurich for shopping.

• Day 7: Departure.

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Switzerland with Liechtenstein - 9 Days / 8 Nights

Best for travellers who want something a little different

The classic circuit with two nights in Liechtenstein one of the smallest countries in the world, tucked between Switzerland and Austria, with a castle above the capital and almost no visitors. A genuine novelty and an easy addition, and a passport stamp very few people you know will have.

Zermatt & the Matterhorn we can build this

Best for the mountain everybody pictures

The Matterhorn is three to four hours from Zurich, and Zermatt is car-free — you arrive by train, which is part of the appeal. Two nights minimum, with the Gornergrat railway for the classic view and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise for the highest cable car station in Europe. Best reached on a Geneva routing rather than Zurich.

This is not currently a fixed package. Tell us it is what you want and we will cost it for your dates.

Do not publish as bookable until a Zermatt product exists and is priced — written as an enquiry prompt because all eight current products cover Zurich, Lucerne and Interlaken. See Defect 3 in Step 1.

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Switzerland & France 8 to 10 Days

Best for a first European trip that wants two countries

Zurich, Interlaken and Lucerne, then the TGV to Paris. Note the visa point: on this itinerary your main destination depends on the night split, and it is often France rather than Switzerland. We work out which consulate to apply to before you do.

When to go

Switzerland has two hero seasons and they are entirely different holidays.

 One practical note that matters more here than most places: at altitude, weather decides everything. Jungfraujoch and Titlis in cloud are expensive disappointments. We build flexibility into mountain days where the itinerary allows, so the excursion can move by a day if the forecast is poor.

Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland

Between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the base for Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald and the Lauterbrunnen valley a glacial valley with seventy-two waterfalls, and the most spectacular thing in the country for many visitors. Harder Kulm gives the view over both lakes for a fraction of the cost of the big excursions.

Lucerne and Mount Titlis

The Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument and a medieval old town on a lake ringed by mountains. Titlis is the excursion — a rotating cable car to 3,020m, a glacier cave and snow at the top whatever the season.

Zurich

The arrival point for most trips, and better than its banking reputation suggests — a walkable old town, the Grossmünster, the lake promenade and Bahnhofstrasse for watches and chocolate. One night at each end works well.

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

Car-free, at the end of a valley, and under the most photographed mountain on earth. The Gornergrat railway gives the classic view. Needs two nights and is better on a Geneva routing.

Bern and Geneva

Bern is the capital and a UNESCO old town of arcaded streets six kilometres of covered shopping, which is genuinely useful in Swiss weather. Geneva sits on Lake Léman with the Jet d’Eau and the UN’s European headquarters, and is the better arrival airport for the west and for Zermatt.

The scenic trains

The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz, the Bernina Express over the Alps into Italy, and the GoldenPass line through the Oberland. These are experiences rather than transfers, they need reserving, and they are among the best things in Switzerland. Ask us and we will build one in.

Practical notes for Indian travellers

Trains

The best rail network in the world, and the reason a Swiss itinerary works. Departures every fifteen to thirty minutes on the main routes, one to two hours between the major towns, no advance booking needed for ordinary journeys, and punctuality that is not a stereotype. The scenic trains and the final Jungfraujoch leg are the exceptions and do need reserving.

Money

Swiss francs (CHF), not euros — Switzerland is in Schengen but not in the EU or the eurozone. Euros are accepted in some tourist places at poor rates; use francs. Cards work everywhere.

Language

German in Zurich, Lucerne and the Oberland; French in Geneva and the west; Italian in Ticino. English is spoken everywhere a visitor goes, and this is not something to plan around.

Food

Good for vegetarians in the cities, more limited in mountain restaurants where the menu is cheese and meat. Zurich and Geneva both have Indian restaurants. Tell us about Jain or strict vegetarian requirements at booking so we can plan around mountain days, which is where options thin out.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Budgeting the package price and not the mountain excursions. Jungfraujoch is around CHF 200 per person.

• Buying a Swiss Travel Pass without checking whether the Half Fare Card is better for your itinerary — for a Jungfraujoch-led trip it often is.

• Forgetting the CHF 10 seat reservation on the final Jungfraujoch leg between May and August.

• Doing Jungfraujoch and Titlis on consecutive days. Space them out.

• Booking a fixed mountain day in poor weather with no flexibility.

• Budgeting €80 for the Schengen visa. It has been €90 since June 2024.

• Assuming Switzerland uses euros, or that a Swiss visa is separate from Schengen. Neither is true.

• Eating every lunch in a restaurant. Coop and Migros are what the Swiss do.

What’s included in a Bayard Switzerland package

 The mountain excursion row must be answered definitively included or not before this table is published. It is the single largest variable on the page.

Why book Switzerland with Bayard Vacations

• We run the pass maths for your itinerary. Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card is a real calculation worth several thousand rupees a head, and the answer is not the same for every trip.

• We tell you what the mountain excursions cost before you book, as separate lines rather than folded into a total.

• Flexible mountain days where the itinerary allows, so an expensive excursion is not wasted in cloud.

• Direct routing from Delhi on the SWISS nonstop, and honest total journey times from the southern cities.

• Current Schengen guidance — the right fee, the right consulate, and what the new biometric border means.

• Practical cost advice that actually reduces the bill, rather than a page that pretends Switzerland is cheap.

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Switzerland package FAQs

How much does Jungfraujoch cost?

A standard return from Interlaken is around CHF 201 per person — roughly ₹19,000 to ₹21,000. With a Swiss Travel Pass it is about CHF 177 in summer and CHF 149 in winter; with a Half Fare Card about CHF 131. A seat reservation of CHF 10 per person is also required on the final leg between 1 May and 31 August. Confirm current fares when you book.

Is the Swiss Travel Pass worth it?

It depends on your itinerary. The pass gives unlimited trains, buses and boats, free entry to many museums and up to 50% off most mountain excursions — but only 25% off Jungfraujoch. If Jungfraujoch is your main excursion and you are not moving cities much, the Half Fare Card is often cheaper. We run the numbers for your specific trip.

Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card?

The pass suits itineraries with lots of city-to-city travel and several mountain days. The Half Fare Card suits fewer travel days, or trips built around Jungfraujoch specifically. On a typical week the difference between choosing right and wrong is several thousand rupees per person.

Do Indians need a visa for Switzerland?

Yes. Switzerland is not in the EU but it is fully inside the Schengen Area, so Indian passport holders need a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C). It allows up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across all 29 Schengen countries.

How much is the Schengen visa?

€90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6–12, free for under-6s, plus VFS service charges. The fee rose from €80 in June 2024, so a lot of published guidance still quotes the old figure. Processing is typically 15 to 30 calendar days — apply four to six weeks ahead.

Are there direct flights from India to Switzerland?

Yes, from Delhi. SWISS operates a nonstop Delhi–Zurich service at around ten hours. From Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi the routing is one stop via a European or Gulf hub, typically 13 to 16 hours in total.

Should I fly into Zurich or Geneva?

Zurich for the Bernese Oberland, Interlaken, Jungfraujoch, Lucerne and Grindelwald. Geneva for Zermatt, Montreux, Lausanne and the French-speaking west. It genuinely changes how much time you spend in transit, and we route accordingly.

How many days do I need in Switzerland?

Six or seven nights covers Zurich or Lucerne, the Bernese Oberland and two mountain days comfortably. Add two more if you want Zermatt. Nine to twelve if you are combining with France, Germany or Italy.

Is Switzerland expensive?

Yes — genuinely more than France, Germany or Austria, and the mountain excursions are the largest part of it. There are real ways to manage it: supermarket lunches from Coop or Migros, free tap water everywhere including public fountains, half-board hotels, and getting the pass decision right. We build all of that into the plan.

What is the best time to visit?

June to September for hiking, lakes and cable cars, with July and August the busiest. December to March for skiing and snow. May and October are good value shoulder months, though some high-altitude routes may not be running. April and November have the most closures.

Can I see the Matterhorn on a standard package?

Not on our current fixed itineraries, which cover Zurich, Lucerne and Interlaken. Zermatt is three to four hours from Zurich and needs two nights to be worth it. Tell us you want it and we will build a Zermatt trip for your dates.

What about the Glacier Express and Bernina Express?

Both are exceptional and both are experiences rather than transfers — they need advance reservation and they take most of a day. They are not in our standard packages but we can build one into your itinerary. Ask us early, because seats go.

What is the Liechtenstein package?

Nine days across Switzerland with time in Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries in the world, sitting between Switzerland and Austria with a castle above the capital and very few visitors. A genuine novelty and an easy addition to a Swiss circuit.

Is Switzerland good for vegetarians?

Good in the cities, more limited in mountain restaurants where the menu tends to be cheese and meat. Zurich and Geneva both have Indian restaurants. Tell us at booking, particularly for Jain requirements, and we will plan mountain days around it.

What is included in a Bayard Switzerland package?

Hotels, daily breakfast, airport transfers, rail arrangements between cities, and specified mountain excursions and passes. International flights, the Schengen visa fee, insurance, excursions not listed and personal expenses are separate. Always ask us which mountain excursions are included — it is the biggest variable in any Swiss quote.

Planning a Switzerland trip? 
Tell us your city, your dates and which mountains matter most. We’ll send back a costed itinerary with the excursions priced separately, and tell you whether the Swiss Travel Pass or the Half Fare Card saves you more.

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