Switzerland Travel Guide for Indians

Switzerland at a glance

Currency

Swiss Franc (CHF). Switzerland is not in the Eurozone — euros are sometimes accepted but at unfavourable rates.

Cards & ATMs

UBS, Raiffeisen, PostFinance ATMs are reliable. Indian Visa/Mastercard work at every counter. Refuse DCC.

Visa

Schengen visa via Switzerland VFS. Allow 4–6 weeks. EES biometric rollout in 2026.

Swiss Travel Pass

Worth it for 4+ days of travel. Covers SBB trains, boats, most cable cars. Buy online before arrival.

Etiquette

Punctuality is taken seriously. Tipping rounded up, 5–10% if exceptional. Quiet on Sundays — most shops closed.

Common mistakes

Switzerland is expensive — budget at least CHF 200/day for a moderate trip. Don't fall for "free" mountain photo offers in Zurich.

Cash vs card in Switzerland Mostly cashless

Cash-heavyFully cashless

Switzerland sits at about 90 on the cash-to-cashless spectrum. Switzerland is overwhelmingly cashless — even alpine huts accept cards.

Money for your Switzerland trip

How to carry money to Switzerland, answered here. For live rates, conversion and buying, we hand you to the pages built for it.

CurrencySwiss Franc (CHF)

Cash vs cardMostly cashless

Best combinationForex card plus a small cash float

Live rate

1 CHF = ——

The same live rate Matrix Forex shows across the site. Rates move through the day.

Buy Swiss Franc See the live CHF rate Open the converter →

What things cost in Switzerland

Typical local prices in Switzerland, for orientation only. These are local prices, not exchange rates.
Everyday item	Typical price
Coffee	CHF 5
Day train pass	CHF 75
Hotel (3-star)	CHF 220
Pizza meal	CHF 25

Switzerland is consistently among the most expensive countries Indian travellers visit. Daily costs in Zurich and Geneva can be 3–4× equivalent days in Spain or Czechia.

The Swiss Travel Pass is the single biggest money saver. Bought online before arrival, it covers trains, boats and most mountain cable cars across the country. For a 5–7 day Switzerland leg of a Europe trip, the pass usually pays for itself in 2 days.