Switzerland by Campervan: A 5-Day Itinerary
After traveling Iceland’s Ring Road in a campervan to celebrate our elopement, I became a believer. Campervan road trips are AWESOME! When we hatched a plan to campervan around Switzerland I was on board right away.
The problem is - Switzerland can be expensive!
So how do you travel on a budget in one of the most expensive countries in the world? This was sure to test our budget travel planning skills.
This is our 5-day itinerary for a quick trip to Switzerland. Is it enough time? Let’s talk about pricing, options, and locations. I hope you are able to learn from our experience as you plan your own Swiss road trip.
The Ride:
The Company: Road Surfer
Pros: Available in several countries, Road Surfer offers several vans with varying features. Van Pickup and return was easy! There are bedding, bike racks, other add-on packages available to rent.
Cons: No bedding packages were available despite renting 6 months in advance, so we did have to pack and haul sheets and blankets from the U.S.
The Van: VW T6.1 California Ocean Campervan
Seats 4, Sleeps 4
Kitchenette with gas, fridge, and 30 liter fresh & grey water tanks
Electrohydraulic pop-up roof
Built in window shades and windshield cover
Control panel for leveling, diesel heater management, and tank monitoring
Takeaway:
Pros:
This is great size for two Americans, but I can’t imagine 4 people staying in it. It’s nimble enough to get around in the mountains and very easy to set up and use for camping. We made the full trip on almost a single tank of gas.
Cons:
I’d recommend opting for the full-coverage insurance policy as we had a very small plastic piece break from the hydraulic mattress hinge and the repair would have been quite costly. We were told afterward that this particular hinge piece is known to break in these vans and is being swapped out for sturdier metal pieces over time.
Tip: Determine whether or not you’ll need to bring your own bedding. We brought these awesome packable lofty camping blankets, camping pillows (1) (2), and twin sized sheets - all of which fit into a packing cube.
Driving In Switzerland
For this trip, an International Driving Permit (IDP) was not needed, but we brought a set we already had just in case. The employee at Road Surfer actually laughed when we’d asked about it!
The Roads: Plan to drive on the ride side of the road. If you’re coming from the US you will have no trouble! The highway / interstate system is very much like the US as well, though do expect far more roundabouts. Go with the flow!
Language & Signage: Road signs are easy to understand. Locations signs, highway exits, and other guidance is in the local language which can vary by the region in which you are driving. Eastern Switzerland is a German-speaking region, while Western Switzerland is French-speaking. Petrol stations will likely have language selection buttons and credit card options.
Tolls: if you plan to use the highway / interstate you will need a Vignette. It is a windshield decal that essentially pre-pays toll access. This includes standard on and off ramps to the main interstate Your rental will likely include this, but double check! TIP - when using your map app, do not select ‘Avoid Tolls’ on your route — it will have you avoiding the interstate altogether.
Know your clearance! Low-clearance underground parking garages with are very common at grocery stores and other areas you are likely to visit. Be mindful of the height of your vehicle - particularly if there is an awning. Additionally, be mindful of the width of your vehicle entering and exiting, and while parking. Parking spots tend to be narrow in garages.
Night One: Hof Grosschreie
Farmstay
Location: Hasle
Price: $70 USD/night
Book a campsite via Nomady or the onsite B&B via Booking.com
Amenities: Hof Grosschreie is a hillside farmstay with grassy pitches. Campers can roam the farm and say hello to the animals. The onsite farm store offers fresh vegetables, eggs, meats, pasta, and locally brewed beer. Wifi is located at the farm store. There are several clean showers and restrooms. The campers’ social area near the pitches includes a fire pit and spacious seating inside a converted barn.
Takeaway: Chatting with farm host Stephen was a blast. His family was incredibly kind, and we were invited to jump from the hay loft! This was a very relaxing and charming stay!
Night Two: TCS Geneva
Campground
Location: Geneva
Seasonal
Price: $82 USD/night
Book via Touring Club Suisse
Operated by TCS [Touring Club Suisse]
Amenities: Wifi, Camp store, Restaurant, Pool, Fire pits, Electrical hookups, Free Public Transportation Card included with stay
This family style campground is reminiscent of State Parks and KOA [Kampgrounds of America -a private company] sites in the United States. Campers are assigned a pitch to set up for the night.
Takeaway: This is an easy way to camp on a budget with access to electricity and running water if you aren’t up for wild camping. Sites are much smaller than you might find in the US. Downtown Geneva is easily accessible by bus, so take advantage of the free transportation card provided by the campground!
Night Three: Camping Attermenzen
Location: Randa
Price: Varies (We paid about $45)
Booking: Not available; Sites are first come, first serve
Cash payment only in Swiss Francs or Euros
Amenities: Camp shop, Daily fresh bread, wifi, 320 power hookups, playground, and barbecue area. The comprehensive bathhouse for showering, laundry, dishes, and gray water disposal.
Takeaway: This Alpine campsite located outside of Zermatt is a great home base for hikers and day-trippers looking to see the Matterhorn. Campers have free choice of their pitch.
Night Four: Camping Gletscherdorf
Location: Grindelwald
Price: Varies - we paid $68
Booking: via gletscherdorf.ch/en
Amenities: Shower & Toilet, power hookups, cooking & barbecue area, recycling facilities, common room
Takeaway: Under new ownership since 2023, this campground is located in a must-see area of Switzerland. The surrounding mountains offer beautiful views. Grindelwald’s offerings are easy to reach on foot, making it an ideal place to stay at this popular adventure hub.
Night Five: TCS Interlaken
Location: Interlaken
Price: $66
Booking: TCS Interlaken Website
Operated by TCS [Touring Club Suisse]
Amenities: Several types of stay for campervans, tents, riverlodge (motel style), and molo (mini cabins). Free wifi, canoe and bike rental, communal kitchen, swimming facilities.
Takeaway: The Aare riverwalk running alongside the campground makes Interlaken incredibly accessible by foot. The facilities were spacious and cozy. This is another campsite that makes the convenient location and access to amenities worth the cost. We were the furthest spot from the power hookup and borrowed an extension cable. If you need to do this, they’d happy to work with you! Plan to bring at least 50 CHF or have your ID ready to be held overnight (as was our case).
Closing the Loop
Staying in Interlaken put us about 90 minutes away from Zurich and Roadsurfer, so it was a great way to close out the loop on this trip!
Total Costs:
Van Rental: We paid $955 USD in total. This is inclusive of taxes, fees, and optional insurance.
We opted for the premium insurance which increased our nightly costs. Given the windy mountain roads ahead of us, we wanted to be sure to protect ourselves against scrapes and bumps.
Fuel: Our total fuel cost for this trip was $140 USD.
Campsites: We paid approximately $330 USD for campsites.
Total Paid: $1425 for 5 nights and 6 days. This was our transportation and housing for the night. With a nightly average of $285 this was pricy but not unexpected for Switzerland. There are ways to cut costs (smaller vans, parking lots, etc). There are other strategies for Swiss travel, like renting a car and staying in cabins or traveling by train to stay in chalets and B&B’s…but we didn’t want that experience. With costs being somewhat comparable across strategies we wanted to do it our way.
Final Thoughts: You can easily extend this trip to 7, 10, and 14 days. If we had more time we would have chosen to stay in each location a second night to allow us more time to rest and explore each area even further. Switzerland is a truly stunning country, and we barely scratched the surface!
