Budgeting

I found that my meals at Manora were about 20 CHF, and my meals in restaurants were about 40 CHF. That may seem high, but won't once you see actual menus. Manora was, hands down, my favorite place to eat (when available), since it was very high quality for a much lower price than a normal restaurant. Tibits (in the Luzern train station, hidden on the top floor) is a vegetarian buffet that is also inexpensive.

Of course, if you're buying food at supermarkets, it's much cheaper. You can get a sandwich for 4-5 CHF there. While in the Berner Oberland, my lunches often consisted of trail mix (the supermarkets sell quite a variety of dried fruit and nut mixes), which was both cheap and portable.

"Small purchases" are up to you. I did see a Victorinox vegetable peeler for 5 CHF - that's about the cheapest "Swiss souvenir" you'll find. Given Swiss prices, you will want to minimize your buying of anything you don't absolutely have to buy there.

Before you purchase Swiss Rail passes, determine what you want to do/see and what of that is and is not covered (or only partially covered) by the pass -- train trips, mountain lifts, boat rides, busses, museums. What would these activities cost you if purchased individually ? With a Half-Fare Card, including the cost of the card ? Only then can you know whether the pass is a good deal or overpriced for what you will actually use.

For daily food expenses, estimate what you would spend for lunch and dinner in your home town -- and double it. No kidding, Switzerland is expensive! The hikers can get lunch foods at a market.

green,

It's difficult to provide an accurate estimate on food as that will depend to some extent on your dining habits. Are you planning to just pick something up at the local deli for lunches? What are you planning to do for suppers? Also, what other "small purchases" are you thinking of? It would also help to have some idea which parts of Switzerland you'll be visiting. A bit more information would be helpful.

As you noted, hotels usually provide breakfast although it will be a Swiss-style breakfast so hopefully your group is adaptable and won't mind that.

The topic of Passes for Switzerland is often complicated, as there are a number of different types of Passes available. Which one to buy will largely depend on where you'll be travelling and which transportation systems you'll be using. Some passes provide "free" transport on trains, but only provide a discount for mountain lifts. Therefore you'd have to budget extra to pay for some lifts, and the cost will vary depending on which ones you use.

I'd recommend packing along a copy of the Rick Steves Switzerland guidebook, as there's a lot of information there to help with planning, transportation, etc.

I would budget $18 for lunch and $30 for dinner outside the mountains for an average meal. In the mountains, $25 for lunch and $35 for dinner. While in the mountains, we self catered breakfast and most dinners for a fraction of the price. We started going to the Coop grocery store for a sandwich and chips everyday as we headed out for lunch. Pizza and kebab places will be cheaper.

We are planning on five days in Lucerne and then five days in Lauterbrunnen. We are totally flexible for breakfast...sandwiches are great but we would also like to try dishes from the local area. The smaller purchases would just be some souvenirs to bring back...nothing extravagant ...just something to remind us of the trip. Thank you to everyone for the advice! 🙂

I second the Manora restaurant cafeteria. It is delicious and budget friendly. One is in view of river in Luzern with a view too. Do not miss this gem.
Up in Murren there a
reasonable yummy restaurants with a views. Just walk along the Main Street after u take the gondola up.

If you stay in the alpine villages try to rent an apartment that has a kitchen area where you can stock up from the grocery store and do a bit of cooking or at least sandwich-making and breakfast food. Drinks are expensive in restaurants and no free refills. Buy soft drinks, milk, juice, wine, etc in the grocery store and store them in the apartment fridge. You'll save a lot of money by doing things like that.

Thank you all so much for the great advice! It helps to hear from others who have been before and know what to expect. I feel like I have a better idea and plan to make this a great trip!

green,

"We are totally flexible for breakfast...sandwiches are great but we would also like to try dishes from the local area."

You shouldn't have to rely on sandwiches for breakfast. The typical breakfast in Switzerland consists of cold meats, cheeses, maybe hard boiled eggs, cereals (including Muesli soaked in yogurt), juices, bread, buns, tea & coffee, etc. Depending on the hotel, there may be a few "hot" items as well. There's always a good selection and very easy for anyone to fill up.

That sounds like a good breakfast to me...one that any of our group will enjoy.

For daily food expenses, estimate what you would spend for lunch and dinner in your home town -- and double it.

^^^This!

And if you've got teens, DO NOT go into 3 restaurants a day. Find cheaper alternatives like buffets, grocery stores and the like. Especially for breakfast.