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Switzerland - No Hotel Reservations - Late June 2010

Posted by (Encinitas, CA, USA) on

I've traveled through Europe including Switzerland previously (15 years ago) without hotel reservations. My 20 y/o daughter & I are visiting Switzerland again in late June 2010 - 10 days - Zurich, Geneva, Zermatt & Lugano primarily. In the past I've never made hotel reservations and was always able to find accomodations for a 2-3 days. However, things may have changed since so I'm wondering if we can still travel without hotel reservations. We are not picky - we'll take just about anywhere that has a room available.

I will likely make them for Zermatt and Lugano but our intermediate stops we may not.

Any guidance on whether reservations are mandatory now a days?

Thanks in advance

Posted by
300 posts

Many rail stations (I specifically recall Zermatt and Wengen but I'm sure it's most if not all) have an accomodations board/map, showing what hotels have available rooms and a phone that can be used to call one that appeals to you. If you're not particular this might be a good way to go to permit traveling more on a whim. We prefer to know that a room that meets our standards at a price we're willing to pay is going to be ready for us at the end of the day so we've grown to book more of our rooms in advance of the trip.

If you know where you're going and when you're going there I'm not sure why you wouldn't book in advance. Just me...

Posted by
11507 posts

I personally would make reservations for places like Zermatt, once you are up there,( you can only train in) you are a bit stuck with what you can walk to,, and the prices may reflect that! There was ( as I recall) a hostel in Zermatt .

Posted by
7209 posts

I would make reservations in any large city because of several reasons including....don't want to be stuck in a dump, don't want to be stuck in the only decent place available which has now quadrupled in price, don't want to waste vacation time looking for hotel rooms.

Country side and small towns I would be much more inclined to just show up and find a room.

Posted by
689 posts

You might want to check to make sure there are no big festivals or events going on when you're going to be there. That's one of the things that turned me from a spontaneous traveler into a planner--showing up tired in a town only to find there isn't a hotel room anywhere in the area, due to some big event.

If budget isn't an issue, you'll have an easier time of it, but if it is, esp. in expensive Switzerland, the best value places book well in advance.

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