Perfect Weekend Trip to Switzerland on a Budget
Updated: Sep 17, 2023
How to spend a long weekend in the western part of Switzerland and not break the bank?
In this post, I will share with you the details of our three-day trip to Switzerland from Luxembourg by car, where you can find the list of the best things to do around Lake Geneva and Gruyères, get hints and tips on how to minimize your costs and maximize your positive experience from your weekend trip to Switzerland.
Travel itinerary for a budget weekend trip to Switzerland:
Explore Basel & Mulhouse (FR)
We started from Luxembourg in the morning and around 3.5 hours arrived at Basel - one of the major cities of Switzerland, the closest one to France.
Remember, that if you are using a European SIM card, you might be charged for the roaming unless you have a local (Swiss) SIM card. To be always connected to the internet and avoid expensive roaming, create a local e-sim card in Airalo application in a few clicks.
As we already visited the Alsace region of France plenty of times, we decided not to make any stops on our way, but if you have never been in this beautiful region of France, we highly recommend making at least 1 hour stop in Strasbourg or Colmar (that will be on your way). Check out our list of the best things to do in Alsace.
To save some money on your hotel stay, book a night in Mulhouse - a French city in Alsace (see the above pictures), that is located 35 km from Basel. Prices in France are more affordable than in Switzerland, and you can reach Basel in 30 min by car (and even faster by train).
So, now you are in Basel, what are the best things to do in this city?
- Visit Art museums! Basel is known as the "Art City", and there are plenty of museums to check out: the Kunstmuseum, for example.
- Explore the charming Old Town, to enjoy picturesque Markplatz and Barfusserplatz squares and the Cathedral.
- Check out the interactive Tinguely Fountain, designed by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely.
Come back to Mulhouse for dinner - there is a very nice place called Winstub Factory, where you can try traditional Alsacian cuisine and pair it with nice local wine.
If you have time, the next morning visit the National Automobile Museum - the largest car museum in Europe, where you can enjoy the collection of more than 450 exceptional cars and learn more about the history of the auto industry.
Town of Gruyères: History & Cheese
The next morning we headed towards Gruyères - a picturesque medieval town located in the Fribourg region of Switzerland, located 160 km from Basel (or 195 km from Mulhouse).
Gruyères is famous for its cheese, the medieval castle, and the incredible historic atmosphere. We enjoyed exploring this small town, and spent a couple of hours in the Gruyères Castle.
The Gruyères Castle (Chateau de Gruyères) is one of the most famous medieval attractions in Switzerland, it appeared in the archives for the first time in 1244 and used to be the main home of one of the leading noble families in western Switzerland during the Middle Ages: the counts of Gruyères.
Inside the castle, you'll find historical exhibits, armories, and amazingly decorated rooms. Enjoy the panoramic views from the castle's tower and have a walk in the inner yard to get a full experience from your visit.
If you are planning to stay for the whole day in Gruyères and want to visit Castle and Maison du Gruyère (a museum dedicated to the famous local cheese) as well, we recommend buying the combined ticket for CHF 16, which covers the entrance both to Castle and the Maison du Gruyère.
After the Castle, we came back to the town centre and visited the Maison du Gruyère: the amazing museum, where we learnt a lot about this famous cheese-making process and even tried free samples of this amazing Swiss cheese.
Exploring Martigny & Enjoying Thermal Baths
We have selected Martigny - a charming town located in the Valais region, surrounded by stunning mountains - as our main base. This town is beautiful itself, also, it's located within a 1-hour drive from Gruyères (around 80 km), 30 minutes (40 km) from Montreux and just 10 minutes (11 km) from amazing thermal baths Lavey-les-Bains. Also, the price to stay in Martigny is not as expensive as in other, more popular Swiss cities and towns - another point in favor of this town.
The first part of the day we spend in the baths (Lavey-les-Bains): they do not allow taking photos (check out the photos from their website), but it's the most beautiful thermal complex I've ever visited, with the stunning mountain views and the hottest thermal water possible.
Also, there are thermal baths in Gruyères, so if you are staying in the Gruyères area, it's more convenient to visit Gruyères baths, which are also very good - we enjoyed the time there.
We had an amazing lunch in one of the traditional restaurants in the center of Martigny (Cafe du Midi) and then decided to move closer to Geneva Lake.
Trip Along the Geneva Lake
We went to Villeneuve, parked the car there, took out the bicycles, and started our small cycling journey towards Montreux along the Geneva Lake (or Lac Léman) and checked out the beautiful Chillon Castle.
The distance between Villeneuve and Montreux is 5.5 km, the castle is located between these two towns, so if you are walking, you can cover this distance in around 1 hour, enjoying the stunning views around.
Chillon Castle (Château de Chillon) is a fascinating historical landmark of Switzerland, located between Montreux and Villeneuve at the Geneva Lake. The history of Chillon dates back to the 12th century, and at different times it inspired prominent cultural and historical figures, for example, Lord Byron, who wrote a poem "The Prisoner of Chillon" about the imprisonment of a Genevois monk, François Bonivard, in the mid-16th century.
The stunning views of Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains are worth attention and make the castle one of the most visited historical attractions of Switzerland.
After cycling along the lake and exploring the huge forest along the river Rhône, we came back to Villeneuve and explored the historical center of this picturesque town with stunning views of the lake and surrounded by mountains.
Overall, it was an amazing trip to Switzerland, and as we were staying in not-so-touristic places (Mulhouse instead of the more expensive Basel and Martigny instead of posh Montreux) we managed to save money on accommodation and invested them in a few hours of relaxation in amazing thermal baths instead.
A combination of Alsace - Basel - Gruyères - Martigny - Geneva Lake is a perfect plan for a long weekend trip to Switzerland (from 2 to 3 full days), especially for history lovers who like spending time outdoors and combine exploring new places with relaxation in thermal water.
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