Lessons learnt :
keep local currency in cash for such incidental expenses.Second experience was with scenic train Glacier express and golden pass, after my on board lunch in , when I offered to pay using my CHF cash card (which I bought through ICICI bank), since the cash card was having advanced security features, it could not be accepted in the machines used in the trains, those machines could be swapped for the old generation cards 🙁 so I had to pay using my cash in Euro and $ getting change back in CHF only !!!
While on the way to Jungfreu, in a train, I got seat on right side (while climbing up), I could see most of the magnificent views from right side.
On a train to gornergrat in Zermatt, the hotel owner suggested me to sit on the right side to get good scenes (climbing up)
Glacier express, I got seat on the right hand side (train direction Zermatt to Chur) which was side which provides the magnificent valley views 🙂
Lessons learnt :
Most important thing is to choose correct seating location in scenic trains to get magnificent views (which normally are on the valley side of travel direction)
At Lucerne, Randomly (since having a unlimited travel pass) I traveled in bus route number 1 as time pass, incidentally I saw a big COOP store and got down, where I got the best deals on chocolates (they had special discount for that store only), 1 kg chocolates in 12 CHF ! I bought only 1 kg assuming that all COOP stores will have such price, later I traveled to Interlaken, Montrex, Vevey, Zermatt, Zurich but did not get the same chocolates in such a low price 🙁
Lessons learnt : !!! I think you understood what I want to say !! umm …
I had loaded Matrix sim card in my mobile for keeping in touch with dear ones .. which did not work ! the same experience was there with Mr. Bhattacharya who was ex. military officer on pleasure tour. lucky that I bought new android samsung phone just two days before my tour, hence I could keep in touch with all in India on What’s app sending photo’s, chatting with them all the time.
Lessons learnt :
you shall use latest technologies like skype, what’s app since WiFi is available in most of the hotels as well as all the Post Buses in Switzerland are WiFi enabled. This is cheap, quick way to communicate.
Since I was traveling on my own knowing the train routes, first two days i used to goto the inquiry window, get the printout for the changing trains + buses. later I started using the SBB android application, through which on providing the start and destination point, it suggests train timings, platform numbers, connecting trains and buses. so I saved my time in queuing and asking each time.
Lessons learnt :
Use of SBB & Post bus android application helps a lot, saving valuable time.
Use of Google maps “Get Directions” feature to plan my trip :
I used Google maps “Get Direction” feature extensively to plan my complete trip, where if u provide start point A and destination point B, it provides train / bus routes. So to my hotel in Lucerne, it precisely showed bus route and how much time i have to walk which was perfect and hence I followed the same for all the hotels, instead of asking to inquiry counter.
Before I started from India, I stored GPS co-ordinates for all the hotels I was to stay with. After reaching many times, when I lost my way back ! I used to switch on the GPS navigator and reach destination without asking anyone.I could also use the same to find supermarkets in POI (places of interest)
Lessons learnt :
Use of GPS naviation is free and helps a lot in finding hotels, super markets, tourist points etc.
At Zurich airport for my departure, after security check I saw the tax return indicator, I went to the customs to ask for tax return, when I showed him the bills that I got, he said only bills do not work but you need to get the tax return form filled and stamped & duly signed by the shop keeper ! so I was unable to anything at that point of time, few other people also faced the same issue.
Lessons learnt :
You shall get the tax return forms duly filled in shop where you buy goods, which you can use for claim after you do security check-in for the departure.
I took boiled eggs with me, so as to have some proteins on the way, but since the eggs were not protected in proper box, some of them got cracked in transit, fortunately they were only cracked but edible
Lessons learnt :
If you wish to carry such things, do get proper boxing done.
While trekking in India, I am very much used to carry sack on my back, so I chose the same way to carry things for my day tour, like eatables, raincoat, sweater, water bottle etc. I saw that many people were carrying sack, but with wheels on it like a check-in bag. since roads are smooth there, as well as buses and trains have extended platforms to carry bags with wheels, I shall also carry a sack with wheels to it.
Lessons learnt :
Using sack with wheels reducing your burden to carry load all the time on the backpack.
In the beginning of tour plan, I made photo copies of passport, insurance etc. and kept them in two bags (as backup) later I realized that it has became bunch of papers. So I compressed them, i.e. reduced in size and fitted more things on single paper, like reducing passport image so that I can add more information like hotel names, phone numbers, emergency contacts, blood group, flight details, insurance details, etc. so now I was able to carry only two papers in my daily sack and one copy with my wife in purse.
Lessons learnt :
It is important to have all such important information on minimal space so as to have it always with you, helping you in emergency situations.
I was carrying a small heater coil with me (which costs merely 50 Rs here at Pimpri market), which was helpful for me to make a cup of tea (Indian tea) anywhere, since most of the time you can locate power points, so using ready to make tea packs (which you can get in big bazzar or star bazzar or DMART) I was able to enjoy tea, which is quite Indian (tea there I tried many times, but even though you put lot of sugar and milk it does not taste like what I like)
I was carrying lot of load with various cloths ! but the environment there was so cool, clean that I thought that one need not change cloths with a frequency that we do here in India ! same thing is true for shoes etc.
may be you think over this and use same cloths alternatively. someone has rightly said “Travel Light”.
Trying local dishes is a fun, which I did at Switzerland, but what ever I ate there I could not felt like full stomach, thank god I carried Ready to eat food packets from India. At least when I was back to the hotel, I enjoyed Dal and Rice dish, just by heating the packets using the coffee maker. This was a big support in terms of Saving money too.
at Lucerne when I got the cheap COOP store, I bought wine bottle for me (there were options starting from 2 CHF ending upto 500 CHF) I had chakana !! like peanuts, chakali etc.so was able to enjoy the wine on bank of lake lucerne as well as in scneic trains.
at Interlaken I suggest you to select hotel at Interlaken West rather
than Ost, since the major market is near West station, although the
distance in these two stations is not much, you need not wait for bust
to travel back to hotel, one night we reached at ~11 pm and had food at Indian hotel, but since last bus to Interlaken Ost was at 11 pm, we had to walk to hotel Sonne ! so this suggestion.
Other hotels like at Lucerne, Holiday Inn Express, was far away from the city and again I had to walk for about 1.5 kms which was very hectic. hence my it is better to select hotel in city near railway station which may cost you more bucks but will be worth spending for 🙂 but one thing is also that if i would not have chosen this hotel, i would have missed the golden experience of wandering through fields, looking at farm houses . experiencing the village experience 🙂 so remember each coin has two sides, if u gain something u will loose something 🙂
Now that since we are talking about hotels, all the hotels do not have any Hindi channels 🙁 so alternate way is to have Live TV application loaded onto your android smart phone, so as to hv entertainment during night time 🙂
Last and most helpful tip is use MySwissAlps.com website, they are also available at Facebook and answers all yor questions quickly and to the best of knowledge, many of my questions were got answered in time which was of great help for me to plan my trip to Switzerland, so do use this website as a reference.
Hope such small things would help u …
cheers !!
and if u wish to refer to the index page where u get links to all posts for my Switzerland trip then do visit ..
https://trekbook.in/2013/07/planning-trip-to-switzerland-from-india.html/
Hello
I'll make a few suggestions here, Migros is cheaper than Coop in Switzerland. So it will be a good way to same some money.
Also, you can buy ready boiled egges in Swiss supermarkets, they are sold in plastic casing and are generally colored.
Finally, the best way to communciate in Europe is to buy cheap SIM cards from Lebara, LycaMobile or Yallo. The call prices will be cheap to India and one does not need as much paperwork.