Switzerland: the Most Expensive Trip I’ve Taken

Switzerland was never on my bucket list. However, since my husband is born in February and this was a Birthday gift, I thought, where else do you go in the Winter? The Swiss Alps! I now will advise everyone to add Switzerland to their bucket list - winter or summer! We definitely plan on going back at some point during summer time when the county is green and surrounded by lakes and definitely to a few more cities there. 

St. Moritz was probably one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had (next to the Dubai desert). I don’t know how else to describe this country, but magical. The beauty of its nature is beyond what you see in pictures. Ice skating on a frozen lake, skiing down from the highest mountain (I personally sat this one out), to Lux spas with outdoor jacuzzis, horse racing and polo matches on the lake, restaurants on top of the highest mountains, the lifestyle is just grand. We stayed at the Badrutt Palace which is essentially the center. The “Palace” reminds me of The Plaza Hotel, if you’ve ever been - it’s just luxury one another level. 

However, we visited the Giardino Hotel and I just fell in love with it; very “SLS” - younger, less bouji vibe. We also visited the Kulm Hotel which is also one of their best. We had dinner at the K Restaurant which is a Michelin rated restaurant and $800 later, it was just “ok”. However, the Pizza restaurant they had? One of the best pizzas ever! It’s won several awards. One restaurant that we did fall in love with was the Balthazar (there is 2 of them, we visited both) and we were so impressed! You have to go to this restaurant Friday-Sunday so you can sit by the piano with a glass of wine and listen to a live singer till 3am. It was such a vibe!

Now all this will make you want to visit St. Moritz, but I should disclose one thing - it’s expensive! I’ve visited many countries from France, Belgium, Germany, Dubai, Spain, Australia, Greece, etc. and this by far, outdid the most. Average fondue lunch with some charcuterie and a bottle of wine? $500. A nice dinner? $800. Of course, there is restaurants priced like this everywhere but this was the “average”. The Swiss Chocolate that was a must buy from LaDerisch was $45 for a small ziploc sized bag. We spent $500 for some chocolate as gifts. A 10 minute Taxi drive from point A to point B? $80. Also, we also spoke to several people who live there and they said all of Switzerland is pretty much the same way.  

In addition, we had no idea that St. Moritz is a 3 hour drive from the Zurich airport. Cost of that? Almost $1000 each way - so calculate that into your flight costs! Let me tell you, after flying for almost 13 hours, having to be in a car for 3 hours? Torture. But once you drive into those mountains, you feel like you’re dreaming it’s so beautiful. 

All in all, St. Moritz (and I’m sure most other parts of Switzerland) needs to be on your bucket list - it’s not like anything you’ve ever seen; but, just be prepared time and cost wise! 

I hope you found this blog post helpful should you decide to make your next visit Switzerland. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!