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switzerland - is it really that expensive - the food facts...

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Boredsurfing wrote:
Whats the minimum wage in CH? Price difference between France and UK can often be relative to the minimum wage difference between the two countries.


The Swiss voted against a minimum wage, however there are some trade association "agreements" covering certain jobs.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
rob@rar wrote:
Large slice of pizza and a nice espresso, €3.40 in the Bulle Cafe above Arc 2000.


More importantly cappuccino and a huge chunk of delicious cake 4.50 euro in the cake shop in Folgarida adjacent to main lift
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
hmmm....all interesting stuff....many thanks all for responding to the original post....

....looks like Italy is in front, with Austria a close second....Switzerland not doing too dreadfully and France either brilliant or awful depending on the rip-off disposition of specific resorts and establishments.
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bertie bassett, have you seen Rob's pictures on IOS' website?! His class apparently spent more time eating cake than skiing!
I did not have a single slice of cake. Little Angel Little Angel
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Pedantica, what makes you think I was with my group when I took those photos? wink
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rob@rar, Laughing Laughing
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Quote:

France either brilliant or awful depending on the rip-off disposition of specific resorts and establishments.

the more expensive of our local restaurants, whose prices I quoted, definitely aren't rip-offs, they are good restaurants and their prices are good value for money. But the places which charge silly prices, in the big resorts, for a slice of third-rate pizza or the dreaded "spag bol" are certainly a rip-off. The worst I encountered was a bowl of "French onion soup" in Val Thorens which was about 7 euros and had about the same number of small bits of onion floating around in a third-rate broth which had probably been made with stock cubes. Confused
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
It's just come back to me; the cafe at the end of La Sache piste in Tignes La Breviere(?) - 2 coffees and a can of coke 18 Euros (2009) ouch!
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Go to Sass Fee every year and never found things too expensive. As with everywhere else you get what you pay for. Generally ion Switzerland we find the quality of everything (transport, accommodation, good, service) is higher than elsewhere and so is the cost so it is good value for money in my opinion. That being said if you are looking for a cheap/bargain experience then it is not for you.
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Some of the lift systems in Switzerland and antiquated, slow and for what you get very expensive in terms of the cost of a lift pass, just back from Austria if you want good value and and quality compared to Switzerland have a look at Saalbach, Schladming et al.
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I do get a bit fed up with people complaining about the high cost of eating out in Switzerland. It can be expensive, but it can also be reasonable - you just have to give it a bit of thought. I've paid extortionate prices in France and the USA and I think that a lot of the Swiss-bashing is a bit harsh. I'd agree that Skipass prices do seem to be higher, but for me any extra cost is worth it to avoid French queues, crowded pistes and bad manners. The most expensive £-per-head skiing I've done was in Vail in a self-catering apartment and Heavenly Tahoe in a hotel. The cheapest was definitely Italy. France and Switzerland have been in-between. Given the rest of the cost of a typical ski holiday - flights, car hire or transfers, skipass, equipment hire, and accomodation - I would say that you can make a Swiss trip around the same as a comparable French trip.
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Courchevel 1850

One Lasagne
One glass of wine

Cost:

- The souls of any children I may have in the future
- Two solid gold Aztec ingots
- My left Pinky.

It was extremely good however.
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When you're exchanging from Australian dollars it's all expensive. Chamonix on mountain prices and food choices noticeably poor however. Either expensive table service restaurants or fast food style burgers and sandwiches. (Still not that cheap.)

Definitely noticed the difference when I got to Arabba!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Raven, not unique to Chamonix but on mountain dining is not its strong point. There are some lovely reasonable vfm restaurants on the hill (Brevent Flegere excluded), but you need to know where, and generally reserve...
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under a new name wrote:
Raven, not unique to Chamonix but on mountain dining is not its strong point. There are some lovely reasonable vfm restaurants on the hill (Brevent Flegere excluded), but you need to know where, and generally reserve...


Brevet Flegere was where I spent most of my time unfortunately. Chamonix is still a great place though.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Arc 1950 Feb 2014:
Hot Chocolate 2.5 - 4 Euro( Cheapest Meli )
Large Beer 6.9 - 10 Euro ( Cheapest Belle Pintes )
Large beer Happy hour 5 Euro (Chalet Luigi)
Pizza with toppings 12-14 Euro
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Raven wrote:
When you're exchanging from Australian dollars it's all expensive. Chamonix on mountain prices and food choices noticeably poor however. Either expensive table service restaurants or fast food style burgers and sandwiches. (Still not that cheap.)

Definitely noticed the difference when I got to Arabba!


What!!! An Aussie whinging about prices in Europe. Sydney was right up there with Courchevel on our recent trip rolling eyes rolling eyes
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madlondoner wrote:
I went to Laax in Switzerland last year ... The food on the mountain was in general about 20 euro for meal with a coke but it was really poor quality food


You weren't in the right places then Wink
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joe1978 wrote:
Skiwelt prices pretty similar all around the mountain, from last week
goulasch soup with bread about €5
grostl, schnitzel etc €8.5-10
large beer/soft drink €3.20-3.50
The only place we used that was slightly above this was Skiweige near the ki-west lift, but we should have realised from the funky jazz-dance music coming from the place!
All great food and great service everywhere. Great value!


Sounds about the same prices we had In Alpbach last week.

We were quiet surprised at how reasonable things seemed. That said, Dubai isn't exactly the cheapest place in the world for food and booze so all relative.

For the two of us, not having been to Austria for a while, I budgeted €80 per day for two full lunches & dinners plus whatever drinks and snacks etc... Didn't even come close to spending that in the end.

Good quality with great portions too.
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You have to compare the exact same foods to understand the costs of different countries. A Big Mac costs £2.79 in the UK, £3.13 in France or Italy, and £4.39 in Switzerland, so over 50% more than the UK. With the current exchange rates food in Switzerland is extremely expensive. I live in Geneva and view going to Starbucks as a monthly treat

For lift passes it's a bit closer. For the places I go an adult day pass for Verbier is £47.24 and Zermatt is £50.61, whereas the Grand Massif is £35.85 and Portes du Soleil is £39.08, so only 25%-30% pricier
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Depends what you choose as your reference currency.

Big Mac didn't instantly become 50% more expensive. Currencies tanked, and prices stayed much the same.

Concerned about knowing the prices of Big Macs though in several countries (converted at, presumably, recent exchange rates) Wink


Beer prices here went up by about €0.10 when Euro went a bit wobbly, and the previous UK chancellor devalued the GBP by 15%. So is beer here now 15% more expensive?
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andy, The price of a Big Mac is a well understood international financial measure, you don't have to eat them.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
If you're a Brit visiting Germany then yes that made beer 15% more expensive. In the context of Brits going on ski holidays the strength of the franc makes Switzerland considerably more expensive than France or Italy. That's not to say you can't do Switzerland on a budget, just that the same budget will go further in the Eurozone
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But beer is still the same price Wink
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Menu from the restaurant Eigernordwand at Kleine Scheidegg (Jungfrau Region). Prices are typical for the area.

http://www.eigernordwand.eu/bilder/speisekarte.pdf

The prices haven't changed for years. Exchange rate vs Sterling is a bit dismal, but you can't blame the Swissies for that - we need to sort our economy out.
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Blame BoE (and the chancellor) for devaluation.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Not sure the government would want a stronger pound just so that we can get a cheaper lunch in Switzerland Happy Impact on exports wouldn't be very popular.
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Steve77, though I have to say a big mac in Interlaken is edible unlike the uk's normal mc'cardboard burgers
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I was very amused to be advised that Switzerland is great for avoiding bad manners. Madeye-Smiley
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Sterling has been rising slowly against CHF for the past year. It could be worse!

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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:

I do get a bit fed up with people complaining about the high cost of eating out in France. It can be expensive, but it can also be reasonable - you just have to give it a bit of thought.

FIFY. An espresso can range from €1.20 to €3.50 (probably more but I don't go to expensive places) in French resorts. I suspect there is greater variation within countries than, on average, between them. Even in one small resort prices can vary a lot - one of my friends knows the price of a coffee in just about every restaurant in Les Saisies!

In resorts like Megeve which have some Michelin starred restaurants the variations are huge - just as they are in Emsworth, where I can get lunch from £7 to £57.

Some places are very expensive indeed (Courchevel 1850, Val D'Isere) but there are hundreds of ski resorts - nobody is forced to go there and those who do are not forced to pay big prices for food; the people who do choose those resorts presumably consider that, overall, you get what you pay for (personally I think that's a silly expression; you self-evidently don't get what you pay for in many walks of life).
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Eigernordwand looks expensive compared to many places around there - is there a restaurant just above it which is much more reasonable on the ex itineraire now black? Three and a bit weeks to go - I know too late for Wengen but really looking forward to it - and a package half board single room in Wengen with flights and transfers for under £600. Heaven knows how the swiss hotels do it...
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Despite the scare stories about France, on my last trip to Morzine I found the prices were reasonable.

Anyway, **write off the cost**
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Is val D'Isere that bad? I've skied there several times while being based in Tignes and haven't found the places I've had lunch at too bad.
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Claude B, I thought it was expensive - especially having to pay to have a pee, even after buying lunch. But prices do vary, obviously, and it depends what you are used to. My normal lunch on the mountain costs me (chicken wings and chips, usually more than I can eat) costs me under €10, including a beer.
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countryman wrote:
The Eigernordwand looks expensive compared to many places around there - is there a restaurant just above it which is much more reasonable on the ex itineraire now black?


Grindelwaldblick. It has to be a bit cheaper - location. Nice place though.
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countryman, mid March in recet years has been very good for Wengen, Jagersubli and Brandegg both a little cheaper than Eigernordwand but without the views not a lot in it though to be honest
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