The Cost Of Travel In Switzerland, Germany And Austria
April 6, 2009 by Darren Alff
Today’s article is the third part of my on-going series about the cost of long distance bicycle travel.
The previous two months were spent in Switzerland, where I spent approximately $1,708 the first month and $1685 the second month.
This month, however, I moved from Switzerland and traveled to Northern Germany, where I then returned to Switzerland for just one day before making my way across Austria to the beautiful city of Vienna.
Once in Vienna, I rented an apartment there and spent approximately three weeks working and exploring the neighboring areas both on and off my bicycle.
The following is a breakdown of what I spent this month… and the total cost for one month of travel in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria:
Lodging
I left my apartment in Luzern on the last day of February and traveled from there a short distance to a small town west of Zurich where I stayed with a friend for a couple nights before we drove through the night to northern Germany. Near Hannover, I again stayed with friends for a few nights (free lodging!) and returned by car to Switzerland. I spent one more night with my friend west of Zurich and then traveled to Bregenz, Austria where I boarded a night train and traveled for 12 hours to the city of Vienna. Once in Vienna, I rented a small one-bedroom apartment on the west side of the city for the remainder of the month and paid 600 Euros for the place (approximately $800 USD).
Walking along the river in Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Flag lined streets in Constance, Germany
Visiting my second family near Hannover, Germany
The apartment I rented in Vienna, Austria
Entertainment
Once in Vienna, I spent a lot of time just walking around the city or exploring the nearby places on my bike. I did however visit a couple attractions and spent a little extra money on postcards I sent to a select group of friends and family. You can see the breakdown of my entertainment expenses below:
- Arms Museum in Slovakia – 6.90 €
- 4 Postcards – 1.60 €
- Mailing postcards – 4.85 €
- Schloss Schonbrunn (audio tour) – 12.90 €
- Devon Fortress, Slovakia – 1.30 €
The Prater Ferris Wheel in Vienna, Austria
Visiting the graves of Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss and others at Vienna’s Central Cemetery
A view of Vienna from the gardens of the Schloss Schonbrunn
Exploring Devin Fortress in Devin, Slovakia
Food
Spending the first part of the month with friends drastically reduced my food bill. They wouldn’t let me pay for any of my meals, so the only food I did have to pay for was the stuff I needed once I got to Vienna.
Again, I ate all my meals from foods I bought at the local supermarket, but I did go out once while visiting Bratislava, Slovakia, and boy was it worth it! I had blueberry filled dumplings covered with cocoa powder! Yum! I want some more right now!
- Supermarket – 66.44 €
- Eating Out – 7.70 €
Transportation
Like in February, I purchased a train pass for the month of March and April. This train pass allows me to travel anywhere I want in Austria, Slovenia or Croatia for 8 days over the next two months. I used one day to travel from Bregenz to Vienna and another day to travel from Vienna to Bratislava. I will use the remaining six days after I leave Vienna on April 5th and travel for a week or so as I visit Salzburg, Innsbruck, Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Split. The total cost for this 8-day train ticket was 218 Euros (or about $295 USD).
I also purchased a one-way subway ticket that took me from my apartment in Vienna to the Schloss Schonbrunn on the other side of the city. The ticket cost 1.70 €. I walked back to my apartment after viewing the castle and its grounds.
Waiting for the train in Bregenz, Austria. The Bodensee in the background.
Walkers, runners, cyclists and rollerbladers in Vienna’s Prater Park
Necessities
Finally, I purchased a new pair of jeans while in northern Germany. One of the pairs I had brought with me was all stretched out and uncomfortable, so I threw them away and invested in an expensive pair of high quality jeans. Lesson learned: When you wear the same pair of pants almost every single day, you want to make sure you are wearing a good set of pants.
The jeans cost 69.90 Euro. I also bought some cheap shampoo once I arrived in Vienna and it cost me 0.99 Euro.
So, that’s it! I traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles (both on foot, by bicycle, in the car and on the train), I visited four different countries, saw some of my friends, made some new friends, got to practice my German for another month… and had an incredible time.
TOTAL COST : 992.31 Euros – $1,314.77 USD
I leave Vienna on April 5th and I’ll be living in Croatia for a while after that. But frankly, I’m a bit sad to say goodbye to Vienna so soon. It really is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.
The Mexikoplatz Church in Vienna, Austria
Vienna’s Museum Quarter at night
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I have a Trek “Pure” that I used in Florida this winter. I am more of a cruiser
than an adventurer and am looking for that type of trip with my husband.
We are not about the hills and inclines and wonder if you have any suggestions
for us? We are both in good health and in our fifties.
Is this article about the cost of long distance bicycle travel, or more about the costs of living in Europe? Renting an apartment and getting train passes aren’t typical bike touring expenses.
chris7,
You are right. These are not typical bicycle touring expenses, but what I am doing here in Europe at the moment is not typical bicycle touring. Read this: http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/breaking-tradition-–-a-different-type-of-bicycle-travel/
What I am doing now is simply traveling with my bicycle. It’s not typical, and that’s what’s so great about it! It’s more than just bicycle touring. It’s living and traveling with my bicycle by my side.
This article won’t help everyone, but it wil help some who want to move at a slower pace, stay in one place for a while… and travel/live in a totally unconventional way.
I came across an old book “The Great Bicycle Expedition” by William C. Anderson. In the author’s bike travels he met a well traveled cyclists who said that if he were recommending a bike tour of Europe, he would say skip the rest of Europe and just spend all your time riding Switzerland. This book was written 1973, so it’s out dated.
But since you are there, I thought I’d ask how you feel about this opinion. The cyclist they met in the book said Switzerland was the best quipped place in Europe for cycling?
Thanks.
Bob,
Switzerland was amazing with the bicycle. Not only are there bicycle routes that go all over the country, but the trains are also super well equipped for bicycle transport.
Vienna was also very good in terms of it being a big city and super bike friendly, but I did have some trouble on the Austrian trains with my bike, so I’d have to mark the country down for that.
But yes, Switzerland is super bike friendly. As far as spending all my time there, I’m not so sure about that however. I say, “get out there and see as much as you possibly can!”
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