Currency in Switzerland: what to use and how to exchange

Switzerland is not in the eurozone. The franc is the only currency with legal-tender status nationwide, and prices are quoted in CHF everywhere from Zurich to Lugano. If you arrive from France, Germany, Italy or Austria, do not assume your leftover euros will cover a coffee: some border businesses take them, most do not, and the rate they use is rarely in your favour.

The practical setup is simple. Use a card for almost everything, keep a small cash float for the exceptions, and treat exchange as a one-off task you do properly rather than repeatedly at whatever counter is nearest.

Cash still matters in a few places. Village buses and some cable-car ticket windows, farm shops, mountain huts and weekly markets can be cash-only or card-unfriendly. Lockers at stations often take coins. A float of CHF 50–100 in mixed notes and a handful of coins covers a normal trip; withdraw more only if you are heading somewhere remote for several days.

Withdrawing from an ATM is usually cheaper than exchanging notes. Swiss ATMs are everywhere in towns and at main stations, and most accept foreign debit and credit cards. Your own bank's fees decide whether this beats a counter exchange, so check before you fly. When a machine or terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, decline: that conversion is done at a worse rate than your bank's.

If you do need to change cash, use a bank branch or a post office counter in a city during opening hours. Bring your passport. Airport and main-station exchange desks are convenient but pricey, and hotel desks are the most expensive of all. Compare what you actually receive for the same amount at two counters before handing over a large sum.

Euros are a special case. Near Geneva, Basel and the Italian border, some cafés and shops accept them, but usually at a flat rate and with change given in francs. Treat euro acceptance as a convenience, not a plan. The same applies to paying in US dollars, which is rarely accepted outside international hotels.

Cards: Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost universally; American Express less so. Contactless is standard on trams, in supermarkets and at ticket machines. A card with no foreign transaction fee saves you roughly 1–3% per purchase compared with a standard card, which adds up over a two-week trip.

Tipping is not a separate calculation. Service is included in the bill, and rounding up to the next franc or adding about 5% for good service is the norm. You can say the total you want to pay when handing over a card.

Tell your bank you are travelling if it still requires it, and carry a second card kept separately from the first. Swiss card acceptance is good, but a blocked card in a mountain village is a bad afternoon.

Keep small notes and coins for lockers, toilets and rural buses. Breaking a CHF 100 note at a bakery counter is not always welcome.

Prices include VAT and service, so the number on the menu is close to what you pay. Budget roughly CHF 100–150 per person per day for a mid-range trip, more in Zurich, Geneva and Zermatt.

If you are crossing into France, Germany, Italy or Austria, spend or exchange your francs before you leave: outside Switzerland the franc is hard to change at a fair rate.