Food festivals – where you will find good, local food!
Switzerland might be a small country, but it doesn’t half have a big appetite. There is at least one food festival every single month of the year in Switzerland. They celebrate everything from wine and Swiss cheese to regional specialities and chocolate – and more besides.
Do you love international cuisine? Head to Lausanne, Geneva or Zurich for the local Street Food Festivals, to Fribourg for Coup de Food, and even to Sion for the Festival of Taste. One thing that all these tasting experiences have in common is street food.
💡 Tip: Get a bit of everything from each stand so you can share with your travel companions and decide which dishes you like best.
If you’re not tempted by street food, that’s fine. Head to the Festival of Gastronomy in French-speaking Switzerland in May to enjoy budget-friendly dining at good restaurants. Choose where you’d like to go before you arrive, because all of the restaurants’ menus are half price for a whole fortnight. Enjoy!
Do you miss fondue and Swiss traditions? Find THE flour soup stall during Carnival in Basel. Flour soup might sound like a surprising dish, but you can take our word for it – you won’t regret dipping your spoon into this Basel tradition.
Treat yourself at local markets and Christmas markets
Visitors who love fresh, local and seasonal produce should make a beeline for the local markets. Whether you head to Place de la Riponne in Lausanne or Plaine de Plainpalais in Geneva, you will find charcuterie experts, cheesemakers, chocolatiers and bakers offering culinary delights that will enable your taste buds to truly experience and savour Switzerland. These are the perfect places to sample a little bit of everything at a fair price!
Off on a magical winter getaway? Why not explore Switzerland’s Christmas markets? It’s a genuine Swiss tradition! Wandering around Christmas markets is the perfect way to get into the spirit of the season. But, above all else, it’s the perfect excuse to enjoy roasted chestnuts, raclette, fondue, mulled wine, grilled sausages, gingerbread and more besides. All you have to do is simply choose what you’d like and enjoy. Easy, right?
Fancy a snack?
With a foreign national population of more than two million, Switzerland is an international country. And that international influence is reflected in Swiss cuisine. In every city, Indian, Brazilian, Thai, Turkish, Italian and other populations and their cuisines are strongly represented in the form of original, affordable snack restaurants. Enjoy a Chilean hot dog at Condor Bar y Comida in Lausanne, tuck into a burrito at Comoleon Burrito Bar in Vevey, sample a ‘made in Seoul’ burger at The Bite in Zurich, or have a five-star Japanese breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva… Take your taste buds on a voyage of discovery without breaking the bank!
Local supermarkets
Head to local supermarkets for budget-friendly meals to go. Coop and Migros stock sandwiches, cold meat platters and cakes to satisfy all your cravings whatever the time of day.
With great deals, food festivals, on-street snack bars and street food, why not discover Switzerland through your taste buds? You don’t need deep pockets to discover the culinary delights the country has to offer!