As most of you would know the words Switzerland and budget don’t go well together. In a country where the cheapest takeaway pizza costs ยฃ15 and hostels ask for anything between ยฃ30-40/per person per night, there are barely any budget-friendly options.
But that’s what we are there for right? ๐ On our recent trip to Switzerland, we discovered the accommodation of everyone’s childhood dreams – a petite wooden chalet called Nachtigall (Nightingale) in a tiny Swiss village. The chalet had a gurgling river behind it and the snow-clad Alps in front – all this for ยฃ60/night. For centuries the Swiss have used rustic wooden chalets as an idyllic retreat from the hustle bustle of the city. This chalet does exactly that. Check out the panorama that greeted us every morning :-
We found Mauro and Rebecca’s chalet onlineย and immediately knew it was the one!! We flew to Geneva airport and drove to St. Niklaus,ย a little fairy-tale village nearย Zermatt. We found the chalet easily and excitedly opened the main door to discover a studio apartment with a modern kitchen, bathroom, a generously sized living room, and a ladder (yes, a real wooden ladder!) leading to a secret loft with a double bed.
[box] I squealed in delight on discovering this “bedroom”. It transported me back to the days I spent devouring Enid Blytons’ novels and conjuring endless fantasies. I half expected goblins and pixies to come tumbling out of some secret attic :-)[/box]
We literally had to tear ourselves away from the chalet’s rustic red windows, its hammock, and fabulous view of the mountains every morning as we left to explore the area in our car. The location of the chalet is perfect to explore the nearby skiing villages of Zermatt and Grachen and medieval towns such as Brig (more on that coming soon ๐ )
If you read Bruised Passports, you would know that we usually enjoy splurging on accommodation but every once in a while it’s nice to go off the beaten path and opt for something that is literally a slice of local life. There is no better way to feel at home in Switzerland than by renting a quaint chalet. Now all I want is a magical chalet of my own, complete with gushing streams, panoramas, pixies, and a bit of fairy dust for good measure ๐
Fact file
- Renting a chalet is the perfect if you love going off the beaten path and experiencing local life.
- The chalet can sleep up to 4 people and rental costs start at ยฃ60/night
- It might not be for you if you don’t enjoy self-catering accommodation and prefer hotels with room service
- St. Niklaus is a sleepy village, so it’s beneficial to have a car to drive out to restaurants and attractions in neighbouring towns and villages.
- Mauro and Rebecca’s chalet can be booked online – More details on their Air BnB here. You can use also use this code for $30 off your booking on Airbnb ๐
Planning an your itinerary for Switzerland? Make sure you put sleeping in an igloo on the list ๐
Packing for Switzerland? We have a handy guide to packing for Skiing and Winter Sports which will help you !
We were guests ofย Zermatt Tourismย in Switzerland. We are two extremely opinionated ninjas โ so all views (good and bad) are entirely our own. Click on to read our fullย Disclosure Policy
picture perfect!!! ๐
It was indeed ๐
Looks like a cute little cottage. It reminds me a lot of the cottages you can find in smaller towns in Argentina. Did you find that the place was warm enough?
Hey Audrey – this chalet was ultra-modern on the inside. So it was really well heated ๐
That is beautiful!!! can we get there from Geneva if we dont drive??
Hey Mausam- Switzerland is extremely well connected by train, so it’s really easy to get everywhere without a car. This chalet is a 10 minute walk from the St. Niklaus train station
This is excellent. Saving on these kind of accommodations are good for your pocket as well as the experience perspective. This is good ๐
Hey Savi & Vid, this place looks amazing. I’m unable to access their website though, could you recommend any other site where we could find chalets like these? Or perhaps their contact?
I’m planning a trip with my husband and would love to stay in a chalet like this ๐
Cheers,
Sowmya
Hey Sowmya – you can also book it on Air BnB here https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/275946
I loved Zermatt when I visited but did find it so expensive so it’s great to see a good value property featured here to make it more accessible a place!
I know right? Zermatt is insanely expensive!!
You had me at Enid Blyton! Now I HAVE to go here and spend a night at this magical chalet… one day! ๐
Haha the Blyton-esque chalet had me at the word go, I feel obligated to pass on the magic to Bruised Passports’ readers ๐
Oh I loved this chalet…I am planning my 2nd switzerland trip but the first with my husband. And I really really want to be in this place..Can you pass me their contact coz I’m not able to get one in their website
Hey Sangita – that would be amazing – send us photos when you go ๐ You can drop them an email from the website – do mention Bruised Passports, they might give you a discount ๐
Hey hey – I’ve been reading your blog all day at work today and have to say I envy you guys so very much. I’m Indian – moved to London not too long ago and am all about travelling and exploring new places and cultures. I’m planning to do Switzerland in March with my husband and was hoping if you could help me put together an itinerary. I definitely want to spend a night in an igloo and also the Chalets:) Can’t wait to hear from you! Love and luck with all your adventures:)
Hey there – that’s awesome. You can fly into Geneva, spend 5 nights in the area. You’ll find all details on our blog under the ‘Switzerland’ category in the Destinations ๐
Hi Guys,
Read that you guys visited in springtime. I’m guessing April? We’re planning a trip and not quite sure if its best to include Switzerland in the plan if its early to mid April. What’s your say on the weather?
Hey Ashish – the weather can be unpredictable in April but we do like Switzerland during winter months, so we’d recommend it ๐
Hi Savi and Vid,
Thank you for sharing such great advice and tips for travel, every time I plan our travel I always visit your website to look for what you have to say!!
Question: Switzerland has been my dream location and have saved this place for a special occasion. Now I donโt want to delay visiting this beautiful destination anymore and planning our visit in 2019. My husband and I are not really keen on winter activities (aka skiing) but want to see all of beautiful Switzerland.
What would you suggest, visiting Switzerland in March or August? When is it more beautiful?
Hi Sheeja,
Thanks for your message. Switzerland’s beautiful all year round ๐ Perhaps August will be better but please keep in mind that it can get really crowded in August because of European school holidays!
Hi! All your posts are very helpful . I always visit your page before planning my trip. Thanks for sharing all your experiences.
The link for chalet is not working. I am visiting Zermatt in March, please suggest some affordable Chalet
Hi Samridhi,
I think you might have an older version of flash player. Alternatively you could try looking on AirBnB ๐
Stayed in this Chalet this December and witnessed my first snowfall and that felt like straight out of dream. I opened the window of the bedroom on the loft and was still wandering that am I still dreaming or am I awake!!!
Aah it’s so magical, isn’t it? ๐ we loved our stay here. Glad you had a great time. Do share some photos with us on instagram (@bruisedpassports_bts) – we’d love to see them.
Thanks ๐
Hi I’m planning a trip to Zermatt in April. I’m unable to open the website mentioned. Could you help with their number or something please?
Big fan of your work ๐
Cheers,
Prashaant
Hey Prashant – here is the Air BnB link https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/275946. I will update the link in the article too – thanks for informing me about it ๐
Hey guys, it’s great that you are trying to answer the question in everyone’s mind.. how to travel in Switzerland on a budget ๐
Is it possible to find such chalets in other Swiss towns such as Interlaken, Lucerne etc? Thanks in advance!
Hey Namrata – unfortunately those towns are more expensive, but you can always find good Air BnBs there ๐
Can it accomodate 4 people?
No – it can’t ๐