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If you plan to use a single valley base from which to go walking, climbing or skiing and do not anticipate any intermediate journeys by public transport, the Swiss Transfer Ticket could be worth having. It can only be purchased outside Switzerland (see www.swisstravelsystem.com), and gives one free journey from the airport of arrival to anywhere in the country and back again within one month. The Swiss Card has similar validity to the Transfer Ticket, but it also allows the holder to buy ordinary train and bus tickets at a 50% discount.

A regional pass is another option for moving within one specific area, providing five days of free travel in a 15-day period. And finally, the local guest card given to visitors staying in a resort for a few days will often grant free travel on local buses, and sometimes reduced fares on cable cars and funiculars.

Accommodation

Finding accommodation should not be a problem except perhaps during the high season (Christmas/New Year; February; July and August). The range and quality of hotels, mountain inns and hostels is uniformly high and not as expensive as reputation might suggest. (Mountain huts are dealt with in a separate section below.) Of course, opulent 4 or 5-star hotels are not cheap, but it’s not unusual to find a good quality en-suite room in a 2-star establishment costing no more than a b&b in the UK. And the standard of service will be high. Apart from hotels at the two extreme ends of the pricing scale breakfast is usually included in the cost of a room, and half-board (which includes an evening meal) is often available.