Trip to Europe
■ Swiss Franc Currency Exchange
One of the most affordable ways to travel in Switzerland is to exchange Swiss francs. However, it can be cumbersome because it is not handled by all domestic commercial banks. In addition, there are many cases where you cannot directly spend money in other countries if you change too much due to the wrong budget.
Recently, there have been many talks about preferential exchange rates. The 70-90% preferential treatment is for the dollar or the euro, and the Swiss franc 30-50% can be said to have received very well.
Normally, the Seoul Station currency exchange center is famous for its good exchange rate, but if you consider the time and cost to get to Seoul Station as well as the maximum limit, the bank you frequent may be better.
One of the popular methods these days is to exchange money with a bank app and find it at the airport because it is called Sunny Bank and Webi Bank.
▶ Recent exchange rates
CHF 1 = about KRW 1,149
EUR 1 = CHF 1.08
As of May 01, 2017
■ Euro currency exchange
Most of the places that Korean tourists go to are famous tourist destinations, so they also handle euros. Even if you think that most train stations, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and activities are all done, there is no big problem.
However, it is important to note that the exchange rate is not good. Restaurants, hotels, and activity companies are usually calculated at a 1:1 exchange rate. If you think that the exchange rate is 1.1:1 these days, there is a 10% loss. Train stations and marts like Coop still have a slightly reasonable exchange rate.
Even if the exchange rate is not good, the reason why currency exchange is good is that it can also be used in nearby France, Italy, Germany and Austria. When the Swiss franc is ambiguous, some Euro currency exchange can also be a good alternative.
■ Credit card
Most train stations, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and activities all accept credit cards. Most of them are VISA or MASTER, and Union Pay can only be used at some shops. However, in some cases, payment by credit card is not approved. For no reason, it didn't work in A, but sometimes it does in B. As a countermeasure against this, it is recommended to bring two or more different types of credit cards.
It is the most convenient because there is no need to exchange money. However, be careful as the fee varies from card to card. When choosing a payment currency, it is known that it is good to pay only once in Swiss Franc CHF.
In Korea, when signing after paying a card, there are many cases where it is roughly skipped, but in Switzerland, be sure to check the reverse side. At this time, if the sign is different, it can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
■ So how much money exchange?
In fact, what many people are curious about is not about how to exchange money, but about how much money should I exchange? There are individual differences from person to person, and unexpected expenses may be incurred, but we provide an approximate amount.
▶ Eat at a restaurant
Regular meal: CHF 20~30
Steak or Meat Fondue: CHF 40~50
Beverage or beer: CHF 4~9
▶ Snack fee
Water, beer: CHF 1~2
Chocolate: CHF 2~4
Fruit: CHF 3-10
▶ Additional cost for mountain trains (regular/Swiss pass holders)
Jungfrau CHF 145/132
Gornergrat CHF 90/45
First CHF 60/30
Rigi CHF 117/free
▶ Activity cost
CHF 200 with paragliding photo
CHF 500 or higher with skydiving photo
CHF 110~180 without canyoning photos
CHF 110 without rafting photos