Remember being a kid living your best life on vacation? Your parents would give you 10 bucks to spend on anything you wanted, and you blew it on the first tacky stuffed animal or shiny rock that you saw.
Well, this article is going to help make sure that the little kid inside of you spends your money wisely on unique souvenirs here in Switzerland!
And we know you’re stuffing your suitcase with things you buy because 88% of our audience (in a YouTube community poll) said they buy souvenirs while they’re on vacation in another country.
So no matter your budget, let’s jump into our Ultimate Guide to Swiss souvenirs, starting with the cheapest options at less than 5 CHF.
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Swiss Souvenirs for 0-5 CHF
Swiss Food and Drinks
Of course there are an abundance of stickers and patches and magnets and postcards. But when we travel, one of our favorite souvenirs to bring home is food. So we’re going to run through a quick hitlist of Swiss food and drinks you can snag from the grocery store, and then we will move on to our non-food recommendations.
- Swiss chocolate: Every time we travel back to the USA, we fill our suitcases with pounds — or kilograms — of Swiss chocolate from the grocery store as gifts for our family and friends. The top brands are Lindt, Cailler, and Frey. But most of our peeps seem to like Ragusa and Torino best. These aren’t technically a solid chocolate bar since they’re made with hazelnut cream, but they’re really good and, of course, they’re made in Switzerland!
- Ovomaltine spread: Brett used to love nutella — until he found this! Ovomaltine is a crunchy malt-cocoa-hazlenut spread made just outside of Bern. You can buy it from the grocery store but you’ll also find it at a lot of hotel breakfast buffets in a small packet like the jams and butters. So for all of you Nutella fans out there, be sure to sample some of this Swiss delight.
- Kambly cookies: Kambly is one of the most popular brands of Swiss cookies and biscuits and snacks, and they’ve been baking them in the Emmental near Bern for more than 115 years. We went to their free factory store and mini museum, and we were blown away by the unlimited samples. And now we buy their products pretty regularly from the grocery store. As a tourist, be sure to check out the variety packs so you can sample multiple Kambly treats.
- Swiss beer: You can definitely find a bottle of Swiss beer for less than 5 CHF. Appenzeler is Brett’s favorite of the larger breweries in Switzerland. But there are tons of smaller companies and craft breweries that you’ll only find in local communities!
- Schorle: Most of the time when we’re in a restaurant, Jana orders a schorle. It’s like a lightly carbonated mild apple juice. There are a few different companies who make this in Switzerland like Ramseier in canton Lucerne, Mosterei Möhl in Thurgau, and Vivi Kola in Zurich.
- Rivella soda: Then there’s Rivella, which is casually known as the national drink of Switzerland. It’s a soda made in Canton Aargau…but we’re not gonna tell you what exactly it’s made from. You’ll just have to try it and find out for yourself.
Swiss Souvenirs for 5-10 CHF
Okay, we’re using this handy thermometer to indicate our rising price ranges. And next is souvenirs you can buy for just 5-10 CHF.
Swiss Food and Drinks
And we’ll continue just a bit longer with our food and drinks category:
- Caotina Cocoa Powder: This is legit hot chocolate made from real Swiss chocolate, and happens to be produced by the same company who makes Ovomaltine.
- Zopf mix: And here in Switzerland it’s popular to eat zopf on Sundays, which is also called sonnenbrot, or Sunday bread. It’s really fluffy and buttery and always iconically braided. You’ll find it in all of the bakeries and grocery stores. Brett loves it so much that I decided to make it at home. And that’s when I discovered that you can pick up these pre-made zopf packages from the grocery store, where all you have to do is add water, knead, rest, braid, and bake.
- Fondue and raclette and Swiss cheese: Ah, Swiss cheese. There’s a lot we could say about this delicacy. You can always find options in the grocery stores or a proper cheese shop, called a Molkerei in German-speaking Switzerland. Here are just a few of the popular ones:
- Of course there’s raclette, as well as pre-mixed fondue packets.
- But be on the lookout for Alpkäse, bergkäse, and hobelkäse, which are cheeses that come from cows grazing in the mountains and/or produced by traditional methods. These are our favorite types, especially if they’re aged a few years.
- Emmentaler is what the Americans typically refer to as Swiss cheese — but you won’t find anyone here calling it that.
- Others include Tilsiter, Tête de Moine, Appenzeller, and Gruyère. There are so many different types, and we recommend you try them all.
- You can probably find many of these cheeses where you live too. It is important to note that you need to check the travel restrictions to see which food items can and cannot be brought back to your home country. And that really goes for all of the items in this video too.
- Liquor (mini bottles): Let’s wrap up the food section with mini liquor bottles. The most popular are Kirsch (made from cherries), Williams (made from pears), and Apricotine (made from apricots).
Victorinox Knives
There’s one more item in our 5-10 CHF souvenir category related to food. Victorinox makes these really nice cooking knives, which we personally use in our kitchen.
Swiss Franc Coins and Bank Notes
And the last item in this category is money! The Swiss franc has a 5 CHF coin instead of a bill — and it’s a really big coin. But each of the banknotes are really cool because they feature text in all 4 Swiss national languages and more than 15 security features, making them some of the best-protected currencies in the world. And each bank note gets progressively longer as it increases in value, so the 10 CHF is the shortest, the 20 CHF is a bit longer, then the 50 CHF, and so on.
Swiss Souvenirs for 10-25 CHF
Now we’re moving up to the price range of 10-25 CHF.
Black and White Découpage Decor
This black and white pattern is so traditionally Swiss. The craft started in the 1800s where a single piece of paper was delicately cut, but now you’ll find this design everywhere. I actually have some bowls, a journal, and key hooks with this pattern, and I’ve had my eye on some wine glasses with it as well.
Swiss Puzzles
Right after we moved here, Brett bought me this puzzle with that same black and white découpage pattern. And this year he surprised me with another puzzle of Oeschinensee, which is one of my favorite Swiss lakes, but I haven’t finished it yet!
Swiss Cowbell
The Swiss cowbell was the very first souvenir I bought in Switzerland. I came here on a family vacation back in 2007 and picked one of these out to hang on my Christmas tree. We are also the fun Aunt and Uncle who bought noisy Swiss cowbell keychains as gifts for all of our nieces and nephews. So sorry to our brothers and sisters 🙂
Trauffer Wooden Cows
Speaking of gifts for kids, we’ve also bought these classic Trauffer wooden cows. They are the top gift we recommend for kids of all ages. The cow is classic, but there is every type of farm animal imaginable, as well as a Swiss mountain dog and a farmer playing an alphorn. These are literally in every tourist shop, but you can even paint your own cow at the main factory in Brienz.
Swiss Wood-carved Items
The Brienz School of Woodcarving is the only place in Switzerland where you can learn the art of woodcarving, so you’ll find a lot of hand-carved items in shops nearby. We have bought countless manger scenes and wooden trees as gifts, and we have these candles in our foyer, as well as a little elf for Christmas.
Since we live near Interlaken, we’ll go ahead and plug Woodpecker, which is our favorite shop in the Jungfrau Region to buy wooden souvenirs. The owner is so kind and she’s often busy carving something beautiful in the front of the shop as well.
Two other tourist shops that we recommend in Interlaken are Heimatwerk for top-quality home products and toys. Or the Top of Europe Flagship Store which has Lindt Chocolate, Swatch watches, Victorinox Swiss army knives, and loads of regional souvenirs. Plus you get a 10% discount on your purchase from this store if you’re traveling with the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
Swiss Wine
Let’s keep going in the 10-25 CHF price range with a few more Swiss foods and drinks.
Brett always assumed he wouldn’t find great red wine in Switzerland, but he’s been surprised as he’s sampled them throughout the country! Some of the best Swiss wines — red, white, and rose — are made in canton Valais or in the Lavaux wine region above Lake Geneva. And since only about 1% of Swiss wine is exported, you’ll want to be sure to buy it while you’re here!
Basler Läckerli
We can’t decide if basler läckerli are cookies or biscuits or bread or cake — they’re just so unique! They’re made from ground almonds and hazelnuts with honey, lemon and orange zest, and a dash of kirch liquor. You can find these in most grocery stores, although their factory near Basel has a great shop and interesting museum, with plenty of free samples too.
Rösti
Rösti is kinda like the national dish of German-speaking Switzerland. And the best way to describe it is glorified hashbrowns — but way better. This is on most menus in this part of the country, but the grocery store sells these pre-made packets as well.
Candle-powered Raclette Stove
If you try raclette in Switzerland and fall in love with it, it’s easy to bring home with you. Most raclette stoves and fondue pots are electric, which comes with the hassle of plugs and electricity that may not work where you live. But they make mini raclette stoves that are powered by tealight candles, and they really do work. Perfect!
Swiss Books
If you’re a book worm like Jana, then she has a whole list of recommended books for you. But the one filled with the most interesting facts is Swiss Watching, which happens to fall right into this price range.
Swiss Souvenirs for 25-50 CHF
Swiss Books (continued)
But now we’re jumping up to our next range of 25-50 CHF to continue with a few more Swiss books. If you wanna try out the most popular recipes in Switzerland, then I recommend Swiss Suppers. I bought this book last year with the goal of trying one new Swiss dinner recipe per week. I was also given this book about The Best Swiss Train Rides, which is written by the same author as the first book I mentioned. It’s an awesome overview of the most popular train routes as well as lesser-known ones that I’ve never heard of before but are now on my bucket list.
I loved these books so much that I reached out to their publisher and asked for a discount code. You can get a 15% discount on both of these books from Helvetiq using the code APLINS15. And they do ship worldwide, but it’s only 5 CHF for shipping within Switzerland so maybe you can coordinate to have it mailed ahead of time to your Airbnb or hotel.
Otherwise you can find most of these in Swiss bookshops and souvenir stores, or even on Amazon.
Mountain Whiskey Glasses
Moving along, these whiskey glasses are awesome conversation starters! We have one with the Matterhorn and one with the Jungfrau. What’s cool is that they each hold a specific amount of liquid volume that’s equivalent to the elevation in meters of Zermatt or Grindelwald. Cheers!
Gondola Lights
We first noticed these lights at a Swiss Christmas market in 2023 and finally decided we had to have them last year. We originally bought them as a Christmas decoration but our baby boy loves them so much that they are now a permanent fixture in our living room.
Switzerland Games
We love board games, and we actually own Ticket To Ride Switzerland. It’s a fun way to remind us of our travels, like, “Oh, remember when we spent an afternoon in the Swiss Grand Canyon in Chur?” or “Remember the first time we saw the golden sunset in Ticino?” Plus, it’s an easy way to share Switzerland with our friends and family too.
There are also a ton of cool-looking Swiss games from Helevetiq, the book publisher we mentioned earlier, but we haven’t tried any of them yet. Let us know if you do!
Cheese Cutters
We’re in the land of cheese, so it’s important to learn that different types of cheese demand to be cut in different ways. And we’re not even joking. This one, called a Girolle, is designed for Tête de Moine, and you can snag it for under 50 CHF.
Swiss Souvenirs for 50-100 CHF
More Cheese Cutters
But another type of cheese cutter will require you to jump up to the next category of 50-100 CHF. This was gifted to us last Christmas by our sweet Swiss family. It’s a cheese “hobel” or cheese plane, and is made for cutting hobelkäse.
Swiss Army Knives
Victorinox created the original Swiss Army Knife and has made more than 500 million of them since 1897. There are tons of varieties and colors — and you can often have them custom engraved in tourist shops. Of course you can add all kinds of bells and whistles and gadgets to a Swiss Army Knife to increase the price, usefulness, and the coolness factor.
Swiss Writing Instruments
Call us old school but we appreciate hand written notes, so we always have a stash of nice pens, notecards, and paper. And Caran d’Ache writing instruments are the perfect Swiss souvenir for authors and artists. You can spend waaay more money, but this price range will get you a standard ballpoint or fountain pen.
Swiss Souvenirs for 100-1000 CHF
We’re opening our pocketbooks up a little wider to reach the category of 100-1000 CHF.
And if you’re spending more than 300 CHF on a single purchase, it’s worth looking into a VAT refund, which could save you as much as 8.1%. Basically, you get a Tax Free Form from an eligible shop, show that at the airport when you leave the country, and then get an immediate refund. We’re not experts on this topic but we will put links in our blog to some helpful articles for you.
Learn more about Swiss VAT refunds here and here.
Swiss Watch
And it’s no surprise that Swiss watches make this list. In 2024, Swiss watches were a 26 billion dollar industry and Switzerland’s third largest exported product. When we stroll down the shopping street in any Swiss tourist town, we’re amazed by the variety of brands, styles, and price tags.
Actually when some friends visited a few years ago, Brett took their 10-year old son to Interlaken and played a game to see who could find the most expensive watch in a storefront window. The winner was over 20,000 CHF!
Cuckoo Clock
Next is cuckoo clocks. This is an interesting item because you always hear that cuckoo clocks are not Swiss…they actually come from the Black Forest in Germany. But Switzerland is known for their woodcarving, as we mentioned earlier, and there used to be some that were actually made locally. So if you’re here and really want a cuckoo clock, why not buy one! We bought ours on our honeymoon from the Woodcarving Museum in Brienz.
Freitag Bags
We learned the interesting history of Freitag bags at the Freitag Tower in Zurich. Here’s the gist: they upcycle old semi truck tarps into one-of-a-kind bags, in all shapes and sizes. So if you need a new wallet or a new purse or even a bigger duffle bag for more souvenirs, do it in style with a Freitag Bag.
Swiss Souvenirs for 1000+ CHF
I have a feeling a lot of you are still reading because you know Switzerland is expensive and you’re curious what in the world you could spend 1000 CHF on. Drum roll please…
Alphorns
What could be more Swiss than an alphorn! There’s a shop in Habkern (near Interlaken) where you can watch an alphorn being made and learn all about the construction process. And of course buy one of these beauties to bring home with you.
1000 Swiss Franc Banknote
Now, one of the first items on this list was coins worth just a few cents, so let’s send it off with the 1000 CHF banknote, which is one of the largest denominations of currency in the world!
But the best souvenirs are the memories you’ll make on your Swiss vacation! Shop our Swiss Travel Guides to help you plan your Swiss vacation with confidence!