Switzerland by campervan: food and supermarkets
Where to buy food in Switzerland, which supermarkets to use, opening hours and practical tips for eating on the road. What to know before you go.
Published 18 September 2026Last checked 18 September 2026
Currency
Swiss franc
CHF, not the euro. 0.9462 francs to €1 on 18 September 2026
Languages
German, French, Italian
Romansh is the fourth national language
Driving
Right
Motorway 120 km/h, expressway 100, other roads 80
Power
230V, type J
A Schuko plug usually will not fit. Bring an adapter
Motorway
CHF 40 vignette
One sticker, the whole network, up to 3.5 t
Emergency
112
Police 117, ambulance 144, air rescue 1414
Food and shops
Food and shops
Swiss shops close on Sunday and it is federal law, not habit. The Labour Act prohibits employing staff between 23:00 on Saturday and 23:00 on Sunday. The exceptions are exactly the ones a van traveller meets on the road: shops in tourist areas, and kiosks, shops for travellers and petrol station shops on motorway service areas and busy main routes. They are open, and they charge for it.
Where to shop
- Best value: Aldi Suisse or Lidl.
- Full range: Migros or Coop.
- Camper access: Choose larger Migros and Coop branches outside historic centres.
What eating out costs, reported
- Cheap restaurant meal
- CHF 25
- Draught beer, 0.5 l
- CHF 7.45
About 26.40 euros at 0.9462 francs to the euro, the ECB reference rate on 18 September 2026. Reported range 18 to 35, Numbeo September 2026. Crowd-sourced, not an official figure
About 7.90 euros at the same rate. Reported range 5 to 9, Numbeo September 2026. The same beer from a Denner or an Aldi shelf is a fraction of it
Where to shop, and what is open on Sunday
| Shop | Good for | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Migros | The full weekly shop. Own label runs through every category. | Closed, except branches inside stations, airports and tourist areas |
| Coop | The other full-range chain. Usually the better fresh counter. | Closed, with the same station and tourist-area exceptions |
| Denner, Aldi, Lidl | The cheap end. Worth it here more than anywhere else in this series. | Closed |
| Volg | The village shop. Small, dear, and sometimes the only one for 20 km. | Closed |
| Station supermarkets | Zurich, Bern, Basel, Geneva and other big stations. Full grocery range. | Open, under the travellers exception |
Eating out without spending a fortune
- Lunch is the cheap meal. A weekday lunch menu is the same kitchen as dinner at a lower price, everywhere in the country.
- Bakeries and butchers do a hot counter at midday. It is a proper meal standing up, and it is a fraction of a restaurant bill.
Stocking the van
- Buy cheese, cured meat and chocolate here and almost everything else before you cross.
- Farm shops and roadside honesty fridges are common in the alpine valleys, and they take coins.
