We are cracking up at how many of you commented about washing your eggs 🤣🥚🍳 ➡️DO YOU WASH YOUR EGGS? Yes or no? Comment your answer on this thread! We wash our eggs because they often have poop or questionable things on them - just like we wash dirt off our grapes or germs off our apples (from people touching them in the store).
My loving Grandmother, may she rest in peace, who was born in the deep south (Louisiana, USA) had she ever heard of such an idea of washing eggs she would get a real good chuckle.
I've never washed an egg unless it was obviously dirty ( I only buy eggs from chicken moving freely around!) ... and I haven't seen it either someone else doing it. I'm Swiss,. Enjoy your Mons - mine is stored in the fridge 😀🍺
In America the Eggs will be washed with chemicals before selling it, you have also to store them in the fridge bcause it gets bad faster... that what happens if supplychain isnt locally and mega corpos ship their stuff trough a country 7 times bigger as whole Europe together... its like we in swizerland ate eggs from chinese farmers in western china lol
The IP Suisse ladybird logo does not only indicate a Swiss produce, but one produced under sustainable conditions, including stringent reduction of the use of pesticides. IP stands for "integrierte Produktion", i.e. integrated production. Think of it as halfway between bio (organic) and traditional production.
Tipp for Migros: Migros Kult Ice Tea (Lemon specifically if you ask me) you need to try, it's a drink that swiss people can absolutely not live without. It's so popular and almost every household has it in stock, it's legendary.
😂😂😂 Re: the pronunciation. I did the same thing on our first trips but then started watching videos done by locals. Lessons learned! And my favorite souvenir is a reusable shopping bag from the store that makes me smile every time I use it at home. Now I’m going to have trouble getting to sleep tonight as I’ll me thinking about my next trip just a few weeks away!
We went to Coop during our stay. There were soo many varieties of food with affordable price. We also had the best food with flavour in Swiss compared to other European countries.
Well, thanks for taking the time to comment! We actually love that we have Swiss people who watch out channel as well 🙃 (and hopefully you were entertained by what tourists ask about grocery stores - we used their questions to create this video!)
Great video. Helpful for many reasons. Glad you mentioned the self scanning for produce items, knowing this can save time and face. Great reminder about the cutlery, we shop this way in Europe regularly and always seem to forget the cutlery and have to improvise, which can get interesting. All in all great tips for North Americans.
So glad it was helpful - especially the reminder about cutlery! We used to forget packing that on our early trips to Europe too, but now we always keep a stash in our backpack!
My only experience with Swiss grocery stores was in Interlaken. My B&B was only 2 blocks away from a Migros which was almost opposite the Interlaken West train station. Since breakfast was extra at the B&B, I would eat at Migros. Great selection. I also stopped at the Coop in Interlaken. Great store, lots of selections.
So helpful! Thanks for the produce weighing demo. We messed that up last year!! Looking forward to doing it right this week and next! We are flying your way today!! Can’t wait!!
Coop and I think Migros, begin to discount their remaining prepared foods in the early evening. Time depends on when sales at each store begin to slow down. And all of it is still perfectly fresh. Take the Aplins advice on the bread - all great stuff. When at Coop, try the individual slices of Zwetschgen prune (plum) with pastry cream tart. You’ll thank me. And, if you are familiar with Aldi in USA, find an Aldi in Switzerland and find out how we are truly second class citizens here in US.
We hope this gives you an estimate of what food costs from the grocery stores in Switzerland! Remember that Aldi and Lidl are even cheaper if you are on a tight budget!
Thank you so much for all your guidance of Switzerland. They were so helpful in helping me plan my family vacation. This is a country that needs good planning and you'll did a great job on this channel. ❤ Thanks Again
I didn't even know elderberries exist. I only knew them from monty python's holy grail. -> "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries."
You guys are really amazing. Such great and informative videos that you do so professionally and nice, it must take a lot of work. Thanks for what you do, it’s really appreciated.
Fantastic advice! I’m a Swiss in the US, and this is the advice I give when people over to CH. And I make use of it myself when I head home. Happy you also mentioned the wine in lavaux and valais :)
i’ll be in zurich on feb 2025 for my birthday week, i wonder what the weather would be like ☺️ great info on these grocery items, so excited! thanks guys!
You can literally get the full spectrum. It can be all blue sky and sunny with spring-like temperatures (Föhn), or wet and cold and you won't see the sun even once during your stay.
Thanks for the video! As a Swiss, nothing was new, but I loved the way to compare the prices of Coop and Migros. But it's important to compare the same products and product lines. To compare turkey and chicken for example is slightly misleading. 😉 And Volg is by no way a cheaper alternative. Volg are the stores usually found in small villages, where Coop and Migros don't want to open a supermarket. Hence Volg stores are slightly more expensive, but the sometimes offer truly local produce and products. Most milk sold is pasteurized and refrigerated, you did not mention this fact. The taste of UHT-Milk is very different to fresh milk and I would not reccoment to buy it, unless you don't have a fridge to store milk. And who washes eggs? 🤔
Another great video! Excellent advice! 6:33 I'd avoid the UHT milk though (ultra-high temperature pasteurised). Coop has "proper" milk, e.g. "Bärner Bio Vollmilch" (pasteurised). Most of the milk in the US (including organic) is now UHT, so this is a good opportunity for a US visitor to try real food 🙂It's delicious when served hot.
@@timmccabe4654 I meant pasteurised, but not UHT. I responded earlier and included a Swiss gov't link to the avian flu information. Unfortunately, YT seems to remove comments containing links (unless they point to other YT videos 🙂). So search the Internet for the page "Avian influenza (H5N1) - situation in Switzerland".
@@timmccabe4654 For some reason my TWO responses in a row have disappeared. Not sure why. So I'll try for the third time: pasteurised is fine, I only said UHT wasn't as good.
@@timmccabe4654What does avian flu have to do with milk? Raw milk is potentially dangerous for pregnant women and immunosuppressed people, mainly due to the potential Listeria contamination. Main source of raw milk is cheese, as raw milk itself is not sold in supermarkets.
We are currently in Switzerland for the next 10 days (will be in Murren Sunday evening and leaving Tuesday morning-8/25/24 thru 8/27/24). If you’re going to be in the area on the 26th, would love to meet up briefly if you’re open to that!
I always go shopping in this Migros. I could have been in the background of your video 😄. Coop is generally considered to be more expensive but it has more name brands. Migros used to be a lot more generic brands, but that has changed slightly over the years. You could have also explained the self scanning options. I often see tourists trying to use the hand scanners which doesn't work unless you have the supermarket card. It causes confusion.
How fun would that have been if you saw yourself in the background?!? (We actually try really hard not to capture other people, when possible!) We didn’t mention those self scanner since they’re only for locals who have a store card. But I guess we could have said that anyways!🙃
Really cool! One correction at the beginning of the video: Volg is not a discount store and therefore more expensive, generally speaking, than Migros (not sure about Coop). It can usually be only found it small villages, not in bigger cities.
Great video; also great that you told Migros don’t sell alcohol. Btw they also don’t sell tabacco stuff. 4:10 Aldi, Lidl and Denner weight it at the checkout.
One other potential tip: check out what we would call in the U.S. "famer's markets." Great place to get produce and sometimes bread and cheese. In some of the cities there are multiple locations and sometimes on different days. If you check the website of the city you're visiting, you might find when/where the market (marché in French) are.
@@jessicalee6745 Either way it's nonsens, in Switzerland laying hens are regularly inspected and officially salmonella-free. The eggs even have a natural self-protection system, making it virtually impossible for germs to multiply during the first 21 days after laying, so washing the eggshell or keeping them in a humid environement (like a fridge) is actually the best way to contaminate your eggs. It's better to keep them dry and at ambiant temperature. Finally they are pasteurized so you can safely eat them raw in the first week or so after laying.
By the way, note that the "Aktion" (Sale) sign at 5:30 is easily confused with the "Aktuell" (Current) sign at Migros which has the same color... which are just promoted but not discounted items. I fall for that occasionally as a native too.
All these different types of stores and places should have an American flag with a pin to be able to write all the Americans tips on them. For instance, parking garages or car parks you gotta pay before you get to the exit. And that’s a lot like you had mentioned on the way your produce before you get to the checkout. The COOP in MURREN the checkout lady got pretty frustrated with a person in front of me that hadn’t weighed their stuff. As Americans have to stick together. Especially on train travel which none of us ever do in our lifetime hardly. It’s so confusing. Bio bee-oh. My Wife (whom you ran into in Zermatt), in GRACHEN this morning got some schnitzel at COOP. That’s cool about the alcohol free at MIGROS. I didn’t know that. Thanks again for being one of my favorite channels and two people in the world to watch. We’ve certainly benefited from your hard work.
Awww you’re so kind! Thanks for the encouragement! That’s why we create our content, to help people understand how to travel Switzerland - which also applies to a lot of Europe! We believe in you, and hope that the locals are always friendly and helpful when you need them, like they’ve been to us in the past 😊
I found out the hard way that you have to weigh your own produce! I was 'one of those' uninformed tourists! At least I had a very patient cashier who walked over and weighed it himself so I didn't have to get back in line! But, after that first time, I knew actually what to do before I got to the cashier!
I spent a summer working at the Migros in Zofingen (halfway between Basel and Luzern). It used to have its own political party and is a coop like Coop. I definitely remember people pronouncing it with an S at the end. I suppose it depends on where in Switzerland you are.
@@AplinsintheAlps It was very interesting. I had to speak the local dialect. You might do videos on lesser known places that are easy to get to and pretty nice - like Zofingen.
Thank you guys for all of the informative and entertaining videos. I have learned so much. We will be in Wengen for a (too) few days next week. One of your videos mentioned milk from a machine along a trail. You said it was THE BEST you've ever tasted. Is that available in these stores or only directly from the dairy. BTW, where are some of these dairies so I can plan a hike by them?
I'm not sure if they specifically have GF options (since we're not GF), but they have a lot of vegan options so I think that some of the salads would be GF as well.
In the last two weeks, I've been to that large Coop next to Interlaken Ost quite a few times 😉 Or to the Migrolino next to Interlaken West. But all vacations must come to an end, sadly... BTW, try the Tessinerbrot bread, it's amazing!
This is great information and really appreciate the video, I'm curious if you have done a video in regards to what is ok for customs and what is allowed and not allowed in larger tourists countries?(US, China EU, japan and so forth)
I’ve travelled to Switzerland many times and would always bring back bars of chocolate from the grocery for my family and friends. I’ve come back to the US through Atlanta, JFK, and Dulles. When ask if I have anything to declare I give the agent a sheepish look and say “a LOAD of chocolate.” I’ve gotten just a chuckle and been waved on every time.
I love browsing the supermarket in other countries. it's not weird at all. It's a tiny window into the culture of people, even if it's just a discount supermarket.
Some really interesting stuff here. Luckily my poor German usually gets me through at these stores. If I can pick you up on something - eggs throughout Europe (and uk) are not refrigerated and no one ever washes the eggs - the shells do the trick - no need to sterilise them. Also, I found in Switzerland that much of the milk in the supermarket is disappointingly UHT (or as I call it - ultra horrible taste!) - that’s why it’s not refrigerated. If you want what I would call it”normal” (pasteurised) milk, then you will find it in the fridges. (Or as Jana and Brett would recommend - the farm fridges :) )
Iwas blessed to see Luzern. My friend and I shopped in Migros.thayhave good food and chocolates in that grocery store. The Migros store we went to is inside the train station 8n Luzern. Such a very beautiful country
Does anyone have any tips on eating Keto or Carnivore in Switzerland? We plan to prepare some of our meals at our Airbnb, so definitely will visit the grocery stores.
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Just know that Switzerland has the highest Meat/Fish prices in whole Europe.
Always interesting to hear / see what others say about my country. Only thing I really did not get was the "you have to wash the eggs" part. Why? What for?
I live Lidl near city hall in Zurich. I have been mispronouncing it. People in Paris told me I had to weigh my own oranges at some grocery store, but I do not recall doing it at the Lidl store 😮
🤣 Great question - especially since Brett loves coffee! (You know that if you’ve seen most of our other videos!) Of course they have a variety of coffee, but Brett buys his beans fresh from local cafes (not thr grocery store) so we don’t have any recommendations.
I was at that Migros, Interlaken West right? I told my husband this video would had been helpfull last , I couldnt find the eggs, or the milk, Indidnt scan my bananas and we got what we thought was beer lol. But then learned no alchohol! 😂
But keep in mind that low fat diet is actually bad for you - avoid! Low sugar OTOH is a good idea and is not as difficult to find as in the US since most foods in Europe do not have added sugar (finding American-style _sweet_ corn is practically impossible), you'll notice immediately that pastry in general is much less sweet. On the packaging "Kohlenhydrate" means carbohydrates and "Zucker" means sugar. Of course the "price" you pay for not having tons of sugar pumped into everything is that food does not last long, even in the fridge.
Google translate is great for reading ingredient labels! Low fat and low sugar are not common labels here since the items are already made with fairly healthy ingredients and less sugar.
@MrGreatplum is correct...it's usually just the super-local travel that is included with these guest cards, so it would almost never take the place of a train pass.
Just come back from Lucerne in Switzerland and yes everything is very expensive including the food, especially in the restaurants but its worth it. Switzerland is beautiful and worth a visit even though everything is about double the price than the UK. I noticed snacks are very expensive, particularly potato chips for some reason.
Hey guys. Thank you for this video. Amazing. How u understand what i am waiting for😂. Just one question a part from salami burger or chicken salad, r there option for halal, or like veg only?
There is for example the "Karma" product line from Coop which is either vegetarian or vegan. You will probably not find any halal products in Coop/Migros.
There are loads of vegan and vegetarian options! They often have the V symbol, or you can identify the plant-based brand. It shouldn’t be a problem at a larger store like this!
Hello, is it worth getting a rental car while traveling from Zurich to interlaken for 4 days then 2 days in montreux then back to zurich? Please let me know. I’m not sure if I should get a car and passes for our trip. Very confused. Thanks In advance.
To be frank: I would not rent a car here in Switzerland. It's expensive and finding a parking space in cities or around attractions is difficult and often quite expensive. It's more convenient to go by train. If a train pass is the best choice for your travel depends on your plans. This channel has some very good videos about train passes.
Personnally, I prefer Frey chocolate (the Migros brand): beware, sometimes Frey is intermixed with other brands, don't fool yourself. Frey is usually fresher, less expensive, and tastier than the international brands, at least to my taste. After all, the main difference between Coop and Migros is that Migros, initially, did not have any brand products, and so had to develop a very big industry. Coop on the other hand started by distributing brand products. They have however met mostly in the middle nowadays, with Migros now full of non-Migros products and Coop having developped its own brands. This means that today Migros is no longer a difficult experience for international travellers as it was before. But it lost a bit of its spirit. Oh, and I never wash my eggs.
If you can make a video on how can vegan's manage their food. I'm an indian and end up carrying stuff from India when I am traveling as most products have dairy or eggs or have fish wax/oil coatings . Store owners are clueless about the ingredients when asked.
As a vegan who has travelled and self catered in Switzerland for the last 20 years I can assure you things are much much easier for vegans to buy food now. In our experience all the supermarket chains carry vegan items. Ready made items are labelled clearly with the yellow circle and v symbol with the word Vegan in accordance with European standard labelling formats. Chilled and frozen vegetarian and vegan items are usually presented in a separate area in chilled and frozen cabinets. Food shopping can be rather expensive in Switzerland, but the budget supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl and Denner help to save some money. Many of the supermarkets have apps you can load on your phone and I often do some research for each one so I can have a rough list of items I want to look out for in each store which helps me speed up the shopping. If you want to cook all your own food from scratch wonderful quality fruits and vegetables are available and basic ingredients like rice, beans, tofu, flour and noodles are also widely available. We tend not to eat out much, preferring to opt for packed picnic lunches.If you want to find restaurants that cater for vegans, I'm sure you know the Happy Cow website cab be helpful. These days I only take a few snacks bars, some favourite packaged spice blends in small unopened packs and some favourite tea to get me started. I hope you can rest assured you will be able to find what you need and can enjoy your travels in Switzerland 🌱🙂🇨🇭
I have been travelling in Switzerland as a self catering vegan for over 20 years and it has got easier and easier. There are many vegan food products in the main supermarkets these days, clearly labelled with the yellow and green vegan symbol used across Europe. Also basic vegan ingredients are readily available if you like to cook everything yourself. I think you will be pleasantly surprised
We have been to the Italian Alps a few times! (We hosted an exchange student for a year from northern Italy so we've visited her family multiple times.) In general, Italy is cheaper than Switzerland, especially when it comes to food, because the Italians earn lower wages.
Coop has never disappointed us. Especially when it comes to baked goods, milk, cheese, yogurt , and chocolate bars. We once got a great deal on giant Toblerone bars :P
You don't need to clean the eggs. The reason they're not refrigerated is because a) we don't scrub their protective outer shell off, and b) all chicken are vaccinated against salmonella.
@@AplinsintheAlps Of course you can rinse it quickly, but usually the eggs bought in the store are clean already. Just not "let's remove that thing that protects this thing" clean ;)
There is not a big difference.They have often chosen brand products in Coop and non-brand or inhouse brand in Migros. They often chose the house brand "Budget (2:39 Green & White Logo on the left)" in Mirgos (always the cheapest option). The house brand for coop is called "Prix & Garantie (7:45 Pink Logo on the right)" and also has cheaper options.
This is all good info, but Prix Garanti and Migros Budget stuff is usually pretty disgusting. These labels should definitely be avoided if you‘re shopping for meat, as I consider it quite unethical to buy meat from animals that weren‘t raised on organic farms.
why do you have to wash eggs? Do Americans lick the eggshells? Beetle label on the milk carton means that it comes from an organic farm. All milk available in Switzerland comes from Switzerland. There is no milk from abroad in Switzerland. The milk market in Switzerland is protected. Attention, there is Lindt chocolate from abroad. Lindt doesn't necessarily have to be from Switzerland. It's a shame if you give chocolate from Switzerland as a gift at home and the recipient then reads Made in France on the packaging.
A little correction: The Label with the ladybird does not mean "organic", it just means it's produced respecting nature, IP meaning "integrated production". If one wants some organic food: the label always has to show "Bio".
We wash eggs because they often have poop or other questionable things on them - just like we wash our grapes and apples and zucchini before eating! Bio is actually the label for organic. And you’re right that not all chocolate in the grocery store is made in Switzerland. But did you know that Lindt (and other producers) have different recipes in Europe vs the US? So our family and friends and like to taste test and compare them both!
This was the most talked about portion of the video! Everyone has their own opinions and it was so fascinating to hear them all! To each his own I guess:)
Please DONT wash the eggs; they are completely safe to consume just like that. Just use them. At most, you should wash your hands afterwards, but not the eggs. Some context: Eggs in europe/Switzerland are non-washed and thus the shell retains the natural protective layer. This means it does not need to be refrigerated and the egg content is clean and safe. Any contamination would only be on the shell, so if you wash your hands after handling eggs you and your food will be 100% fine.
I'm not the best egg-cracker haha! I don't link when a piece of the shell falls into my bowl, so I always wash off the poop first just to be safe! (I also wash melons or avocados before cutting them so that the germs on the outside of the produce don't contaminate my cutting board.)
We are cracking up at how many of you commented about washing your eggs 🤣🥚🍳
➡️DO YOU WASH YOUR EGGS? Yes or no? Comment your answer on this thread!
We wash our eggs because they often have poop or questionable things on them - just like we wash dirt off our grapes or germs off our apples (from people touching them in the store).
I don’t know anyone who washes eggs in the uk as we don’t eat the shells!
I don't wash my eggs, because i usually don't eat the shell (compared to fruit/veggies).
My loving Grandmother, may she rest in peace, who was born in the deep south (Louisiana, USA) had she ever heard of such an idea of washing eggs she would get a real good chuckle.
I've never washed an egg unless it was obviously dirty ( I only buy eggs from chicken moving freely around!) ... and I haven't seen it either someone else doing it. I'm Swiss,. Enjoy your Mons - mine is stored in the fridge 😀🍺
@@Priska44 Are you fast on your feet, is that how you get the eggs from the moving chickens? :-)
Nobody in Switzerland washes the eggs before using them.
In America the Eggs will be washed with chemicals before selling it, you have also to store them in the fridge bcause it gets bad faster... that what happens if supplychain isnt locally and mega corpos ship their stuff trough a country 7 times bigger as whole Europe together... its like we in swizerland ate eggs from chinese farmers in western china lol
We actually do in Valais!!
@@ufinc WTF!!! We know you guys are fucking crazy, but this is not normal!!!!
I have had my Switzerland trip planned for 15 months now and I finally go in two weeks! Hopefully the weather has cleared up in the alps 😀
you will enjoy it :)
The IP Suisse ladybird logo does not only indicate a Swiss produce, but one produced under sustainable conditions, including stringent reduction of the use of pesticides. IP stands for "integrierte Produktion", i.e. integrated production. Think of it as halfway between bio (organic) and traditional production.
Tipp for Migros:
Migros Kult Ice Tea (Lemon specifically if you ask me) you need to try, it's a drink that swiss people can absolutely not live without. It's so popular and almost every household has it in stock, it's legendary.
😂 Nawww
The real tip are Zweifel Paprika chips. 10/10.
😂😂😂 Re: the pronunciation. I did the same thing on our first trips but then started watching videos done by locals. Lessons learned! And my favorite souvenir is a reusable shopping bag from the store that makes me smile every time I use it at home. Now I’m going to have trouble getting to sleep tonight as I’ll me thinking about my next trip just a few weeks away!
Funny. When in Italy, Coop was pronounced like a chicken coop.
Volg is definitely not cheaper. Every item is at least 1 to 2 francs more expensive than the other stores.
True, because they are smaller village stores. But they still have good options if you’re in an off the beaten path place.
For sure.
We went to Coop during our stay. There were soo many varieties of food with affordable price. We also had the best food with flavour in Swiss compared to other European countries.
I'm Swiss and know all of that but it was still super interesting to watch this video, haha
Well, thanks for taking the time to comment! We actually love that we have Swiss people who watch out channel as well 🙃 (and hopefully you were entertained by what tourists ask about grocery stores - we used their questions to create this video!)
Great video. Helpful for many reasons. Glad you mentioned the self scanning for produce items, knowing this can save time and face. Great reminder about the cutlery, we shop this way in Europe regularly and always seem to forget the cutlery and have to improvise, which can get interesting. All in all great tips for North Americans.
So glad it was helpful - especially the reminder about cutlery! We used to forget packing that on our early trips to Europe too, but now we always keep a stash in our backpack!
My only experience with Swiss grocery stores was in Interlaken. My B&B was only 2 blocks away from a Migros which was almost opposite the Interlaken West train station. Since breakfast was extra at the B&B, I would eat at Migros. Great selection. I also stopped at the Coop in Interlaken. Great store, lots of selections.
So helpful! Thanks for the produce weighing demo. We messed that up last year!! Looking forward to doing it right this week and next! We are flying your way today!! Can’t wait!!
Coop and I think Migros, begin to discount their remaining prepared foods in the early evening. Time depends on when sales at each store begin to slow down. And all of it is still perfectly fresh. Take the Aplins advice on the bread - all great stuff. When at Coop, try the individual slices of Zwetschgen prune (plum) with pastry cream tart. You’ll thank me. And, if you are familiar with Aldi in USA, find an Aldi in Switzerland and find out how we are truly second class citizens here in US.
I was looking forward to this video so I don't break my bank when during my trip.
If you follow their guides you most likely will
We hope this gives you an estimate of what food costs from the grocery stores in Switzerland! Remember that Aldi and Lidl are even cheaper if you are on a tight budget!
Love it! Thank you so much! I'm traveling to Switzerland in 2 weeks and this is sooo helpful! Thank you! Thank you!
You guys definitely deserve way more subscribers as compared to now. I can see the effort you put into making this video!
Visiting Switzerland soon, your channel has been a wealth of valuable information, you guys are appreciated :)
Thanks for letting us know our content has been helpful! Hope you enjoy your time here.
I recognize that Migros! Breathtaking to step out and see the mountains right in front!
Right next to Interlaken station.
Thank you so much for all your guidance of Switzerland. They were so helpful in helping me plan my family vacation. This is a country that needs good planning and you'll did a great job on this channel. ❤ Thanks Again
So glad we could help you! Thank you so much for the encouragement!!
Prices much better than I expected.
Thank you for the yogurt recommendation. I got that flavor today - delicious!
How fun! So glad you enjoyed it!!
I didn't even know elderberries exist. I only knew them from monty python's holy grail. -> "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries."
Haha, that's an awesome reference!
You guys are really amazing. Such great and informative videos that you do so professionally and nice, it must take a lot of work. Thanks for what you do, it’s really appreciated.
We're so glad you appreciate it Carlton! You're right that it takes tons of work that most people don't see, but we're happy to help!
Fantastic advice! I’m a Swiss in the US, and this is the advice I give when people over to CH. And I make use of it myself when I head home. Happy you also mentioned the wine in lavaux and valais :)
i’ll be in zurich on feb 2025 for my birthday week, i wonder what the weather would be like ☺️ great info on these grocery items, so excited! thanks guys!
Enjoy celebrating your birthday here! 🥳Hope you enjoy a trip to the grocery store too 🙃
You can literally get the full spectrum. It can be all blue sky and sunny with spring-like temperatures (Föhn), or wet and cold and you won't see the sun even once during your stay.
Very useful! Great initiative. Keep doing such videos on other cities in Europe. Thank you
This post is great as we are doing a best of Switzerland next year! A lot of lunches and dinners we need to source ourselves! 🙏🩷🩵
Yes! You can really stretch your dollars at the grocery store!
Thanks for the video! As a Swiss, nothing was new, but I loved the way to compare the prices of Coop and Migros.
But it's important to compare the same products and product lines. To compare turkey and chicken for example is slightly misleading. 😉 And Volg is by no way a cheaper alternative. Volg are the stores usually found in small villages, where Coop and Migros don't want to open a supermarket. Hence Volg stores are slightly more expensive, but the sometimes offer truly local produce and products.
Most milk sold is pasteurized and refrigerated, you did not mention this fact. The taste of UHT-Milk is very different to fresh milk and I would not reccoment to buy it, unless you don't have a fridge to store milk. And who washes eggs? 🤔
Another great video! Excellent advice! 6:33 I'd avoid the UHT milk though (ultra-high temperature pasteurised). Coop has "proper" milk, e.g. "Bärner Bio Vollmilch" (pasteurised). Most of the milk in the US (including organic) is now UHT, so this is a good opportunity for a US visitor to try real food 🙂It's delicious when served hot.
Given the growing spread of avian flu, do not consume anything but pasteurized milk.
@@timmccabe4654 I meant pasteurised, but not UHT. I responded earlier and included a Swiss gov't link to the avian flu information. Unfortunately, YT seems to remove comments containing links (unless they point to other YT videos 🙂). So search the Internet for the page "Avian influenza (H5N1) - situation in Switzerland".
@@timmccabe4654 For some reason my TWO responses in a row have disappeared. Not sure why. So I'll try for the third time: pasteurised is fine, I only said UHT wasn't as good.
@@timmccabe4654What does avian flu have to do with milk? Raw milk is potentially dangerous for pregnant women and immunosuppressed people, mainly due to the potential Listeria contamination. Main source of raw milk is cheese, as raw milk itself is not sold in supermarkets.
*Flavorite* at 5:44 is an all-time mash-up! We will be in Wilderswil in 2 weeks- you guys are the best! Thanks so much!
Hope you have an amazing visit!!
Great! I’ve been mentioning this to friends who want to travel. This will be super helpful. Thanks for the breakdown.
Thank you so much for sharing this with your friends! We’re so happy that it’s been helpful to you - and hopefully your travel buddies too 😊
Thank you guys! This is very helpful! We plan to stop by at the grocery store before we head to the hotel after landing in Zurich.
We are currently in Switzerland for the next 10 days (will be in Murren Sunday evening and leaving Tuesday morning-8/25/24 thru 8/27/24). If you’re going to be in the area on the 26th, would love to meet up briefly if you’re open to that!
How exciting that your trip is coming so soon! Have a great time and please say hello to us if you see us while you're out and about exploring!
I always go shopping in this Migros. I could have been in the background of your video 😄. Coop is generally considered to be more expensive but it has more name brands. Migros used to be a lot more generic brands, but that has changed slightly over the years. You could have also explained the self scanning options. I often see tourists trying to use the hand scanners which doesn't work unless you have the supermarket card. It causes confusion.
How fun would that have been if you saw yourself in the background?!? (We actually try really hard not to capture other people, when possible!)
We didn’t mention those self scanner since they’re only for locals who have a store card. But I guess we could have said that anyways!🙃
Really cool! One correction at the beginning of the video: Volg is not a discount store and therefore more expensive, generally speaking, than Migros (not sure about Coop). It can usually be only found it small villages, not in bigger cities.
Interesting! We have a Volg in our village and find that the quality is actually lower than Coop and Migros. So we rarely shop there!
@@AplinsintheAlps oh you were talking about the quality, not the price! Sorry I misunderstood!
No problem, we're constantly learning too!
Great video; also great that you told Migros don’t sell alcohol. Btw they also don’t sell tabacco stuff. 4:10 Aldi, Lidl and Denner weight it at the checkout.
One other potential tip: check out what we would call in the U.S. "famer's markets." Great place to get produce and sometimes bread and cheese. In some of the cities there are multiple locations and sometimes on different days. If you check the website of the city you're visiting, you might find when/where the market (marché in French) are.
Yes, such a great tip! It's always a blast to visit the local markets and see what's available.
Washing eggs? I don't know anyone here in Switzerland, including me washing the eggs.
I think she meant washing the egg shells before cracking them?
@@jessicalee6745 Why? Do you eat the shells?
@@jessicalee6745 i meant the egg shells😄.
@@WuSiMu I love UA-cam! It always keeps you up on your toes. HaHa! 😆
In other words, you shouldn't believe everything your being told. Or shown.
@@jessicalee6745 Either way it's nonsens, in Switzerland laying hens are regularly inspected and officially salmonella-free. The eggs even have a natural self-protection system, making it virtually impossible for germs to multiply during the first 21 days after laying, so washing the eggshell or keeping them in a humid environement (like a fridge) is actually the best way to contaminate your eggs. It's better to keep them dry and at ambiant temperature. Finally they are pasteurized so you can safely eat them raw in the first week or so after laying.
By the way, note that the "Aktion" (Sale) sign at 5:30 is easily confused with the "Aktuell" (Current) sign at Migros which has the same color... which are just promoted but not discounted items.
I fall for that occasionally as a native too.
All these different types of stores and places should have an American flag with a pin to be able to write all the Americans tips on them. For instance, parking garages or car parks you gotta pay before you get to the exit. And that’s a lot like you had mentioned on the way your produce before you get to the checkout. The COOP in MURREN the checkout lady got pretty frustrated with a person in front of me that hadn’t weighed their stuff. As Americans have to stick together. Especially on train travel which none of us ever do in our lifetime hardly. It’s so confusing. Bio bee-oh.
My Wife (whom you ran into in Zermatt), in GRACHEN this morning got some schnitzel at COOP.
That’s cool about the alcohol free at MIGROS. I didn’t know that.
Thanks again for being one of my favorite channels and two people in the world to watch. We’ve certainly benefited from your hard work.
Awww you’re so kind! Thanks for the encouragement! That’s why we create our content, to help people understand how to travel Switzerland - which also applies to a lot of Europe! We believe in you, and hope that the locals are always friendly and helpful when you need them, like they’ve been to us in the past 😊
Amazing video! Thanks very much!
So glad it was helpful! 😊
Good Video. But you had not explain the self-check-kasse (self-service checkout)! And this, is today importent in Switzerland!
That supermarket nearly looks like a luxury one !
These are 2 of the nicer stores in Switzerland, but definitely not luxury!
I found out the hard way that you have to weigh your own produce! I was 'one of those' uninformed tourists! At least I had a very patient cashier who walked over and weighed it himself so I didn't have to get back in line! But, after that first time, I knew actually what to do before I got to the cashier!
I spent a summer working at the Migros in Zofingen (halfway between Basel and Luzern). It used to have its own political party and is a coop like Coop. I definitely remember people pronouncing it with an S at the end. I suppose it depends on where in Switzerland you are.
What an interesting experience!!
@@AplinsintheAlps It was very interesting. I had to speak the local dialect. You might do videos on lesser known places that are easy to get to and pretty nice - like Zofingen.
We definitely plan to expand our content to other areas - so many places to cover!!
Thank you guys for all of the informative and entertaining videos. I have learned so much. We will be in Wengen for a (too) few days next week. One of your videos mentioned milk from a machine along a trail. You said it was THE BEST you've ever tasted. Is that available in these stores or only directly from the dairy. BTW, where are some of these dairies so I can plan a hike by them?
We have a whole video and free map with farm fridge spots near Wengen! That milk is not sold on stores, although they sell Swiss milk!
That was probably raw milk fresh from the farm. You can't buy that in the supermarket. All milk sold there is homogenized and pasteurized.
Thank you for this video! Super helpful :) Do they have gluten free pre-made sandwiches and pasta salad?
I'm not sure if they specifically have GF options (since we're not GF), but they have a lot of vegan options so I think that some of the salads would be GF as well.
No, that‘s not a thing. You will have to prepare your own sandwiches. But potatoe salad is often gluten free, but has no gf-label.
In the last two weeks, I've been to that large Coop next to Interlaken Ost quite a few times 😉 Or to the Migrolino next to Interlaken West. But all vacations must come to an end, sadly... BTW, try the Tessinerbrot bread, it's amazing!
This is great information and really appreciate the video, I'm curious if you have done a video in regards to what is ok for customs and what is allowed and not allowed in larger tourists countries?(US, China EU, japan and so forth)
I’ve travelled to Switzerland many times and would always bring back bars of chocolate from the grocery for my family and friends. I’ve come back to the US through Atlanta, JFK, and Dulles. When ask if I have anything to declare I give the agent a sheepish look and say “a LOAD of chocolate.” I’ve gotten just a chuckle and been waved on every time.
Missed you guys this time, Aug 1 in Interlaken was off the chain. I am already planning to go back next year
So glad you enjoyed national day here! Maybe you’ll run into us next time 😊
I love browsing the supermarket in other countries. it's not weird at all. It's a tiny window into the culture of people, even if it's just a discount supermarket.
Yes, we totally agree!!! But we’ve learned that some travelers find this a bit strange 🙃
Some really interesting stuff here. Luckily my poor German usually gets me through at these stores.
If I can pick you up on something - eggs throughout Europe (and uk) are not refrigerated and no one ever washes the eggs - the shells do the trick - no need to sterilise them.
Also, I found in Switzerland that much of the milk in the supermarket is disappointingly UHT (or as I call it - ultra horrible taste!) - that’s why it’s not refrigerated. If you want what I would call it”normal” (pasteurised) milk, then you will find it in the fridges. (Or as Jana and Brett would recommend - the farm fridges :) )
Iwas blessed to see Luzern. My friend and I shopped in Migros.thayhave good food and chocolates in that grocery store. The Migros store we went to is inside the train station 8n Luzern. Such a very beautiful country
C'est impressionnant comme la Coop est plus chère que la Migros.
Interesting. The Walmart in my state charges now 10 cents for a brown bag. The city here banned plastic bags. 😊
Does anyone have any tips on eating Keto or Carnivore in Switzerland? We plan to prepare some of our meals at our Airbnb, so definitely will visit the grocery stores.
Just know that Switzerland has the highest Meat/Fish prices in whole Europe.
It's true that meat and fish prices might make you grimace!
Always interesting to hear / see what others say about my country. Only thing I really did not get was the "you have to wash the eggs" part. Why? What for?
I did not understand that either! In the Netherlands or in Spain eggs aren't refrigerated either but nobody washes them before use.
@@DianaGarcia-jh9qf Didn't get that either.
No one has to wash eggs 🤷♂️
I never do that. Still alive! 🙂
I agree with everything said above. And below 😬
I live Lidl near city hall in Zurich. I have been mispronouncing it. People in Paris told me I had to weigh my own oranges at some grocery store, but I do not recall doing it at the Lidl store 😮
Great very helpful video
We’re glad it was helpful! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let us know 😊
5:52 Note that the price of CHF 0.65 is for a single yogurt serve, not for the 2-pack :).
Really enjoyed/learned from your recommendations. But what about coffee???
🤣 Great question - especially since Brett loves coffee! (You know that if you’ve seen most of our other videos!) Of course they have a variety of coffee, but Brett buys his beans fresh from local cafes (not thr grocery store) so we don’t have any recommendations.
I was at that Migros, Interlaken West right? I told my husband this video would had been helpfull last , I couldnt find the eggs, or the milk, Indidnt scan my bananas and we got what we thought was beer lol. But then learned no alchohol! 😂
Also how to read for healthy ingredients (low fat, low sugar etx...what are the labels like and how to interpret them).
But keep in mind that low fat diet is actually bad for you - avoid! Low sugar OTOH is a good idea and is not as difficult to find as in the US since most foods in Europe do not have added sugar (finding American-style _sweet_ corn is practically impossible), you'll notice immediately that pastry in general is much less sweet. On the packaging "Kohlenhydrate" means carbohydrates and "Zucker" means sugar. Of course the "price" you pay for not having tons of sugar pumped into everything is that food does not last long, even in the fridge.
Google translate is great for reading ingredient labels! Low fat and low sugar are not common labels here since the items are already made with fairly healthy ingredients and less sugar.
Hi ,
If every hotel issues a travel card , is it necessary to buy a Swiss rail pass ? We will be in Swiss for 7-8 nights , as family of 4
Those cards are usually only very local services, such as buses - it would rarely give you free rail or cable care transport
@MrGreatplum is correct...it's usually just the super-local travel that is included with these guest cards, so it would almost never take the place of a train pass.
@@AplinsintheAlps thanks ! Also is it advisable to rent a car or use trains ?
Just come back from Lucerne in Switzerland and yes everything is very expensive including the food, especially in the restaurants but its worth it. Switzerland is beautiful and worth a visit even though everything is about double the price than the UK. I noticed snacks are very expensive, particularly potato chips for some reason.
I Guess wages are very High, too, like a girl working as a clerk at the counter in a Place like that earns like 3,5k per months ? Maybe 🫤
@@pulse4503 Add another 1k it’s more like 4.5k a month for clerks
Currently in Lucerne. We had our lunch in the CoOp today. Just brought our bread rolls for breakfast from Migros at the station.
@@creativeembargo amazing CH 👌🙂♥️🇨🇭
@@davidverrall very nice !
Hey guys. Thank you for this video. Amazing. How u understand what i am waiting for😂. Just one question a part from salami burger or chicken salad, r there option for halal, or like veg only?
There is for example the "Karma" product line from Coop which is either vegetarian or vegan. You will probably not find any halal products in Coop/Migros.
@cnwanker9705 aww thank you so much. I will try to find some like chese sandwich and tomatoe pasta only
@@SabaFaizanMUA Halal no, but you will find veggie or vegan options.
There are loads of vegan and vegetarian options! They often have the V symbol, or you can identify the plant-based brand. It shouldn’t be a problem at a larger store like this!
@@AplinsintheAlps thank you guys
Nice place
Hello, is it worth getting a rental car while traveling from Zurich to interlaken for 4 days then 2 days in montreux then back to zurich? Please let me know. I’m not sure if I should get a car and passes for our trip. Very confused. Thanks In advance.
To be frank: I would not rent a car here in Switzerland. It's expensive and finding a parking space in cities or around attractions is difficult and often quite expensive. It's more convenient to go by train. If a train pass is the best choice for your travel depends on your plans. This channel has some very good videos about train passes.
How much cheaper is meat just across the border in Germany or Austria?
6:06. why should I wash the eggs before using them?
Why wash eggs? I’ve never done this and there isn’t a problem.
Love to watched your vedio new friend
We're happy to help!
Personnally, I prefer Frey chocolate (the Migros brand): beware, sometimes Frey is intermixed with other brands, don't fool yourself. Frey is usually fresher, less expensive, and tastier than the international brands, at least to my taste. After all, the main difference between Coop and Migros is that Migros, initially, did not have any brand products, and so had to develop a very big industry. Coop on the other hand started by distributing brand products. They have however met mostly in the middle nowadays, with Migros now full of non-Migros products and Coop having developped its own brands. This means that today Migros is no longer a difficult experience for international travellers as it was before. But it lost a bit of its spirit. Oh, and I never wash my eggs.
Is it coop or CO-OP? In the UK they're all co op's
Coop 😊
If you can make a video on how can vegan's manage their food. I'm an indian and end up carrying stuff from India when I am traveling as most products have dairy or eggs or have fish wax/oil coatings . Store owners are clueless about the ingredients when asked.
As a vegan who has travelled and self catered in Switzerland for the last 20 years I can assure you things are much much easier for vegans to buy food now. In our experience all the supermarket chains carry vegan items. Ready made items are labelled clearly with the yellow circle and v symbol with the word Vegan in accordance with European standard labelling formats. Chilled and frozen vegetarian and vegan items are usually presented in a separate area in chilled and frozen cabinets. Food shopping can be rather expensive in Switzerland, but the budget supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl and Denner help to save some money. Many of the supermarkets have apps you can load on your phone and I often do some research for each one so I can have a rough list of items I want to look out for in each store which helps me speed up the shopping. If you want to cook all your own food from scratch wonderful quality fruits and vegetables are available and basic ingredients like rice, beans, tofu, flour and noodles are also widely available. We tend not to eat out much, preferring to opt for packed picnic lunches.If you want to find restaurants that cater for vegans, I'm sure you know the Happy Cow website cab be helpful. These days I only take a few snacks bars, some favourite packaged spice blends in small unopened packs and some favourite tea to get me started. I hope you can rest assured you will be able to find what you need and can enjoy your travels in Switzerland 🌱🙂🇨🇭
Tip nr. 1: Dont be vegan
I have been travelling in Switzerland as a self catering vegan for over 20 years and it has got easier and easier. There are many vegan food products in the main supermarkets these days, clearly labelled with the yellow and green vegan symbol used across Europe. Also basic vegan ingredients are readily available if you like to cook everything yourself. I think you will be pleasantly surprised
@@elaineatthecraftshed1993 I know i am a Swiss citizen but the dude said that it was difficult in his region/country
@@mcaffetech The way I read it, I don't think he did. He said he carries food items from India when he is travelling
Is distilled water available in Switzerland?
Yep, it's available in the stores!
Have you ever been to the Italian Alps and how did they compare?
We have been to the Italian Alps a few times! (We hosted an exchange student for a year from northern Italy so we've visited her family multiple times.) In general, Italy is cheaper than Switzerland, especially when it comes to food, because the Italians earn lower wages.
Also ladybug does not mean swiss product it means produced respecting certain standards.
Coop has never disappointed us. Especially when it comes to baked goods, milk, cheese, yogurt , and chocolate bars. We once got a great deal on giant Toblerone bars :P
Can I go there 😊
You don't need to clean the eggs. The reason they're not refrigerated is because a) we don't scrub their protective outer shell off, and b) all chicken are vaccinated against salmonella.
I'm so glad that they aren't bleached/sanitized or vaccinated. But...I just can't crack open an egg that has poop on it without washing it first 😂
@@AplinsintheAlps Of course you can rinse it quickly, but usually the eggs bought in the store are clean already. Just not "let's remove that thing that protects this thing" clean ;)
Very cool place my dream place can you tour me can I go?😊😊
Do you now live in Switzerland?
Yep, we do!
Seems like migros is generally cheaper than coop
There is not a big difference.They have often chosen brand products in Coop and non-brand or inhouse brand in Migros. They often chose the house brand "Budget (2:39 Green & White Logo on the left)" in Mirgos (always the cheapest option). The house brand for coop is called "Prix & Garantie (7:45 Pink Logo on the right)" and also has cheaper options.
This is all good info, but Prix Garanti and Migros Budget stuff is usually pretty disgusting. These labels should definitely be avoided if you‘re shopping for meat, as I consider it quite unethical to buy meat from animals that weren‘t raised on organic farms.
why do you have to wash eggs? Do Americans lick the eggshells? Beetle label on the milk carton means that it comes from an organic farm. All milk available in Switzerland comes from Switzerland. There is no milk from abroad in Switzerland. The milk market in Switzerland is protected.
Attention, there is Lindt chocolate from abroad. Lindt doesn't necessarily have to be from Switzerland. It's a shame if you give chocolate from Switzerland as a gift at home and the recipient then reads Made in France on the packaging.
A little correction: The Label with the ladybird does not mean "organic", it just means it's produced respecting nature, IP meaning "integrated production". If one wants some organic food: the label always has to show "Bio".
We wash eggs because they often have poop or other questionable things on them - just like we wash our grapes and apples and zucchini before eating!
Bio is actually the label for organic. And you’re right that not all chocolate in the grocery store is made in Switzerland. But did you know that Lindt (and other producers) have different recipes in Europe vs the US? So our family and friends and like to taste test and compare them both!
My first store that I went in Switzerland is Coop - to look around at the food and prices
So fun!!
whas your eggs? Why???
u dont need to wash eggs tho, imean you not gonna eat the Shell, are you? :D
I definitely wash off the poop 💩🤣 We don’t eat the shells, but sometimes they fall in the bowl and we don’t want any germs from the poop😉
@@AplinsintheAlps Fair xD but i rarely see dirty eggs in Coop or Migros tho :D
What town are you in?
Can you give ot away?
They were at stores in Interlaken.
We live near Interlaken so we featured the Migros and Coop in Interlaken.
Nice video I guess, but it feels like it's made for "people" who visit earth for the first time. 🤣
Hot this week wasn't it.
Nothing like some weeks last summer!!
You DO NOT need to wash the eggs
This was the most talked about portion of the video! Everyone has their own opinions and it was so fascinating to hear them all! To each his own I guess:)
Please DONT wash the eggs; they are completely safe to consume just like that. Just use them. At most, you should wash your hands afterwards, but not the eggs.
Some context: Eggs in europe/Switzerland are non-washed and thus the shell retains the natural protective layer. This means it does not need to be refrigerated and the egg content is clean and safe. Any contamination would only be on the shell, so if you wash your hands after handling eggs you and your food will be 100% fine.
I'm not the best egg-cracker haha! I don't link when a piece of the shell falls into my bowl, so I always wash off the poop first just to be safe! (I also wash melons or avocados before cutting them so that the germs on the outside of the produce don't contaminate my cutting board.)
This is very helpful. Thank you
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful!