Two Australian travelers were left “absolutely shocked” after they realized they’d forked out a whopping $100 for 2 burgers and fries, and one soda, at their hotel in Europe.
“We thought they made a mistake,” Maria Antoniou told news.com.au.
Maria and her partner Anthony were staying in Grindelwald, a village in Switzerland’s Bernese Alps.
Switzerland is some of the expensive countries on this planet, but is popular amongst travelers for its incredible natural beauty.
The couple knew it was going to be a costly spot to go to from their research, but Maria says “Actually experiencing the costs was next level.”
“We didn’t really shop in Switzerland so I can’t speak on that, but all of the food was excessive in price,” she said.
“If I used to be in Australia and got told two burgers were $150 [$98.47USD] I might have walked out.”
Maria explained the crazy prices were not only isolated to their hotel.
“We found the road food to be an identical price, unless you were buying from the grocery store — which many individuals were,” she said.
Maria and Anthony, who travelled for 4 months, said Grindelwald, Switzerland was definitely the most costly destination they visited, followed by Santorini, Greece – one other tourist hotspot.
The couple, who’ve created a series of travel guides for other Aussies, said despite the pricey food, Switzerland deserves a spot on people’s travel lists.
“One of the vital beautiful countries we’ve ever visited,” Maria said. “No photo or video will ever do Switzerland justice. My partner and I can’t wait to return. Just be sure you save, save, save.”
When Maria shared her experience on her TikTok account – @mariaantoniouu21 – other Aussies agreed they too were stunned at how much food cost when visiting Switzerland.
“We got three large meals from Burger King and it was 210 Australian dollars,” said one woman who had visited Interlaken, a well-liked Swiss resort town.
“Big Mac meal cost me $35 [Australian, $23 USD] in Zurich,” said one other who ate at McDonald’s in Switzerland’s largest city.
“I paid $15 [$10 USD] for a cup of noodles from my hostel gift shop,” shared a traveler on a budget.