Reddit reviews OREI Grounded Universal 2 in 1 Plug Adapter Type J for Switzerland & more - CE Certified - RoHS Compliant WP-J-GN

As a fellow midwesterner who just got back from two weeks in Switzerland, perhaps I can offer some advice.

Consider getting a 6- or 8-day 2nd class Swiss Pass instead of driving. The geographic reach, efficiency, and timeliness of the Swiss public transportation system is astounding. The cost may seem steep but the ease of use more than makes up for it. It also allows the holder to get into almost every museum for free and provides discounts on the mountain trains/funiculars/cable cars. I carried my luggage on my back and stowed it in lockers near or in rail stations when necessary. Hotels in major cities such as Zurich and Bern hand out free passes good for unlimited use on the city's public transportation during your stay, so depending on how you schedule the first and last days in Zurich you might get by with a 6-day Swiss Pass.

Regarding your itinerary, the only places I visited that overlap are Zurich and Interlaken (I skipped the Jungfrau). I flew in and out of Zurich and didn’t get to see much there. I spent a couple hours in Interlaken and consider the view from Harder Kulm on a clear day to be one of the highlights of my trip. The funicular to the top is pricy but the Swiss Pass nets a 50% discount. I stayed a few days in Gimmelwald, which is accessible through Lauterbrunnen. I ran into weather problems there most of the time but it was easy to find plenty of walking trails and scenery without running into hardly anyone.

Make a backup plan for each location when the weather does not cooperate. Museums can help with that but be prepared to explore beyond them. For example, I found myself stuck in rainy Zermatt for a day with the intention of seeing the Matterhorn. I breezed through the Matterhorn museum in a couple hours, donned my rain gear, and walked the trails at Sunnegga and those to the south of town for several hours. I never saw the peak of the Matterhorn but still had a great time while avoiding the bulk of the tourists. Watch the webcams for the Jungfrau, etc., and keep an eye on weather forecasts.

Other tips for an American visiting Switzerland:

• Allow at least 2 hours to get through security and passport control at ZRH when departing. I used nearly all of that getting out on a Thursday morning.
  
  
• Take note of the locations and hours of nearby grocery stores. It is often far cheaper to assemble your meals from these establishments than visiting restaurants. Coop and Denner sell alcoholic beverages while Migros does not. Coop seemed to be more common in the areas I visited. I usually bought my breakfast and lunch from Coop and then selected a local restaurant serving Swiss cuisine for dinner. Take-aways are also convenient and good. Service at a more formal restaurant or cafe will be much more slower paced than that in the U.S., but don't be shy about asking for the check if you're ready to leave.
  
  
• I found out the hard way that many of the rectangular "U.S. to Euro" electrical plug adapters on Amazon will not fit in the 3-prong recessed outlets that comprised 95% of the outlets in my hotel rooms. Luckily I had one of these that allowed me to plug in two devices at once. This two-prong plug has the shape of most recessed Swiss receptacles I encountered but I don’t know how well it works.
  
  
• Either carry an unlocked GSM phone or get one of these mobile hotspots (and some extra batteries). Upon your arrival, go directly to a Swisscom store with your passport and get a SIM card for 20CHF that allows unlimited data for 2CHF/day (the SIM is preloaded with 20CHF so this will last you 10 days). Don't waste your valuable time with Orange and Lycamobile (long story). I had excellent coverage everywhere I went: Zurich, Bern, Murten, Avenches, Lausanne, Geneva, Zermatt, Gimmelwald, Interlaken, Luzern, and Vaduz (Liechtenstein). If you’re using public transportation, the SBB application is critical to getting around easily.
  
  
• Learn survival phrases in German and French. Starting off a conversation with a stranger in their native tongue is appreciated. I got by with "I don't understand", "do you speak English?", "please", "thank you", "check/bill please", and "excuse me." Before I go back again, I plan on learning more German.
  
  
• Rick Steves' Switzerland book contains self-guided walking tours for most major cities that I found useful if for no other reason than discovering other interesting sites along the way.
  
  
• I found no washcloths and sometimes no hand soap in hotel rooms. I was prepared for that and it was not a big deal.
  
  
• As with anywhere else, cash is king. ATMs are common near rail stations and some can dispense up to 2000CHF in one transaction. I never saw a change machine though, so I always had to break larger bills at a store to get coins for luggage lockers and vending machines.

Before moving here I bought a "northern european" adaptor and found that the pins were slightly too wide for the sockets. I could shove them in, but it wasn't a good fit. However, I purchased some specifically for Switzerland and they fit perfectly.

These are the ones I bought and like the best: (all Amazon links) 3 prong adaptors and a multi-plug adaptor. They've both worked well.

And for those who need a step down transformer, I found that this one also works great.