Amy_Lam

I'm going to take a train from Geneva to either Lauterbrunnen or Luncerne in early August before taking a train to Zurich to fly out of Switzerland.

Does anyone have any suggestion as to whether I should stay in Lauterbrunnen or Lucerne as a base to visit the neighbouring attractions? I don't think I have time to visit both as I only have 3 days and 2 nights in that region before I have to go over to Zurich. I have never been to Switzerland, but I heard that the views are just breathtaking there!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

ChallengerGrey

Why not both?

We're spending two nights in Lucerne with a day trip to Schilthorn. It's easier to get to Zurich from Lucerne rather than Lauterbrunnen.

We will have spent 3 nights in Montreux prior to Lucerne.

swandav2000

Hi Amy_Lam,

Both are quite different, and both are spectacular; your choice will depend on exactly what you'd like to see while there.

Luzern is a real city that sits at the foot of a system of lakes under a few mountains. If you'd like to do some shopping and fine dining along with your sight-seeing, this would be the place. You can ascend a peak or two and take cruises along the lakes.

Lauterbrunnen is a village nestled at the foot of some major mountain peaks. If you want to spend your time ascending the heights, visiting mountain villages, or strolling Alpine trails, this would be the place. There isn't a huge selection of restaurants here, and the shopping is more of the souvenir type.

I really recommend that you don't try to see Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch from Luzern. That will entail at least five hours of transport in each direction, so about 10 hours inside a closed-up, moving box. It's a much better idea to see things that are local to the base you've chosen -- you'll have more time outside where the action is.

Have fun as you research!

s

Amy_Lam

Thanks both ChallengerGrey and swandav2000 for your replies!

ChallengerGrey: I wish I can do both, but I have an early morning flight to catch on 6 August out of Zurich, so thinking of staying one night in Zurich on 5 August, leaving me with only 3 days in either Interlaken / Lucerne region. I would love to visit Montreux too, but just so little time. I'm flying into Geneva where I plan to stay for 2 nights. Would you suggest training out Montreux from Geneva and stay there instead of Geneva for the 2 nights?

swandav2000: I want to do some mild mountain hikes but I also love the serene feel of lakes...not that into fine dining or shopping though...hmm...I guess Lauterbrunnen would be a better choice based on your advice?

Have any of you stayed at the Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen? I am trying to find accommodations (single-room ensuite) in Lauterbrunnen/Interlaken but most of them have prices that are so extortionate! Guess it's just part of the Swiss landscape...

kwren

I stayed in the Silberhorn a few years ago and loved it. We were actually in the Chalet building and looked over the valley. We would sit on our balcony each night and watch the trains zig zag up the mountain on the other side. So relaxing! If you stay there and like views be sure to ask for a room with a view. I'm not sure all of them have one or not.

The breakfast, which was included, at the Silberhorn was wonderful and we had a nice fondue in their restaurant one night. We ate elsewhere the other nights but the food always looked good when we walked through.

It's easy to get to Zurich from that whole area as long as you have the time.

I'm leaving for Grindelwald next week just to stay in a different town in the same area. I'm hoping it's not too touristy, but in any case, our room faces away from the town, overlooking only mountains. We are going to go to up to First this time, from where there is supposed to be a nice hike to a lake, the Bachalpsee. Our favorite walk (well, we haven't taken too many!) is from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidigg. It's an easy walk and I believe it took about 1 1/2 hours. We're going to do that one again this trip because my husband wasn't with me the last time and I know he'll like it.

A lot of people recommend staying in Wengen too. That's a cute little village up higher than Lauterbrunnen - there are no cars there - but we were quite happy to stay in Lauterbrunnen.

kwren

I stayed in the Silberhorn a few years ago and loved it. We were actually in the Chalet building and looked over the valley. We would sit on our balcony each night and watch the trains zig zag up the mountain on the other side. So relaxing! If you stay there and like views be sure to ask for a room with a view. I'm not sure all of them have one or not.

The breakfast, which was included, at the Silberhorn was wonderful and we had a nice fondue in their restaurant one night. We ate elsewhere the other nights but the food always looked good when we walked through.

It's easy to get to Zurich from that whole area as long as you have the time.

I'm leaving for Grindelwald next week just to stay in a different town in the same area. I'm hoping it's not too touristy, but in any case, our room faces away from the town, overlooking only mountains. We are going to go to up to First this time, from where there is supposed to be a nice hike to a lake, the Bachalpsee. Our favorite walk (well, we haven't taken too many!) is from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidigg. It's an easy walk and I believe it took about 1 1/2 hours. We're going to do that one again this trip because my husband wasn't with me the last time and I know he'll like it.

A lot of people recommend staying in Wengen too. That's a cute little village up higher than Lauterbrunnen - there are no cars there - but we were quite happy to stay in Lauterbrunnen.

Connie

I would stay in Lauterbrunnen then make a stop in Lucerne for a couple of hours on your way to Zurich for a boat ride. We did that and really enjoyed it. The boat launch is right by the train station so it was very easy.

We had an early morning flight out as well and stayed at the Park Inn hotel by the airport in Zurich. Low price (comparatively), very clean, airport shuttle. Be sure to book your shuttle to the airport the day before or maybe when you book. The early shuttles fill up.

BarbAnn

Another hotel in Lauterbrunnen that you might consider is the Hotel Staubbach. Rate was very reasonable and included breakfast. Our balcony room overlooked Staubbach Waterfall and Swiss meadows (filled with cows).

Geneva versus Montreux...depends on if you like big cities or smaller towns (OK, Montreux isn't that small, but has a smaller town atmosphere). I love Montreux. Walks along the lake, taking the boat on Lake Leman, walking through vineyards...I could go on. While Geneva is pretty, it is a big city. Montreux has more charm. JMHO.

Mimar

With Lucerne you're in a small city; you get the lake and a couple of sample-Switzerland-in-a-day trips. With Wengen or Murren or Grindelwald, you get an up-in-the-Alps-with-Heidi experience. (I'm not such a fan of Lauterbrunnen; it's kind of in a hole. Though a good transportation hub, but so is Interlaken.)

So it's depends on what kind of experience you want.

I like to combine the lakes with the mountains when in Switzerland. You can catch the boat on Lake Brienz from Interlaken Ost, which isn't far from Lauterbrunnen.

How early is your flight from Zurich? Lucerne is only an hour by train from Zurich airport, and there are some direct trains.

PalenQ

If you have never been to Switzerland I would definitely base those days in Lauterbrunnen or other Alpine village like Grindelwald or Wengen, a perennial favourite with Fodorites. This Jungfrau region is the essence of the Alpine wonderland etched in our minds' eyes - glacier-clad peaks soaring up thousands of feet from your chalet-style flower-bedecked hotel balcony - hiking trails for all types of energies and a myriad of toy-like mountain-climbing trains and thrilling aerial cableways - Lucerne is fantastic too but it is a city on a lovely lake - great too but not the Alpine wonderland you may be picturing and expecting.

You may want to hit Lucerne en route back to Zurich - indeed you can hop direct trains I think from Lucerne right to Zurich airport.

Anyway also with the train travel previewed you should strongly consider a Swiss Pass that covers nearly all trains, lake boats (either on Lake Lucerne or the two lakes that bookend Interlaken be sure IMO to take a steamer ride on these incredibly gorgeous bodies of water - free with a pass and passes also cover all city buses and trams, postal buses and give 50% discounts on many aerial cableways to mountain tops, etc. if a 4-consecutive-day pass comports to your time then go for that - covering all transit from get there to get go.

For lots of great info on Swiss trains, passes, etc check out the Uber fantastic IMO sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com. And after recently checking it seems Swiss Passes are significantly cheaper if bought in North America than for the exact same pass bought at stations in Switzerland though this can always change so compare fares in Swiss francs and dollars.

Mimar

Regarding Geneva/Montreux, you might consider Vevey instead. It's smaller, less touristy (especially in August), cute old town.

Once again, it depends on what kind of experience you want. And also on where you are in your trip. Ready for a little quieter down time or still raring to go-go-go, see-see-see.

Ingo

I would skip Geneva in favour of Montreux. Then head to Lauterbrunnen, stay there for 3 (?) nights. Good suggestion to stop in Lucerne for a couple of hours on the way to Zürich (make sure to take the trains via Sarnen). Last night in Zürich, flight back in the morning.

P_Peppington

Well, I do like Lauterbrunnen, but I LOVE Wengen. I would much rather stay in car-free Wengen than Lauterbrunnen.

Lauterbrunnen has some very dramatic views, but the heavy- traffic road that runs through the town can be daunting, especially on weekends in summer. Car after car after car after car........

Wengen and Murren are both car free.

One of the best walks in the BO: take the Mannlichen cable car from Wengen to Mannlichen then walk to Kleine Scheidegg. It is not a hard walk and takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can then take the train from Kleine Scheidegg to either Grindelwald, Wengen, or Lauterbrunnen.

If you want to go shopping in the BO, then head to Interlaken. You can buy anything there, from a Swiss pocketknife to a Patek Philippe watch to a Gucci bag to a fake pashmina scarf.

I love Luzern, but it can be rather boring. It is a very pokey town. Very, very beautiful, but pokey. This city would be ideal for a relaxing honeymoon. But, if you are looking for a GO GO GO exciting town, this is NOT the place.

Luzern is the type of place where you could wander around eating an ice cream cone whilst looking in shop widows. Stay at one of the hotels on the lake and have a massage, manicure, then have lunch on the terrasse whilst sipping Veuve Clicquot.

I will be in Wengen on Sept. 8, 2011, sweetie darling. I am dreaming of the fabulous food of Hubert Mayer at the Hotel Schonegg.

www.hotel-schoenegg.ch

P_P

kwren

Since you mentioned the Silberhorn, I can tell you that it is not on the main street and we were never bothered by noise (other than from construction on the cable car next to it...that's done now so you shouldn't be concerned with noise.)

Amy_Lam

Wow, thanks everyone for the prompt and helpful advice!

Mimar: my flight out of zurich is really early, so i think i'll arrive in zurich the night before i fly out of switzerland, stay in Lauterbrunnen this time for 3 days before. I would definitely like to combine the Alps look with a boat tour - how does a boat tour around lake brienz compare to a boat ride in luzern?

PalenQ: yes, it's my first time to Switzerland, so all the advice you guys are giving are extremely helpful to me!

Kwren: thanks for the advice re Silberhorn. Is it a bit of a hike up with luggage? I have neck/shoulder pains, so my only concern is that it might be difficult to get up the slope? Grindelwald sounds fun! Hope you'll have a great stay there! Btw, do you know of any good mild hikes if I stay at Silberhorn?

Connie: Thanks for the hotel recommendation of Park Inn in Zurich. Have you stayed at the Welcome Inn in Zurich? How does it compare to Park Inn? I'll also stop over at Luzern on my way to Zurich. Do you know how much does a boat ride cost? How long does it take? I won't be staying overnight at Luzern.

P_Peppington: Have fun in Wengen! Do you know of any good mild hikes if I'm using Lauterbrunnen as a base for seeing the BO region?

BarbAnn, mimar and ingo: I would like to choose either Montreux or Vevey over Geneva give your great descriptions of these little towns. But I am having difficulty finding affordable hotels (less than 100Euros per night). Any suggestion?

Amy_Lam

PalenQ and others: on train travel, should I go for the Half Fare Pass (1-month) or the 4-day Swiss Pass? My itin is as follows:

2 nights in Geneva or Montreux or Vevey

2 nights in Lauterbrunnen - train to nearby attractions

1 night in Zurich

Thanks so much!

kwren

Amy! I'm struggling over which pass to use too! I think we're going with the Half Fare card...which of course has no bearing on you and your decision! It's a hard question to answer each time it comes up for us.

When we went to the Silberhorn, we took the most direct way to get there - right up the side of the hill from the station directly up to the hotel. Steep and there was an area covered with gravel. I don't recommend that! THEN we found out that you can go to the left out of the station and then take a right which is a little road which doubles back like a switchback back to the hotel. Of course it was up a slope and a bit of a longer walk, but it was a much better slope to deal with. We never again took the steep route and never minded the road. I hope that helps. I should also mention that if you stay in the chalet, that's up a little slope from the hotel as well, but it's not too far. I think they carried our luggage for us up to the chalet.

I'm not sure but I do know that some hotels will come to a station to pick up your luggage, but I don't know if the Silberhorn will do that. It would be worth asking if the slope is a problem for you.

We didn't do this, although I wanted to, but the hike from the top of the cable car next to the Silberhorn might be an easy hike. You should check it out. We didn't do it because that cable car was being built at the time. The hike from Mannlichen follows the contour of a few mountains, but it is fairly level for the most part and overall goes down except for a few parts where there is a slight incline. Nothing tough though. We're doing that one again next week.

Good luck with your planning! We're looking forward to Grindelwald and going up some new mountains starting from there.

Click on my name and look for my trip report - the first part of it talks about our time in Switzerland.

Mimar

I did a search on Tripadvisor and found the Hotel de Famille in Vevey and the Hotel Splendid in Montreux. But I don't know your exact dates or room requirements.

Lake Brienz makes a lovely cruise, and you can stop in the town of Brienz (lots of woodcarvers) and take the bus to the Ballenberg Open Air Swiss Museum, a park exhibiting traditional Swiss houses from around the different cantons as well as demonstrating traditional trades (cheesemaking, etc.)

PalenQ

PalenQ and others: on train travel, should I go for the Half Fare Pass (1-month) or the 4-day Swiss Pass? My itin is as follows:

2 nights in Geneva or Montreux or Vevey

2 nights in Lauterbrunnen - train to nearby attractions

1 night in Zurich>

Go to www.sbb.ch - Swiss Federal Railways site and see what the regular fares are - in Swiss francs for the train travel you will expect to do.

But it depends on what you do in each place - do you want to take a boat ride on Lake Geneva

will you be going out of Lauterbrunnen at all - like doing the fantastic IMO loop from Lauterbrunnen up the cliff by aerial cableway to Murren and back down to Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg and bus back to Lauterbrunnen - that is all 100% covered by a Swiss Pass.

But if you will just take a train from Geneva to /Montreux/Vevey to Lauterbrunnen and then to Zurich I would think just buying regular tickets would be best - Half-Fare Card costs $130 or so to start with.

4-day pass would get you also from Geneva airport to Montreux or Vevey it seems.

And with the pass you never need to buy tickets or go to a ticket window.

for fares in Swiss francs be sure to add whatver % your credit card company adds for foreign transactions - 3% often - and for pass prices compare with ones sold in U S dollars as they are often significantly cheaper than the same pass bought in Switzerland.

PalenQ

The Half-Fare card requires knowing exactly what train/boat trips you will be taking and if they are set in stone and will do no more then it is easy to calculate.

But if going to places like Lauterbrunnen or Lucerne very few folks simply stay put in those towns but do excursions from them and these may come up for unexpected reasons - like it is raining cats and dogs in Lauterbrunnen so you want to go down to Interlaken and take the train to nearby Bern, which not only has covered sidewalks but museums, etc - nicer town in rain than up in the hills - these unexpected type excursions - or in Lucerne on a nice sunny day you just decide to hop a boat for the few-hour float to Fluelen - say late in afternoon after trekking around Lucerne, etc. Flexibility can be priceless - so the few bucks typically that will be saved with the Half-Fare card do come with a cost of wanting later to do extra things that even at 50% off can be pricey and a deterent to doing them.