Bernese Oberland or Engadin
Feb 1st, 2015, 02:02 AM
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Bernese Oberland or Engadin
I am planning my first trip to Switzerland in early November and I am deciding where to go to either Bernese Oberland or Engadin. I love scenic views and would want to do easy hiking trails. Which would be a better place to go? The distance from airport is not an issue with me, I just want to have the best Swiss Alps experience.
Can you also suggest village/town would be the best base for either the Bernese Oberland or Engadin?
Can you also suggest village/town would be the best base for either the Bernese Oberland or Engadin?
Feb 1st, 2015, 07:57 AM
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We're talking about early November here, right? The worst time for the Alps. Since the Engadine is right *in the middle* of the Alps, unlike the Bernese Oberland, I would suggest the Bernese Oberland in this case - more options for excursions to towns, museums etc.
Forget hiking trails in the mountains except for those at low elevation around the towns. The towns in the Engadine are at *much* higher elevation than the towns in the Bernese Oberland (except Mürren). Most of them will be almost dead and empty anyway.
Frankly, Grindelwald is the only place I can half-heartedly recommend at this time of year.
Forget hiking trails in the mountains except for those at low elevation around the towns. The towns in the Engadine are at *much* higher elevation than the towns in the Bernese Oberland (except Mürren). Most of them will be almost dead and empty anyway.
Frankly, Grindelwald is the only place I can half-heartedly recommend at this time of year.
Feb 1st, 2015, 06:59 PM
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Thank you very much for your inputs! Looks like Bernese Oberland it is! I would have to go to Engadine next time. After reading the forums, it seems that Grindelwald is the most logical choice since car-free villages like Wengen and Murren would be too quiet.
Feb 2nd, 2015, 08:50 AM
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Everything will be very very quiet and very shadowy in November. Most lifts and mountain restaurants will be closed. In 2014, November weather was fine (after a horrible summer!), but this was a big exception!
Have a plan B (museums, exhibitions, medieval cities, castles, etc.). In any case: don't book anything in advance, hotels in the Bernese Oberland (those which are open) will have free rooms anyway.
Have a plan B (museums, exhibitions, medieval cities, castles, etc.). In any case: don't book anything in advance, hotels in the Bernese Oberland (those which are open) will have free rooms anyway.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 01:45 PM
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The Jungfrau Region is IME the very finest Alpine Wonderland in Switzerland - not that the Engadine is not great but you have many more varied things to see and do in the Grindelwald-Lauterbrunnen-Wengen-Murren area - and there are toylike trains and thrilling aerial gondolas goingh off in all directions - hikes right from these towns - easy to hard to impossible.
The Interlaken area has two lakes with lake boats - if rain sets in the hills it is easy to day trip to Bern, a fine fine city, or Lucerne or boat trips on the lakes - not as familiar with Engadine but don't know of many non-alpine day trips if funky weather, always possible, sets in.
and for most the Interlaken area is quicker and easier to get to.
HANDS DOWN - The Jungfrau Region - for a good look at trains and the area's transports check out www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com - if just going to one place check out regional passes like the Berner Oberland Pass or Jungfraubahn Pass - if going to other places check out Swiss Passes, Swiss Transfer Tickets or Half-Fare Cards (see above sites for details.)
The Interlaken area has two lakes with lake boats - if rain sets in the hills it is easy to day trip to Bern, a fine fine city, or Lucerne or boat trips on the lakes - not as familiar with Engadine but don't know of many non-alpine day trips if funky weather, always possible, sets in.
and for most the Interlaken area is quicker and easier to get to.
HANDS DOWN - The Jungfrau Region - for a good look at trains and the area's transports check out www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com - if just going to one place check out regional passes like the Berner Oberland Pass or Jungfraubahn Pass - if going to other places check out Swiss Passes, Swiss Transfer Tickets or Half-Fare Cards (see above sites for details.)
Jul 22nd, 2015, 02:29 PM
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Would the above opinions be the same for late August (around the 25th)?>
Hard to tell - weather plays a factor but I would definitely book ahead for late August - September no but August is still the European vacation season.
Hard to tell - weather plays a factor but I would definitely book ahead for late August - September no but August is still the European vacation season.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 06:01 PM
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Thanks for the replies you guys! We've only got a couple days to visit Switzerland on our way to Venice from Zurich and I keep going back and forth trying to decide what we want to do. Right now, I think we're leaning toward the Bernese Oberland. It's a little bit the wrong direction from Venice but still doable. Would you recommend it even if we only have two or three nights? Our flight gets in to Zurich at 8:50AM so I'm thinking we could be to Lauderbrunnen or one of the higher villages by around 1:30PM or so. Does that sound right?
Jul 22nd, 2015, 07:16 PM
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@ LA_FadeAway: If you decide on the Bernese Oberland, Lauterbrunnen makes most sense to me given your limited time in the area. Think through your priorities in advance, and have a Plan B ready for each day if the weather doesn't cooperate! IMO, the spectacular Engadine merits more time than you seem to have. JMO.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 07:20 PM
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I think you're right kja. Are you recommending Lauterbrunnen as a base over Murren or Wengen? I'm assuming due ease of movement to various sites. If we decide we need to stay higher up, is Wengen the more logical choice for getting around? I agree with your plan A and B idea too, in case of bad weather.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 09:13 PM
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"Are you recommending Lauterbrunnen as a base over Murren or Wengen?"
Please note: I don't know about conditions in late August! My earlier response was specific to your question about whether the Bernese Oberland or the Engadine would make more sense if you have only 2 or 3 nights in play.
In general, you have to go through Lauterbrunnen to get to either Murren or Wengen, so with limited time, Lauterbrunnen is the place that is most efficient. I really enjoyed Lauterbrunnen -- at least some lodgings there offer some stunning views of a cliff-walled valley extending to snow-capped mountains, with multiple waterfalls of remarkable height dropping off those cliffs during at least some (if not all) times of the year. For my needs, the Hotel Staubbach was perfect, but it isn't a full service hotel, so it wouldn't suit just anyone.
If you go higher up -- to Wengen or Murren -- my preference was Wengen, but it really depends on what you want, what you can afford, how much time you are willing to spend getting to/from your lodging, etc. With limited time, note that it will take less time to get to / from most lodgings in Wengen than anything in Murren.
The good news = none of these are bad options!
And again -- I'm no expert and don't know what the weather is usually like in August. Have you checked your travel books?
Good luck!
Please note: I don't know about conditions in late August! My earlier response was specific to your question about whether the Bernese Oberland or the Engadine would make more sense if you have only 2 or 3 nights in play.
In general, you have to go through Lauterbrunnen to get to either Murren or Wengen, so with limited time, Lauterbrunnen is the place that is most efficient. I really enjoyed Lauterbrunnen -- at least some lodgings there offer some stunning views of a cliff-walled valley extending to snow-capped mountains, with multiple waterfalls of remarkable height dropping off those cliffs during at least some (if not all) times of the year. For my needs, the Hotel Staubbach was perfect, but it isn't a full service hotel, so it wouldn't suit just anyone.
If you go higher up -- to Wengen or Murren -- my preference was Wengen, but it really depends on what you want, what you can afford, how much time you are willing to spend getting to/from your lodging, etc. With limited time, note that it will take less time to get to / from most lodgings in Wengen than anything in Murren.
The good news = none of these are bad options!
And again -- I'm no expert and don't know what the weather is usually like in August. Have you checked your travel books?
Good luck!
Jul 22nd, 2015, 09:43 PM
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Hi LA_FadeAway,
It seems you are pretty well decided on going to the Berner Oberland, but I do want to correct some statements of PaelnQ's that are quite wrong imo.
It's certainly not a "HANDS DOWN" win for the Oberland; that's just one opinion. I've heard some Swiss people say that the Oberland doesn't have the best mountains, just the best PR. And I think that's true -- it's where most first visitors go, and so it's where they all recommend other visitors go.
I don't think the Oberland has more to do than the Engadin Valley -- the Engadin has more, I think, or at least just as many. The Engadin has an Upper area and a Lower area, and each one is dotted with charming and interesting villages, from Sils to Silvaplana, Pontresina, Celerina, Zuoz, Scuol, Guarda, Ardez, and more. The Engadin is also dotted with more lakes than the Oberland area has, though I think many of them are smaller than Lakes Thun & Brienz. And of course there are many towering peaks travellers can easily ascend.
And of course the Engadin has the most scenic train ride in Switzerland imo, the Bernina Express, which you can take when you move on to Venice.
What the Engadin doesn't have is . . . lots of tourists, especially in the summertime. Well, let me amend that -- it does have tourists, but they will be German-speaking hikers who are there to hike. I once stayed in the town of Zuoz and found there wasn't one souvenir store in town! When you stop to take photographs of the countryside or the majestic mountains, you'll likely be the only one doing it! No tour busses (which you'll see all over the flats in the Oberland in August) and no downloaded masses clogging the streets.
What the Jungfrau region does have is a more developed infrastructure for English-speaking tourists, so if that is important to you, then the Jungfrau is the place you'll like more. It has more hotels and restaurants at every price level, more English-speaking agents in stores, restaurants, hotels, and in the train stations, more clear hiking and orienting maps in English, etc.
The good think is that most travellers are quite happy no matter which choice they make -- so this is a win/win for you!
Just wanted to set the record straight!
s
It seems you are pretty well decided on going to the Berner Oberland, but I do want to correct some statements of PaelnQ's that are quite wrong imo.
It's certainly not a "HANDS DOWN" win for the Oberland; that's just one opinion. I've heard some Swiss people say that the Oberland doesn't have the best mountains, just the best PR. And I think that's true -- it's where most first visitors go, and so it's where they all recommend other visitors go.
I don't think the Oberland has more to do than the Engadin Valley -- the Engadin has more, I think, or at least just as many. The Engadin has an Upper area and a Lower area, and each one is dotted with charming and interesting villages, from Sils to Silvaplana, Pontresina, Celerina, Zuoz, Scuol, Guarda, Ardez, and more. The Engadin is also dotted with more lakes than the Oberland area has, though I think many of them are smaller than Lakes Thun & Brienz. And of course there are many towering peaks travellers can easily ascend.
And of course the Engadin has the most scenic train ride in Switzerland imo, the Bernina Express, which you can take when you move on to Venice.
What the Engadin doesn't have is . . . lots of tourists, especially in the summertime. Well, let me amend that -- it does have tourists, but they will be German-speaking hikers who are there to hike. I once stayed in the town of Zuoz and found there wasn't one souvenir store in town! When you stop to take photographs of the countryside or the majestic mountains, you'll likely be the only one doing it! No tour busses (which you'll see all over the flats in the Oberland in August) and no downloaded masses clogging the streets.
What the Jungfrau region does have is a more developed infrastructure for English-speaking tourists, so if that is important to you, then the Jungfrau is the place you'll like more. It has more hotels and restaurants at every price level, more English-speaking agents in stores, restaurants, hotels, and in the train stations, more clear hiking and orienting maps in English, etc.
The good think is that most travellers are quite happy no matter which choice they make -- so this is a win/win for you!
Just wanted to set the record straight!
s
Jul 22nd, 2015, 09:56 PM
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Thank you swandav2000! I was originally leaning toward the Engadin due to the ease of taking the Bernina Express all the way to Italy and the less touristy aspect. I thought I had it all settled and then showed my husband some pictures of each area and he really liked the looks of Wengen, Murrin, etc so now I'm second guessing everything, lol.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 11:41 PM
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Agree with swandav as usual. Especially the statement "you have many more varied things to see and do in the Grindelwald-Lauterbrunnen-Wengen-Murren area" is nonsense. Quite the opposite - the Engadine has many more things to do. More museums, churches, picturesque villages ... Also, it combines three cultures of Switzerland: Rumantsch, Swiss-German, Italian. The Bernese Oberland is Swiss-German, but maybe that's what you are looking for.
Frankly, for a first-timer it doesn't make much of a difference, and with two full days only you won't have to worry about running out of things to do/see anyway.
However, I found the Bernese Oberland to be more expensive than the Engadine. The reason is that with a hotel stay of two or more nights you get the public transport and cable cars/gondolas free in almost every hotel in the Upper Engadine, while these fares cost an arm and a leg in the Jungfrau region. And the hotel rates are not higher in the Upper Engadine compared to the Bernese Oberland.
Frankly, for a first-timer it doesn't make much of a difference, and with two full days only you won't have to worry about running out of things to do/see anyway.
However, I found the Bernese Oberland to be more expensive than the Engadine. The reason is that with a hotel stay of two or more nights you get the public transport and cable cars/gondolas free in almost every hotel in the Upper Engadine, while these fares cost an arm and a leg in the Jungfrau region. And the hotel rates are not higher in the Upper Engadine compared to the Bernese Oberland.
Jul 23rd, 2015, 12:24 AM
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LA_FadeAway -
My remarks were mostly for other travellers who might read this in the future and who might be less decided than you/your husband are.
I would suggest that you don't stress over this -- I really believe you'll have a wonderful visit in the Jungfrau area. So, if that's where your husband wants to go, you should have no qualms.
I'm glad that Ingo also posted with more specifics -- my posts are always too general.. . !
s
My remarks were mostly for other travellers who might read this in the future and who might be less decided than you/your husband are.
I would suggest that you don't stress over this -- I really believe you'll have a wonderful visit in the Jungfrau area. So, if that's where your husband wants to go, you should have no qualms.
I'm glad that Ingo also posted with more specifics -- my posts are always too general.. . !
s
Jul 23rd, 2015, 05:18 AM
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If you travel by public transport, both, Bernese Oberland AND Engadine are between Zurich and Venice.
Timetables:
ZRH airport dp 9.40 - Spiez (Bernese Oberland)ar 11.34, direct train
Spiez dp 8.05, 15.05, 16.05 - Venice ar 14.10, 20.10, 23.10, change at Milan
ZRH airport dp 9.40 - Zernez (Engadin)ar 12.26, change at Zurich HB and Landquart
Zernez dp 9.34, 11.15, 13.15 - Venice ar 16.40, 18.10, 20.10, change at Mals, Meran, Bolzano/Bozen and sometimes Verona.
Both areas are fine, but different. If the weather is really bad, the Bernese Oberland offers more alternatives (visites of caves, museums, castles, medieval cities) than the Engadine, unless the weather is fine in the south and you can just hop over the Maloja Pass or the Bernina Pass..
The highest mountains and the biggest glaciers (with the cheapest acces by public transport) are in the Canton of Valais, however, 1 hr by train from Spiez in direction of Venice.
Timetables:
ZRH airport dp 9.40 - Spiez (Bernese Oberland)ar 11.34, direct train
Spiez dp 8.05, 15.05, 16.05 - Venice ar 14.10, 20.10, 23.10, change at Milan
ZRH airport dp 9.40 - Zernez (Engadin)ar 12.26, change at Zurich HB and Landquart
Zernez dp 9.34, 11.15, 13.15 - Venice ar 16.40, 18.10, 20.10, change at Mals, Meran, Bolzano/Bozen and sometimes Verona.
Both areas are fine, but different. If the weather is really bad, the Bernese Oberland offers more alternatives (visites of caves, museums, castles, medieval cities) than the Engadine, unless the weather is fine in the south and you can just hop over the Maloja Pass or the Bernina Pass..
The highest mountains and the biggest glaciers (with the cheapest acces by public transport) are in the Canton of Valais, however, 1 hr by train from Spiez in direction of Venice.
Jul 23rd, 2015, 10:50 AM
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Especially the statement "you have many more varied things to see and do in the Grindelwald-Lauterbrunnen-Wengen-Murren area" is nonsense. Quite the opposite - the Engadine has many more things to do.>
Maybe but not in such a compact area with easy access and no I don't even agree with your take on that - not more - maybe on par but more varied things to do - where can you take lake boat trips? No one can say which is better than the other as each is very different IME - it's harder for the novice traveler to get a fix on the more far-flung attractions of the Engadine than those all in a neat little area in th Jungfrau Region - no for the first-time traveler the Jungfrau Region rules.
Now I can see locals like seandav and ingo - well they live in Germany and Swiss saying the Engadine is better but for the true novice foreign tourist the Jungfrau Region will be much easier to get a fix on - go to Grindelwald and its all laid out in front of you.
each to their own taste and who is to say who is right and wrong but there is a reason the Jungfrau Region sees many many many more foreign visitors than the Engadine, a favorite of Europeans who may eschew the Jungfrau Region as too touristy.
Maybe but not in such a compact area with easy access and no I don't even agree with your take on that - not more - maybe on par but more varied things to do - where can you take lake boat trips? No one can say which is better than the other as each is very different IME - it's harder for the novice traveler to get a fix on the more far-flung attractions of the Engadine than those all in a neat little area in th Jungfrau Region - no for the first-time traveler the Jungfrau Region rules.
Now I can see locals like seandav and ingo - well they live in Germany and Swiss saying the Engadine is better but for the true novice foreign tourist the Jungfrau Region will be much easier to get a fix on - go to Grindelwald and its all laid out in front of you.
each to their own taste and who is to say who is right and wrong but there is a reason the Jungfrau Region sees many many many more foreign visitors than the Engadine, a favorite of Europeans who may eschew the Jungfrau Region as too touristy.
