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My wife and I are planning a trip to this area and have heard very positive reports about the Lauterbrunnen Valley. However, I've heard that certain high altitude areas are blocked by the winter snow. What about this area around 4/22/05 to 5/3/05. We have 3 days to spend in this area. We will be flying into Zurich and will catch a train to the area. Is there ample train connections to Lauterbrunnen? Also, will we have any difficulty using this area as a base, and taking day trips by train to Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and other areas? Do we have considerable options for dinning in this area? Also, do you have a Hotel reccommendation? We had earlier thought about Brienz, Spiez, Interlaken, or Thun, but have received mixed reviews about those towns...I would really appreciate comments about the Lauterbrunnen area.
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Lauterbrunnen Switzerland
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The snow will be long gone in Lauterbrunnen by the end of April, and even in the middle of winter it's a very unusual year that presents access problems, and then only for very brief periods. Train access from Zurich is excellent - the usual route is to head through Bern, then along through Spiez and Thun to Interlaken, changing at Interlaken Ost to the Berner Oberland Bahn cog train. You can check the schedule at www.sbb.ch, but my recollection is that there's a train every couple of hours. The train splits at Zweileutschinen, with half going to Lauterbrunnen and half going to Grindelwald, so check the little sign on the car when you get in to make sure you've got the right one. Strictly in terms of access to other areas, Interlaken would make a better base, but Lauterbrunnen is preferable if you're primarily interested in exploring the Jungfrau area. We've always stayed in Grindelwald, so I have no hotel recommendations for either Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken.
Zurich to Interlaken will take you about 2.5 hours. Trains from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen are about every 1/2 hour. Hotel Staubbach seems to have a number of fans around here, although I haven't stayed there. www.staubbach.ch
Late April/early May can still see many of the higher elevation hiking trails closed due to snow. Check with a TI office for trail closures if that is important to you. You can even get fresh snowfall that late. Check with http://wwwa.accuweather.com/world-city-list2.asp?partner=accuweather&myadc=0 for a forecast before you leave for Switzerland. I think it's a fine time to go since it is the offseason and the crowds will be down.
I think Lauterbrunnen is an excellent base for the area, assuming your main interest is the mountains. It is a central point with easy access to either side of the valley.
Some pictures of my trip to that area this past May are here:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/goflaherty/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1&_c=
Unfortunately it is a very poor time for a visit of this area. Most restaurants, hotels, cable cars will have just closed (skiing season just finished). Some of the hotels/restaurants are of course open all year round.
Even mid-altitude areas will have snow (Mürren). Your exploring will be limited to the valley grounds and the the cog-wheel trains (Kleine Scheidegg e.g.).
At this time I would prefer the lakes - Interlaken is not as bad as you might think, Brienz was devastated by the recent flood, so don't know about next spring. Thun is definitely lively all year round and a good base if you like towns. The disadvantage of Spiez is that the railway station is up on the hill while the hotels are down by the lake (10-15 min. walk).
I personally like the quiet villages at the northern bank of Lake Thun - Merligen, Gunten, Oberhofen. There are some very nice hotels there. Check Hotel du Lac in Merligen e.g. or www.thunersee.ch
These villages have frequent bus connections with both Thun and Interlaken, and in spring the ferries start again with a relatively frequent schedule.
Ingo