scatcat

We arrive in Wengen on Monday the 6th. The weather is indicating rain beginning Monday and still raining when we leave on Friday. Does anyone have suggestions on things to do? We had planned Jungfraujoch and Shilthorn, but that probably won't happen now. I am thinking about canceling the hotel, but I will be responsible for the entire reservations, which is about $800.

scatcat

ttt

Jean

I can't comment on Wengen weather in particular, but I find high altitude/mountain weather very changeable. It could rain, heavily at times, or it could just be showers that hopefully you could handle. I know that Jungfraujoch can be a roll of the dice almost any time of year. I'd probably still go, take rain gear and make the most of whatever happens.

Good luck!

DalaiLlama

That's what trains are for. Bern is less than two hours away, take the early train, 6;41 or 7;13, spend the day in Bern, it is rain-proof (the arcades flanking the streets in the old part of town where you want to be provide shelter as you stroll up and down.). Lots to see, google it, good museums, shop til you drop, tasty food of many kinds in lots of restaurants.
The historic center is also a very functional modern city, with the Swiss Federal government building, a cathedral (Münster), lots more.
If you venture a bit outside that old center, for the Paul Klee museum for example, trams and buses leave every few minutes from across the train station.

StuDudley

That happened to us too several years ago. We even got snow one day in mid Sept. We never saw the Jungfraujoch.

We took a train to Bern one day & spent the day there. We also took the train to Interlaken & did laundry (exciting).

That's the problem with the Alps - the weather can really mess things up.

Stu Dudley

scatcat

Thanks everyone. Kind of a bummer being in a tiny village and all the activities we had planned are squashed. I went to Jungfraujoch this same time last September and was lucky to have perfect sunny weather for 3 days. I wanted my son to see the same sights, but I guess we'll try again next year. I think I will not make reservations next September.

DalaitLlama I am very good at shopping, so I'm sure Bern will be perfect. And the arcades will be much appreciated since the weather is showing heavy rain for a couple of days.

ButterflyGirl06

We will be in Lauterbrunnen right around that same time. We'll just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best! Maybe it will be like Hawaii where it rains for a little bit then the sun comes out!!

swandav2000

Hi scatcat,

The city of Thun also has arcaded streets, and it's a bit closer than Bern. There is also a castle at Thun, one at Spiez, and one at Oberhofen -- good for a rainy day.

I also like to take ferry rides in the rain, so you could think about that.

s

artsbabe

Also, it actually may not rain. I've found the online weather forecasts to be right about 50% of the time.

scatcat

Thanks swandav. I will be going to Thun too. The weather is just not looking good. I've never been on a ferry in rain, so this will be a first. To get to Thun, I train to Interlaken West, then ferry?

ButterflyGirl

I wish it could be like Hawaii, but it's not looking so good now. Monday September the 6th is sunny, but we won't arrive til mid afternoon.

nytraveler

First, weather forecasting isn't that accurate.

Second, for any trip to europe (except possibly southern SPain in midsummer) you should assume some days of rain.

Third, there are a ton of things to do/see in Switzerland than can be done indoors or in/outdoors but don;t involve hiking in mud.

We happily spent days with pouring rain in Bern, in Thun (the castle is fascinating), in Gruyere (cheese making and another castle to explore) and Zurich (great museums). And stopping in a restaurant by the side of a lake in the pouring rain and watching it pour down along with a couple of small waterfalls can be very romanic.

Caveat: we always drive n Switzerland and find it gives us much more freedom to change plans on the spot as the weather does.

annhig

hi scatcat,

we had just this experience in austria last year, though in some ways we were luckier as we started off in Vienna where there is loads to do, whether it's wet or dry.

after that we spent a few very wet days in St. Wolfgang, and then aborted our stay in kitzbuhl and headed for salzburg. luckily we were able to cancel our bookings with nil cost, else we might have been in the same situation as you.

hopefully the forecast will prove to be wrong and you'll have a great time.

scatcat

Thanks annhig, I am hoping we will see a little sun. Here in Texas, we have had almost no rain for months. Lots of sun and temperatures above 100 every day. I have wished for rain, but I really meant for the rain here not in Switzerland.

ButterflyGirl06

Scatcat, lol. I am in Texas, too (Dallas). and of course just yesterday the weather started getting really nice! I'm sure the weather will do its best to cooperate with us in Switzerland. And if not, there are museums, castles, etc to keep us occupied. Just bring a raincoat!

scatcat

That is funny ButterflyGirl! You know the situation with no rain. Well, now I will see rain! All rain gear packed. Ready to go.

ButterflyGirl06

same here. we leave in 3 hours!

swisshiker

Count me in as a Texan (Austin) visiting Switzerland! We'll be there a week from today!

Bought another can of ScotchGard today in preparation for rain!

Ingo

It looks like Tuesday will still be fine - "Föhn" is expected, a warm wind from the south that makes for sunshine (and often headache) just north of the Alps. Use that day for hiking in the mountains - I wouldn't do long tours away from cable cars/mountain railways, though, and always watch the weather.

Wednesday and Thursday look worse. While Wednesday seems to be still okay with mostly clouds and occasional showers (forecast for Interlaken) Thursday will be rainy, colder, and snow down to Kleine Scheidegg. So, maybe a cruise on Lake Thun, visiting the castles of Spiez and Oberhofen, would be a good idea.

Thursday ... well, time for Bern ;-) or the Trümmelbach waterfalls.

HappyTrvlr

You might find better weather down below the mountains on Lakes Thun and Brienz..both are worth a visit and aren't too long a drive.

scatcat

swisshiker
We'll just miss you. We fly out of Zurich on the 10th for Dubrovnik. Maybe the weather will be cleared up just in time for you.

Ingo and HappyTrav
Thank you both for helping me save my sanity. I am a real jittery hyper-active woman. When I first saw the forecasts for rain, I figured I would sit in the room til I killed myself.