LLindaC

Genie, I think the day trip to Brienz and Spiez may not be necessary. Pretty places, but I liked Kandersteg and the amazing views there better. It's very close to Murren; shouldn't take but a half hour by train (?) As for lake views, there are some pretty places in Sils- Maria, however the Waldhaus and the like are pretty expensive. I remember seeing some lake view places a bit away from the city..I guess you have to do a bit of searching. Guarda is lovely...it sits up the hill from the train station and is very secluded and quiet. We went to Montreux on our visit 2 years ago...I wasn't that crazy about the city, but loved all the little villages along the lake. You can take the "wine train" and hop on and off between the villages- just lovely. I see you are taking the train to Poschiavo...not too much there, you HAVE to take the bus (fun ride) to Soglio. Have lunch in the garden at the Pallazzo Solis. You didn't say if you were hikers....but there are some amazing trails and sights around there. It's a good time to start treadmill training and getting ready for some great walking- it's the only way to experience parts of Switzerland. We stayed at the Caprice in Wengen- loved Murren too. My favorite fondue moment was lunch in Gimmelwald with those incredible views- awesome.It's just a short downhill jaunt from Murren- you could easily do that on your "day to explore Murren" which won't take a whole day, trust me!

genie29

Hi jackieb.


Thanks for replying...
We were planning to use Engelberg as a base to cover the area around Lucerne..we haven't yet decided what to do on the last day there...I was also contemplating cutting a day from there...however now the reservations are done...and I don't know if its such a great idea. What we may do is we may instead is take a trip to Montreux from Engelberg and have an extra day in Murren...

I have used the myswitzerland website extensively...it really is a great website!I have written to a lot of chalet owners...however have heard from very few...maybe they don't really let out for less than a week. Am looking at other options too.

Thanks yet again!
Genie

genie29

Hi LLindaC,

Thanks for your reply...

We will definitely try and fit in Kandersteg...we had kept the Bern + brienz option for a bad weather day...hopefully we will have none...however we are now seriously looking at Kandersteg.

As for gaurda...welll it certainly is on my list of must do...only question is how much time do we get there...

Are you suggesting that we do BE and soglio on the same day...is it really possible....because I had written a separate post on Engadin and Ingo felt that to do justice to the trip we should just do the train ride and hop off at Pochavio...and explore...

I am very saad about not being able to do Murtas Murgal as well...no time...

Well we really are no hikers...nothing as compared to you...have read your trip report!! . My maximum has been a 6-7 hours hike...which kind of killed me...2-3 hours I am comfortable with. Though we can walk extensively...are not too experienced with hiking...tho the tread mill option does sound good...if for nothing else...maybe for my trip to Switzerland I will look at a tread mill!

The wine train option is something we had not considered till now...because we were planning to the scenic train from Interlaken or Lucerne and then visit Chateau de Chillon and be back...this in itself sounds like a full trip...

Hoping to hear more from you!

Thanks
Genie

LLindaC

genie, you can see all of Guarda in an hour, unless you make a lunch stop. It really is something to see...just be aware that if you take a train there you MUST get on the bus right away or it's one heck of a walk. Kandersteg really is beautiful- I'm glad we took the lift up and down though, much as I love hiking this was steep! The ride is beautiful, the lake is gorgeous and the lunch at the hotel on the terrace was really fun. Poschiavo is a very pretty, tiny town. The ride there is a real thriller! Whoa, amazing scenery. However, the town is very small, that's why I suggest hopping on the bus that leads up to Soglio. From up there, the views are breathtaking! It would be a shame to get all the way to Poschiavo without seeing Soglio! Can I get an AMEN from enzian or suze? ;-)
While in the Engadine, Ardez is also a beautiful little village. Across from that, we loved the area around the Tarasp Castle....good spot for lunch, walk up past the hotel and look at the incredible views across the valley to Scuol. Ah, the Engadin doesn't get enough respect!!

LLindaC

Forgot to mention- the regular train takes you to Montreux. The castle is a bit outside the city limits; you might have to hop on a regional train to get there. Not sure; we actually stayed near the castle. If you want to see any of the small villages on the wine trail. you hop on the regional train or bus. If you take a really early train to the castle (which I highly suggest) you would have time to see some of the coastal villages of Lac Leman and possibly fit in a lunch. The Auberge de Rivaux is an amazing lunch spot!

http://www.egoddess.net/Articles/hik...wine_trail.htm

swandav2000

Hey LLindaC,

I concur that Soglio is a lovely spot with tremendous hiking possibilities. But I've never heard of this bus that links Poschivo & Soglio. I double-checked at www.rail.ch, and sure enough they don't show one; they route ya back through St. Moritz, a journey of more than four hours. Can you tell us more about this bus?

s

LLindaC

Oh boy, mea culpa....I remember now...not Poschiavo , I meant the bus from Promotogono. I wasn't even drinking, lol! We skipped Poschiavo (Bernina Express) in favor of going west and going the Soglio route. I understand both are great- so much to see, so little time! No, I don't recommend doing both in one day- not even sure that's possible! As far as Muottas goes- that's not a hard hike at all. You can take the lift up and down. It's incredible up there, but if you don't want to hike, you can still take the lift from Pontresina and enjoy the views. Lots were doing that. Okay- I better get some serious coffee now.

LLindaC

I meant to post these; I think these pictures of Guarda, Scuol, Matterhorn, etc are some of the most incredible I've seen and there's some good info on his site, too:
http://www.photoseek.com/alps3.html

genie29

Thanks a ton Linda for all the help! I am sorry for the delayed response...my computer was behaving erratically.

Kandersteg is definitely in...we plan to go there either on the first day...or try and do Bern from Engelberg and then get an extra day in the BO region.

The more I look at our itinerary...I increasingly get the feeling that I have packed too much in our 14 days...GOD knows if we can move about at this pace every day...I've been trying to reduce on the day trips...but these seem like the absolute must...

Will let you know where all we end up going...I tell myself everyday...if only we had 1 more week!!

This link to the pictures was really good...they are such lovely pictures. I have bookmarked thsi page...

thanks yet again!

genie

sunstar

The Matterhorn on clear days can be seen from all over and above Zermatt.

I guess my favorite place to view the Matterhorn is The Schwartsee.

That trip can be accessed by walking the main street over to the Winklematten area. The cable deal there will access the traveler to the Schwartsee area. Also from that same cable a person can take the cable up to Kleine Materhorn. Several trips can be done from there also

To me there is hike I really enjoy up in the direction of the Materhornhutte.

I love that hike!!

Another area I enjoyed views of the Matterhorn is the Sunnegga area. That trip can be accessed by walking over to that underground train type deal just down from The Gornergrat Bahn.

To me that area is less crowded, certainly less crowded than the Gornergrat excurions; however, there are some hiking options I really enjoy. I used that Gornergrat train to begin some fine walking trips.

I guess most people enjoy the Gornergrat excursion and it certainly is a good one, but there are other options to look into as well. There are some really neat hikes that I have started by getting off that Gornergrat train.

I hope the weather is good the day you all are there. Yanno, since you or anyone who only has that one day to view the Materhorn, I guess the Gornergrat trip is the best way to see that Matterhorn, but those other options I posted are some good uns also.

Maybe you could tack another day on to the Zermatt part of the trip.

tumi8

try www.bnb.ch for chalets in specific places...

bob_brown

Without getting caught up in a debate of why Engleberb and not the high Alps around Zermatt and Saas Fee, let me make a few comments from my experience with visits to the Berner Oberland and the area around Stalden - Saas Fee - Zermatt.

The Matterhorn is special as far as views go. There are two classic places to visit from Zermatt: The Gornergrat and the Klein Matterhorn.

I have done the Gornergrat twice and the view of Monte Rosa is enough to knock your socks off. This for me is THE Switzerland I came to see.

The Klein Matterhorn was a vista of eyepopping power. When you look an an alpine scene so grand and to overwhelming that the Matterhorn fades into the backdrop as just another peak among many, I think you get the picture.

Driving to Täsch from Lauterbrunnen is not that big of a deal. I have done it a couple of times. Take the route to Spiez, turn south to Kandersteg, drive onto the train ferry, ride through the tunnel to Goppenstein, drive down the mountain to the floor of the Rhone Valley, turn east to Visp, and turn south to Täsch. In Täsch, park in the huge garage and take the shuttle train to Zermatt.

For the Gornergrat, the station is a short walk from the main station. Buy your ticket and get on the first available train for the steep ride out of the hole in which Zermatt sits.

For the Klein Matterhorn, you will need to walk through the town. I got a map from the nice people at the visitor center near the main train station to the valley station of the cable lift sequence that goes several places including the Klein Matterhorn.

It would take a lot of Engleberg and Pontresina to compensate me for that one day at the Klein Matterhorn.

I cannot help but repress a smile when asked about Gimmelwald. All I can say is you must have been reading Rick Steves. Gimmelwald is a dot on the landscape. The views there are nothing exceptional. For me it is a place to get off of the Luftseilbahn and start down the trail to the Kilchbalm.

There are a few houses there, a few places that sell alpine cheese, a lodge-hotel-hostel that is cheaper than most of the accommodations in th area.
But I have yet to see anything to deter me longer than 20 minutes or so. (And I have passed through there more than once.)

Your Day 6 I question. All day to explore Mürren? How about an hour?
We went up there from Lauterbrunnen shopping once, and after an hour gave up that we would find anything unique.

Plenty of hotels and restaurants, however.

As for the Berner Oberland itself, there is so much to do there, and so much to see that I personally feel that you are not giving it much of a chance to show its wonders.

But, your time is limited. And you are going to be doing a lot in the time allocated. I just hope you have good weather. You may well adjust your timings accordingly, such as saving Brienz et. al. for a cloudy or even rainy day.