geetika

DH & I will be in Geneva on work May 3rd week and have a few days before heading back home. Our meetings will be done by the evening of May 20 and we thought of spending three days in the Bernese Oberland before flying back on the morning of May 24. DH has a knee problem, so we will be doing some easy-moderate hikes, nothing strenuous. The main idea is to have a little break before getting back to work. The itinerary I'm looking at is:

May 21 - train to Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen
May 22 & 23 - Jungfrauhoch depending on weather, the other day Murren, Grindenwald and maybe Schilthorn, subject to time
May 23 evening - train to Zurich, stay overnight near airport for our flight the next morning

I have two questions. First, where do you suggest we base ourselves, Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen? The latter appeals to me as it's a small town, but the former probably has many more hotel and restaurant options.

Secondly, what would you suggest we get, the Bernese Oberland 3 day pass or the Saver Day Pass, with the Half Fare Card?

I look forward to your comments and suggestions, thanks in advance

neckervd

Rail Passes:
all depends on your travels within the Bernese Oberland.

The Bernese Oberland Pass grants FREE RIDE
from Saanen via Interlaken to Lucerne,
from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen - Wengen - Kleine Scheidegg or Maennlichen - Grindelwald,
from Lauterbrunnen to Muerren,
from Grindelwald to First,
from Spiez to Bern and to Brig,
from Brienz to Breinzer Rothorn - Soerenberg - Schuepfheim - Lucerne,
from Meiringen to Alpen tower,
from Muelenen to Niesen,
from Beatenbucht to Niederhorn,
on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz boats,
on all bus lines in the Bernese Oberland and Loetschental
and HALF FARE
from Montreux to Saanen
from Muerren to Schilthorn
from Hergiswil (Lucerne) to Engelberg - Titlis

Montreux - Saanen with BOPass will cost 43 CHF
Lucerne - Zurich airport will cost 30 CHF
Saver day Passes will most probably not be available fro less than 70 CHF for your dates. And they grant only 50 per cent reduction above Muerren, Wengen, Grindelwald and Brienz.

As long as you don't go from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch, you will pay:
with Bernese Oberland Pass: 220 + 43 + 30 = 293 CHF
with 3 Saver Day Passes (if you can get them): 3 x70 = 210 CHF plus half fare for all mountain railways you may take
with Half Fare Card only:
Geneve - Lausanne - Bern or Saanen - Interlaken - Lauterbrunnen - Lucerne - Zurich airport: 120 + 42 + 32 = 194 CHF plus half fare for all mountain railways you may take
Mountain railway fares in the Interlaken-Jungfrau area: Jungfraubahnen_Fahrpreise_Preisliste.pdf

neckervd

But be aware that May can get very rainy in the Alps. I wouldn't book anything long ahead.
Have a look at the weather forecast 1 or 2 days ahead and decide.

kja

If weather isn't an issue -- and as neckervd has indicated, it can be! -- I'd opt for Lauterbrunnen over Interlaken in a heart beat. Lauterbrunnen has more than enough restaurants, in an array of price points, to meet reasonable needs for a stay of only 3 days!

But because weather is a potential issue, Interlaken might make more sense. Or even Berne or Thun or somewhere else in the region.

geetika

Thank you very much neckervd for the detailed info on passes, will study it at leisure this weekend.

While I was prepared for some amount of rain I didn’t think it could get pretty bad, that’s too bad! Anyway, will look at forecasts and plan accordingly.

kja, I myself had decided on Lauterbrunnen, but in what way do you think bad weather could be an issue staying there?

Thanks again for taking the time to help me out!

neckervd

"but in what way do you think bad weather could be an issue staying there?"

If the weather is really bad, the only decent thing you can do is to visit caves, castles, medieval cities, beautiful churches, stunning museums, chocolate or cheese factories, etc.
All these things are neither at Lauterbrunnen nor at Interlaken, but Interlaken is closer to them.
Sometimes, the weather is bad in the Bernese Oberland, but fine in Valais (1/2 hr by train from Spiez) or along Lake Maggiore (1 1/2 hrs by train from Spiez). If you must first go from Lauterbrunnen to Spiez, you can add 1 hr for each way.

kja

My reasoning was what neckervd suggested: If the weather in the Bernese Oberland is bad, then you'll face extra transportation time to the things you might want to do f you are in Lauterbrunnen than if you are in Interlaken or elsewhere.

geetika

neckervd & kja, I see what you mean, that does make sense. Maybe I’ll book refundable hotel rooms in both places and cancel one closer to the date after checking the weather forecast.

Thanks again both of you!

kja

If you decide to book in Lauterbrunnen, you might look at the Hotel Staubach.

quokka

May is a lousy time of year to tour high Alpine regions like Berner Oberland. However, May is drop-dead beautiful by the lakes in the lowlands. Why not to what's best at this time of the year, instead of the worst possible choice? Spend time by the lakes.

geetika

Thanks for the suggestion quokka, I hadn’t really thought about the weather issue. We have a long weekend at the end of our business trip and DH came up with Jungfrauhoch.

How would Lakes Thun and Brienz be, the old town of Thun sounds like something we’d love. Need to sit down with a map and guide book before coming back for more advice, thank you!