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Shauri Apr 14th, 2016 04:50 AM

3days in Switzerland- based in Lauterbrunnen
 
Hello
We are 3 adults and a 2.5 year old who will be traveling to Switzerland from Netherlands on a road trip .we have chosen Camping Jungfrau in Lauterbrunnen as a base bcoz i really loved the concept.
Day 1 we will reach by 4pm as its aprox an 8 hrs drive. It will be a tiring drive so do you have any recommendations for day 1?
Day 2 -we plan to visit Engelberg and the Mount Titlis. Guess this should take up half a day.evening head to Lucern and see the chapel bridge n njoy a lovely dinner.
Day 3- the plan is to visit Lake Brienz, Ballenberg museum.
What else can we do today?
I was also keen on going to Gstaad, Saanen and the Broc chocolate factory. Please guide.
Any more must visit places?

Thanks

Edward2005 Apr 14th, 2016 06:26 AM

There are many things to see and do in the immediate Lauterbrunnen area without venturing elsewhere. For example, the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch are on Lauterbrunnen's doorstep without having to go to Luzern to visit Mt. Titlis.

There are tons of hiking trails in the area for all difficulty levels, including ones for families with small children. You can rent bicycles and ride up and down the Lauterbrunnen valley. Trummelbach Falls is a cool place (literally!) to visit.

Lake cruises and the Ballenberg museum are excellent ideas!

Shauri Apr 14th, 2016 06:59 AM

Thankyou Edward. Can you please share some easy hikes whichwe can plan. Keeping the toddler in mind.
Also, my husband and I have visited both Jungfraujouch and Titlis 6 years ago. But my mother in law will be visiting Switzerland for the first timeso we planned Titlis for her. Also we felt it will be better than Jungfrau with a kid.
Awaiting hiking ideas from you:)

Edward2005 Apr 14th, 2016 12:09 PM

Oh, I did not realize you had already visited the Jungfraujoch. The Schilthorn is also well worth a visit on a nice day (there's a restaurant up there as well).

Here is an on-line copy of a map of trails on the Schilthorn side of the Lauterbrunnen valley.

http://www.gimmelwald.com/pics/gimmelwald/hikemap.jpg

Here are a few easy and beautiful walks:
1. Grutschalp to Gimmelwald. From Lauterbrunnen take the cable car up to Grutschalp. The trail leads to Murren and will be almost entirely flat or downhill. It's about a 75 minute walk, maybe more with a toddler. A small train will surely pass you during your walk, which will excite your child. In Murren you can rest, have a meal, and decide if you want to cut your walk short by taking the cable car down to Gimmelwald and then to the valley floor at Stechelberg.

Or you can continue the downhill walk to Gimmelwald to visit all the cows and goats. Stop by at the Mountain Hostel next to the cable car station for a refreshment.

2. Allmendhubel: Murren-to-Murren
In Murren the Allmendhublebhan takes you up a few hundred meters to start a nice pastoral walk from above Murren to the other side of a ridge and then back to Murren. Again, mostly downhill or flat. In fact, I think this hike is actually called the Children's Hike or some such.

Walks 1 and 2 are on the map in the link. You can also simply walk up and down the valley. It's flat and beautiful, and if you get tired just take a seat at a bus stop and wait for the next one.

There are also some easy hikes on the other side of the valley, starting from Mannlichen and going downhill, winding around the Tshuggen peak and finishing in Wengen. That one may be a bit long for a toddler, though, and in some places the path was pretty narrow. I am less familiar with all the child-friendly hiking trails on that side of the valley. Maybe someone else can fill you in.

Shauri Apr 15th, 2016 10:56 AM

Oh thats really interesting Edward. Thanks. I will search more about it.
I just have 1 more question .
We are not buying any Swiss pass etc as all our travel is by car.
But if we plan to visit Titlis, Ballenberg, Lake Brienz Cruise, trummelbach falls is there any pass that will make it cheaper or should we just pay individually.

Edward2005 Apr 15th, 2016 11:21 AM

The Swiss Half Fare card is usually a good bargain. The details are here:

https://ricksteves.raileurope.com/ac...Eng=Activities

Shauri Apr 16th, 2016 11:12 PM

Edward but the link above says that the Swiss half fare card is only valid for train and public transport . It does not mention discount on any of these places mentioned by me

tipsygus Apr 17th, 2016 05:20 AM

Shauri The half fare pass is just for transport. if you want to take advantage of the free entrance to some attractions you need the Swiss travel Pass. this covers every thing you mention except the Trummelbach Falls, I am not sure about these, you would have to look at the falls website.

Macaroni09 Apr 18th, 2016 03:04 PM

Edward2005,

Wow! Thanks for the link to the hikes near Gimmelwald. We hope to do a bunch of them! The vertical map makes it so much easier to see where we will be going!

Do you recommend staying in Lauterbrunnen?

Edward2005 Apr 18th, 2016 04:43 PM

Yes, that map is a good basic map of the hikes in the area. There is a similar one covering the Wengen/Grindlewald area on the other side of the valley. The Tourist Information office in Lauterbrunnen will have lots of free maps.

Gimmelwald is my favorite town in the area, but for you Lauterbrunnen is probably the best choice. It is central to the mountain activities and has a direct connection to Interlaken. Murren would be a good choice for you if you want to say up in the mountains instead of the valley.

Tipsygus is right, the half-fare card is just for transportation discounts. It's $126 for a month which may be overkill since you're only going to be there 3 or 4 days. The Swiss Travel Pass would cover almost all your transportation and attractions; it's $220 for a 3-day second class ticket. It's probably not financially worth it for your short stay. However, it is very convenient!


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