panda303

Hello all,

We will be traveling to Switzerland in early October, and are hoping to spend one night in Bern and one night in the Bernese Oberland. We would love to stay in Wengen or Murren, as I have read on here that these towns are less touristy than Grindelwald and offer great views of Eiger et al. It seems that the beginning of October is the off season, however, and we have been having trouble locating hotels that are open.

A few questions to throw out there:

1. Would you suggest spending 2 nights in Bernese Oberland vs. 1 night in Bern and 1 night in the area? We plan on spending a 1/2 day in Munich before traveling to Bern, which will take most of the day, so we thought it would be a good stopping point to break up the journey. I have heard mixed reviews about Bern, though, and wondered what the general opinion is about checking it out.

2. Is anyone aware of a hotel/inn in Wengen or Murren that might be open in early October? Our main criteria is that we have great mountain views.

3. In the event that no hotels are available in Wengen or Murren: Is Grindelwald extremely touristy all the time, or is it mainly during high season that we would have to worry about large crowds?

4. Would you suggest Grindelwald or Interlaken as a 2nd choice place to try and book a room?

Thanks for your help!

P_Peppington

I would definitely stay in either Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, or Murren for two days at the expense of visiting Bern. I think Bern is boring. Bern is a pleasant and very clean city, but it is nothing speacial. I feel the same about Zurich, very pleasant, but too rich and too buttoned-up.

I can't recommend "MY" hotel for you in Wengen because they are closed in early October. This hotel has "jaw-dropping" views of the Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen. I like to keep this place a secret. If it ever ended up in "Rick Steves" I would have a stroke.

A very good hotel in Wengen is the Schonegg. You may be able to get a room in October with a view of Lauterbrunnen. This hotel has the BEST restaurant in all of the BO.

I don't like Interlaken (there is a Hooter's on the main street), but if you want some sort of nightlife, shopping, pub drinking, or if you have teens, this wouldn't be such a bad place for you.

There is nothing wrong with Grindelwald. I don't know why people here insist that it is overly touristy. It is just not as "secluded" as Murren or Wengen. Wengen and Murren are both "car free."

P_P, who only posts on Wednesdays between 2-3PM

ButterflyGirl06

I'd stay in Lauterbrunnen. We stayed at the Hotel Oberland and enjoyed it very much. You'd be in the valley but still have stunningly beautiful views.

swandav2000

Hi panda303,

Well -- there's nothing wrong with Grindelwald in *October*! You should be fine if you end up staying there, and you'll probably have more luck finding a hotel there.

However, in July and August, yes Grindelwald is lined with tour busses and crowded with the off-loaded passengers, and I'd avoid it at all costs!!

Normally I rave about Wengen and Mürren, but I don't think they will be all that great in October because of the scarcity of other people and the lack of either snow or flowers. So, your best bet would be Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Or you could consider staying right on Lake Thun at either Spiez or at Thun itself.

I personally like Bern and think it would also be a good alternate choice! It's a gracious medieval city with lots of interesting history and architecture. If you go, I can point you to a good walking tour.

I do think you would be better off staying in one place for two nights rather than splitting up your stay in two places. You'll lose about half a day of "outside time" with the chores of packing up and checking out, then checking in and unpacking again. You'll be fine in one spot!

Have fun!

s

panda303

Thanks for all your feedback! For those who do suggest we spend some time exploring Bern, is this something we could do if we based ourselves in the Bernese Oberland for 2 nights? It doesn't seem like it's too far, but would it be worth the hour long train ride each way?

HappyTrvlr

Never saw any tpurist buses or crowds in September in Grindelwald..it didn't feel touristy at all.

bobthenavigator

I would spend 5 nites in the BO if you had it.

tipsygus

Panda 301 Yes definitely spend time in Berne, if only to walk from the station to the bear garden under the arcades if only to window shop, go to the rear of the parliament building an admire the view of distant alps, if you have time take the No 9 bus from outside the station and go to Gurten and the little cogwheel railway to the top of Berne's own mountain, small though it is and again enjoy the view and walk around the top.

AlessandraZoe

If you have only two nights to spend, then don't split. While I love Bern--I think it's a highly underrated city--I probably would choose to go to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Do rule out Murren, etc--your time spent getting there on the cog railway, let alone the hotel closings, would never be worth it.

I also agree with swandav2000--you could consider staying right on Lake Thun at either Spiez or at Thun itself.

Grindelwald is fine in fall, so make that a non-issue.

MikeS

I would stay in Wengen for two reason. Lauterbrunnen is a nice place but there are other villages that you will find that are similar to it. Wengen is unique. From the fabulous view when you get off the train to the unique atmosphere. The second reason is that Wengen is more centrally located. If you look on the map Grindelwald is on one side of the Bernese Oberland and Murren is on the other. Wengen is in the middle. On my first trip to Switzerland I spend a couple days in Bern, a couple days in Luzern, and then did two day trips to the Bernese Oberland. The second trip I stayed in Wengen. I'm going back in a couple weeks and will again stay in Wengen for a week. I will probably do a day trip to Luzern.

AlessandraZoe

MikeS: Just to clarify, I believe the OP said that she is having difficulty finding hotels that are open in Wengen during her travel time in October. That's why we are trying to give her alternatives.

Also note that she only has two days to spend at any ONE place.

C_Franklin3161

We just got back from 5 nights at the Alpenrose in Wengen and recommend it highly. I believe it is open in October. Be sure to book a room with a south facing balcony!