Bernesse-Oberland hotels
 

Hi
My wife and I will be in the Bernesse-Oberlander district the first week of August. We hope to do some of the recomended hikes in the area and are wondering if we need to book accomodations ahead of time or if we can check in to hotels as we move around? Suggested hikes and accomodation from those that have been there would be great.

Thanks

john

I would recommend John Hermann's
Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps now in the 3rd ED.
We have been more than happy with his recommedations.
M

Hi fox,

As August is high tourist season and the area is mobbed, I suggest you do book ahead of time.

What is your price range? Your chosen village? I can recommend the three-star Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen and the four-star Schweizerhof in Grindelwald.

I usually ski there, so I don't have any hiking recommendations. There are some good suggestions at www.twenj.com if you browse the Swiss pages.

Let me know if I can help further.

s

During August in the Bernese Oberland, you would certainly be well advised to make reservations in advance. Assuming that you will traveling by public transportation, I believe you would do well to consider either Wengen or Murren, both of which are in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, between Interlaken and the Jungfrau. Wengen is busier, more touristy, and more convenient. Murren is calmer, less convenient, and the view from the village is spectacular.

There are numerous hikes one can take and the Swiss network of paths is very well marked. To get started, you might want to see:

http://www.myswissalps.com/index.asp...berland-hiking

When you get to this site, click on Bernese Oberland, then Hiking Tips. That will give you a number of good hikes to consider. My favorite starts at the top of the Mannlichen cable car and ends at Kleine Scheidigg. It's a superb introduction to hiking in the area, relatively easy, and provides a marvelous view for much of the way. Plus, it ends at Kleine Scheidegg, which is little more than a couple of small hotels and a railway station. At the latter, you have several places to get tasty food. Just make sure you arrive well before the last train of the day back to Wengen or you'll end up spending the night there. (By the way, you reach the Mannlichen cable car from the center of Wengen.)

Best wishes on your trip. You've selected an outstanding area.

I agree with the recommendations to book ahead. We were there in August a couple of years ago, and it was fairly busy.

You should get many recommendations for hotels. We stayed at the Gletschergarten in Grindelwald and liked it very much. It is towards the far end of the town, so there isn't as much traffic around it as there is right in the center of town. But it is still within walking distance of restaurants, lifts, etc. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

As far as hikes, I will second the recommendation for the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike. We also really liked the hike from the First Station (above Grindelwald; lift is near the center of town) to the Bachalpsee. A bonus is the opportunity to watch the paragliders take off from First Station once you are up there. Finally, the walk from Murren to Grutschalp is easy and very scenic.

We have some pictures from our trip on our webshots page, if you want to see what some of these areas look like:
http://community.webshots.com/album/111416215tDqoRc

It was a fantastic trip. You will love it.

August is THE peak month for the Berner Oberland summer season. Even the rooms in private homes marked Zimmer Frei sell out.
There are so many top level hotels and so much competition for top billing that you can go with any of the 3 or 4 star selections. For example, a luxury room at the Regina Alpin Wellfit in Gridelwald goes for around $600 a night, with a balcony. But you can find a nice place to stay for less. In fact, 2-star locations are usually nice.

Just notice how the prices are quoted. Often the price is in terms of per person per day. So ask if there is any doubt. And get the price in Swiss Francs. Anything in dollars is not the bbest exchange rate for you!

The Silberthorn in Lauterbrunnen is one place I can suggest. Its rates are sFr. 160 per day per standard room, breakfast included. Prices are with service and taxes.

A plus room costs sFr. 180 per day with breakfast. That price is about $145 a night.

I stay in an apartment so I cannot really comment on hotels. But Wengen, Mürren, Grindelwald, and Lauterbrunnen all have quality establishments.

Farther in toward Interlaken, Wilderwil has a few good places. Interlaken itself has some luxury entities to choose from.

The following site has several trip reports on Switzerland (Germany and Austria too) from independent travelers like myself. Here you'll find many details on hiking, hotels, trains, etc.

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/tripreports.html

As noted above, you definitely need to book your hotels ahead of time.

Have fun!

My husband and I stayed at the Hotel Belvedere in Grindewald for 4 nights last May and couln't have been happier with our accomodations. We opted for a value package that included half board and a Berner Oberland transportation pass. Normally we don't take half board because we like to try different restaurants but....the food was fantastic!!! We would most assuredly take half board there again!!

Our room was very spacious, clean and modern and had a balcony with the most amazing view of the Eiger and the valley below. The staff was very helpful and was always ready with excursion/hiking suggestions for us.

We can't wait to get back there again!!

You will just love your trip. I don't know anything about hotel accommodation, as we stayed in a campsite in Interlaken in 2002, and are renting an apartment in Grindelwald this August. However, I highly recommend the hikes ms-go suggests. another gentle hike is from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg - you can then take the cable car to Schilthorn. We did the Mannelichen - Kleine Scheidegg hike, and it was great. Also the walk from First to Grosse Scheidegg, over the Schilt, and get the bus back to Grindelwald.While Aaugust is very busy in that it is high season, I think that things have not been so busy recently. Look up www.schilthorn.com and you will note that the number of persons carried has dimished in recent years. Likewise, the percentage of beds occupied in Grindelwald in 2001 was just over 50%.However, you should probably book ahead - any of the tourism web-sites have booking facilities.