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best place for a photographer to stay in the Bernese Oberland??

best place for a photographer to stay in the Bernese Oberland??

Old Jan 8th, 2009, 09:29 AM
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best place for a photographer to stay in the Bernese Oberland??

Hello all! I hope you can help me with a slightly different request than might usually be seen on here. We are planning several trips right now. One of them is to Switzerland at the end of May. We only have 8-9 days including travel (from England).

We plan to fly in/out of Zurich and we want to spend 2-3 days in Luzern and the rest in one location in the Bernese Oberland. I know that many fodorites recommend Lauterbrunnen or Wengen or Murren, and all of these places look beautiful.

However, my husband's very serious hobby is landscape photography. That is the number one reason he takes any trips and he will be unhappy if he does not return with some great photos. I know the scenery is beautiful in general, but he loves the early morning light - just before and after sunrise, and the light just before and after sunset.

The first question is: does he need to rent a car for some or all of the trip? I know that the public transportation is amazing and that he can get most places that way. But he wants to be up and out in the morning a couple hours before sunrise. Will the trains/buses, etc... be running at that early hour? Would a car be beneficial for reaching areas quickly? He doesn't want to have to hike to a location that early in the morning (although we'll certainly hike a lot together as a family during the day). I asked a similar question before when we were thinking about going in February, but now that we are going in May instead I thought perhaps more would be accessible by car.

If we don't rent a car, then we'd like to stay somewhere that he can walk to a good location for photos within 20 minutes or so. Can anyone tell us what direction the valleys lie for Wengen? Lauterbrunnen? Murren? North/South valleys would not provide ideal light, but East/West valleys would be great.

We are not set on the 3 places we've mentioned....so other suggestions are welcome. Plus, we'll be out for hikes, etc... during the day.

Thanks so much for the help!
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 10:42 AM
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Dear see the world,

I don't know if I can help but here goes.

No car required and really no way to get one to Wengen or Murren. There are trains to everywhere but I'm not sure how early they start to run each morning.

Wengen is a great spot but I haven't been to Murren. 20 minutes from town are many photo ops. In fact, less than that.

Don't really know the whole sun direction but I am not a great photographer and I have amazing photos from the whole area. First trip with a brand new camera and people love those photos. Wengen is set up on a ledge over Lauterbrunnen (which I think runs sort of north/south if I understand your question) so the light is good and the day long there. Lauterbrunnen is set in a valley so a shadow will be cast. Murren is on an opposite ledge and my guess would be morning sunshine and probably most of the afternoon too, but I'm not sure. Wengen had a long day of great sunlight. You can walk down the hill from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen in about 30-40 minutes. From there you can get a cable car up to Murren and from there a train or walk to Gimmelwald which would also be a spot to consider. Also on the opposite ledge from Wengen.

Your husband will be in photography heaven.

Gosh, I doubt I've been too helpful...

gruezi
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 10:45 AM
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Most valleys run north and south as the rivers flow i think

but in Grindelwald you have really a huge amphitheater that goes east to west and thus much wider views - and awesome views of 13,000 foot high glacier-girdled peaks right across from your hotel balcony

And the Jungfrau Massif and all its ice constantly changes colors as the sun crosses the sky - sunsets can be surreal as can thunderstorms - one day it thunder stormed a lot and for the next hour or so it was a cascade of waterfall off the jungfrau massif.
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 10:57 AM
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Just a thought that hops through my mind... I have never done this myself but know someone who did and said it's amazing: There is a hotel on top of the Rigi, not far from Luzern, with grand views in all directions - go up on the cogwheel train in the afternoon and stay overnight up there. This must be the perfect spot to catch mountain sunset and sunrise!
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 11:02 AM
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Mark Twain famously wrote of his acsent of Rigi (before the train or cableway) and the resulting climb to the summit to be there for sunrise. He also complained about the incessant blowing of alp horns, which i think now have faded.

the views from Rigi are famous and considered some of the best in the Alps, being able to laterally view the spine of central Switzerland from a distant (Rigi is not really high)
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 12:18 PM
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I can relate to your husband-- I've been getting into photography and now all my vacations are about the photos I take home.

I spent a week in Wengen in July 2007. At the time I didn't know a ton about photography, but I found that since Wengen (and the same would apply in Muerren and especially down in Lauterbrunnen valley) sits lower than the mountain peaks, the towns will be completely in shadow well after the sun rises. And of course they'll be in shadow well before sunset. So I don't think true sunrise and sunset are good times for photos in the towns themselves. It wasn't until about 7:20am that the sun peeked over the mountains in mid July.

So I would look at this way -- either he can afford to sleep a little later or he'll need to find a way to get up to the peaks for sunrise.

If the trains leave early enough he might be able to get up to the peaks on the Wengen side (the Mannlichen area). I think he could get a clear view of the sunrise from there. I was going to recommend taking the Mannlichen lift up to the peaks but it apparently doesn't usually start running for the summer season until May 31. So the next option would be the train, which I'm also not sure leaves on time. The first train from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg was around 6:30am when I was in July. It may be different in May-- I'm not sure.

So after all that rambling I guess my advice is to research the sunrise times and the train schedules and see if he can get up to the Mannlichen/Kleine Scheidegg area in time.

And to answer your question Lauterbrunnen valley runs north-south, with Wengen sitting above it to the east and Muerren on the other side to the west.
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 12:39 PM
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We stayed up on Rigi (halfway up, at Rigi Kaltbad, not at Rigi Kulm on top) and the views are indeed gorgeous.

As for Wengen/Mürren/Lauterbrunnen:

Lauterbrunnen lies in a deep vally that runs north-south. The cliffs rise up several thousand feet, with high peaks above that, so the sun doesn't reach the valley floor until well after "sunrise" time. Wengen and Mürren are perched on benches high above the valley, with Mürren the higher of the two.

Mürren is on the west side of the valley and looks across the valley to the Jungfrau massif to the east. I can imagine a sunset shot there being spectacular.

Wengen sits on the east side of the valley, lower down the valley, and also looks at the Jungfrau, but from a different angle. A high ridge (Männlichen) rises behind the village (to the east) so also blocks the sunrise a bit.

At either of these car-free villages, he would be limied to the trains and cablecars to go elsewhere for his photography, if he doesn't want to walk (although the most scenic spots are reachable only by hiking or by cablecar). The trains generally start running between major points shortly after 5:00 am, but I don't know about the cablecars. Probably later, like 7:00 am. The train runs between Wengen and Lauterbrunnen quite early, but does not go up beyond Wengen until around 7am.

If he wants access to a car to drive himself, you would have to stay in Lauterbrunnen, or possibly Wengen and catch the first train down to get the car (it is only a 13-minute trip by train, plus walking time).

So it's not an easy call. The scenery is indeed spectacular everywhere. If he is particularly interested in the sunrise and sunset, I would think the light is better up high. However, if you stay up there, he will be more restricted in terms of travel, at least at sunrise. On the other hand, I would think he could find enough to keep him happy at sunrise within 20-minute walk from either Wengen or Mürren.
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 04:04 PM
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LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Gimmelwald--not Grindlewald. Small village right next to Murren up in the mountains but not all the tourists, except an occasional hiker.
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 07:56 PM
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I stayed in Wengen in late June of last year. My main goal was to take photographs. I'm thinking of going back this year again to cover the areas I missed.

The views up the Lauterbrunnen Valley from just below Wengen are spectacular. The view from the tracks at the Wengen train station is even great. From the train station walk south through town, the tennis courts will be on your right. About the time you run out of hotels there is a path to the left. Within 5 minutes there are great views up the valley. With more effort winding down toward Lauterbrunnen provides even better shots. You can loop below Wengen and come back up on the north end of the train station.

You can get good angles on the Staubbach Falls from some of the trails on the north end of Lauterbrunnen. The sun is on the falls in the afternoon. From the Talmuseum Museum walk back toward the tran station about 50-100 yards and turn right on Witimatte. I don't remember the exact route from here but I wound up the mountain a short way and there is a trail heading north that gives good views.

The walk from Wingeregg to Murren, which is mostly on level ground, provides good photo opportunities across the valley.

The top of Schynige Platte has some good views.
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 08:39 PM
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Thanks everyone...this is very helpful. I'll show him your responses and also look into Rigi and Grindelwald and Grimmelwald. If there are other towns in the general area (not necessarily that valley) that might be just as good then we're interested in those too.

MikeS: Those specific directions in Wengen are helpful.

To clarify a few things: My husband is happy to walk places and has spent many weekends out early and all day hiking to get to locations for the perfect photo. However, when we're on a vacation as a family, he likes to be able to get out early and then return within a reasonable time so we can still do something together that day. That is the only reason I mentioned maybe a 20-30 minute walk. He would want to arrive at his location probably an hour before the 'ideal light' to find the best perspective for him, get set up, etc... If he returns to the same location more than once then he probably can cut that time down since he'll be a bit familiar with it. If we had a car, then he'd be willing to go within a
20-30 minute drive and it usually gives a much wider option for photo locations even if our hotel/apartment is not in an ideal scenic location itself.

It's also ok if the sun doesn't hit a location immediately, just in a reasonable amount of time. It sounds like Lauterbrunnen is probably not the best location for us since it takes the sun quite a while to reach it. Again, the only reason this matters is so he can come back within a reasonable time and we can go out together for the day. Of course, I'll have my camera with me all day too and will be taking photos all day, but he is much more serious about it and really wants the perfect light.

He always researches sunrise/sunset times and locations (degrees from true East/West) before we go somewhere, but it's not always possible to find info about when it makes it over the mountains

Thanks again
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Old Jan 8th, 2009, 10:28 PM
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We stayed in a hotel near the station in Grindelwald and I took many many photos from our balcony at sunrise through to sunset[and just before and after]. It is also easy to walk through the town for other vantage points.
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Old Jan 9th, 2009, 05:24 AM
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Hi stw,

www.maps.google.com will allow you to see which way the valleys run.

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Old Jan 9th, 2009, 07:47 AM
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FWIW...In terms of the vacation part, I found Wengen much more charming than Grindelwald.

gruezi
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Old Jan 9th, 2009, 05:34 PM
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If you want to be close to the best views I would stay in Wengen. Besides, it is a very unique village. It is a place I could go back to again and again.
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Old Jan 10th, 2009, 11:25 AM
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You might want to check into Untours (www.untours.com) for family-friendly vacations in lovely little villages. I stayed in Reuti in Hasliberg region and found it lovely!
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Old Jan 11th, 2009, 09:51 PM
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If we do decide to rent a car for this trip, then I have a few more questions for both the Luzern and the Oberland area.

- Do most hotels have parking? or would we be parking in a lot somewhere?

- I know some villages, including Wengen, are car-free. Does that mean there is no way to reach our car when the public transport is not running? That would rule out staying in a location where my husband couldn't get up and get to the car early.

- If we have a car, would you recommend staying in a different place? We'd still certainly visit Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Murren, etc..., but is there a better place to stay that would give us the best access or would allow my husband to quickly get to great photo locations?

- What about in Luzern? If we had a car, is that the best place to stay? or is there a nicer/better village nearby that might be better?

Thanks again for the help.
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Old Jan 12th, 2009, 02:09 AM
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No, Luzern is hours away from the Bernese Oberland. All the places mentioned by others are in the Bernese Oberland itself, and are villages not cities. Honestly, they are all in the midst of breathtaking scenery. Wengen is wonderful, but may not be the best choice for sunrise-sunset photos, because of its orientation, and its access.
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Old Jan 12th, 2009, 05:17 AM
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IMHO, I don't think Luzern is the best place to stay. If you're looking for the "best place in the BO" as you state in your opening question, you'll want to stay IN the mountains where the views are in your face. Not an hour's drive back and forth each day just to get there.

Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald are both accessible by car.

In Lauterbrunnen, I cannot comment about hotel parking as I have not stayed there. However, there is a very large pay parking garage right next to the train station (where I suppose you could park if your hotel was nearby).

My stays in this region have mostly been in Grindelwald. We now stay only in apartments which have parking. But many of the hotels do have parking available as well.

And BTW, the sunset views of the mountain tops in Grindelwald are spectacular. The golden glow shines and glistens beautifully.

Happy travels!
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Old Jan 12th, 2009, 07:34 AM
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I agonized over this same question. We chose Lauterbrunnen and were thrilled we did (it was easy to go up to Wengen, Gimmelwald, etc..). We stayed at a hotel in town recommended by Rick Steves (gasp). I loved it. Parking, etc was no problem at all.

However, that said, it is all so very beautiful. Any choice you make will be a good one. We live in the mountains and wondered if a trip to this area of the world was worthwhile. It was our trip highlight.
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Old Jan 12th, 2009, 09:16 AM
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Sorry to confuse people with my previous post.

We plan to stay a few days in/around Luzern and then about 5 days in the Oberland region. So we'll be in two different locations during the trip.

Thanks for all the input.
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