Best time to visit Switzerland (Bernese Oberland)
 

Hi,

There have been a few posts earlier on this, but I would appreciate some more inputs to help me decide.

Right now, I am living in Lyon, France, where I will be residing till the beginning of next year, before returning back to my home country - India. Visiting Switzerland with my wife and daughter (who is 4 years old) is high on my priority list. After reading posts on this forum and elsewhere, I have decided on the Bernese Oberland or Jungfraujoch region, and would like to stay in Wengen or Murren or someplace similar (suggestions welcome!), for a period of 3-4 days. We plan to just soak in the beauty, go for some small treks, see waterfalls/lakes and go up to Junfraujoch, Mt. Titlis and Schilthorn, etc (one or two depending on weather, time and affordability).

I am a bit tied up till June end, but can go any time after that. I have just been here for a few months and am not fully familiar with the seasons and weather in Europe. But from perusing the forums, it appears that July-August would be a great time to go there, with more greenery, flowers in bloom, more water in the waterfalls, etc. But there are repeated warnings about there being too many tourists around this time. Again, it appears that only by late September or early October will the number of tourists decrease. And though many do mention that this period has a different charm, I get the impression that most recommend the July-August period (as far as scenic beauty is concerned).

I am open to corrections and additional information, but if I am right in what I have said before, I would lean towards July-August as opposed to September or later.

So, the questions I have:

1. Will be be so crowded in July-August so that it would be preferable to go in late September or October, even though many suggest that the region is splendid in early summer?

2. If I do decide to go in July-August, are both the months equivalent, or is July comparatively less of a tourist season?

3. I am also worried about the weather - reports of it being foggy or raining for a straight 3-4 days. In August, I also will be having holidays, so time won't be a constraint (though money will be) and I could probably spend a day or so more-giving a better chance for a clear day (important if I decide to go up to say, Jungfraujoch)

Also, is beginning/mid July too near to plan a trip (e.g to be able to find accommodation)?

Maybe, this is appropriate for another thread, but I can't seem to find hotels costing less than 80 CHF per person/per night, for example in Wengen. Is this the norm? I am especially asking as someone I know has booked rooms in Interlaken, which amounts to 40 CHF per person, per night. Any suggestions are most welcome. I don't need a fancy place - just a clean and safe place, with a bed to sleep at night!

Thanks a lot!!

While we have traveled in that area, it was over ten years ago, and both my current knowledge and memory are limited. There are better experts on this forum, mukund, so I'm more or less posting just to keep your post on the top until the people in the know can help you out since your travel planning time is so short.

On our trip mid-July, we stayed in Interlaken one night so we could get an early start up the mountain the next day, Murren two nights, in Kleine Scheidegg one night and then Grindelwald for one or two nights. We did everything from ride the paddleboat on Lake Thun, cross the Lauterbrunnen Valley on foot, see Trummelbach Falls, ride the rails up to Jungfrauroch and the Schilthorn, etc.

Some things I can offer an opinion on:

There are a lot of tourists mid summer. If it were me, I still do summer over fall not only because the weather is more reliable but also because you have more hours of daylight with which to spend your very limited travel period. That daylight and weather allow you to take some lovely hikes on the gorgeous paths up there which are not terribly crowded.

I'm sure the hotel rates are at peak season highs during that time. You still might, if you have not already done so, check out hotel rates straight from Trip Advisor. Their Bernese Oberland page is

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g...Vacations.html

I hope this is of some help, and I'm sure others will be posting for you soon.

September or October. I'm inclined to say first half of October.

Just to add my poijnt of view, i prefer the beginning of September. There is still the warmth of August and I think the weather is more settled. I seem have had the best of wather at time of year. The evenings are light enough ro enjoy an evening stroll and many of the tourists have left.

Hi mukund,

My husband and I traveled through the Bernese Oberland 2 years ago. We were there the 1st week of October, and it was cold and rainy in Lauterbrunnen, snowing in Murren, and dead on a Saturday. Hardly any other tourists but also it was hard to find shops and cafes open. We still went up the Schilthorn but our views were spoiled by clouds and fog and it was very chilly. Our hotel said if we had been there just 2 weeks earlier it was beautiful. We enjoyed our stay at the hotel, however, and the staff was great and helped us find rainy day options. If you'd add Lauterbrunnen to your list of possible base towns, I'd recommend Hotel Staubbach, http://www.staubbach.com/en/index.htm. It's a charming bed and breakfast style with unbeatable waterfall views. A double room with balcony and waterfall view plus bed for your daughter would be 210 CHF night, cheaper if you stay on the back side of the hotel. Lauterbrunnen is in a flat valley int he middle of Murren to one direction and then up to Jungfrau to the other. There is a good hike for a 4 year old towards the Trummelbachfalls (45 minutes). Good luck and enjoy Lyon, and Switzerland!

I would pick Sept-Oct over July-August any time. I've been to the BO (and Zermatt) in August and I was overwhelmed and turned off by the sheer number of tourists. Mind you, I'm an off season traveler, so visitng during the season was a big departure for me.

As for hotel costs, 80 CHF (and up) per person is pretty common. Switzerland is quite expensive.

You might look into apartments without breakfast and service -they will save you a bundle.

Hi - we were in Wengen in early July last year and it was not all that busy and the weather was fantastic - sunny, clear and quite warm when we were hiking.
One day was colder but still fine for being a tourist!
At no time did we feel that we were surrounded by too many people - but to be fair we did not take the train to the Jungfrau - having done that some years ago as a day trip from Interlaken.

Have a look at the possibility of a shorter stay in an apartment or chalet if you don't want such expensive hotels.

http://www.chalet-service.ch/en/about_us.html

The Coop (think that was what it was called)in Wengen had a great range of food.

We stayed in Wengen from Oct 8 to 14, 2008. Each day was beautiful and the fall colors were amazing! Our pictures from the Jungfrauhoch don't have a cloud in the blue sky and we went up the Schilthorn in similarly beautiful weather. We were so impressed with the surroundings that we will return Oct 4-15 this year to stay in Wengen and then go to Gruyere. Hotel Baren in Wengen is 100CHF pp for half board. Only drawback would be shorter daylight but by 6PM, we're ready for dinner and a quiet evening.

Hi aarrcc - now that is good to hear as we are not able to get away until early October this year and I am just a bit tempted to try our luck for a few days in Wengen - it is so relaxing - and mmm - the food at Hotel Baren is delicious.
Was it dark by 6.00pm - as we are not good at early dinners?

Hi mukund,

I made the mistake of visiting the Oberland once in August, and I'll never ever do it again. I literally couldn't walk on the sidewalks because of the crowding, and the entrances to the stores were also clogged up with tourists. I mean off-the-tour-bus day-trippers. Those tour busses line up the streets of Interlaken and Grindelwald, and it is the off-loaded passengers that make such an uncomfortable situation.

I've heard from lots of friend that mid-Septmeber to mid-October is far better.

Have fun!

s

Many many thanks to each one of you for the (very prompt) replies and suggestions! Seems that the huge number of tourists in July-August is indeed a factor for many, though there are some good reasons to visit at that time...hope to make up my mind soon!

Melnq8, I will surely look at the options of apartments without breakfast and service; but do you have any particular websites/contact nos. that you could suggest?

And another small question: As I have said, I am very new to Europe; so just wanted to know: Are the places I am likely to stay (like Wengen, Murren, etc) safe to stay with my wife and daughter, esp. if I do end up going off season?

Thanks again to all!

Hi,

We stayed in Wengen during our first trip to Switzerland and Europe. It was early October. We couldn't have had better weather. Since then we've been to the Alps (not Switzerland again though) many times in October. It's defintely our favorite time of year to travel. Nice weather, less crowds.

Safe? We never felt unsafe at all. Actually, we never even thought about it. During our 4 nights stay in Wengen it was pretty quiet. It was somewhat busy during the day, but in the evening we felt we had the village practically to ourselves. It's a "magical" place to be.

Paul

Hi again,

I'm a single woman over 50. It is so safe, I could cry.

waaaah : ))

s

Could you go immediately at the end of June? That would be good weather and not so many tourists. (Some European schools don't let out until July.)

I can't imagine a safer place than the mountains of Switzerland.

School ends July 9 for most Swiss schools

>I can't imagine a safer place than the mountains of Switzerland.

Not if you are on a mountaintop in a thunderstorm :-)

We stayed in Lauterbrunnen in early Sept, 2009. Sometimes a little cloudy (very little) in early morning OR early afternoon - otherwise perfect weather with warm and sunny days. The towns of Wengen and Murren are "car free" (but you will see service vehicles around) and located on outcroppings above Lauterbrunnen which is situated in a valley between them. While both towns are picture-perfect charming, in order to get from one town to the other, you need to take a train from one town to Lauterbrunnen and then connect to a train to the other town. This takes time and is costly. If you can find a "reasonable" accommodation in Lauterbrunnen, this location is the handiest to both sides of the valley - and there is a very lovely walking path at the end of the town to the water falls - flat, paved paths and gorgeous scenery. Easier for your child to walk. I would not stay in Interlocken - it is just a city. The Bernese Oberland is a memorable location! Enjoy!

mukund -

Please note that many apartments don't accept rentals of less than a week during high season, yet they do during low seasons...so Sept-Oct could well be in your favor in that regard as well.

Some sites to look at:

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-ren...d/murren/r2423

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/wen...fa/find.squery

http://www.vacation-apartments.com/e...brunnental.htm

Another good source is the tourist office in the town/s you want to stay in, such as:

http://www.wengen.com/

Again, thank you for your replies (and for the reassurance about the safety!).

Mimar, the earliest I could go is around the first weekend of July (2nd-3rd July onwards), but as Schuler points out, that still may be a good time.

Melnq8, thanks a ton! I see there are quite a few reasons to prefer fall. Will have a look at the links you sent.

chicknpg6 and travelnaia, I will consider Lauterbrunnen as well.

I understand that the region would look quite different in fall (esp. due to the changing colours). But if we ignore the of the tourist issue, I presume that the general appearance and experience of the region would not be very different in July beginning, as opposed to August; am I right? (for example, the snow cover on the mountain tops). Will the wild flowers be still around in summer?

And reading some posts in the forum (and some replies here), it appears that though the weather is quite unpredictable, people who have stayed for a week or more seem to have always found at least a few days of good weather. On the other hand, quite a few shorter stays seem to have been washed or "fogged" out.Maybe it is a good idea to find the time and stay there for a while longer (say 5-6 days) than I had initially planned. Agree?

Mountain weather is so hard to predict. This May, Switzerland has had only 6 days of rain-free days. It's been miserable and cold.

Fall weather offers the best views. Sometimes, it's like the mountains are jumping right at you and closer than during any other time of the year. However, there's no guarantee so come when it best fits your schedule.