Day trips from Interlaken
 

Hi,

We have limited time in Interlaken, 1.5 days. I have identified the following options for our time there -

1. Interlaken-Lucerne express panorama train, spend some time in Lucerne and back to Interlaken

2. Interlaken to Jungfrau and back

3. Interlaken to Gimmelwald, spend some time there, go to Schilthorn and back to Interlaken.

Clearly only one of these options is possible, so please help me choose among these.

Thanks!

Forgot to mention - we are going to be there Feb 8, 9.

There are tons of other options, BTW.
We don't know your interests. There is no best solution anyway. Just go to the place you like best.

I suppose you know that trips to Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn make only sense if the weather is fine.

Hi, I would be interested in those other options. I have had little time to do research, would be great if you can share the details.

Eliminate # 1 if you are staying in Interlaken - just take the scenic Brunig Pass train and stay in Lucerne.

The Jungfraujoch train costs a ton - over $100 - why only 1.5 days in the Interlaken/Jungfrau Region? I think the Gimmelwald-Murren-Schilthorn option may be your best as it is very varied in what you see - cute remote village of Gimmelwald, spiffy Murren and one of the Alps' longest cable car rides to the Schilthorn - an icy outpost in the middle of nowhere (see James Bond's On Her Majesty's Secret Service which was in large part film on the Schilthorn in the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant) - for lots of ideas on the Jungfrau area check www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - for other ideas too and www.seat61.com - train and gondola info on the area.

Follow the weather. Personally, I'd go up to the Jungfraujoch only if the weather is good and you have no altitude sickness problems. I really have enjoyed my trips up to the Kleine Scheidegg (the last stop before Jungfraujoch) and then doing the easy walk to Männlichen. Go back down to Grindelwald and then back to Interlaken.

Yes do the easy Ridge Walk Kl Scheidegg to Mannlichen - the most popular and perhaps easiest walk in the whole area - stunning views the whole way - a short few miles and fairly flat - a wide path.

From Interlaken take the train to Jungfraujoch via Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen/Wengen and on the way back from Jungfraujoch get off at Kleine Schiedegg and walk the Ridge Trail to The Mannlichen and then take the cable car down to Wengen for trains back to Interlaken (or cables back down to Grindelwald from The Mannlichen):

https://www.google.com/search?q=mann...w=1920&bih=955

So many things to do and so little time! Does the cable car to Schilthorn operate this time of the year? Would be rather icy/snowy at that altitude.

Just stumbled upon a video of people being rescued by heli from the cable car stranded high up in the mountains. Perhaps not something for the faint hearted ones like me!

If it's possible to ascend the Jungrfrau I would definitely do that - but it's certainly not possible very day. If the top is wreathed in clouds you would see nothing and were in Interlaken 3 days before we got one clear at the top.

The train station has info on this and there is a web site as well. If it clear at the top first thing in the am go immediately as clouds can easily roll in later in the day.

If that is not possible I would do one of the scenic trains.

Be aware of the cold weather and short daylight hour everywhere.

There is nothing in Gimmelwald--just some houses, a small hotel, and a cafe the size of a potting shed.

I stay in Wengen in the summer months. The owners of the hotel I stay at tell me that when it snows guests have to either ski out of the hotel or wear snow shoes to get to town.

Just be aware that you are going into car-free, remote villages (Murren, Gimmelwald) in the middle of ski season.

Thin

That's a good point. Most guidebooks and write ups seem to assume a travel in summer. We are going there mid winter. So perhaps we should just skip Gimmelwald altogether. Maybe spend time in Brig or some other bigger village instead?

Hi kdd,

To answer one of your questions above -- yes, the cable car to Schilthorn operates in the winter (and, yes, it *should* be snowy & icey!). That is prime skiing time, and there are wonderful ski runs on the Schilthorn.

Of course it's wonderful to ascend the mountains and to go hiking in the wintertime --- the views are spectacular and the skiers are entertaining. But you must make sure you are prepared for it. Your hiking shoes have to be waterproof and have thick lug soles. You should also have hiking poles.

Have fun as you plan!

s

"There is nothing in Gimmelwald--just some houses, a small hotel, and a cafe the size of a potting shed"
It seems that's just the reason why Gimmelwald is so popular with tourists from overseas; Europeans would never stay there.

Schilthorn: actually it's much too warm for the season: average temperature around 0 degrees centigrade. Forecast for next Thursday: 15 degrees below zero in the morning, 10 degrees below 0 in the afternoon.

You are hitting the carnival week and Luzern is a hotspot. So if you like festivals, go on Monday Feb 8 and watch the parade (starting at 14.00). If you don't like festivals and crowds then avoid Luzern during those days altogether. Normal sightseeing will not be possible.

http://www.bellevue-wengen.ch/hotel/zimmer.html

You can go to the Bellvue's website and look at the webcam.

As you can see, no snow in Wengen today.

Thin

In ski season you may have problems renting for only two nights in a mountain village - Interlaken probably but hotels may be aloof to rent for a few nights up in the ski areas if they can book for a week straight.

Thanks for the link, Thin. It's gorgeous!

kdd - what are you other Swiss plans if any? Makes a difference on say buying a Swiss Pass or Swiss Transfer Ticket, both of which are worthless in your case if just spend 1.5 days in Interlaken and just going to and from Zurich perhaps. But even then the Swiss Transfer Ticket could be good if say doing Zurich to Wengen or other Jungfrau place and going onto say France or Italy or Germany or Austria, etc.

What are you Swiss plans?

From Interlaken we go to Verbier for some skiing with some side trips in the afternoons. We do plan to take trains everywhere so I have bought the Swiss Pass.

After reading obsessively about Schilthorn and Jungfrau I am now leaning towards Schilthorn. I am not afraid of heights, and I always thought cable cars were perfectly safe, but YouTube seems to be full of heli rescues from gondolas and cable cars! Wish I hadn't known about it. So having to think more about this Schilthorn trip.

"From Interlaken we go to Verbier for some skiing with some side trips in the afternoons...so I have bought the Swiss Pass"
I suppose you know that the Swiss Travel Pass is NOT valid on gondolas in the Verbier area (in contrast to Zermatt or Saas Fee)

the Swiss Pass will take you to Wengen if you opt for that with 100% coverage and also from there via Lauterbrunnen to Murren and Gimmelwald and down to Stechelberg 100% coverage - a good deal for those plans and 50% off gondolas to Piz Gloria.

I suppose you know that the Swiss Travel Pass is NOT valid on gondolas in the Verbier area (in contrast to Zermatt or Saas Fee)>

There is probably some local free pass from hotels in Verbier than give discounts or even free rides- check on it anyway.

The Jungfraujoch train is nearly all in tunnels after Kleine Scheidegg and though there is a stop at a belvedere cut into the rocks for photo opps you see really little but tunnels most of the way - yet up top is a Winter Wonderland of glaciers and snow and ice caves - much more up here than at Piz Gloria - a small platform outside in the middle of nowhere but rugged Alps - also ice caves and a noted revolving restaurant (as shown in the Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service).

kdd:
http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...land2009#These are pics from my last visit to Switzerland. They should give you a good idea of many of those options you mentioned. We took several day trips from Interlaken and it worked out well. We loved our lodgings, about a 15 minute walk across the footbridge from Center Interlaken, and the same along the beautiful riverside promenade to Interlaken Ost train for the Alps.(Hotel is Goldey Swiss..great alpine views from the balcony as you can see)

Many folks diss Interlaken here as worthless but at least me and tower love it - a good base if in the area only a short time - easy in and easy out and a great base for day trips by boats on either lake bookending Interlaken and to place like Bern when it is rainy or funky weather up in dem hills.

Yes my thoughts exactly. Sometimes touristy is not bad as it means it is convenient for a visitor, especially if only spending a short amount of time.

Tower, those are lovely pictures.

Still trying to decide where to go. Think I will leave it to my husband to decide. All of this assuming a clear day of course!

Love your pictures, Tower!

tower's pix also show how some parts of Interlaken that few folks see are so so neat.

Yes my thoughts exactly. Sometimes touristy is not bad as it means it is convenient for a visitor, especially if only spending a short amount of time.>

There is only one main drag in Interlaken that is touristy and IMO folks who diss Interlaken as awful probably never get off that one main dragged lined by tourist Schlock - Interlaken has Lucerne-type covered bridges and lovely walks along the northside of the river linking the two lakes it is wedged between - and the Matten section too is wonderful to stay in - yeh the views of the Jungfrau Massif are from a distance but still majestic. Matten is a very quiet section of town as is the part tower stayed in as his pictures show.

(Swandav - I know you have explored all of Interlaken so do not take umbrage, as usual, with my comment that folks who diss Interlaken never get off the main drag - you are the exception in that regard. Cheers!)

Thanks for telling me about the covered bridge. How lovely! I have printed off some self guided walks now. Should be good. How about boat trips on the river, any good in winter weather?

"How about boat trips on the river?"

You may have a look at
http://www.interlaken.ch/en/activiti...nterlaken.html

Interlaken gets overlooked because most folks just transit town and at most see the touristy main drag - that said first timers understandably should or will want to stay up in a Grindelwald or Wengen with their precious time - yet return visitors may revel in Interlaken's hidden gems as I do now.

Hi Fodorites,

Here is an update from our trip. We had just one full day in Interlaken and we were blessed with a fine clear day! Husband chose Jungfrau so we went there. The scenery was spectacular. Later in the afternoon there were heavy winds which started blowing all the snow around, so by 2:30 pm they announced last trains and all the staff were also asked to vacate as it was deemed unsafe for them to remain there. It was a bit eerie and scary but must say that it added to the excitement and isolation of being on top of Europe!

We heard from some other train passengers that they could not get to Wengen as all the gondolas were stopped. Wonder how the people who went to Schilthorn made it back that day.

Glad you had good weather!

Would it be better to stay at Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen?