Geneva - how far is Grindelwald or Zermatt?
 

I will be in Geneva in mid september for a business conference. I would like to visit either Zermatt or Grndlewald (SP?) / Eiger area. How close are either of these to Geneva? IS it possible to easily travel there via train? Is it best to fly RT to Geneva, or fly into a closer ariport and trasit out of Geneva? Thanks!

Geneva is not really that close to either one. The Swiss transportation system, however, is quite effective.

Assuming you can choose either Zürich OR Geneva for your arrival, you will be pleased to know that BOTH airports have train stations co-located with the airport.

To see the peaks of the Berner Oberland you need to travel via the Interlaken Ost station to either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald.
From either of these stations, the most spectacular views of the high peaks of the Berner Oberland require travel to higher view points.

I can suggest many, but five standout in my experience:

1. Schynige Platte (from Wilderswil very near Interlaken)

2. First (gondola ride from Grindelwald),
3. The Männlichen (train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, cable lift from Wengen),
4. Kleine Scheidegg (train from Lauterbrunnen.)

5. Mürren (cable lift and tram) from Lauterbrunnen.

From the Zürich airport, Lauterbrunnen can be reached in as little as 3 hours with of course several changes of train. (3 are mandatory any way you go.)

Zermatt from Zürich airport is a slightly longer trip. Your best travel time is 3:31 and actually with fewer changes of trains!!

From Zermatt as with Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen you must continue upwards to see the sights because Zermatt is down in a hole. The Matterhorn can be seen from the streets of Zermatt, but is a long ways away it seems to me. As spectacular as it is, there are other peaks around Zermatt that are also impressive.

I have two blockbuster favorites for continuing on from Zermatt. First, the viewing station known as the Gornergrat. It can be reached by train from Zermatt. You must walk a short distance to the Gornergrat train, but it is not far at all.

The viewing station gives impressive views of Monte Rosa to the south with its huge glaciers and massive visage. To the west, the Matterhorn towers alone seemingly.

My other favorite place is the viewing platfrom at Klein Matterhorn. This destination is reached in a multi stage cable car ride from Zermatt. Reaching the cable car station requires a walk through the streets of Zermatt.

The only time I have been to the Klein Matterhorn it was a crystal clear day and seemingly the view was forever. The scene was so grand that even though the Matterhorn itself stood in the immediate foreground it blended into a panoply of spectacular peaks to the north, east and west, all the way to Mount Blanc.

To reach these these two areas from the Geneva airport you have equally good times. Zermatt can be reached in under 4 hours. The best time is 3 hours, 27 minutes, but 3:47 is more likely because those timing are more frequent.

Lauterbrunnen is less than 3 hours and 30 minutes from the Geneva airport.

Now, which one of the two?
It is a difficult choice. You have a few more easily reached viewing destinations around Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, but if your time is limited you cannot take advantage of all of them.

IF !!! if the day is expected to be clear, I vote for Zermatt and the Klein Matterhorn. It is without parallel the grandest sight I have yet viewed.

I say that although I have been to the Berner Oberland many times because of its overall convenience. BUT if we are down to crunch time, and the vote is for ONE place, ans one place only, then the Klein Matterhorn is the pick. The second ranking place is the Gornergrat also from Zermatt.

Yes this is a paradox of a statement given my frequent visits to Lauterbrunnen, but we have also visited Zermatt on several occasions as well.

<i>3. The M&auml;nnlichen (train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, cable lift from Wengen),
4. Kleine Scheidegg (train from Lauterbrunnen.)</i>

Ten years go, we took the train from Interlaken through Lauterbrunen to Wengen, then took the Mannlichen lift, then walked (in the Alps, yeah!) to Kleine Scheidegg, from which we took a train to Grindelwald (this was all a day trip). We had a blast. Only problem was, we wanted to go up higher, but the tvs around Grindelwald that show the weather at the top showed it was all clouded in, so it would have been silly. Still, the trip was wonderful.

These are NOT my pictures, but they give you a good idea.

http://www.pbase.com/doowopper/mannlichen

My travel companion of 50 years standing has been to the same places as I because she was with me on all of our visits has a different opinion.

She says visit the Berner Oberland.
Her suggested destination if First.

I think much of the decision is based on how much pre and/or post conference time you have.

If two days, then I hold to my original suggestion.

If more than 3, then both are doable because of the efficient Swiss train system.

If 4, then I would consider renting a car and driving to Lauterbrunnen for two nights, then drive over the Grimsel Pass to T&auml;sch, park for Zermatt, spend two nights there, and then drive to Geneva and return the car. The Grimsel Pass road is very well engineered and the view from the road, particularly at the top, is outstanding as well.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I am leaning to the Berenese Oberland area. I have to finalize my schedule, so maybe I can do both which would be even better. Maybe I will fly into Zurich and then back out of Geneva.

It is win situation, but the imponderable is the weather.

If you have cloudy days, then you will need to see alternatives. One good alternative as long as rain is not pouring down is Luzern and in particular the Transportation Museum.

Again, if it is not actually raining, the Museum of Swiss Life near Brienz is interesting.

It is outdoors, so rain if a potential factor.

It can be reached easily from Brienz by post bus. Brienz is served directly from Interlaken Ost.

The Falls of the Rhine River very near Schaffhausen are also a worthwhile sight to see.

Of course Geneva itself is a city that has a few definite attractions to offer.