Masterphil

Molly...I've been all over CH...go to Bernese Oberland! It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Luzern way too touristy. Bern would be a waste.

I don't think anybody has ever gone to Bernese Oberland and not loved it!

Go and you will not be disappointed!

I believe they have a money back guarantee!

MollyM

I'm definitely leaning towards a few days in Luzern and a few days in the Berner Oberland. I don't want to spend all of my time in the mountains because I'll be traveling alone, and don't want to start to feel too isolated. I'd like to spend at least a little time people watching, sitting at cafes, etc.

So my next question is: While visiting the Berner Oberland (I'm thinking three days), would you base yourself in Interlaken and take day trips to the different mountain towns? I was told this could be a smart way to do it, but everyone on here seems so anti-Interlaken.

Also, if I'm going to visit a few of the other towns, which ones? Right now I'm leaning towards Lauterbrunnen and Murren. Would that give me a good taste? Also, budget lodging options in this region are always welcome

Thanks again everyone for your help. This is really shaping my vacation!

Melnq8

Molly -

On our first visit to Switzerland, we based ourselves in Bern and made day trips, not realizing how gorgeous the BO was. On our next visit we based ourselves in Interlaken, not realizing that the best of the BO was ABOVE Interlaken. On our third trip we finally got it right, and based ourselves in Wengen. On every visit since, we've headed directly for the villages above Interlaken, and we've stayed in all of them except Gimmelwald, which is more of a hamlet than a village anyway.

I'm not a fan of Interlaken. It's not a quaint Swiss village, it's a busy small town. The only thing I like about it is the big Coop grocery store!

I suggested Lauterbrunnen earlier and the advantage of staying there (in addition to several budget friendly hostels) is that you'll save transportation costs. You can easily get to Wengen and Murren from there and you can get to Grindelwald by backtracking to Zweilutschinen. If you're based in Interlaken and you plan to go UP, all of your trips except to Grindelwald will go through Lauterbrunnen anyway.

I love Murren and Wengen, but if it were me, and I had the concerns about feeling isolated that you do, I'd stay in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald. Lauterbrunnen would have a distinct edge because its a transportation hub and has some good hostels.

Good luck.

swisshiker

<i>"I'm definitely leaning towards a few days in Luzern and a few days in the Berner Oberland."</i>

Now you're on the right track!

<i>"...everyone on here seems so anti-Interlaken."</i>

Ya think?

Our first trip to the region was similar to that of Melnq8, as well as many others here. We stayed in Interlaken, as that is what you read about in all the tourist brochures. It seemed the logical place to stay to get the "mountain" experience we all crave in Switzerland.

Day after day, making the trek by train UP the hill to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen or wherever, we realized that we wanted to stay there, not DOWN in Interlaken.

So for the past 20+ years each summer, that's what we've done.

The villages of Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, and yes, even Grindelwald (our favorite) have plenty of areas for people watching, outdoor cafes with drop-dead glacier views. I can't remember if you said which month you're traveling (except that it's last-minute), so perhaps it's in September? The crowds will be down, but that's not a bad thing.

The views from Murren are superb. Perched high on the cliff above Lauterbrunnen, you will enjoy outdoor cafes overlooking the glaciers above and valley below. It is a small village, takes only 5-10 minutes to walk from end to end, and can be a haven for a couple days. It can also be a very sleepy town, depending when you're going. We've been there in late August, and I think we were the only guests in our hotel. There are a number of beautiful walks you can enjoy as well. If you have a clear day and feel like a splurge on your budget, take the trip up to the Schilthorn for the ride of your life and views that will take your breath away.

Staying in Grindelwald is also a good option. In high summer, the place is packed with people (daytripping from Interlaken!) and lots of buses. But in the off season, it is a wonderful town. Lots of shops and restaurants here, and plenty of hiking/walking trails without having to get the expensive train pass for the higher mountains. The Post Bus is a relatively inexpensive option for transportation if you're hankering to go higher and explore. From one side of the valley to the other, the big yellow bus can be quite an adventure. Take it one way, then walk back. There are so many options here, and so much to see just in this area.

Of course, Lauterbrunnen and Wengen are also superb choices. Murren and Grindelwald are just my favorites. You truly cannot go wrong with any of these towns.

I suppose you'll be staying in Luzern afterwards, as it then gets you to the airport easier. Best to do it that way.

colduphere

Put aside two full days to find automated banking machines, withdraw money, spend it within ten minutes, find the next machine, spend it, repeat, repeat etc. We just returned from Zermatt. Expensive is an understatement.

MollyM

Thanks again so much for the feedback! I think I want to base myself in Lauterbrunnen for convenience sake (and it sounds drop dead gorgeous!)

melnq8: have you stayed in that Valley Hostel, or have you seen it? Is it located in a good area? Looks great to me!

Melnq8

Hi Molly -

I've not stayed in the Valley Hostel, but I've done my laundry and checked my e-mail in their combo wash and surf establishment (very handy by the way). They get mixed reviews on TA.

Location wise, it's very convenient, right on the main drag near the bakery and grocery store, a short walk from the train station.

We stayed in an apartment the week we were there, which incidentally is located very near Camping Jungfrau, another hostel-like option on the river, about a 10 minute walk from the station. This place I'm not so sure about - it's a mish mash of accommodation, tiny free standing new huts amongst older larger huts, converted campers, campsites, and dorm type accommodation. It was hopping when we were there in late April, which is low season. Camping Jungfrau has a nice set up though, ATM, laundry facilities, a well stocked shop that's open later than the Coop in town, and a decent moderately priced restaurant and bar that we ate at three times in a week as it was so convenient to our apartment. It definitely caters to the younger, tour bus crowd.

Then there's a third option, about a three minute walk from Camping Jungfrau, on the road to Stechelberg (both very convenient to the bus by the way). This place is called Schutzenbach Backpackers and Camping. I don't know a thing about this place, other than where it is, as we passed it a few times in the course of our stay.

Based on the little I know about the three hostel options, I'd personally go for the Valley Hostel.

Palenque

If envisioning traveling from Zurich to Lucerne, the Interlaken area and the to Geneva by public transports then by all means consider IMO the Swiss Railpass, which covers all nearly all trains, lake boats, buses, trams - anything that moves in Switzerland just about. It also gives free entry to over 400 Swiss museums - like the fantastic IMO Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne. Great sources on train, boat, etc travel in Switzerland i always give these superb sites packed with tons of info: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html#intro - Swiss passes are sold at most any Swiss train station but for some reason are significantly more expensive there than here for the exact same pass. Swiss Pass prices in CHF (Swiss francs) are at www.swiss-pass.ch or at www.sbb.ch (Swiss Federal Railways official site). But if doing what i see you contemplating then strongly look at the Swiss Pass IMO - covers travel in full to places in the Jungfrau Region like Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Grindelwald as well as all your longer distance train trips.

Palenque

If people watching is your bag (it's mine too) then Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen provide opportunities par excellent for this - these are tourist towns (well Interlaken is a proper urban area) - i love just to hang around the Interlaken-Ost (East) train station and watch the multi-national brigade of tourists ejaculating out of incoming trains - trains going to and from the Grindelwald/Lauterbrunnen areas - you have tons of Japanese - tons - they even have billboards i've seen in Grindelwald all in Japanese - and now Chinese fat cats and hikers from all over Europe, etc. To me this is exciting - something different and i enjoy ogling it all.

MollyM

Hi everyone!
Well, the trip is booked! Thank you all so much for your suggestions. They really shaped my itinerary.

I'll be in Switzerland for four days. My first day/night I'll be in Zurich. Saturday morning I'll leave bright and early for Lauterbrunnen, where I decided to base myself for two days and nites. Then Monday morning through Tuesday afternoon I'll be in Lucerne.

While in Lauterbrunnen, I plan to stroll through Interlaken (as this is where I'll have to make a train connection from Zurich), spend a day in Murren and Jungfraujoch if there's time. Think I can see all three while still exploring Lauterbrunnen? Are these the areas you'd recommend to explore in the Jungfrau region?

While in Lucerne I'd really like to do that "golden ticket" excursion--a bus from Lucerne, a cable car to the top of Mt. Pilatus, a cogwheel train down, and a boat ride back to Lucerne. Has anyone done this? Is it the best way to explore/worth the money? Is it insanely expensive?

My final question has to do with the trains. I'm trying to decide if it's worth buying a four day rail pass (will be doing Zurich to Interlaken, Interlaken to Lucerne, Lucerne to Zurich). A la cart those trips are about $120, but will the pass also cover my travels in between the mountain towns, and maybe even my golden ticket in Lucerne? The four day Swiss Pass is $226. I haven't been able to find out much my ticket from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen (round trip) and the round trip from Lauterbrunnen to Murren (and possibly Jungfraujoch). HELP!

As always, thanks so much!

swandav2000

Hi MollyM,

Since you're quoting the train trips in US$, I'm betting you got the point-point prices from Raileurope. But don't do that! Raileurope always over-charges for point-point tickets, sometime by a significant amount.

Instead, get the actual prices from the Swiss rail site at

www.rail.ch

Then add them up and see what you find.

You may also want to consider the Half Fare Card, which costs 99 chf and gives you half off every train, cable car, and ferry in the country for one month. It's the one I always use when I'm in the country.

You can get more information on the HFC and other passes at

www.swisstravelsystem.com

Have fun!

s

swisshiker

Murren is not on the track to the Jungfraujoch. That would be Wengen.

Murren is perched on the cliff's edge directly above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It is from this area that you can take the tram up to the Schilthorn.

There are several ways to get to the Jungfraujoch from Lauterbrunnen. If you don't want to do any hiking (I think you said that before, no?), probably the easiest route is to take the train to Wengen, then the connecting train up to the Jungfraujoch.

But first figure out if it's actually Wengen or Murren that you're interested in.

About the "golden ticket" to Mt. Pilatus. Yes, I've done it, and it's really a fun day. Don't miss the roddelbahn (alpine slide) on your trip back via the aerial cabelway to Kriens. It's one of the longest I've seen, and the views of the lake are wonderful as you're heading down the hill. There's also a nice little chalet restaurant for lunch.

Happy travels!

MollyM

All right, so probably Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, and Murren will be plenty to handle in 2 days worth of time?

The main question now is if my little rail trips to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, and the Golden Roundtrip in Lucerne will be included in the Swiss Pass. If not, I dont think buying the swiss pass will be worth it, and perhaps I should look into the Half Fare card (again, if these things are included with it)

swisshiker

The Swiss Pass is generally valid only for the regular trains lines, not the mountain trains. It also is good for some of the lakes; i.e., from Lucerne to the boat dock only near Mt. Pilatus, not the trek uphill and down. Not sure about getting from Lauterbrunnen to Murren. There may be a small (25% maybe??) discount on selected mountain lines.

Have you checked the Swiss rail website? It has loads of helpful information.

MollyM

Yes. I think it'll make more sense to buy my tickets a la carte. It's turning out to be the exact same price for that and the rail pass, and I'm still not 100% certain what the rail pass includes.

Does anyone know if tickets are assigned seats, or do you have to reserve a seat for more $$?

clevelandbrown

We were last in Switzerland in May and were at many of the places you mention. We'll be going back in October for a couple of weeks in the mountains and a week in Zurich. Since we are interested in art, Zurich is a priority with us, although my preparatory study indicates there is a lot more there than the Museums, but it is expensive, as are all the Swiss cities we have visited.

We enjoyed Luzern a lot. We have half-fare cards and they were a bit help as we took a lot of excursions and boats. I don't know why, but the half fare card seems to give a better deal on some of the excursions than the passes. Finding how to get the best card, or pass, or buy tickets, is an exhausting pursuit, and I no longer take the time to do it.

They have a lot of old steamers, all in extremely good condition. We took the trip to Pilatus and enjoyed it far more than the trip to Titlis. The only problem was you descend in a cable car, then have to catch a city bus (free with the excursion ticket) and it was a bit tricky finding where the bus stop was, but we eventually succeeded. We also took the boat to Rutli, a site important to the Swiss for historical reasons. The boat ride itself was worth the time and money. These boats stop in every small town up and down the lake, and your ticket gives you on and off privileges, so you can choose to eat in one of the towns, or on the boat, which has a decent restaurant (except for one we took from Lausanne to Chillon, which had no edible food, next time I'll pack a lunch).

When we went to Lauterbrunnen the weather was hazy and cloudy, so we didn't pay to go up to Murren or one of the mountaintops just to see the inside of a cloud. They have closed circuit TV from the top in the station where you buy tickets; check it before paying for this relatively expensive excursion. But understand that weather at the top can change frequently and rapidly, so there are no guarantees. Just walking up the Lauterbrunnen valley is a pleasant experience with many waterfalls from the cliffs on both sides.

Melnq8

Molly -

Your Swiss Pass will cover you all the way to Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Murren. The Swiss Pass covers the cable car to Grutschalp (from Lauterbrunnen) and the connecting train to Murren. If you choose to go to Murren from the Stechelberg side (or go up one way and down the other, which I highly reccmmend) your Swiss Pass will cover the bus to Stechelberg, the cable car to Gimmelwald and the cable car to Murren.

The only thing your Swiss Pass won't cover in full in the BO that you've mentioned is the train to the Jungfrau. It will afford you a 25% discount on the fare from Wengen to the top of the Jungfrau, which is a private rail line.

If the Swiss Pass for four days is $226, it sounds like much better deal than buying the Half Fare Card, which is 99 CHF, + half of each fare on each journey you plan to take.

The Golden Pass route is also covered under your Swiss Pass. If you reserve a seat (which may be mandatory, I can't remember) you will have to pay the seat reservation fee.

Melnq8

And no, tickets aren't assigned seats, unless you've reserved. Most mountain trains don't have a reservation system. No reason to reserve except perhaps on the Golden Pass route.

What's covered in the Swiss Pass is outlined here:

http://www.myswissalps.com/swisspass.asp?lang=EN

Palenque

The Swiss Pass is generally valid only for the regular trains lines, not the mountain trains. It also is good for some of the lakes; i.e., from Lucerne to the boat dock only near Mt. Pilatus, not the trek uphill and down. Not sure about getting from Lauterbrunnen to Murren. There may be a small (25% maybe??) discount on selected mountain lines.>

The Swiss Pass is valid 100% for any train or cable way that links two towns - thus Lauterbrunnen-Murren-Gimmelwald-Lauterbrunnen is fully covered.

If the train only goes to a mountain top - like Jungfraujoch then it is not covered 100% but a discount - always 50% on anything that moves otherwise except for the Jungfraujoch trains from Kleine Scheidegg to the summit (bus covers this train in fully to Wengen and 50% Wengen to Kleine Schiedegg) - since Wengen is 100% covered folks staying there may look more at the pass as they can easily go down to Lauterbrunnen for more shopping and eatery, etc. opportunities or easily down to Interlaken for city life (and the casino perhaps) or just to hop on a lake boat in the later afternoon, etc.

The Swiss Pass is good 100% on every lake that i know of in Switzerland - not some - first-class passes or tickets can laze on the open-air upper deck - second class down below (but still great seats in the open-air back deck)

Swiss Pass good in full on nearly every bus line in cities and postal buses out

And with the Swiss Flexipass in between the first and last days of 100% flexible days you then get 50% off everything - just like the Half-Fare Card (escept Kl Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch 25%)

Some tourist scenic trains like Glacier Express charge pass holders a supplement but none is required on the Golden Pass i believe.

Palenque

Since you're quoting the train trips in US$, I'm betting you got the point-point prices from Raileurope. But don't do that! Raileurope always over-charges for point-point tickets, sometime by a significant amount.

Instead, get the actual prices from the Swiss rail site at

www.rail.ch>

I wish folks would actually check being saying things like that - actually RE's ticket prices are a tad cheaper than those for tickets in Swiss francs in Switzerland

For example Basel to Zurich Hbf on RE - $27 2nd class/$45 first class

sbb.ch has 31 CHF and 50 CHF - actually with today's conversion rate plus the 3% foreign transaction fees MORE than RE

Why do folks still say "Raileurope always over-charges for point-point tickets, sometime by a significant amount" without even checking.