Can anyone recommend affordable hotels in Wengen and Lucerne? I am traveling to both towns this June and everything online seems to be super expensive. I am considering Hotel Belvedere in Wengen, but it iwll still cost 168 CHF/night, which I find a bit expensive. Any recommendations will be appreciated!

Also, what are some "MUSTS" for persons visiting Lucerne for only 2 days? I have never been there and I'm considering skipping that part of the trip if it doesn't seem worthwhile. Maybe I will spend those two days in Interlaken instead...?

I'll leave hotel recommendations to others more knowledgeable in that area. But Lucerne is a fabulous city to visit: beautiful itself and with beautiful surroundings. I recommend walking around the old city (altstadt), visiting the Lion of Lucerne (my wife still talks about that), the medieval bridge crossing the river, and just generally enjoying the ambience of this beautiful medieval town. The painting (malerei) on the buildings is easily worth the trip alone.

I side trip I recommend is a one-day boat tour of the Lake, which takes you into the ancient center of Switzerland where it all began. Very beautiful and historic.

Now that said: the area above Interlaken (particularly Mürren) is my favorite place on the planet. I've never been to a more beautiful area in all my travels.

I loved the Hotel Caprice in Wengen, but I don't know the prices. It's Switzerland, so nothing is going to be very cheap, I would imagine. Agree with the above posts about Lucerne, and a trip to Mt. Pilatus is worth it.

I always stay at the Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen. Not sure of the price. It was well recommended to me by many here on Fodor's. I have been there 3 times at least and loved it every time. The price includes your meals but you can ask for no meals if you want.

I like the William Tell boat ride that leaves from Luzern for a relaxing day of breathtaking scenery.

Also, if it is open, a favorite museum is The Rosengart Collection. Wonderful.

Muerren is indeed wonderful - my favorite Swiss mountain town for hiking.

I believe the Bären in Wengen is less expensive than the hotels mentioned above (Belvedere, Caprice, and Alpenrose.) However, it is not a "full-service" hotel; the reception is not staffed in the afternoon and you may arrive to find a note and a room key waiting for you. There is no lobby or bar area. The rooms are basic and quite modern, but Swiss-clean and many have view balconies. The food there is VERY good. It was a great place for us, but it is not for everyone.

Assuming you are going to be in Wengen, Interlaken is a poor substitute for Luzern. It is a lovely city, but yes, Luzern hotels are expensive. You might check on Tripadvisor for B%B's or other alternative lodging. Or stay in one of the suburbs on the rail line, such as nearby Hergiswil, or one of the lakeside towns reached by boat. Or even up on rigi at Rigi kaltbad (we loved it up there.)

We also like the Alpenrose and will be there again in June. Looked at our reservation and the rate is 139 sf pp including breakfast and dinner. Not a budget hotel but the staff is great and views of the alps terrific. The hotel has been owned by the same family for a few generations. The owner is a trained chef so meals do not disappoint. I agree with the above comments regarding Interlaken-the only reason to go there is to change trains.

I certainly wouldn't trade Luzern for Interlaken. Luzern is beautiful, and the only thing I found interesting in Interlaken was watching the hang gliders land on Hoheweg Park. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen at the Hotel Staubbach and loved it. In Luzern we stayed at the Hotel des Alpes, which is beyond your price range, but the view of Chapel Bridge and up and down the river was beautiful.

In 2007 I stayed at Hotel Cascada in Luzern and really liked it. Then it was $148 for a single. The only drawback is it is not close to the main sites along the water but it is close to the train station.

btkayaks:
Just wondering, did you ever find a reasonably priced hotel in that area?
The least expensive that my search yielded was Hotel Baeren in Wengen for 75-95 CHF PER PERSON and night.

btkayaks:
Just wondering, did you ever find a reasonably priced hotel in that area?
The least expensive that my search yielded was Hotel Baeren in Wengen for 75-95 CHF PER PERSON and night.

I have stayed at Hotel Baeren twice and I'll be there again in June. I love it! You won't believe the breakfast-the most wonderful nut bread ever. A single rate for me including dinner is 130 CHF.

I may not know what I'm getting myself into but I have an apartment rental at Chalet Adler in Wengen that sleeps 3 in June for a week for $130/night.

Sorry, Make that $123/might.

I already booked Hotel Belvedere in Wengen. Looks like a great place - hopefully we will not be disappointed... I am still open to other hotels if I find a better deal/accomodations. Thanks for all your input everyone!

We stayed at the Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen, which has rooms in the 110-150chf/night for a double with breakfast. It isn't as fancy as the photos of the Belevedere make it appear but it was very nice, the staff was great, and the breakfast was excellent. We liked being in the valley, and liked the ease of getting back and forth from Lauterbrunnen for day trips, which is lengthier and more complicated if one is staying in Wengen. But Wengen is a lovely place to stay. See my trip report for more info and photos. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ember-2010.cfm Enjoy your trip!

Mike S- Sounds like a great price. I'm sure it will be clean. What days in June? I will also be in Wengen in June.

Mike -

Yes, the one think about Switzerland is that whatever the level, cleanliness is a given.

I never feel the need to go crazy spending money on accommodations in Switzerland the way I do in say Italy. Most places are well-cared for, clean, and pleasant with decent (if not always exciting) food.

Have a good time in one of my favorite destinations.

Do take the hike from Maennlichen to Kleine Scheidegg - lovely, lovely, lovely.

Lucerne is a charming town with a lot to see within the town itself as well as a host of day trips either by steamer across the lake to various cute small towns or cable car/cable railway up Mt. Pilatus, or Mt. Titlis.

Interlaekn is more a place to go someplace from - as up to the small towns in the Berner Oberland or up the Jungfrau. the town itself has some nice hotels and restaurants but not much else to offer.

Sorry can't help with hotels - Switzerland is expensive and this isn't our price point.

Interlaken looks more like Vegas than anywhere else I visited in Switzerland. Full of tourists and Arabs escaping the heat.
I would skip it altogether and go to Wengen and Grindlewald.
We stayed at the Hotel Europa in Lucern and found it charming.
Great lake views and calming scenery.

scatcat
I'll be there June 19 through the 25th.