vkumar

We will be visiting switzerland next month. will be traveling with two kids (13 and 4) from US

June 9th : reach Lucerne late evening. Stay in lucerne
June 10th: visit Lucerne and around. Lion monument, boat trip etc. Stay in lucerne
June 11th : Mt Pilatus trip . Stay in lucerne
June 12th : Go to lauterbrunnen valley/murren/trummelbach falls. Stay in Interlaken
June 13th: Jungfrau trip . Stay in Interlaken
June 14th: go to Montruex – The Swiss Chocolate/Cheese Train or Château de Chillon. Stay in Montruex
June 15th : Go to Bern (Montreux to Bern is about 1h40 ), go around in Bern – take train to Frankfurt from Bern in the evening 6pm

Any inputs?

usbeauty

Nice trip. But, you're changing hotels 3 times in 6 days. You are taking great train trips and you will see a lot of Switzerland. But you may want to consider skipping Bern (not a whole lot to see after your earlier experiences) and taking the train right to Frankfurt to catch your plane. It's 5 1/2 hours from Bern to Frankfurt and you have a more relaxing last day in Switzerland.

michele_d

Is there a reason you are staying in Interlaken and not up in the mountains? It is gorgeous up there and you are much closer to everything you want to see.

vkumar

Thanks for quick reply. Not specific reason to stay in interlaken, where woudl you suggest? wengen?

Jean

Bern doesn't get much love on this forum, but we enjoyed it a lot. If you go, take the tour of the Clock Tower, see the Bear Pit, take in the views from the Rose Garden or the top of the Munster steeple, see Einstein's House, track down all the themed fountains scattered around the town, see a puppet show.

michele_d

Yes, I would definitely stay up in the mts in Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen for 8 days and loved it. It just depends on where you can find accommodation at this time. Either is great location to get to the sites. You can drive to Lauterbrunnen but Wengen is a car free town. Both are beautiful. Both are small towns and train station is very easy to walk to.

kwren

I've stayed in Interlaken (before I knew better), in Lauterbrunnen and in 5 weeks will be staying in Grindelwald. Interlaken was nice, but no where near as nice as being in the mountains, especially if you can get a view. Since you are going up into the mountains twice, you would do better to stay in Lauterbrunnen as you'd have to pass through there twice on the way to the 2 trips you described and it's centrally located for both. Save some time and have a much better Swiss atmosphere.

We stayed in the Hotel Silberhorn, near the train station. You can read about it in my trip report.

The reason we are staying in Grindelwald this next time is that we are going to explore that end this time so we'll be cutting down on travel time as well.

vkumar

Thanks folks. i will try to see if i can still get something in wengen or lauterbrunnen.

Also, somebody was suggesting that i can skip one of the mountain trips between Jungfrau and Mt Pilatus. Any thoughts?

madameX

I would instead stay in the mountains around Interlaken -- Murren, Wengen, or Grindlewald, depending on the vibe you want. All of these towns will have a nicer alpine atmosphere, and you'll be able to hike from town. All are connected in various ways by rail. If nothing else, you are right amongst the views you want from the terrace of many restaurants and cafes at the top of public ski lifts.

Briefly:

Murren -- more of a village, really, but there is a sports center, a few restaurants and shops oriented to outdoor life, a good bakery, lots of hiking. You can walk to the cable car that goes to the Schilthorn from the nearby town that is even smaller. The restaurant on the Schiltorn was portrayed as the villain's lair in an early James Bond movie.

Wengen -- a more bustling town with more lodging options, with a very good connection to higher levels, e.g. Jungfraujoch. Again, many good hiking options. There is more "infrastructure" here than Murren, e.g. a drugstore, small grocery, etc.

Grindlewald -- also bustling, but more of a ski and hiking town.

While all these towns are geared to tourism, they feel less tourist-y than Interlaken. Still, I enjoyed a brief day-trip to Interlaken when I've stayed in these towns in the mountains.

swandav2000

Hi vkumar,

I would always choose Wengen over Lauterbrunnen --

I've never liked Lauterbrunnen because it sits at the base of some cliffs that overhang the town. Some folks think the cliffs add to the charm of the village, and some folks don't even notice the cliffs at all. However, those cliffs always discourage me from seeing/enjoying the place, and if I had planned to stay there and no one had told me about them, I would be a little upset. So -- this is just to let you know about them!

But I would choose Wengen anyway -- it is car-free, and staying in a place like that is a unique experience. Plus, it is higher up in the mountains, so if you want to see the mountains, all you have to do it look out your window! If you want to go hiking/walking in the mountains, it's likely you'll find lots of trails just outside your door.

Have fun!

s

BarbAnn

Your kids would love the toboggan ride outside of Lucerne. As you descend by cable car from Mt. Pilatus to Frakmuntegg there is a summer toboggan track. Our son loved it (so did I). Our son also loved the cheese factory outside Gruyere.