Gary

We are going to be in Switzerland for 4 days, two in Zurich and two in Lausanne, and will have a car. On the way from Zurich to Lausanne, we thought about going through the Interlaken area, and making a stop at one of the picturesque towns where you can take a cable car up to an area with panoramic views. Two places I've seen in my looking at the message board are Grindelwald and Jungfraujoch. <BR> <BR>Three questions: 1) is it reasonable to make this stop in between the two cities? 2) Would either of these be the place to go or somewhere else? 3) We will have luggage in the car, which is a wagon that has a cover that goes over the luggage, but I'm guessing anyone who really looks will see the luggage in the car. Therefore, the only way we can make the stop is if there's a place to park the car that is secure. Can this be done? <BR> <BR>Will really appreciate any thoughts - we leave this coming Tuesday. Thanks.

Ed

Leaving a car in Switzerland, particularly outside of large cities, tends to be quite safe. Probably much safer than where you live. <BR> <BR>You'll have a bit of difficulty, normally, finding a place to park in Grindelwald. At least for the trip to the Jungfraujoch you might want to catch the train from Grindelwald-Grund where there's a large parking lot. <BR> <BR>It's about four hours of driving, more or less, from Zürich to Lausanne via Grindelwald and the Jungfraujoch roundtrip is minimum three hours ... plus time at the top, of course, so you would have a full day. <BR> <BR>I am presuming you'll be doing this in summertime, as I would consider the mountain weather a bit iffy in the winter for a planned detour like that. <BR> <BR>Also, note that the mountains are much clearer early in the day. I doubt you would make it to the Jungfraujoch before, say, 11 am, so make sure things look clear before you buy the train tickets. <BR> <BR>twenj

Bob Brown

There is a large parking deck in Lauterbrunnen near the train station. <BR>The train to the Jungfraujoch leaves from both Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. <BR>By different routes the two lines meet at a station called Kleine Scheidegg. <BR>All passengers head for the top change trains there for the final leg of the journey. The undiscounted ticket is a little expensive, but the trip is memorable to say the least. <BR> <BR>I suggest an early start because on a sunny day, the group of viewers at the top becomes quite large. Often there is an extensive wait to get down late in the afternoon. <BR> <BR>

Myer

Actually, I would go up the other side of the valley up from Lauterbrunen. It's more spectacular to go up to Murren and then the Schilthorn than to go up the Jung... <BR>Better to see it than go up it. Great revolving restaurant at the top of James Bond fame. <BR>

Bob Brown

The view from the Schilthorn is impressive. But you cannot see the Aletschgletscher from there, nor do you get the view from the Mönchsjochhütte, a hiking "hut" on the flank of the mountain next to the Jungfrau. And the James Bond stuff is hokum in my opinion. <BR>Bang Bang and all that. So ranking them is a question of personal values. <BR> <BR>The view from the Faulhorn is also great, perhaps the best one in the area, or second, depending on your personal prferences. Perhaps I liked the Faulhorn because you work so hard to get there. At any rate, we place the view from the Schilthorn 3rd in the group with the Faulhorn 1st and the Jungfraujoch 2nd. <BR> <BR>I'm not quite sure where some of the views of Monte Rosa come in on this scale because the mountain is so huge that it is hard to get a fully comprehensive look at it. <BR> <BR>And for an "inner" mountain view, the jumble of ice and rock seen from the trail to the Rots Gufer from Stieregg above Gridelwald is an awesome glimpse into the glacial world. <BR> <BR>

Gary

Thanks to all for your comments. <BR> <BR>I am still nervous about the issue of having luggage stolen from the car. What I am thinking is perhaps we should stop in Interlaken, park the car at a hotel, see the town, and then go on one of the funiculars or cable cars out of Interlaken to one of the towns that can give a nice view from higher up, but do not take so long to get to. Any thoughts on this? I know that the places you all suggested may be better, but this might be a compromise, allowing me to be a little more secure with the car, and taking less time. <BR> <BR>Thanks again for your thoughts.

chris

Believe me your limited time is much better spent not even venturing into Interlaken and heading straight for Lauterbrunnen and taking one of the excursions from there. There are really no excursions directly from Interlaken anyway. This will only take you an additional 10-15 minutes or so from the time you would spend trying to locate your hotel and park in Interlaken. And I cannot fathom someone driving through Interlaken and NOT getting into the mountains. Also no need to worry about luggage getting stolen in Lauterbrunnen. I happen to live near Luzern and also own a station wagon. We never worry about leaving our bikes, snowboards, luggage, etc in the car while we're exploring rural areas of the country. Trust us on this one, and get thee to Lauterbrunnen (or Grindelwald) and up the mountains. Have fun!

Gary

Chris: <BR> <BR>Thanks so much for the post, you've put my mind more at ease. We will take your advice, and go to Lauterbrunnen and take a trip into the mountains from there. <BR> <BR>Thanks to everyone else as well!