JES

great!
Any thoughts on if I wait last minute and try a hotel while we're there as opposed to booking ahead? I hate to be so scheduled but I don't want to pay a premium.

bob_brown

I think it depends on how long you are there and what you want to do while visiting.

I find Grindelwald to be too crowded to be Swiss anytbing. Lauterbrunnen at times seems overwhelmed with Americans.

I became very conscious of that last year when we ate more than normal at the hotels. Even the waitstaff spoke with American accents!!

If you want to get away from the typical tourist mobs, I recommend Saas Fee and, in Val d'Anniviers, the villages of Zinal or Grimentz.

Wengen is an ok place with upscale accommodations and a nice flat location on a shelf of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Mürren is in a similar position on the west side of the valley with incredible views of the Mönch and the Jungfrau, plus the lesser ridges of the Breithorn and the Tshinglehorn.

Lauterbrunnen is fine as a transportation hub. Trains and buses to higher locals are there and it is relatively easy to get in and out by car.

Gimmelwald seems to have an appeal, but it is quite small, and mostly when I strolled through it on my way elsewhere, I did not stay very long.

ronkala

pja
thankyou for the four links that you posted. There is such a wealth of information there. A big help for planning next years trip.

JES

I'm back and did stay in Wengen and we really enjoyed it for one night. More than that may have been too quiet for me but we took the train up to Kleinne Scheidegg from there and hiked 3 hours down and then had a fabulous dinner outdoors at our hotel. Quiet, but very nice. Though I think Wengen's best season is probably the winter where the pavement is covered with snow making it all more charming.

I do like Lauterbrunnen and would definitely consider staying there next time because the town is cute and you are surrounded by all of the mountains. The glacier water jetting down the cliffs is an unforgettable sight and it's a great central point to get everywhere.
Thanks again for all advice.

mari5

Will you have a car? Nice to have in that area. Lauterbrunnen is the place you get the cog train to Wengen. Yes, Wenger is gorgeous, and car free...and for just one night and day it would be fun and beautiful , of course. Some people like to base in Lauterbrunner if staying several days., and then take a day trip to Wengen. We were there in late Oct,,,,NOTHING open in Wengen. Well , it was rainy, and we had lunch at a hotel and the scenery WAS gorgeous....but it is a tiny place. More active in Summer AND Winter.
Murren is WAY up on the Mt. opposite Wengen and I believe a little more difficult to get to....funicular perhaps.
We spent a night in Grindelwald and it to is interesting, but a little more "commercial"...gorgeous view of Jungfrau area etc.
We also stayed a night in Interlaken...a much larger CITY, but a nice change and of course lovely also.(a good place to "regroup", do laundry, walk the streets etc)

kopp

JES - welcome back! So, did you get to have any fondue?

That's a good walk from KS to Wengen. Good for you. Any cows out yet? Probably too early. In July they're all over that pathway. Sometimes I wonder how they can stand that noise of the bells every time they move..LOL!

Where else did you go?

Mimar

Mari5, why do you say a car is useful in the Bernese Oberland? Several of the places mentioned are not reachable by car. And Switzerland has such excellent and well-coordinated public transportation that I think a car is a hindrance rather than a help.

mari5

Mimar; a car is Always a nice way to see a country, that's why I said it.......(with a bad knee and foot and sometimes limited walking), and also combined with the good transportation one has in Switzerland.
Just personal thoughts....and in some ways one can see and experience MORE....and still get to "walk the streets" in villages, etc..

JES

Kopp--thank you! I wish I could say it's good to be back I could have stayed another month!
Yes, we did get fondue, but we didn't have it until we got to Luzern. It was so expensive in Wengen and the Oberland! 50 chf per person! Compared to 29chf in Luzern and Zurich.
In Wengen, we had a fabulous meal at our hotel--a veal roast. We stayed at Hotel Schonegg and ate outdoors with a view to the mountains. So great.
We did see (and hear) the cows on our hike which was one of the highlights of our time there. It was so incredible with the sound of the bells and the views. But those poor cows! I guess they get used to it b/c they didn't seem to mind.
The rest of our trip, we stayed in Luzern and I had a reunion with my friends in Zurich who I hadn't seen for 15 years. I even saw my ex-boyfriend (with both of our spouces). It was very emotional seeing everyone but so incredible.
I had travelled in my early 20's and met all these people and esentially lived in Zurich for a few months. They are very dear to me and I only regret not spending more time with them while there. But we will be planning a ski trip with them in the next year or so which I'm really looking forward to.
We ate outdoors on a hilltop in Zurich that served Raclette and Fondue. It was one of the best nights I've ever had.

In terms of car vs. train. After driving everywhere in France, it was so great to be on the train for Switzerland. I think so much easier than car--especially b/c the train system is so good. Only caveat--it is expensive and hot--little air conditioning on the trains.
We did see a couple in Wengen who said it took them forever to drive there b/c there was so much construction and our Swiss friends confirmed in the summer there is always a lot of construction.
I think with bad knees, etc, the train is a better option b/c you can move around BUT--it depends where you go and how much luggage you have. Going from Zurich to Wengen was difficult b/c of all the transfers.
Definitely a personal and situational decision.

kopp

Whoa - 50 chf per person for fondue? That sounds like a price for 2 as I usually think of it being like 25 pp. Amazing!

Seems kind of kinky vacationing with the ex. Good that you can put "all that" behind you and just be friends!

JES

I know--it was ridiculous when you think about the fact that it's cheese and bread! You also have to watch out for the hotels being per person--I thought they were reasonable until I realized. I had never stayed in a hotel in Switzerland before so never realized.

Yes, it was strange seeing my ex. I hadn't planned on it, but he arranged it through another friend there.
I didn't think I wanted to go there, but it ended up being really nice. And it was fun b/c I had learned German in the meantime which he got a real kick out of.
They want to visit us now in the US. I don't think I could be best buds (not healthy) but it was definitely a good thing to get beyond the break up! And it was such a special time in my life. My husband was a great sport.

kappa

JES, please, please tell me that CHF50 cheese fondue included other things than only cheese fondue, starter, c.fondue, dessert or you just drank lots of white wine. Or as Kopp said CHF50 only for cheese fondue is just impossible !

JES

We didn't do it for that price, but it was CHF49 per person and didn't appear to come with any dessert, wine, etc.

In Luzern we payed CHF32 to get one with cheese, one small sausage, a little bit of rosli and bread. We found this a bargain after Wengen--also b/c it came with more than just bread. We did not have to order it pp here, so I got this and my hubby something else.
They said we could share on order for CHF 6 here--which we did not ask in Wengen so I don't know if they would have allowed that.

JES

Just spoke to my husband, he remembers it being 49 at one place but in the 30's at others for cheese and then 55 to 59 (per person!) for bourguignon fondue.
So a little more reasonable for the cheese at some places--but not much. I'm sure it's a special price for tourists. When we asked a local where the best fondue was, she said they usually don't eat it out b/c they make it at home all the time.

mari5

JES: re;car vs. train....both are wonderful in Switzerland.
But , I'm glad for your last sentence of your one post where you stated "definitely a personal situational decision"

(I was just about to write that you didn't know what you were talking about._
NO WAY is the train better for "bad knees" or any handicap. Lots of walking after arriving in a station etc etc. Can see so much more from a car (in most places), and experience the true feeling of a country and it's people. However many people don't feel comfortable driving (and they shouldn't!) Some can't navigate or read a map ,and get frustrated, and the car is not for them.
BOTH WAYS are lots of fun....it's ALL traveling and again, to each his own!!!
(We always travel in LATE FALL and EARLY SPRING, and don't usually have a car/road/ hwy problem)
You have named 4 lovely towns...all interesting in their own way. (I'll bet you picked Wengen! Let us know!)

JES

Mari,
You are definitely right and in the Spring and Fall I'm sure driving is a much different experience than the summer!
We came to Switzerland after driving in France and were relieved not to have to navigate, get stuck in traffic, etc... But driving does give you more freedom to explore areas you can't get to by train. I have been lucky to have locals drive to those areas while I train to others.
I wanted my husband to get a feel for the European train system also since it is so much better than our local train into Manhattan. The Swiss have a new high tech train he was really amazed by--very cool, all automated, fast, incredibly quiet and smooth. It was very star trekish.
Yes, we did stay in Wengen, but spent a day (lunch) in Grindelwald. My hubby liked it so much he wants to go back to ski in the winter. With skiis and more luggage, we will definitely take a car instead of a train because of the connections.

swandav2000

Hi JES,

nononononono . . . no!

No need to rent a car when you return to Switzerland to ski. I'm always amazed when folks say a car offers more freedom -- when (in Switzerland, as you know) many places are just not accessible by car. Sure, you may have to actually walk a bit and carry your own stuff a bit, but hopefully we can survive that ordeal : )))

I'm even more amazed when people think they're meeting more Swiss people by taking an auto -- on a train, you're face to face with the folks, often sharing a picnic. On the train, I see & meet businessmen, matrons going shopping, young mothers with strollers, gaggles of school kids coming home from school, etc. Taking a car, all you see is gas station attendants, shopkeepers, and hotel/apartment workers.

When you ski in Switzerland, rent your skis & boots locally. You'll be riding on the newest equipment and you won't have to lug your stuff around. You can always ship your stuff from your US airport to your Swiss destination using the SBB's Fly Rail luggage service.

No need, really, to rent a car.

However, if you're from the US and you're just used to having a car . . . well, there's no way I'm going to convince you I guess.

s

JES

Very good idea to rent the equipment. I did that years ago and it worked out great.
If I ski with my swiss friends we will probably meet them in Zurich and go together so we may end up taking their car.

kleeblatt

Cars are great when:
1. You want to explore/visit Switzerland's tiny towns in the mountains or countryside.
2. You want to experience the "driving over the passes" feeling. For this I'd rent a convertible.
3. You're staying in a place too far to walk to a train station or bus stop.

Otherwise, take the train.