Hello All.

I am to be in Interlaken next week from Tuesday to Friday and the weather forecast isn't looking too promising: rain and snow all week. Since our plan was to do the Jungfrau, Schilthorn etc, does anyone have any suggestions for rainy weather activites in the Interlaken area. If its cloudy all week is there any reason at all for still going to Jungfraujoch? Thanks for any suggestions you can give!

We were in Interlaken area last June and lucky we had a good day and we went to Jungfrau and it was pefect. If the weather is no good, it's really a waste of money to go to the top of Jungfrau and Schilthorn since you won't be able to see anything. But sometimes the forcast is not all correct and if one day you wake up and see clear sky, go for the tops. We took a boat ride on the lake on one of the rainy days and it was pretty nice. Or you can go to Bern or even Luzern for museums and shopping

You could always grab your umbrellas and walk out toward Jungfrau for as long as you wanted (from the train station, it is an out-and-back route). From my experiences, it would still be an incredible, breath-taking walk through the valley. Also, there is my favorite, the Trummelbachfalles, an awe-inspiring glacier waterfall inside a mountain. You can walk around inside the mountain and see it. There are signs as you walk pointing you to it. Just a suggestion!

I have spent some time in Lauterbrunnen on several occasions. One of the problems with visiting the Alps is cloudy weather. If the mountains are socked in, they are socked in! Unless you want to pay to look at clouds, I see little reason to take either trip - Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch unless for some reason you are compelled to go there.

The above suggestions is a good one.
There are waterfalls that flow into the valley and the walk along the floor is essentially flat.

Trummelbach Falls are recessed into the limestone side of the valley to the extent that they are hidden from view if you are on the road. The walkways to the cascades are paved and the falls are lighted. There is also elevator service to take you up to the higher levels.

Although it is outside, the Feilichtmuseum at Ballenberg near Brienz is very well done. If the rain is pouring, I don't suggest it, but if the weather is mostly cloudy with some drizzle, I think you would enjoy it because it is very well done.

Some of the buildings have been restored to full working order, such as the sawmill. Others have been refurnished with period household items.

And there is always the train to Luzern and the Transportation Museum, which is mostly indoors.

Or you could hop a train to Thun and do the castle.

The valley museum in Lauterbrunnen is well done, too. And the church cemetary is like a flower garden. It is really very well done with rich plantings of flowers.

And there is always my favorite activity for a rainy day: take the train up to Wengen, find one of the bakery establishments, and stuff yourself! Not recommended if you have high cholesterol, but better than being bored to tears.

I live in Zurich. The good news is that the weather reports are almost always wrong, I swear they make them up. Snow was forecast for earlier this week in Zurich and of course Monday through most of yesterday it was sunny and in the 60s F, lovely spring weather. The other good news is that Switzerland is a place where if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes because it may change. (This also means you could get snow on the afternoon of a sunny morning.) I would not stress to much over it and just wait and see what happens.

If you do get bad weather, I agree with the above poster that the Lauterbrunnen valley is a great place to see anyway, as the waterfalls are usually not obscured, and the one “inside” the mountain is of course not subject to the weather. Even walking in the fog in Wengen or Murren can be a fun and kind of ghostly experience, and the train/funicular rides up are fun in themselves, esp the funicular to Murren. Also, you will be there if the weather should suddenly clear up and then you can enjoy the views.

If the weather is so bad that even a trip into the mountains or valley is not attractive, then you could take a train to Bern (about an hour) and see the old town areas. You could go to Thun and see the castle and their very nice old town (about 30 minutes by train.) A trip to Brienz by train from Interlaken would take about 20 minutes, and there are many woodcarver and souvenir shops in Brienz to pass some time. The out door Feilichtmuseum mentioned above is also nearby.

I am not a huge fan of Lucerne, but on a rainy day in the mountains it is a good option, albeit walking around in the rain in Lucerne and not being able to see the mountains over the lake or from a ferry will take away quite a bit from the experience, IMO.

If you will have a car, you could drive the Brunig Pass, although again not so much fun if it is foggy. There is a great antique shop in Lungern that is worth a stop and the Gausthaus hotel just beyond is great for lunch or dinner.

If you aren’t wedded to actually staying in Interlaken, I would stay in one of the mountain villages like Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald rather than Interlaken. Even Brienz, which is a bit further from the mountains, is a nicer place to stay than Interlaken, IMO.

Thank you all for the suggestions. Hopefully we'll get some sunshine during our stay. How exactly would we take the walk through the Lauterbrunnen Valley? Are there signs? Would the Trummelbach falls be near or accessible from this walk? Thanks again.

A long shot, but . . . if the weather's cloudy try to check the webcam from the Schilthorn before you give up on it entirely. I was there skiing several years ago - it was a foggy rainy/snowy sort of day but my lift ticket covered the Schilthorn tram anyway and I decided to go up. About halfway there up we broke out of the clouds into a bright sunny day with a carpet of white clouds below us and the mountains poking up through it - exactly the same sort of view you sometimes get from an airliner. I spent the whole day skiing in bright sun, then took the tram back down into the gloom. It's probably the most vibrant memory I have from that trip.

How do you walk through the Lauterbrunnen Valley? Well, get off the train in Lauterbrunnen, and head south.
As you get off of the train, walk past the station on the left, go up the ramp, and keep going. As you get to the end of the main street, you will see Staubbach Falls. Walk past the falls and keep going along a narrow road as far as you can.

It is impossible to bet lost because you cannot go east and west without going straight up. I suggest turning left along the way, cross the creek, and go to Trummelbach Falls. You can take the Post Bus back. It is possible to walk all the way to the Stechelberg, but you have to pick your way as the trail does not go directly there.

I am not sure there is much reason to do so either. There are a few waterfalls pouring over the side, but Staubbach is the best one close to Lauterbrunnen, and Trummelbach Falls are the best ones overall.

Perhaps I should rephrase that.
As you walk from the train toward the station, bear to your left and go past the news stand. The station is small and it is the end of the line for the brown and tan BOB train from Interlaken Ost. The yellow and green WAG trains are also there, but on other tracks.

The tourist office is immediately across the street. The staff there is very helpful. Afterall, it is their job to sell Lauterbrunnen to visitors.