Jungrau, Matterhorn, Or Somewhere Else For Majestic Mountains?
 

I will be spending 3-4 days in Switzerland, in May of 2014. I want to experience the Swiss mountains. I also would like to stay in one location the entire time. Do you recommend the Jungrau region, the Matterhorn area, or some other area? I'm not a skier, just someone who loves the beauty of mountains. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Nothing compares to the Berner Oberland.
I would stay in Wengen or Grindelwald.

Nothing compares to the Berner Oberland I agree the literal and figurative highlight of Switzerland - the Matterhorn is awesome but the Interlaken/Jungfrua Region has many more varied things to see and do IME.

For people in this forum, there exists only the Jungfrau area and nothing but the Jungfrau area.
Completely useless to tell anybody here that the highest mountains and the longest glaciers of Western Europe are elsewhere and that the Jungfrau railway is the most expensive railway in the Alps.

Generally speaking, there will be less remaining snow and less rainfall on sunny slopes and in the Southern areas of the Alps (Swiss Canton of Valais for example).

You may have a look at

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home.html
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/en/
http://fahrplan.sbb.ch/bin/query.exe/en

I've been to Zermatt SEVERAL times and gazed at both "the" peak (when it wasn't obscured by clouds) as well as looked over the more than a little impressive Monte Rosa massif.

This past July I finally made it to the Berner Oberland above Lauterbrunnen and I rode on that "most expensive railway" several times (I had one of the passes) and I have to say that for a wide VARIETY of views I totally agree with Bob: there is no other area in Switzerland which compares IMO.

The BO is great not only for the Jungfrau but for all the villages on the way up from which you can take a variety of .
hikes and from the towns and lakes in the valleys (Interlaken, Brienz, Thun and Lakes brienz and Thun - also a bunch of other interesting places nearby.

I love Lucerne as a place to stay - but it's less central to the mountain villages and the highest peaks.

The view from the peak at Titlis above Engleberg (and this is a great day trip via rail from Lucern) is also impressive but I also agree with Nytraveler. I've been to every part of Switzerland now, done the specialty rail trips, done the Glacier 3000 trek, been up to Rochers de Naye more than once, the Golden Pass, the lakes, the falls, etc., etc., and I still think the BO is overall the best for your needs.

I find that the more you know about a country, region, area, the more difficult it becomes to answer what on the surface appears to be a simple question.

I understand where you are coming from neckervd and would not disagree. However, the OP as a first time visitor to Switzerland has a different viewpoint and it is that viewpoint that matters.

So with that in mind I would say the answer is the Bernese Oberland hands down. My only suggestion beyond that would be to not stay in Interlaken. Any village nearby will be much more of what you probably envision garyincary.

Wengen, Grindelwald, Murren, Lauterbrunnen will all be good for a short stay.

It's true that beauty, even scenic beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder, but some folks tend to utterly forget that.

For me, the best beauty lies outside of the Oberland area.

However, what the Oberland area has is terrific infrastructure for a first-time visitor: great hotels and restaurants at every price range, terrific transportation in & around, and lots and lots of folks who speak English. So that, coupled with its mountains, makes it a good spot for first-timers.

s

Folks, we're talking about May here, early May it seems from the OP's other post. The mountain villages in the Valais are pretty much shut down in that time of year, ditto Wengen and Mürren. At least you have the cog-trains up to Kleine Scheidegg and the Schilthorn cable car that run in the Jungfrau region.

I keep up my recommendation of Lucerne. It's the far more interesting town than Interlaken and a day trip to the Jungfrau region is plenty at that time of year. Forget the high mountains in Valais in May.

"For people in this forum, there exists only the Jungfrau area and nothing but the Jungfrau area"

The reactions above shows that I was right.

"The mountain villages in the Valais are pretty much shut down in that time of year"

That may be true for speculatve (French like) chalet connurbations like Verbier, Haute Nendaz, Veysonnaz..., but not for the villages on the sunny slopes (tons of signmarked hiking trails, no snow at all) I was talking about (everyting above Sierre and Sion). People live there all the year round. And buses run at least every hour.

Mountain railways, cableways and alpine buses running in April/May are not a speciality of Bernese Oberland.
The same is true for Zermatt - Gornergrat, Zermatt - Matterhorn Paradise, Moerel - Riederalp/Aletsch Glacier, Sierre/Sion - Crans-Montana (cablecar and all 3 bus lines), Sion - Thyon2000, Col du Pillon - Diablerets Glacier, Engelberg - Titlis, Rigi (all 2 railways and 4 cableways), Piana Vigezzo, Locarno - Cardada - Cimetta, Oberalp Pass, Bernina Pass, Saentis, Thusis - Juf, Martigny - Col de la Forclaz, Zernez - Pass dal Fuorn........

But I think swandav mentioned the essential thing in favour of Bernese Oberland: "lots and lots of folks who speak English". If you go to Interlaken, you must not try to understand Switzerland, it's culture and history, Swiss people or even one of their 4 national languages....

Wow, I think the assertions above are reading things into posts on this forum that aren't there. Nor is it true that the Jungfrau region is the ONLY alpine area that appeals to Fodorites. There have been numerous posts about the Engadine, for example. Let's not go mountain climbing over molehills. The Jungfrau region is famous for good reason.

That said, Ingo raises good points (and without neckervd's not truly warranted harshness against Forodrites). Generally speaking, visitors to Switzerland need to realize how much is shut down in some areas during the tru off-season (late-ish October through November and April through mid June). Many of the villages most popular during the peak winter seasons become virtual ghost towns in these true off-seasons. Owners of the hotels/businesses/restaurants etc may have their properties shut down for upgrading or repairs or are taking their own holidays.

If you want to explore the mountains, it's better to pick a larger base that is not so heavily involved in seasonal tourism. Ingo suggests Lucerne, which is open year round. Personally, I'm not the big fan of Lucerne that others are -- IMO, Bern makes a better base or even Thun if you prefer a smaller town. From Bern you can take plenty of scenic day trips -- including the slower, but more picturesque journey to Luzern, to the Jungfrau region, to Gruyeres etc. Sion is a possibility, but it just doesn't appeal to me. To each his own.

I'm facing this "dilemma" myself at the moment as I'm in the midst of a holiday day tripping around Switzerland from Basel with the special Swiss resident two-week train pass. A lot of the places are off my list because I don't want to spend my time wandering around ghost towns. Instead, I'm bopping to and around Lugano, Bern, Solothurn, Appenzell (the photo with my profile was taken about this time last year) and more urban areas plus a long train ride to Poschiavo and back to see the mountains (with fresh snowfall, hooray). I also spent a day in Romont, which I loved and which seems to have been completely overlooked here (more about that in my trip report).

To be completely honest, if I were coming from outside continental Europe to see beautiful mountain scenery in early May AND wanted to find lots of open shops, restaurants, tourist sites, I'd skip Switzerland and go to Salzburg instead. Just my two rappen's worth.

"Many of the villages most popular during the peak winter seasons become virtual ghost towns in these true off-seasons."

I meant peak winter AND summer seasons, of course.

WeisserTee wrote:
"Wow, I think the assertions above are reading things into posts on this forum that aren't there. Nor is it true that the Jungfrau region is the ONLY alpine area that appeals to Fodorites."

I don't think I'm reading into the posts; I think their message is quite clear. Here are the first responses:

Nothing compares to the Berner Oberland

Nothing compares to the Berner Oberland I agree

I totally agree with Bob: there is no other area in Switzerland which compares IMO.

* * *
I assert that the Oberland is just one of many gorgeous areas in the country. Some folks prefer it, and that's fine. But don't buy the PR that it's the most beautiful area, period.

s

Well, if people have seen other parts of Switzerland and still think the BO is best, they're entitled to that opinion. It doesn't mean they're ignorant. I've been all over Switzerland and as you know, I like the Gstaad region best of the mountain areas. But I also think that certain parts of the Jungfrau region ARE incomparable. And I don't feel that way simply because I bought into some PR campaign.

And FWIW, I was not referring to your post but to neckervd's assertion that for people on Fodors (note that he did NOT say "some" people, he seemed to include all and sundry) that "there exists only the Jungfrau area and nothing but the Jungfrau area" And that is not true. Period.

WT, I hope you can see that I'm not saying they are ignorant. I hope you can see that I believe they are entitled to their opinion on which area is most beautiful in their eyes. After all I state that clearly: "Some folks prefer it, and that's fine."

What I strongly object to is saying that there is a one-spot-fits-all vacation spot. That, for anyone who wants to see mountain beauty, the Oberland is incomparable. That's simply not true.

s

Good post, Weisser Tee. Have fun exploring Switzerland at this time of the year :-)

Re: Lucerne - I'm not the biggest fan of Lucerne, either. For a first-time visitor it is a very good base, though, I think. Thun is indeed another possibility, less touristy, but I must admit I like the larger Lake Lucerne better than Lake Thun. And Lucerne has the more interesting sights/museums IMO.

Those of us veterans on Fodor's know better than "For people in this forum, there exists only the Jungfrau area and nothing but the Jungfrau area." For example, there have been threads here named "Support Group for Those who love Switzerland." Parts I - IV, actually. In those threads basically every corner of Switzerland was covered, the Jungfrau area didn't get much attention. Right, swandav, Grassshopper? ;-)

I would not send a first-time visitor to any of the lovely off the beaten path places in a remote valley in the Valais. Or to one of my favourite places in Switzerland, the Müstair valley. And only reluctantly to an overbuilt, contrary to the typical Swiss Alps image looking town like St. Moritz proper, Crans-Montana or so.

We have found the Jungfrau more beautiful. We have had more fun in Zermatt. Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston. Who can make that choice?

"neckervd's not truly warranted harshness against Forodrites".
I have nothing against Fodorites, otherwise I wouldn't post here.

I am Swiss, I live in Switzerland, I know almost every village in the Swiss Alps and I just try to give as accurate information as possible, even if it is against the mainstream in this forum.

So I named the most important mountain railways etc. which will run in May 2014. I also named the most sunny snowfree mountain areas. And I can give more details, if anybody is interested in.

But I never said that the Jungfrau area (which is only a part of the Bernese Oberland, BTW) is ugly or only "more than a little impressive".

I just try to show people that there exist other places worth to see in Switzerland than Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald, Muerren, Grindelwald, Wengen, Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn, Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Lucerne, Engelberg, Titlis, Bern, Gruyeres, Montreux and Zurich
and other trains than Glacier Express, Bernina Express and Golden Pass.
That's all.
But it's really very, very, very difficult.


"I would not send a first-time visitor to any of the lovely off the beaten path places in a remote valley in the Valais. Or to one of my favourite places in Switzerland, the Müstair valley."
Neither would I. I never tried that. On the contrary: I always warn people who want to "explore Switzerland" from staying at too remote places, like Gimmelwald, Gstaad or Engelberg.

As to the so called "ghost towns" (there are much less in the Swiss Alps than in the French or Italian Alps, BTW), I tried to name them specifically. It's of no help to tell that in some (not defined) areas, many (not defined) places are totally closed.

Salzburg versus Switzerland: I tried to understand what Weisser Tee wanted to say, but I didn't succeed. Most mountain resorts in the Land Salzburg are down in the valleys (like Badgastein, Kaprun, Krimml) and can therefore not be compared with the so called "ghost towns" in the Western Alps.