Just returned: Interlaken, travel throughout Berner Oberland valleys
 

Our family of four (two teens) just returned from a week in the Berner Oberland, and I'll happily answer any questions about transportation, the various towns (Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Grindlewald, etc.), costs, activities, and other issues.
We rented bicycles three different days for different purposes, did hang-gliding, did a day trip to Bern to float in the Aare river, hiked from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, Ballenberg museum, a boat ride, minimal shopping, toboggan run and ropes course in Lucerne afterward, and many other activities!
It's a bit expensive, but terrific - we had the SwissPass and FamilyCard. and it saved us money (plus encouraged us to go places we may not have otherwise).
Any questions? I'll reply within a day.
(We also went to Cinque Terre (Vernazza for 3 nights), Milan, Strasbourg, and Paris, if you have questions about that.)

Where did you do the hang-gliding and how much did it cost???
Also, was renting to bikes a hassle? I keep wondering where people "park" or lock up their bikes if they rent them for the day and decide to check out museums, etc. Are there plenty of bike racks?

Nancy:

Please do a trip report: places you stayed, the good, the bad, the ugly etc. Would love to hear more.

MY

>I keep wondering where people "park" or lock up their bikes if they rent them for the day and decide to check out museums, etc.

As long as you have a bike lock (most rental bikes do) a tree is enough.

>Are there plenty of bike racks?

Sometimes, but not always.
In big cities like Zürich or Bern there are free bikes for loan, you pay a deposit and get it back if you return the bikes before a certain time in the evening.

Babs, the hang-gliding was about $175/person - no need to shop around, because there are only two places in Interlaken that do it, and they have the same prices. All the hotels, tour places, and storefront booths are just booking agents for these two places. We used Alpine Adventures, which picked us up at the hotel (Backpacker's Villa in Interlaken) in a van, and we were gone a total of 3 or so hours - the ride itself wa about 20 minutes inthe air.
Tere is NO need to book ahead more than a day or so - the town is full of folks who arrive, check out the adventure activities, and book for that day or the next. Most actually opt for paragliding rather than hanggliding (para has a full parachute, while hang gliding uses log bird0like wings) because it's cheaper, but the para is a more serene, birdlike ride!

As for bikes, our Villa rented fair ones mountain bikes were 35 SF full day, 25 for half, and just 10 for after 4 p.m., while city bikes were a few fdrancs less). We did that one evening to see Interlaken. The best was that we took the train to Interlaken, rented at the shop there (35SF full day) and rode the Lauterbrunnen Valley, stopping at Trummelbach Falls. We had packed cable locks with us, but the bike shop had those for rent also. There are tons of places to lock up, and many people on bikes, so no problem finding spots. Switzerland was safe, but you still need the lock.
We then rode up the valley to Stechelberg, put bikes on the lift to Gimmelwald, biked uphill (quite steep, but only 25 minutes and paved) to Murren, and locked them again to explore the town. The ride back around and down was glorious.
We are from Alaska and quite active and adventurous, and this area had everything you could want.

really? a tree? in nyc if you lock your bike to a tree it'll get impounded.
good to know.

$175 for hang-gliding? AWESOME! Thanks for all the info Nancy! Sounds like you had a killer time

No impounding. Truly, where to lock up is not an issue. Millions of places, many actual racks, or hitching posts, or fences.

Hi all,

Just a note. You can rent bikes at many train stations throughout Switzerland. Information at www.rent-a-bike.ch.

Have fun!

s

Could you please give some info about the Aare River float in Bern? How to find it, is there a company who organises and transports, cost, etc. As if we don't have enough to do with what I've planned! Thanks so much.

Please! Why should you need a company? It is right in the city, 20 min walk from the station. The city is on the rock spur surrounded by the river loop, you descend through the park below the Bundeshaus (federal government) to teh river, go into the public "beach", pay 3-4 Fr entrance, put on your swimming trunks and go in...

ahhhh! I was picturing a 'float' with inner tubes. Maybe you see why I was asking now! This sounds fun, but alas, my daughter might now be as good a swimmer as necessary. At the risk of getting another outraged answer, can I assume that the current is very strong?

No harsh answers . . .
This is a terrific thing to do in Bern, but you need to be a decent swimmer. Upon arrival in the Bern train station, you can ask for the Parliament building, and look behind it at the Aare River floating below. You walk (or we had bikes that we rented for free there) down the terraces to an area noted on maps as the Marzili Pools. (Maybe a 15 minute walk.) These are public, free (yes, free) regular chlorinated pools with grass where you sunbathe or hang around. It was clean and safe. We rented a locker for all our gear - money, shoes, clothes, moneybelts, etc. It was actually a changing closet, maybe around 6 SF for the day.

You can play in the pools, or, you'll see in the water a bunch of bobbing heads. Walk upstream on the paved trail barefoot any distance - five or 45 minutes, jump in, and the swift current carries you downstream, where signs warn you in advance to bear left to exit.

We LOVED this! It was exhilariting and unique. We did not see anyone younger than about 11 doing it - you need to be able to control yourself in the current to exit, and not panic at all.

If you look and it's not for you, you still can swim and cool off in those pools after a day touring the hot city. It's worth a look. We didn't even have towels (too bulky to carry all day), but dried readily in the sun.

Our family found the heat and city air to be draining (in Bern, Strasbourg, and Paris), so always lookied for public city pools to revitalize.
Enjoy!!
Nancynancy

Bike rentals are in many places. I rented a mountain bike in Wengen. I took that thing off road high above it all.

I usually do good off road type deals.

This summer, I hope to just ride a mountain bike around Lake Thun for awhile. Take that ride from Interlaken west steamer boat station over in the direction of the lake and those vilages.

Biking is a great way to see this area.

Nancynancy, Your trip sounds marvelous.
We are planning a week next July possibly split between Luzern and Kandersteg. We are early 60's and both can only do light hiking, distance is not a problem, speed and elevation are.
I would love to do something on the water, any suggestions? Any suggestions about our itinerary? We would arrive in Zurich and after the week in Switzerland want to go on to Mont Blanc a day or two and then a week in Gordes, France. Any suggestions from anyone would be very much appreciated.

Sebina

>At the risk of getting another outraged answer, can I assume that the current is very strong?

Without any outrage -- yes, the current is quite strong and fast and the water is often cool (20-22°, rarely above that) but on hot summer days it can be very refreshing and nice. Wouldn't recommend going in there with small children, though.

Wow, your trip sounds amazing. I'm actually going to Switzerland in September and am interested in traveling to some of the cities you mentioned. I noticed you said you did a day trip to Bern. Where were you based out of? If it was it Interlaken, that would be convenient to my itinerary.And if it was Interlaken, what is the travel time; did you feel a day trip was sufficient to se Bern?

Also, I will be getting the Swiss Youth Pass or (flexi?). Did you find yourself using the "travel days" every day despite being based in one city for a couple days at a time? I'm going to be there for about 9 days or so (based out of 4 cities) and am not sure if flexi would work, since I'd still need to use the transporation system(postal buses, local trams) to get to certain sights.

PS. How was the view while hang gliding? It sounds amazing. Thanks for the tips and I look forward to the trip report.

We are leaving this Friday for ten days in Switzerland with our three teens. Were the ropes course and toboggan run on Mt. Pilatus? We were planning to go there for those activities. We first will be staying in Zurich to visit friends, then two nights in Vitznau and four in Wengen. Where were you based? There are so many things to do; I wish we had more time. Did you spend time in Lucerne and Bern, besides the adventure stuff? Did you go to either the transportation museum or the museum with the exhibits on Einstein and physics in Bern? Thanks for your answers! I can't believe after months of anticipation we are finally getting ready to go!

Bookmarking

Sebinah: I think you'll love Lucerne - we thought it was very pretty, but it is slightly crowded, so is quite a different experience from the Oberland towns that are reached from Interlaken (such as Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Grindlewald). You can take many boat rides on Lake Lucerne -- it looked like many, many people do that, although we did not do so. And, there is a lovely long, flat walking trail that heads south along the lake (from the train station, just walk by keeping the water on your left, and you can go a good distance, past beaches and bolles games and much local life. This provides a break from the crowded city, which can get hot.
If you have a pass, or want to pay, try a day trip from Lucerne through Interlaken (one hour), then on to Lauterbrunnen (another 15 minutes or so). There you are in nature. The trail into the valley is flat, so you could definitely walk it. See Trummelbach Falls, maybe a 30 minute walk from the Laut. trail station. This will show you a whole different Switzerland that simply staying in Lucerne. It's just my opinion, but it's so lovely!!
Alternatively, or in addition, you can take the same train line to Brienz, look around at the wood carvings, and then take a boat ride (about 70 minutes) to Interlaken. The scenery is also nice on Lake Brienz.
You'll have a wonderful trip!