We've done our homework by looking at maps, books and brochures. We know what we plan to do during a two week stay in Switzerland mid June 2007. But... we are undecided as to staying in Lungern or Kandersteg. We could use some opinions here. This will be an Untour trip and the apartments best suited to our needs are in these two locations.

Hmmm.... I'd say it depends on what you have planned for those two weeks. Look at your travelling distances. Lungern is closer to Lucerne than Kandersteg. Lungern is a small farming town next to a beautiful deep, but cold lake located in an enclosed valley.

Kandersteg is bigger and has more going on than Lungern.

Let us know your plans.

Thankyou Schuler,
I've checked the travel time to about twenty towns and points of interest from both Kandersteg and Lungern. They are about equally opposite travelwise from the two points, so that is not a problem. The only distant trip would be to Tagerwilen where my grandparents were married. I want to see if the old Protestant Church is still there. For that event, we plan to stay at a hotel on the way back to the apartment.

I guess my question should have been, which is the more scenic town, and which has the better surrounding views.

Both towns are very scenic!! We did a Switzerland Untour last year and I would have to say that it is all good, you can't go wrong. We stayed in Sachseln, whick is in the same valley as Lungern. For day trips, if you are more interested in seeing Lake Lucern, Zurich and the norhtern area Lungern will work better, if you are more interested in Lake Geneva and Italy Kandersteg will be better. We spent a good amount of time getting around from Sachseln, but it was after the floods and the trains weren't running. For Untours locations I would base myself in Meringen next time...hope this helps.

I cannot speak to the Untour merits but we did spend a day in Kandestag and thought it was magical--a special place. Hmmm, That was 20 years ago.

My first thoughts were to stay in Meirington because of the gorge and waterfalls, but was advised against it by one of the regular Swiss posters. I did a lot of research on Kandersteg which seems to be pretty commercialized. That is why I am now considering Lungern. We're hoping for something picturesque. As seniors, we're not into nightlife.

I don't know why someone would advise against Meringen. It is an actual town with a main street, grocery store, restaurants and train station, it is very easy to get everywhere from there, it is surounded by beautiful mountains. Lungern is really a small town, a couple of stores, the train, you will definately feel like you are living in a little small remote village, especially if you are from a big city. I have only stoped shortly in Kandersteg but it was absolutely beautiful with the mountains in the backdrop, I wouldn't call it comercialized.
Honestly, the whole damn area is so beautiful you can't go wrong. The Untours staff is very helpful in helping you find just the right place to fit your needs, have you talked it over with them?

I stayed in Kandersteg a few days in 04. Really nice hike or walk called The Gemini Pass hike.

The walk up high above Lake Ochensee was excellent!

Kandersteg is not nearly as crowded as Jungfrau towns and villages.

I'll see if I can dig out my notes from 04 on that hike and post it.

From top view you can view the Leukerbad area. Nice walk overall. Need to be in reasonably good condition though.

Like Wengen, Kandersteg gets lonely at night. Some of you all like that, some want more night activity.

It is about an hour or so from Interkalen by train. There are more walks and hikes in the area.

I appreciate your information. Small doesn't bother us. We live in the Shenandoah Valley, and the chance to live in a small town again drew us here.

We'll be out and about every day, so one concern would be restaurants in Lungern. I know Kandersteg has many. I will call Untours for more information as suggested.

ronkala--if you do choose Kandersteg, be sure to go up to the lake (Oeschinensee), either on foot or by chairlift. It is beautiful there; and the food at the lakeside hotel is excellent. You can rent boats to either pedal or row out into the lake for different views of the surrounding peaks, cliffs and waterfalls.

www.oeschinensee.ch

Enzian,
We've discussed this and we will try to walk up if it is not to difficlt. There is no way she will get in a chairlift. She has a height problem, but says she will travel in the cable cars. We rode the one at the San Diego zoo and she did pretty good.

I don't know Kandersteg well but I do know Lungern and think that it might work well for you, especially if you want quiet and small. The area around the lake is beautiful. The town is not flat. You'll be walking down hill to the lake. The church in Lungern looks a bit like a castle.

Schuler,
All information is appreciated. I just googled lungernsee,ch and found several impressive photos of the area, but none of the town or business area. I also googled restaurants lungern,ch and found that there are fourteen there, so eating is not a problem.

Kandersteg is well situated for exploration in that part of Switzerland.
Other than being near the Öeschinensee, it also near several other attractions on either side of the Kander Valley.

Near Kandersteg is a Luftseilbahn that goes up to the Gemmi Pass where one can walk to the Daubensee past a Hotel Schwarenbach (If I recall rightly.) From the far end of the pass, beyond the Daubensee, one can descend to Luekerbad via a spectacular gondola ride.

The alternative is to take the train from Kandersteg to Luekerbad and walk back to the Kandersteg side. The problem with that approach is the length of time required because there is no convenient connection - one has to go all the way to Brig and backtrack.

Another scenic place to visit is Griesalp. Last year, people could drive to Griesalp, but parking was scarce. Usually, I was told, the road is closed or restricted. We parked in Kiental and took the Post Bus up. The road is very steep (28%) and narrow.

The other big advantage of being in Kandersteg is its proximity to the Lötschberg Tunnel. By using this tunnel, one can drive to Zermatt and Saas Fee in very short order. The procedure is simple. One simply drives his or her car onto a flatbed rail car and rides through the tunnel to Goppenstein where one then drives off the train and descends to the floor of the Rhone Valley.

In addition, Grindelwald is about an hour's drive away via Spiez and Interlaken.

I am curious. I don't know why someone would warn you away from Meiringen. It is a very pleasant town, with easy access to the heights of both the Susten and Grimsel Passes, two of the most spectacular drives you can take in a nation full of spectacular mountain passes and scenic routes.

I do not know about Kandersteg, but we have done two Untours to the Heartland, and Lungern is gorgeous, although you will have to walk up the hill from most of the apartments to the railroad. Meiringen is both flat and perfectly located. We especially loved the bus tours (3-pass and 4-pass tours) from there.
Both times, however, we stayed on the Hasliberg - the first time in Reuti, and the second time in Hohfluh. We enjoyed both villages.
I cannot recommend Untours highly enough. It is a wonderful program, and I am sure that you will have a fantastic time.

Bob
After all the comparisons amd viewing photos on the net of both areas, it looks like we will stay in Kandersteg. A trip to Griesalp is already in our plans based on information in previous posts. I am saving your info re: Gemmi Pass.

Ptizzen
What did you mean by three pass and four pass tours?
I feel very confident using Untours and know we will have a great time.

hi ronkala! We just got back from 2 weeks and I'm grinding on my trip report right now. We took a day trip to Kandersteg before heading to our flight home from Zurich. SO glad we did! I found it to be sunny and pretty. I'm sure it gets touristy in July, but in June it was fabulous. Now, you just HAVE to get your wife over that chairlift thing, because the lake and the trails around it are spectacular! We ate at the hotel above the lake on the beautiful terrace and watched all the kids frolicking, the cows mingling with tourists on the beach on the lake, and enjoying a breeze, a beer and GREAT food. Before heading back down the lift, we big kids (early 50's) did the tobaggen! It wasn't that fast or scary, but it was fun especially after a couple beers. ;-) We took many steep hikes during our trip, and I'm warning you that the walk up there is one bear of a climb. You have to be in good shape and take your time. The downhills would be hardest on me. There was a cute hotel outside of the town near the chairlift that looked really nice as well. Sure you'd have plenty dinner options. I'm going to sneak you this link to my pics just posted. It's a link to the slideshow, hold your cursor on the picture and it will bring up the names of each pic/place. Some nice views from Kandersteg.
http://llindac.myphotoalbum.com/slid...umName=album01

I can tell you what I think a good three mountain pass tour is. Starting from Kandersteg, drive past Interlaken to Meiringen and on to Innertkirchen.

From Innertkirchen take one of two routes:
the Sustern Pass or the Grimsel Pass.
Lets do it by taking the Grimsel Pass first. From Innertkirchen climb to the top of the pass for some gorgeous views.
You might even stop at the Hotel Grimsel Hospiz and walk around some.

From the top of the pass descend to the village of Gletsch and take the route toward Andermatt and cross the Furka Pass. From Andermatt, take the road towrd Altdorf and follow the signs to the Sustern Pass. When you descend the Sustern you will be back where you started in Innertkirchen and then you can return via Meiringen to Kandersteg, retracing your steps as there is no other way.

A variation of this route is to omit the Grimsel Pass. From Innertkirchen drive over the Susten Pass first and take the route to Andermatt. Cross over the Furka Pass and continue on to Brig.

From Brig drive through Visp to where the turn north for Goppenstein. Return to Kandersteg by riding the train ferry through the tunnel.

This drive will take most of a day.
If those high passes bother you, then this one is to be avoided.

Lungern is near the crest of the Brünig Pass, just south of Sarnen and north of Meiringen. It is pretty country in there but not quite as spectacular to my eyes as the Berner Oberland.

I admittedly am very biased on that score. Sarnen, however, is one of the most picturesque towns I have yet seen.
We descended from the road coming across from Bern and I must admit that the view of the town and the lake from the heights above the valley were spectacular.