Lauterbrunnen or similar village
 

Hi all and thank you very much in advance for your time and suggestions.Wife and I will be terminating an 8 day Viking Rhine river cruise (Amsterdam to Basel, can be done in reverse also) in Basel Sept or Oct 2024.We wanted to sample a quintessential Swiss village and have been considering Lauterbrunnen for the experience. We wont be hiking if any much and will have max 3 nights before we fly back to Newark NJ.I do realize its about a 2 hour train to Lauterbrunnen from Basel and we can either return back to Basel or another major Swiss city to catch a flight. I realize without major expense a direct flight may be prohibitive. We will both be 64,in reasonable shape with 2 check-in and carry on bags. Any suggestions on flights and itineraries? Is this too ambitious and even worth it? Thanks

As villages go Lauterbrunnen is a good choice; it's a bit of a transport hub for the Berner Oberland, so easy to get just about anywhere from there. It's in the valley, and surrounded by high cliffs and waterfalls. Some people find this claustrophobic (I don't). If you want to go just a bit higher to Wengen or Murren, you will be rewarded with in-your-face mountain views. It's easy enough to get to either by public transport from Lauterbrunnen though, so it's really a matter of personal preference. We've stayed in all three villages (plus Grindelwald) several times each and have enjoyed all of them.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that in Sept/Oct, the sun will reach the valley later than the villages above. I don't have any statistics to quote (neckervd might and he'll be sure to correct me if I'm wrong), but we make a point of avoiding Swiss valleys in the winter for that very reason. Sept/Oct isn't winter though, so this might not be a big deal, just something to consider.

We always travel into/out of Zurich; I've just checked SBB and it looks like the train travel time from Basel to Lauterbrunnen and Zurich to Lauterbrunnen are very similar, so I'd do whichever is more convenient or economical.

As for whether or not it's worth it, I find that Switzerland is always worth it.

Delta. JFK to AMS and ZUR to JFK. Or the reverse...JFK to ZUR, AMS to JFK. Trains from Zurich Airport to Basel take less than 90 minutes and some have no connection. Booking a multi-city fare might not be as expensive as you think.

It would be "worth it" to me. September v. October?.. it might depend a bit on how late in October you'd be in Switzerland. We've had snow showers at much lower elevations in late October.

I recommend Grindelwald, Wengen and Murren over Lauterbrunnen. Lauterbrunnen is down in a valley and after being up high in the mts, I didn’t care for it.

A "quintessential" Swiss village doesn't exist. Switzerland is a country with 4 languages and 4 cultures and even more architectural diversity. The main types of historic Swiss villages are
Burgundy vinyeard village (along the lakes of Western Switzerland,
Jura village,
Emmental village,
Berrnese Oberland village,
Valais village,
Central Switzerland village (Lucerne etc.)
Gotthard House village (Northern tTcino),
Piemontese village (Ticino),
Engadin village,
Appenzell village,
Walser village,
North Eastern Switzerland village.
They all differ from each other. You may get a idea of the differnt styles of architecture by visiting the Swiss village Musesum at Ballenberg/Brienz.

But most tourists from America and Asia decided that there is only one kind of typical Swiss village: the Bernese Oberland one. Lauterbrunnen is one of them, although by far not the nicest or the most typical.
It lies in a very shadowy valley from where most of the high mountains cannot be seen. But it's a good local transport hub.

For Swiss people it's just the place to change from car or standard railway to mountain railway, nothing more.
But American and Asian people adore it.

But I must disappoint Melnq8: I don't criticize that. To each his own!

Thank you for your well thought out suggestions. I do appreciate it. So as it turns out we decided last minute to do something we have had our eye for awhile are taking a Rhine Viking river cruise that begins with a 2 night stay (9/12-9/14) at the Hotel continental-Park Lucerne.Keeping with wanting to visit a small village I thought it might be nice to get out of the city at least for an afternoon. I have a waling tour that ends on 9/13 at 11:30 am I was thinking about renting a car to make the most use of our time and heading over Grindelwald for lunch and some views .It looks to be about an 1.5hr by car and 3 hour by train.We do land the morning of 9/12 but figure I need some time to rest and dont want to get right into a car and drive that day.We do depart for the cruise in Basel on 9/14 and may have some time that day but will definitely have the time afternoon of 9/13.Any thoughts or suggestions on this? As far as car rentals Sixt seems to be the least costly. Thanks

I assume you're flying into Zurich, and then heading to Lucerne after arrival?

So you arrive in Lucerne on Sept 12, have a half day tour on Sept 13, and want to rent a car for the afternoon on Sept 13 to drive the 90 minutes to Grindelwald for lunch, then drive 90 minutes back to Lucerne, and then head to Basel on Sept 14?

Personally, this doesn't sound like even a remotely good idea to me. First off, most restaurants in Switzerland stop serving lunch around 1-2 pm, so you could well get to Grindelwald and nothing is open.

Secondly, I think you're underestimating the time needed to get your bearings... you've allowed half a day to pick up a rental car, find your way to Grindelwald and back, undertake a three hour return drive, for a lunch that may not be possible and views that could well be obscured by potential poor weather in Sept/Oct.

Why not just spend that afternoon in Lucerne doing one of the many things that tourists do when they visit Lucerne? Lucerne is a destination for many, not just a place to depart from.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding?

Mel..Thanks for your thoughtful response. Yes I am flying into Lucerne 9/12 due to land 8:15 am. I am being transferred by Viking to the Hotel Continental Park and then transferred by Viking to the Cruise boat in Basel on 9/14sometime between 12noon and 4pm. I hear what you are saying about Lucerne which we will experience on our own 9/12 and have a walking tour 9/13 9:30-11:30 am.I just thought it might be nice to get out of the city and drive (faster then the train) to Grindenwald for some countryside views.We can certainly grab a sandwich for the road as opposed to having lunch there. If you dont think this is advisable do you have another suggestion for the 12-7pm'ish 9/13 time frame to get out of the city for some nice Swiss countryside views. Thanks

I understand the temptation, I really do, but it all seems very rushed and hectic to me. I assume you're flying in from the US? If so, don't underestimate jet lag.

There's a lot more to Lucerne than you might think - have you looked into visiting Mt Pilatus?

https://www.pilatus.ch/

Or taking a cruise on the lake?

https://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/

Lucern also has a very interesting and attractive old town (which you might cover on your walking tour).

I'm not very familiar with the small towns near Lucerne, so I'll defer to others to make suggestions that might be closer and give you a taste of a village atmosphere. The closest I can think of is Engelberg - 33 minutes by train from Lucerne, home to Titlis. We visited years ago and really enjoyed the Rotair, but it's been years since we visited Engelberg and I can't remember much about the village itself, other than the monestary.

https://www.engelberg.ch/en/all-year...tine-monastery

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/...ons/engelberg/

https://www.titlis.ch/en/activity/de...air/4485/60698

https://www.titlis.ch/en

You could also get to Uri in under an hour from Lucerne...we're spending five nights in Burglen in October, but as it's my first visit I have no idea if it's what you're looking for:

https://www.luzern.com/en/regions/uri/

Andermatt is another option, less than an hour from Luzern - it's a ski area, but no idea if it fits your definition of "quintessential Swiss village".
,
https://www.andermatt-sedrun-disentis.ch/en/

When I think "quintessential Swiss village" I think of Grimentz, but it's no where near Lucerne and challenging to get to.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a21a7eae23.jpg
Grimentz Oct 2022

And Soglio, which is also no where near Lucerne:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0f1b16da66.jpg
Soglio, October 2019

Don't make yourself crazy trying to find the perfect place in Switzerland...it's all good:) Think of this as your first trip, not your only trip.

My post has gone into moderation...stay tuned.

Spend your spare time visiting either Mount Pilatus or Mount Rigi. Getting to either starts with a boat trip from Lucerne across the lake and then a cograil train to the summit. Views from both are spectacular and both places offer restaurants for lunch. You can get a combined boat/rail ticket. Email the Lucerne visitors centre for more information and prices. Much more relaxing than driving to Grindelwald.

Unless you want to add a week or so, I'd stay right there in Lucerne and explore this small city, its lake and surrounding peaks. Many consider it one of the prettiest cities in Switzerland with plenty to do. (I don't think I'd call it a village though.)

Mel,Marg,Mocha

Thank you for your time and consideration!. After getting this feedback looks like a boat ride and cog train maybe the best use of time without as Mel says "driving ourselves crazy".Don't think my wife will go for the cable car so the cog seems more realistic. mel your suggestion of Engelberg and Uri given the proximity to Lucerne. Mel thx for the time and Links! Marg and Mocha thanks as your suggestions are reaffirming to what others have said here.No doubt,if your guys don't mind you may be hearing from me again after further review of these suggestions. Thank you!

Don

Lauterbrunnen is a spectacular place but not particularly suitable for staying overnight. Interlaken is a good starting point for excursions to the Jungfrau and the Lauterbrunnen Valley. But if you want to be closer to the mountains, the villages of Grindelwald or Wengen are more suitable.

Have a great trip!
Martin