Please help with 2nd Switzerland trip ~ Murrren, Soglio and ?
 

We are thinking of a second trip to Switzerland.

Our first trip in 2007 was so unbelievably beautiful, we vowed to go back. We had a great time and a wonderful itinerary thanks to all the wonderful help from this board. Maybe this winter I'll have time for a brief trip report and put some pictures up on the web. So many gorgeous photos and places!

Meanwhile, I'm hoping we could get away for maybe 10 days in late June/early July.

Fly to Zurich ~ train to Murren ~ stay where? Want someplace really nice with those mountains right off our balcony. Is The Eiger the nicest?

We would love to see the Alpine wildflowers, take easy hikes/walks. In 2007 we stayed in Grindelwald which we loved, so would just like to explore from another location in the BO. We thought Murren and Gimmelwald were charming.

Train to Pontresina or ? and get a rental car so we could drive to Soglio and stay a few days. When we were there in 07 it was overcast and I have since seen pictures of what we missed of the scenery around Soglio. I understand there are nice walks there also.

Are the two hotels in Soglio our only options?

After returning the car to Pontresina we'd love to maybe take the Bernina Express again, or would welcome suggestions for alternate scenic train routes back to Zurich airport.

Exciting to think about!

www.kandersteg.ch/english/ort/index.html Kandersteg with nearby lake Oeschinensee
www.oeschinensee.ch/kategorie/sommer_en/11/

www.gemmi.ch/e/index.html Gemmi above Kandersteg - gondolas and accommodation

www.kandersteg.ch/english/sport/w_gemmi.html Gemmipass hike to Leukerbad (one long day or two days - awesome!)

Hi wrenwood---so you've joined the club of Switzerland addicts!

DalaiLlama's suggestion of Kandersteg/Oeschinensee is a good one; we love to stay at the rustic Hotel Oeschinensee up at the lake---beautiful by day, very peaceful in the evening. Some rooms have views out to the lake, but none have ensuite bathrooms. The food is wonderful (much of it from the Wandfluh family's organic farm).

There is a nice sculpture path along the lake, but otherwise not much in the way of "easy" walks directly from the hotel---there are two trails that go up and up to alpine huts, but niether one is easy. However, it is a short walk (or horse-drawn coach ride) to the chairlift and a fun ride down to Kandersteg, where you can ride the Sunnbühl cablecar up for a nice walk toward Gemmi Pass, or take a postbus into the lovely Gasterntal and walk back.

Another place we like a lot is Bettmeralp, a car-free village perched on a bench high above the Rhone Valley, with views south into Italy and to the Matterhorn in the west:

http://www.bettmeralp.ch/e/sommer/

Level walks from the village take you to the next village in either direction (Riederalp or Fiescheralp) and you can ride any of several lifts up to the top of the ridge for glorious views of the Aletschgletscher.

Or, if you want to stay closer to the more direct path back to Zürich from Pontresina, and ride the Berninan Express again, you could change at Chur for Arth-Goldau or Luzern, and make your way to Rigi, where your balcony views will take in not only meadows and far-off mountaisns, but also the Vierwaldstättersee (aka Lake Luzern). Look around for photos of the area:

http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage-HikeRIGI.html

You can stay on top at Rigi Kulm, but we liked Rigi Kaltbad, partway down the mountain, better:

http://www.bergsonne.ch/main-eng.html

enzian -

We're planning a trip to Kandersteg for April - would you happen to know if the gondola to Oeschinensee runs year round?

Just checked out a few of those links, and it's not looking good, bummer...

wrenwood -

Forgot to mention that we like the Hotel Alpenruh in Murren. In your face mountain views from the balconies.

melng8---unfortunately, as you discovered, the lift to Oeschinensee is not running in April. You can walk up. . . . (but I beleive the hotel/restaurant up there is alsoclosed for a bit of rest at that time).

The odd thing is that the winter website now refers to a "Gondolbahn" and translates it as "cablecar". But the summer website still shows the old chairlift (Sesselbahn) that we used, as recently as June 2007.

http://www.oeschinensee.ch/content/sommer_en/14/139/

The summer website says it starts operation on May 9.

If the Kandersteg ideas don't work, no worries, there are tons more options in Switzerland.

You emphasized alpine flowers - one of the alpine flower paradise locations is the Rochers de Naye above Montreux - www.montreux.ch/naye/.

You can stay down by the lake, Montreux or Vevey or in between, or you can stay above Montreux, there are two charming little towns on the cute train line (http://www.membres.lycos.fr/beuret/e.../real/mtgn.htm) that goes up to Rochers de Naye: Glion and Caux.

Marvellous views across the lake from there, only a few hotels, not many, but you're down in Montreux in a jiffy - see what you think:
Glion: www.hotels-and-more.ch/en/vaud/glion
Caux: www.hotels-and-more.ch/en/vaud/caux/

Thanks enzian - any idea how long and how strenuous the walk is?

Apologies wrenwood, I didn't mean to hijack your thread.

bookmarking

I apologize to all for posting and then being "absent" ~ unexpected family concerns have kept me otherwise occupied

Late June/early July is now out for this trip, I'm hoping we can go in Sept or Oct again. So sadly, no wildflowers if we make it there this year.

I'm going to check out some of the recommendations, and Melnq8, don't apologize for "hijacking" the thread, all questions and information always welcome!

Hi wrenwood - my husband and I did our first [my second] trip to Switzerland together in April 2002. We've since done a second, and having spent a total of four weeks riding trains we've covered most train routes. [However, as Soglio isn't on a train-line we haven't been there!]

I'm not sure whether you just want a scenic route from A-B [Pontresina to Zurich] or whether you want suggestions for separate day trips. We did both these side trips in one long day from our accommodation near Tiefencastel, completing a circle through St Moritz, Klosters and Chur. I've written the following as if you just want to get up to Zurich and will have your bags with you.

The St Moritz - Chur leg of the Glacier Express route is one of the most spectacular scenic routes. Naturally, it's slow. If you go that way, and are able to check your bags at Chur there's a short [one hour] and interesting train ride up to Arosa. Although Chur was all sunshine and spring blossom, it was snowing heavily when we were there.
Another alternative trip is the train from St Moritz along the Engadine Valley to Scuol-Tarasp. This is a lovely unspoilt [unindustrialised] part of Switzerland through/past the Swiss National Park. When we were there in April they had had a late snowfall and it was magic. The village of Guarda is a particularly pleasant stop.
From Sagliains on this line there is a rail tunnel that connects this valley to Klosters - making this a much quicker but less specatacular way to head north [even if you travel out to Scuol-Tarasp first].
Whether you go via Chur or via Klosters you will go through [and possibly change trains] at Landquart en route to Zurich. Lnadquart is an industrial town, but the scenery between there and the airport is mostly mountains and lakes, and quite lovely.

Hi wrenwood once more. Your post came while I was composing mine. I had the impression you were going in April, not June-July. I must have been confused with another post. Disregard comments about heavy snow. We went back in late September - October and it was very green and beautiful. [April can be brown where snow has just thawed. We were lucky to get some extra snow to cover up the brown bits!]

Thanks SueLynne (and others!)

I'm wondering about taking a train from Zurich Airport, through Chur ( have driven that area, lovely) to Pontresina. There we would rent a car and visit Soglio, returning the car to Pontresina.

Bernina Express ( last time we took it it was cloudy, foggy) and then what about heading towards the Lakes region of Northern Italy? Is that easy to see and do without a car? I think you can ferries all over the lakes?

From the Lakes ??????????????? to where??????

If we go in Sept/Oct we can probably go for 17 days.

melnq8---I do know how strenuous the walk up to Oeschinensee is, as we did it several times.

Unfortunately, one time was with our luggage---and the family won't let me forget it!!! Usually we leave our luggage in the train station lockers and just take up what we need for a few days. . . but one time gave in to the teenage girls' inability to be separated from their luggage for 72 hours. So up we trekked---with our rollerbags. The pathway ws not at all as I had remembered it---it was steeper, and not all paved. So it was a tough haul with bags. We drew many droll comments from the hikers.

The path ascends about 1300 feet in about a mile and a half.

wrenwood---thank for your patience with the brief "hijack".

If you are looking for more things to do after your visit to the Engadine area, you could make a loop from the Italian lakes back to Switzerland on the very scenic Centovalli railway, which goes from Locarno to Domodossola:

http://www.centovalli.ch/

Domodossola is on the main north-south line into Switzerland. It is a short hop to Brig and you could continue an hour or so to Kandersteg, if a stop there appeals to you. The photos I have seen of Oeschinensee in the fall are stunning---the lake is surrounded by golden larches.

From Kandersteg it is an easy 2-1/2 hour ride back to Zürich.

Hello everyone, I'm baaack!

We are now going to England in late September for a little over 2 weeks :)

However..............I am begging my husband to take about a week off so we can also do Switzerland. We're both self employed so we have the "freedom" to take the time off, just have the guilt of not being available/getting things done for clients.

I'm hoping I can convince him to do this train thing for a week, he's certain that I cannot travel with just one "carryable" suitcase. I have to prove to him I can!

So, is late June or mid-late July better for wildflowers in the mountains?

Wildflowers: It depends on the elevation, but late June is better in general.

Thanks Ingo, any particular place or area come to mind for wildflowers?

wrenwood, there are so many ... did you pick any particular region of the Swiss Alps you want to visit? In general I'd say the higher the better for late June.

South facing slopes are particularly good for wildflowers. Like the one on the hike from Sils-Furtschellas via Marmore down to the Fex Valley. (Can you tell the Engadin is special to me? LOL).

Yes we loved the Engadine, the little bit we were there ( 3 days) Would never have known about it if not for you!

We based in Grindelwald last time and loved the fact that we could walk to dinner, and take trains, gondolas, cable cars to easy walks high up.

Since we are only there for about a week, I would prefer someplace with great public transport ( we're not going to rent a car this time) Maybe ONE change of locale.

We're not "hikers" we're "walkers", loved the walks around Grindelwald as they were not strenuous steep uphill walks, but you could walk forever!

So no, I haven't figured out where we want to go. I would be happy in Muerren/Wengen area again, or the Engadine, but husband wants to go someplace new.

However, the Fex Valley is SO close to Soglio where I want to go back to!!!!!