There is a restaurant at the way station called Winteregg, and it is usually crowded on a pretty day.

That is undoubtedly the one you mean.

bob_brown---we must have been posting at the same time.

I think we're all talking to scrb now; the original poster has disappeared. Perhaps a change of plans---see the "day trip from Montreux to mountains---is it worth it?"

Hi Enzian. Quite likely we were.
I never worry too much about the original poster seeing the replies. I have found that many people read them and use them.

Before spam mail got to be such a problem, I posted my email address and got many personal inquiries.

Now that my server has begun using a very effective, for now at least, spam scanner and blocker, I may try it again in the future.

The problem seems to be that spammers' methods are always one step ahead of the filtering techniques.

I will wait and see how long my inbox stays relatively spam free.

How is it for someone who doesn't speak German and unfamiliar with these trains and cable cars to find your way around all these switches from trains to cable cars and vice versa?

OK I got two nights in Grindlewald followed by two nights in Zermatt. I had planned for one full day in BO along with either half a day coming from Zurich or half a day before going to Zermatt.

I will have to see if it's worth finding more time for BO. Zermatt weather is said to be better, like clear when it's not in BO.

First I don't think anyone can make any predictions about mountain weather. Secondly, I know of no supportable grounds for making such a generalized statement when comparing Zermatt weather with Grindelwald weather. If anything, I would say the opposite was true, but I have run into cloudy weather in both places.

Last year I happened to hit a perfect day in Zermatt whereas my first two visits there were disappointing. Once we were riding the train to the Gornergrat station and I got one good look at the Matterhorn before it disappeared behind the clouds.

Before I came down, snow was falling. By the time we were as low as Zermatt, the snow had turned to rain.

My first visit there, I spend a week in Saas Grund/Fee and did not see the sun. The same conditions existed equally in Zermatt.

You seem to think that making the changes is going to be something ferocious. It is not. You simply walk from one to the other. It is no big deal, believe me.

How much German do you need? None. There is a great deal of English spoken in the Lauterbrunnen valley. For example, the co-managers of the Oberland Hotel are both fluent as are the members of the serving staff.

Even for people who understand German, those Swiss mountain accents are hard to follow. It helps a little to be able to read the signs.

You will find that most of the employees of the Jungfraubahnen in its various guises - Wengener Alpbahn, Jungfraubahn, Berner Oberlandbahn, etc. - speak English enough to get the job done.

In Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Lauterbrunnen I doubt if you will have any trouble. On Swiss trains, loudspeaker announcements are customarily made in 4 languages:
German, French, Italian and English.
As far as I know the accents are done correctly; I know the English and German are radio announcer quality.

The weather in Switzerland is a much-discussed topic.

The weather can be quite different in Northern Switzerland as opposed to Southern Switzerland. Zermatt's (Southern Switzerland) weather could be much better than BO's (Northern Switzerland) weather. Or vice versa. If one area tends to have better weather, it would be Zermatt.

There's NO guarantee and mountain weather can change very fast. Listen to the weather forecast which is usually quite accurate.

Scrb

Regarding prices and the weather, that is one factor against the Swiss pass if you are counting on using it for these high level rides in order to make the pass pay.

The first day we were in Muerren, the sun was peeking through at the lower altitudes, but the TV display in the cable station showed the Schilthorn to be completely socked in - a total waste of money to attempt in that case.(The Jungfrau was also socked in that day, as could be seen on closed circuit TV.)

Anyway, the next day was clear - and, we learned, the first clear day in 9 days! So if you are only there for a short period, you might not be ever able to maximize your Swiss pass using the high level discounts. Paying as you go is more expensive per ride, but then again, you only pay if you, well, go, which you won't (or shouldn't bother to) if the weather is bad.

Opinions on the Jungfrau obviously vary but I'll chime in: the time I did it, I regretted it - very expensive, and too much time in the train that could be better spent hiking, even just the easy and very scenic stroll from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (with the option to stroll down to Wengenalp, there to catch the train down.)

By the way, I see you have 2 nights planned for Grindlewald and 2 nights for Zermatt. If cost and time are issues, I really think you'd get better bang for your buck either consolidating those stays either into 1 4-night stay in the B.O., or spending 2 nights on one side of the valley and 2 nights on the other. Trust me, you won't run out of things to do.

HELP! Can someone please explain why this post does not show up in the Switzerland section?

I have only been able to pull it up in the general Europe section. Makes me wonder if other Switzerland posts are not showing up correctly.

The original poster has to select Switzerland from the search box to have it included when you search on Switzerland info. I forget to select it many times when I post.

You should be able to pick it up when you type "Switzerland" in the search box, though.

First, there is no Swiss section on the forum. All is lumped under one heading: Europe and listed in the order of the most recent reply. The categories help some in searching, but just how it helps has never been obvious to me. I wonder at times about its functionality.

Second, let us hopefully lay to rest the issue of how much of a discount the Swiss Card yields when buying tickets on the Jungfraubahn network of transportation lines.

The answer is 50%. Claims to the contrary are mistaken, if not bogus.

Here is the text of an email I just received from the Jungfrau information desk. For the record the full fare for a mid morning departure is 157 chf. The price quoted below is 50% of the full fare.

Thank you very much for your e-mail concerning a trip to the Jungfraujoch. The fare for holders of the Swiss Card from Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch, roundtrip-ticket is CHF 78.50 per person. For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Further we can suggest you our Internet site at www.jungfrau.ch. We wish you an unforgettable stay near Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau!

Yours sincerely

RAIL INFO JUNGFRAUBAHNEN
Stefan Schneider
Harderstrasse 14, 3800 Interlaken
Telefon ++41 33 828 72 33, Fax ++41 33 828 72 60
E-mail: [email protected] / www.jungfraubahn.ch <http://www.jungfraubahn.ch>

scrb---it is not at all difficult to find your way around. The Swiss transport system is very user-friendly, even if you don't speak German. You can see the connections on the Swiss rail website, www.sbb.ch
Choose English for your language, and put in starting and ending points to see the transfers involved. (Try Grindelwald to Schilthorn, using a random date in February or March).

I print out these schedules for each travel day of our trip before we leave; it makes it very easy to get around. Most connections involve simply walking from one to the other---they are scheduled to connect pretty seamlessly.

My hotel reservations are already set, except for the last night in Geneva before leaving.

I figured the 4-Day Swiss Pass for $178 made sense even if I never used the 50% discount because I'm making all these stops to various places over the 4-day period.

Even if you can't go up to Jungfrau or Schilthorn, there are things to do Wengen, Grindlewald, Interlaken and other points covered by the Swiss Pass right (that is no additional payments needed)?

If the mountains are bad those one or two days, I guess I can go back to Luzern and look around.

I have my weather widgets set to Zurich, Wengen and Zermatt. Grindlewald isn't in there. Weather similar across BO or will there be a big difference between these small towns/villages?

If the day is cloudy, but not actually raining, thus contraindicating an expensive trip to look at clouds from the top down, I suggest taking the ride on the train and bus to the Museum of Swiss Life at Ballenberg. It is outdoors and contains an extensive collection of reconstructed Swiss farm buildings. There are all types of architectures from different regions of Switzerland. Some of the farm buildings are in working order such as the saw mill.

Also, there is food available within the park area, particularly if one of the bakeries is operating.

From Grindelwald take the train to Interlaken Ost. From Interlaken Ost take the train to Brienzee. From Brienz take the bus to the park gate at Ballenberg West. While in Brienz, take time to visit some of the woodcarvers' shops. Those skilled artisans do amazing work with wood.

Thanks for the tips.

I've been shopping for clothes and other cold weather gear. I have an old parka with Gore Tex and thinsulate. See a lot of waterproof/breathable shells, usually with a zipperable attachment underneath.

These things are $300 for the NorthFace brand. Cheaper stuff looks too garish, too ski slope type.

For pants, I was thinking of getting some snowboarder pants, which don't look shiny or puffed up from insulation. Still suppose to be waterproof and breathable.

For boots, I see insulated boots with supposedly "winter grip" soles but the treads don't seem that deep to dig into the snow, especially if I do get to hike around the top of these ridges or summits.

For people who've been to these places, what kind of gear worked best?

<there are things to do Wengen, Grindlewald, Interlaken and other points covered by the Swiss Pass right (that is no additional payments needed)?

Yes that's right no additional charges just flash the pass.

I like Brookwood's idea of the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum on a rainy or cloudy day - and if you had a 4-day Swiss Pass then it would also act as a Museum Pass and get free entry to Ballenberg, which i would hazzard may be $15 or more.

Or to Lucerne and pass gets you into some of the monuments and museums there or to Bern, a vastly underrated city in my opinion - but no Lucerne - to go to Lucerne you should take the train from Interlaken-Ost along the shores of Lake Brienz to Meiringen, where the train reseverse to begin its dramatic ascent of the Brunig Pass, at points using cog wheels because it's so steep - this is the only SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) train that is narrow-guage and uses cog i believe - anyway after it crests over the pass then it goes along two pristine Alpine lakes down to follow Lake Lucerne into Lucerne. A stupendous ride IMO - Swiss Pass 100% covers the whole route.

scrb----when are you going? I can't imagine needing snowboarder pants or insulated boots for hiking, even going in the dead of winter. Snowboard pants are stiff and heavy.

I take waterproof/breatheable pants made for hiking, from REI (REI brand), and regular hiking boots with Vibram sole. These are fine for hiking on snow unless you are in mountaineering terrain.

enzian - we hear so much about there being no snow or practically not the norm in the Alps this year - except at higher climes is there any snow to cope with? An article in the NYTimes this week said many resorts are in dire trouble as the post Christmas rush begins. Kitzbuhel apparently has zero snow - of course it's only about 2,500 feet up.
I wonder if the Alps will have a white Christmas?

The admission fee to the open air museum at Ballenberg is 18 chf for one adult and children from 6 to 16 get in for 9 chf. A family can get in for 40 chf. So a mother, father, and 2 children get in for a good price.

The admission price in terms of dollars is about $16 for a adult.

We used a credit card to pay for it as I recall.

The museum is quite large in terms of the number of acres it covers.
The official size is 660,000 square meters or about 7,104,007 square feet, or 163 acres, or a rectangle that is about 1 mile by a quarter of a mile.

Speaking of that pass between Meiringen and Luzern, it is the Brünig Pass.
I have been over it twice on the train and driven up it and down it several times. Compared with the Susten, Grimsel, and Furka Passes it is fairly mild.

There a few dramatic views of the Aar Glacial Valley and the Brienzer See, which is the large lake east of Interlaken. The Thuner See is on the west side.

If you want to do something that is very spectacular, drive over those 3 passes in one day and stop at the various turnouts and attractions.

The Furka is one steep, twisting road that had even me a little white knuckled. The Grimsel winds around a bit and culminates at a high point with a grand view all around. The Susten is mostly clad in trees, but it also is a beautiful drive. They are close together, yet each has a character of its own.

If you fear heights, I suggest not going. If you do, just make sure your car has good tires and brakes. Watch out for the motorcycles whizzing around you. Some of those drivers are what I would call dare devils. The squawl around those curves leaning over at what looks like a 45 degree angle. If they ever miss, it will not be your problem! The rider and his machine will soon be about 3,000 feet below you, and he or she will get there rather rapidly.

There are hotels on the passes that are interesting places to stay. We spent the night at the Grimsel Hospiz high up on the eastern side of the pass last summer and found it to be very interesting and spectacular.

PalenqueBob---I did hear from our innkeeper in Mürren when I e-mailed for our (summer) reservation that they do have some snow there, at least.

Going from Jan 27 to Feb 3, 6 nights.

The stuff I see at REI is really thin, like khaki type of stuff. Probably the material is waterproof and breathable but wind-resistant. Still seems so light.

I don't want thick insulated ski-bib type of pants, especially with shiny nylon cover.

But isn't going up to the top of these summits like Jungfrau call for more robust gear?