There are some available apartments in Ringgenberg, Iseltwald and Wilderswil but I'm not sure if it requires a car to stay in one of these surrounding villages?? We were NOT planning to rent a car. Any experiences with stays in any of these areas? Thanks.

Good morning ,Marcie <BR>Have not stayed at either of these towns <BR>however have while on the boats on the <BR>Brienzersee, seen and remarked that the <BR>STRANDHOTEL would be a very interesting <BR>place to stay. You do not need a car <BR>only use the boats for transportation <BR>back to Interlaken Ost. Also the hotel is to have a very good ristorante. <BR>Richard of LaGrange Park, Il... <BR>

Wilderswil is just to the south of Interlaken. It is the first stop on the Berner Oberlandbahn rail line that goes to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. <BR>It is so close as to be an adjacent suburb of Interlaken. It is a little closer to the peaks of the Berner Oberland but you still do not have a clear view of the snowy summits. <BR>Ringgenberg is on the lake just north and a little east of Interlaken. <BR>I have not been in that area. <BR>Iselwald is on the south shore of the lake, Brienzer See. <BR>It is served by a bus from Interlaken Ost. It is a 19 minute ride to the main stop in Iseltwald. <BR>There is hourly bus service until 7:38 at night. That for me would be a downer. <BR>You are hemmed there between the lake and a ridge, so that the view is not expansive. While Switzerland is nice, I would not want to be in that area without my own wheels. <BR>You can see so much more without them. <BR>I know we stayed in Saas Grund, which is south of the area you are describing. <BR>We had a car because the bus service, while adequate, put us at its mercy. <BR>If I am going to make the effort and pay the costs tos get over there, I want to enjoy the experience. <BR>Switzerland is an easy place to drive, relatively speaking. So if you are going to stay in a place where your coming and going is determined by an hourly bus schedule that stops in the early evening, you might want to reconsider renting a car. <BR>You can do quite well in Lauterbrunnen without a car because the train service and lift service to other destinations in the immediate area is more frequent. <BR>Last summer we had a car, but it was at times a needless expense. We did use it however, several times. But of the 7 days we were there, I think it stayed in the parking place for 3 of them. <BR>

While the lake setting of Ringgenberg and Iseltwald would be quite lovely, I think you'd find it quite inconvenient without a car, unless your principal desire is to "veg out". <BR> <BR>Wilderswil would be, by far, the place I should choose among the three. It's quite a pleasant community. It's on the train line, as Bob observes, between Interlaken and the Jungfrau mountain area. (It's but 3 km from the Interlaken Ost station.) <BR> <BR>The Strandhotel restaurant at Iseltwald, by the way, does serve excellent food. Lovely deck overlooking the lake. Outstanding fish. We especially enjoy the perch. They're pulled fresh from the lake in the morning by local fishermen. An excellent spot for lunch whether one stays in Iseltwald or not. <BR> <BR>Our preference for a place to stay in the area would, of course, be up in the mountains, rather than outside the mountain area, cut off by a ring of hills. <BR> <BR>twenj

Thanks guys! It does sound a bit too remote for our purpose....we need better train accessibility. Thanks for the info.

Hello Marcie, Have you checked the SBB site for train schedules out of Ringgenberg? I've stayed in Brienz and there was a lovely view across the lake to the mountains -- not the same as being up in the mountains in the morning, but they are lovely reflected in the lake. I'm writing because I'm a devoted Swiss Pass user when I go to Switzerland -- I love using their trains and buses and the lovely boats on lakes like Brienz and Thun. The rail line that passes through Ringgenberg connects Berne to Lucerne via a scenic route -- all Swiss train routes are scenic. If you use a Swiss Pass (or perhaps others), you can go up into the mountains to Wengen and Grindelwald w/o any extra fees. I don't have my pass map in front of me, so I'm not sure about Murren. I guess what you have to do is 1) decide what kind of ambiance you require from a place and 2) check the SBB site for train schedules. By the way, once Ringgenberg comes up in your search for rail connections from let's say Ringgenberg to Lucerne, you can click on the Ringgenberg station and a screen will come up listing all the trains stopping at its station within the hour (more or less). Lastly, I remember reading someone's post about renting an apartment in Ringgenberg, so maybe you can search this site for the town name to see if it comes up. Good luck and keep in touch. p.s. I've 'voted' for the lake location, but have to say that I've heard marvelous things about Wilderswil. You could test the two places by seeing what connections look like between each and Lucerne or Berne. Good luck -- I'll be interested to hear your decision and info re the cost of the accommodations you selected; I have no experience with apartment rental and would like to try it.

We've rented a flat in Wilderswil and loved the town. Quaint hundreds-year-old houses and the rail connections are superb. View out of our flat to mountains was lovely. We've rented in Grindelwald for last six years but have no hesitancy in recommending Wilderswil. It's better located than the others, although if you're hiking/walking you'll do better in Grindelwald.

Hi. b.p., How long ago did you rent your flat in Wilderswil? Through which agency? Tell me more about Wilderswil, if you can. Does it have a village feel to it or a resort atmosphere? Just curious. I found Grindelwald to be too hotel-crammed and if there was an original village, I never was able to locate it. I travel via the Swiss Pass, and I know it's good along that line. Thanks.