Switzerland in March 2016
 

We will be traveling from Germany down to Milan mid March 2016. We would like to spend two nights in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland..we are planning on driving the trip. We would love to stay in Wengen or Grimmewald but definitely concerned about vehicle travel, (and I read we leave our car to stay in Wengen). We are not into hiking, but want the Swiss experience, as a local, B&B and all. But do need places to eat, just don't want to stay in a "city" as we've visited Lucerne and Montreaux in the past. What would you do, where would you stay to see beautiful views? Which town? Thank you in advance!

March in the Alps is still winter and there can be substantial snow - not just at the mountaintops. Or there can be a ton of slush and mud.

Do no expect the green Switz with meadows of wild flowers and adorable cows with giant bells standing in the meadows. You are about 6 weeks too early.

As our only trip to Wengen and the Berner Oberland was a trip in October, I can tell you my nieces went skiing and sledding in Wengen in March 2014. They had a great time and also did the Jungfraujoch trip. You need to leave your car in the parking lot in Lauterbrunnen if staying in Wengen and take the train (rack railway) from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen.

Hi Treva2015,

Since Wengen is such a great place to stay (love the atmosphere, the cleanliness, the freshness of the car-free air) and since you must leave your car in Lauterbrunnen and since you have to pay for the parking lot in Lauterbrunnen --

It just makes sense to take the train for the whole trip. It's easy and fun to train from Germany to the Jungfrau region, and everyone can enjoy the view instead of wrestling with maps or hoping there won't be a stau on the highway. Of course, it's also more green (yaaay!).

You can take a look at the train schedules at

www.bahn.com

If you buy your tickets about 90 days in advance, you can snag some great deals, like 39€ fare per person.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Thank you for your help and responses! We are actually thrilled with it being more of a snowy time/scene than the traditional idea's of a green Switzerland, though I can't imagine a time of year its not beautiful. :) Swandav2000, I love the idea of just taking a train the entire way, but we have these ideas of going through just small towns as much as possible all the way down, and staying at local B&B's, staying out of "larger" towns, but maybe that's not realistic. I do not know how the highways are in March, and am concerned with losing time by getting stuck or redirected.

"I love the idea of just taking a train the entire way, but we have these ideas of going through just small towns as much as possible all the way down, and staying at local B&B's, staying out of "larger" towns"

No car is needed for your interests -- see
http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
As already noted, a car could be a decided liability at the time of year you plan on visiting.

Hi again,

Yes, Switzerland has one of, if not "the," best transport systems in the world. Even if you want to stay in a small village, you will have very good transport options, usually 3 or 4 departures every hour. You can get the schedules ahead of time so as not to spend 20 minutes waiting . . .

On the other hand, I love sipping a coffee and watching life and passengers mill around me at a train station, so I've never minded waiting 15 or 20 minutes! It's a nice way to get under the skin of a place, to see daily life acted out.

If you stay in a small village, it's likely you can walk to your B&B easily, and if you're in a larger town, you may have to take a taxi when you arrive with luggage.

In Wengen, the hotels have electric vans or carts, and they'll meet you at the train to transport you to the hotel.

Have fun!

s

swandav wrote: "In Wengen, the hotels have electric vans or carts, and they'll meet you at the train to transport you to the hotel."

Maybe most hotels in Wengen currently provide that service. The hotel at which I stayed in 2013 did NOT provide that option. So if that option is important to you, check with your hotel in advance!

kja, which hotel did you use? It might be useful to the OP to know one that definitely doesn't.

I've only stayed in the Alpenrose in Wengen, and they did it. But I saw a lot of those vans at the station.

s

I have to agree with the others in terms of the views (if nothing else) in the BO. When we last visited we took the train everywhere we could and those views are worth the trip alone IMO.

You say you are driving to Milan; I assume this is with a rental vehicle and I also assume there is going to be a drop charge. For what you want to see and do including these "small towns" with a little planning you could do that by rail and everybody involved could actually sit back and enjoy those views.

Up to you. Time to be adventurous.

If you insist on driving, you can drive to Lauterbrunnen, Switz & keep your car at a hotel there. Just take the easy, short train trip to Wengen & other stunning locales nearby.

I recommend Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen. It's a mighty fine budget hotel with stellar breakfasts (much more than just coffee & croissants) and a killer view from the breakfast dining room. Very affordable.

www.swisstravelsystem.com for lots on Swiss trains.

@ swandav -- As noted above, the last time I was in Wengen was in 2013. Since I don't know what services the hotel at which I stayed does or does not now offer, let alone what services it will offer when the OP visits, I don't think it appropriate to name the hotel.

I agree with McLisa about the Hotel Staubbach -- great place IMO!

Thanks for explaining that, kja, and I can understand your reasoning.

But it might be useful to know which hotel it was. If that hotel now offers transport services when it didn't in 2013, that might indicate that more and more hotels are offering it. But if the hotel still does not offer transport services, then it might mean transport is equal or less than likely.

Of course I'm assuming that the hotel mentions transport somewhere on its website.

While that information may not help this op, it might be relevant to future discussion about Wengen.

s

@ swandav -- information about any one hotel would not, IMO, support the kinds of generalizations you suggest, so again, I decline to answer. I remain convinced that any traveler who believes that he/she/they will need transportation to get from the train station to his/her/their hotel would be wise to consult the hotel in advance of the dates of his/her/their specific travel dates. I'm sure that doing so would provide the OP with greater assurance than anything that any of us -- even experts, such as you -- could provide.

"I remain convinced that any traveler who believes that he/she/they will need transportation to get from the train station to his/her/their hotel would be wise to consult the hotel in advance of the dates of his/her/their specific travel dates. I'm sure that doing so would provide the OP with greater assurance than anything that any of us -- even experts, such as you -- could provide."

Yes, true, true. Yet knowing which hotels publicly offer transport can help a traveller narrow down hotel options. It's easier to contact 3 hotels than 10.

But I respect your decision and won't ask again.

s

And I did say that this information "might" offer indications of hotels offering transport, not that it "would." Of course, anything this general is just that -- general.

s