Switzerland plan trip -
 

Hi everyone,

we are 3 friends. All are married in 2011. I live in Munich, Germany, and 2 friends live in Zurich, Switzerland and Nice, France. We want a combined trip of Switzerland.

I am responsbile to plan this week-long trip in Mid-April. I have googled around and found several interesting places, like Interlaken, Zermatt, Matterhorn. On the otherhand, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Muerren are also worth to see.
I have following questions:

Which place should we take as base station? I have read that Interlaken is hub of transport, but not in the Alps. Either Wengen or Lauterbrunnen may be a better choice. Secondly, which places should we visit on each day? or Should we spend more than one day to one place??? I dont have an exact idea.

Thanks in advance.
Best regards,
Asif

for a week I would base in one place in the fabulous Berner Oberland, to me the literal and figurative highpoint and highlight of Switzerland - the glacier-girdled alpine Wunderland etched in your minds' eyes - and it need not be where you base there - Interlaken - actually has the most useful transit links for a week's stay where you may also want to explore both Lake Brienz and Lake Thun via the steamers that ply each lake and take you on not only a relaxing cruise but to many points of interest - and also into the Alps south of town - these are split in two valleys - the Lauterbrunnen Valley accessible via train or drive to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, via train or road from Interlaken.

a Wengen is great if into quiet and solitude and sidewalks that roll up at night - for more lively places look at Grindelwald or Interlaken - to me one of the most unheralded and unjustly maligned cities in Switzerland - certain parts of it that most folks who diss it do not see IMO - are as cute as you would ever want - like the lakeside areas and the southern edge of town - but it don't matter where you stay as transit between all is fantastic.

If going by train and in this area cars are banned above Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, leaving towns like Gimmelwald (don't miss this lost in the Alps farming hamlet, Wengen and Murren lovingly car-free - anyway look at either the Swiss Pass or Half-Fare Card or if driving here the Jungfraubahn Pass or Berner Oberland Regional pass - most are good for all trains and lake boats and for full or discounted fares on the panoply of thrilling aerial cable ways lacing the areas.

OK - some great sources for info on Swiss trains, boats, passes, etc - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com.

ttt

For a week I may suggest adding in a few days in Lucerne and say 4-5 in the Jungfrau/Interlaken area - Lucerne is one of the most prettiest located cities in Europe - sitting on a fjord-like lake hemmed in by high Alps and served by boats that take you to some really sweet sites - like to Mt Rigi, Mt Pilatus or cutish lakeside resort towns.

Lucerne it self is a smallish city with however some stellar sights but mainly just for mellow wandering.

Then take the train over the Brunig Pass (part of the Golden Pass train route) into Interlaken-Ost to base there (or vice versa of course - Interlaken area first then take train to Lucerne.

The Brunig Pass rail route is one of Switzerland's iconic scneic railways - it's the only Swiss Federal Railways train to use cog-wheels for increased traction going up steep climbs and to help braking going down them - you pass a series of Alpine lakes on the Lucerne side of the Brunig Pass and on the other the train plunges down to Lake Brienz, one of the two idyllic Alpine lakes encircled by glacier-girdled peaks that bookend Interlaken (Inter-Laken because it is between two lakes) - down to Meiringen and the train rolls along the shores of Lake Brienz with captivating views the whole way to Interlaken-Ost jumping off point for trains to places like Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen or Murren, etc.

Thank you so much PalenQ. Your comments will definitely help.

thank you! Zurich would seem to make a perfect meeting base - might be cheapest to fly from Nice there as is a long haul by train - if driving you can easily drive to Lucerne and drive along the course of the Brunig Pass railway on a rail that pretty much follows it and the same along Lake Brienz and you can reach Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen by car but there you have to park them as cars are not allowed to places like Wengen or Murren above these towns - only access roads but no private vehicles so you would take the train from Lauterbrunne, parking your car there in the station parking gargage or lots on the way into town.

Zermatt if you chose that is the same - cars must be abandoned about five miles from town in large parking lots and you hop shuttle trains into town and trains and aerial gondolas from there up to the Matterhorn area.

If you decide on Zermatt, which also lies at the foot of a Valhalla Alpine Wonderland, dominated by the iconic Matterhorn, then you can easily get there from Zurich by taking a train to Bern and switching to the mainline to Visp and Brig, changing there to a toy-like train terminating at Zermatt (or you can drive the same exact route) - IMO Zermatt does not offer the multi-faceted things to do as does the Berner Oberland (Jungfrau Region - Interlaken area_- like lake boats, more varied and more expansive terrain to explore - two very different valleys, etc. so I would spend fewer days there and say more in Lucerne or even split a few days in Zermatt with some days in the Interlaken area en route back to Zurich.

If doing Zermatt then the folks coming from Milan would want to head straight there as it is on the way, kind of - there are also rail links from Nice.

I don't think I would want to be in Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, or Interlaken in mid-April. That is the "between" season (winter skiing and summer hiking).

I would check to make sure that all the gondolas are running (like the Wengen-Mannlichen gondola) and trails are clear of snow for walking.

Wengen is one of the most beautifull places on earth, but if it is cold, windy, and rainy it isn't much fun.

Tschuss,
The Very Popular Pepper

The Interlaken area is still nice in April - with the flowers popping out and Interlaken itself is much lower and thus much warmer than higher up places like Wengen and there are many trails in say the Grindelwald Valley - really amphitheater that offer good hiking then - such as the famous Mannlichen to Kleine Schiedegg stroll - a two mile 'ridge' walk that lets you see both the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys - said to offer the most awesome views of any hike in the Jungfrau Region.

If it is so great in Wengen in April, why are many of the hotels closed?

The hotel I always stay at in Wengen closes in April and re-opens the second week in May.

Tschuss,
Pepper

Why are they closed - like was said above due to lack of customers because most Europeans come for the winter ski season or summer hiking season and April is not conducive to great hikes at higher altitude nor good skiing.

DUH!

This does not mean that the area cannot still be nice in April, especially at lower elevations like flower bedecked Interlaken.

DUH!

@PalenQ, I wonder if you are running your own tourist company...lots of details about every item. Very nice!

@everyone, since this is a group journey, so April fits for most of us. I had the same fears about weather in April.

I have some checked the vacation house (in German, Ferienwohnungen) in interlaken/Lauterbrunnen area. They are available in April for 1200 Euros/week.

Thank you so much once again.
Tschuss,
Asif

asif -

I think Lauterbrunnen is an ideal base for a week long stay.

We spent two weeks in Switzerland a few years ago, in April. We found Lauterbrunnen the perfect base for a full week.

Because we were there after Easter (as it sounds like you will be), most hotels and restaurants were indeed closed, but certainly not all of them. We like the quiet season, which is why we go when we do. We've also been many times before, so closures were no drama for us.

One advantage is that accommodation post Easter is often at the lowest rate for the year. We stayed in a lovely apartment that we'd not be able to afford during the high season.

Drawbacks of course are weather and closures...in addition to winter/summer seasonal closures, some year round gondolas, funiculars and cable cars will close for a day or two post Easter for maintenance. Still no drama, as there's almost always an alternative...but it can be inconvenient if you're not expecting it.

I say go in April, enjoy yourself, even take a hike or two if conditions allow, but check seasonal closures in advance, and be flexible if you run into temporary maintenance closures.

I have a very detailed trip report posted here on Fodor's from our trip in April. Just click on my name and scroll through trip reports to April in the Alps, if you're interested.

Have fun.

I have been in the Berner Oberland in July when the weather was cool and wet - for days on time - not likely but can always happen - and then on those days do day tips to say Bern or Thun or Lucerne, cities that are more enjoyable in funky weather than say trekking around the Alps.

Even in early September a few years back there was ice on sidewalks in Lauterbrunnen and much more in Murren when I visited both - only Interlaken, at a lower altitude was somewhat warm - the same I would think could be true in April or May - but a little ice in no way negated my day out in Lauterbrunnen and Murren. And IMO the Loop from Lauterbrunnen to Murren (thrilling aerial cableway up the cliff to Grutschalp the train along the cliff to Murren and then to walk down or take a cableway to Gimmelwald - lost in time farming village in the middle of nowhere but soaring ice-clad Alps - then a really thrilling aerial cableway back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg for a waiting post bus ride back to Lauterbrunnen (or sweet few mile walk along a gurgling brook) - this to me is one of the finest if not the finest excursion is the whole Jungfrau region and if have a Swiss Pass 100% covered the whole way! And can be done at any time of year as one of the two lifts up to Murren (from Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg via Gimmelwald) will be working as they are lifelines for Murren.

What the weather will do is anyone's guess, but here's a photo of Lauterbrunnen I took while we were there in April.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles...4/photo93.html