Does it snow in the cities and non alpine towns in winter?
My husband and I are travelling to Switzerland in early February and have pretty much decided on Grinderwald for a week of skiing, after some help from you Foderites in a previous post.
We will have 4 days afterwards that we would like to do some siteseeing, But I'm not sure how possible that is as lots of attraction such as the castles etc seem to be closed then.
I have found a site showing average temperatures for Feb, but I would love to hear from anyone who has travelled through Switzerland in winter to find out what it is really like. Does it snow usually it towns such as Luzern and interlaken or mainly just rain? Will it be hard to get around or just so bloody cold we won't want to be anywhere outside?
Obiously it will be just as cold or colder skiing but up on the slopes we will be dressed it all our ski clothes which we can't really walk around Luzern in...
Here is the possible itinerary i have come up with.... Anyone with any suggestions please feel free to pick it to bits and offer any other ideas.
Thanks
fri 2/2 arrive Zurich in morning - 1 night in Zurich
sat 3/3 train Zurich to Grindelwald - 7 nights in Grindelwald
sat 11/2 Grindelwald to Interlaken - 1night
sun 12/2 Interlaken to Thun - 1 night
mon 13/2 Thun to Murten - 1 night
tues 14/2 Murten to Luzern - 1 night
wed 15/2 back to Zurich to airport departing in afternoon.
Is that trying to fit in too much? Maybe 2 nights in Interlaken or Thun would be better and scrap the other. What do you all think.
Oh any hotel suggestions in these areas would also be appreciated.

A lot will depend on how cold a winter they are having, but in general in cities in lower elevations like Lucerne and Interlaken you do not get a lot of snow, at least not that sticks on the ground. Interlaken has the highest elevation so snow is more likely there. In all places, it may snow but it tends to melt as it hits the streets and sidewalks. It is cold, but not bitterly so, as compared to a place like Chicago or NYC where you get the cold winds blasting down the streets. Don't get me wrong, it will be around freezing all the time, but not much below that and not windy so you won't have that wind chill thing (you are from Australia, maybe you have no idea what I am talking about. . . .). Rain would not be unusual either. As long as you are dressed for it, you will have no problem at all, IMO. You can walk around in your ski jacket and gloves for sure, no one will notice, and no one could acuse the Swiss of being snappy dressers anyway. . . You will also find that once you are inside you will be hot as blazes as everything is quite overheated.

As for your itinerary, I cannot streets enough that you please please please SKIP MURTEN. You must have got a hold of Rick Steve's book in which he somehow convinces people that this awful little town is the jewel of Switzerland, has loads of medieval atmosphere, is off the beaten tourist path, etc. (He has also convinced people that Gimmelwald is somehow not a tourist place either, LOL.) Well, IMO it is none of these things. It is tiny, has really one main street and you will walk around the entire town in about 15 minutes. The main street is lined with souvenir shops, mediocre restaurants and a department store. In winter the mediocre restaurants won't have flowerboxes out and you won't be able to sit outside to eat, and the street loses about 80% of its appeal, IMO. The main street is half-timbered and does have medieval charm, but really it is not worth travelling all the way from the Jungfrau area for that, and there are many other more charming towns in Switzerland (Thun for one, Gstaad for another, both close to where you will be, even Lucerne which I don't like has more charm IMO). If you want to take a long train ride to see a really really charming town, go to Guarda in the Engadine. All kidding aside, you if you want to spend a night in a different area, take the Golden Pass train over to Montreux and see the gorgeous Lake Geneva area around Vevey, see the Castle at Chillon, take a walk in the vineyards.

I believe I have commented to you before that I don't see the point in moving bag and baggage to spend a night in Interlaken which is 30 minutes by train from Grindelwald and which does not offer much to see and do. I also don't see the point in moving again to spend a night in Thun, which is about another 20 minutes down the rail line. You could do both Interlaken and Thun in one day from Grindelwald, or move to Thun and do Interlaken from Thun (to the extent there is anything to do in Interlaken, if there is, let me know as I have yet to find anything). Personally, I would skip the overnights in Thun and Interlaken and instead take one day off in the middle of your 7 days of skiing and see the lake valley area for a day, then spend a night in Lucerne, take the Golden Pass over to Montreux, spend 2 nights in the Lake Geneva area, and take the morning train to Zurich airport from Lake Geneva for your flight home.

If you are not used to a real winter you may find it very cold. And if you're not going to wear your ski jackets etc in the towns what will you wear - are you going to take two complete sets of winter coats, hats, scarves, gloves, boots etc.

(There is not as much snow as in the mountains, but at night the temp is usually below freezing - certainly not too cold to do anything you want as long as you're dressed properly - it's not the North Pole - but it will be cold.)

A ski jacket is fine for walking around town in. If you have warm, waterproof boots, hats and gloves, you will be fine.

Hello auzzie,

I would second cicerone's advice on skipping the overnights in Thun, Interlaken and Murten. Excellent idea to have a night in Lucerne, then the Montreux area before heading back to the airport. Magnificent scenery!

IMHO, Interlaken is a town with lots of souvenir shops and seemingly a base for tour groups whose idea of spending time in the Alps is a one-day journey up to the Jungfraujoch. Trainloads of tours come up to Grindelwald from Interlaken each day, spend the day, and they're out the next day. You are going to be living the good life, with 7 days in Grindelwald (good for you--you'll love it!!) (Can you tell it's my favorite?)

There are many suggestions of hotels on this board for Grindelwald. Right next to the train station is the Hotel Derby (a Best Western hotel). Don't be concerned about being right next to the tracks. The train is sooo quiet. Views to the mountains are terrific! And just up the street are all sorts of hotels, many with great views as well, many highly regarded here. Just do a search for Grindelwald hotels.

As you're staying 7 nights, you might also be interested in renting an apartment. Go to grindelwald.com. Many are listed with good map references and easy booking. We stayed in one last summer, and it was great having the extra space and cooking facilities. However, it was up a steep hill so walking (at least for me) would be out (we had a car at that time). But many are within close reach of the station by walking.

Oh, to be in Switzerland. You'll have a great time for sure!

Happy travels!