Will I need a hiking map for Switzerland/Jungfrau?
 

I am traveling to the Jungfrau (Wengen and Murren mostly) region in late May and am planning on doing alot of general hiking. Will I need maps of the trails/sights? If so, does anyone know where I can find some? I have general travel guides but they aren't very descriptive on hiking/walking trails. Thanks for your help.

We were in Wengen in August. You will not have any problems with hiking maps. Info is plentiful everywhere. This area had the best mountain hiking area I have seen. Have a great time

Hey Rudy...where did you stay in Wegnen? Thanks

In Wengen, we stayed at the Silberhorn. We loved the location and the view from our suite. We had two kids,so we needed the room. From Wengen the axis to everything is simple. We had a Swiss family pass to help the expenses though. By the way the restaurant at the hotel was great. Bye

I am planning to take a similar trip soon, too.
There are two good hiking books that I have found so far. I think I bought from Amazon using the web but one of them may have come from the Adventure Traveller Bookstore. Both of the books seem to be quite good: (1)The Bernese Alps Switzerland, a Walking Guide by Kev Reynolds and (2) Walking Switzerland the Swiss Way by Phil and Marcia Liebermann.

From what I can gather there is one classic hike in the area. Take the gondola up to First from Grindelwald and then make the traverse via the Faulhorn to Schynige Platte and take the "Toonerville Trolley" back down to Wilderswil and from there you can get back to your base in Wengen.
Another one that sounds like a lung buster is to take the hike up to the Sefinfurke from Muerren.
But there are more miles of trails than there are days to do them in, that is for sure. The Faulhorn to Schynige Platte traverse is said in the books to offer majestic views of the Jungfrau, Moench, Eiger massif to the south and, to the north, one overlooks the Thuner See and Brienzer See around Interlaken.
You will be back before I leave, so I will be interested to get your impressions.

I am planning to take a similar trip soon, too.
There are two good hiking books that I have found so far. I think I bought from Amazon using the web but one of them may have come from the Adventure Traveller Bookstore. Both of the books seem to be quite good: (1)The Bernese Alps Switzerland, a Walking Guide by Kev Reynolds and (2) Walking Switzerland the Swiss Way by Phil and Marcia Liebermann.

From what I can gather there is one classic hike in the area. Take the gondola up to First from Grindelwald and then make the traverse via the Faulhorn to Schynige Platte and take the "Toonerville Trolley" back down to Wilderswil and from there you can get back to your base in Wengen.
Another one that sounds like a lung buster is to take the hike up to the Sefinfurke from Muerren.
But there are more miles of trails than there are days to do them in, that is for sure. The Faulhorn to Schynige Platte traverse is said in the books to offer majestic views of the Jungfrau, Moench, Eiger massif to the south and, to the north, one overlooks the Thuner See and Brienzer See around Interlaken.
You will be back before I leave, so I will be interested to get your impressions.

Go to the post office in Wengen, and right beside it is a little tourist office. They will have maps and great advice for you. An easy, breathtaking hike is to take the Mannlichen Tram from Wengen to the top of the hill behind it. Then walk down to the little burg of Kleine Scheidegg. All the way you have spectacular views of the Eiger. Take lots and lots and lots of film. From there you can take the train up to the Jungfraujoch or back to Wengen. Also, the Alpenrose Hotel is a great place to stay. Great food, nice people. The Hotel Schweizerheim is great too. Either way you'll have to walk up and down the hill from the train station but the Alpenrose has a little van. Have a wonderful time.

Gina,

Thank you very much for your response to my question. You mentioned the Alpenrose in your message and I would like to ask you a few questions? I am having difficulty on deciding if I should stay at the Alpenrose or the Sunstar. Both have the same rates which include half board. Any advise? Thank you so much for your help.

Marianna

Mariana, sorry to not respond right away, I'm a teacher and I have been on vacation. I was in Wengen in 1985 and found the Hotel Schweizerheim by advertisements in the train station. It was fine and still claims to be the cheapest hotel in Wengen. Last summer we stayed at the Alpenrose just to do something different. We got the name from one of those Europe's Best B and B's books. It was great partly because of its wonderful view, but then many hotels in Wengen have a wonderful view. The owners were so very nice, the room big and comfortable, but mostly what we liked was the food. It cost about $130 per night but it was one of our big splurges. I don't know what else to tell you except that I think it would be hard to stay in a bad place in Wengen. This may sound corny but going there will change your life. It is more beautiful than you can imagine and you will never want to leave. I am going back in 2000 and I will stay at the Hotel Alpenrose. Maybe it's just the name I liked. They even sent us a Christmas card! Feel free to e-mail me directly. Wengen is one of my favorite subjects, as you can see. Wengen even has a web-site, you guessed it, www.wengen.com. I'll bet you are counting the days. Have the most glorious time. Go there with someone special.

Mariana, sorry to not respond right away, I'm a teacher and I have been on vacation. I was in Wengen in 1985 and found the Hotel Schweizerheim by advertisements in the train station. It was fine and still claims to be the cheapest hotel in Wengen. Last summer we stayed at the Alpenrose just to do something different. We got the name from one of those Europe's Best B and B's books. It was great partly because of its wonderful view, but then many hotels in Wengen have a wonderful view. The owners were so very nice, the room big and comfortable, but mostly what we liked was the food. It cost about $130 per night but it was one of our big splurges. I don't know what else to tell you except that I think it would be hard to stay in a bad place in Wengen. This may sound corny but going there will change your life. It is more beautiful than you can imagine and you will never want to leave. I am going back in 2000 and I will stay at the Hotel Alpenrose. Maybe it's just the name I liked. They even sent us a Christmas card! Feel free to e-mail me directly. Wengen is one of my favorite subjects, as you can see. Wengen even has a web-site, you guessed it, www.wengen.com. I'll bet you are counting the days. Have the most glorious time. Go there with someone special.

Gina: Thanks for mentioning the web site for Wengen. I also agree that the place stays with you for a long time. We were there in Aug 97 and will be back Aug 98. The views and the food were worth remembering. We also plan a few days in Zermatt, but I do not have much info about it. Any comments? I would be interested. Thanks again.

Rudy--lucky you! Two years in a row! We went to Zermatt in 1985. We liked it, and it it is beautiful in a different sort of way. I liked the way you take the tram up to the mountain next to the Matterhorn so you can see it in all of its glory. The one recommendation I would have is not to stay in Zermatt itself, but take the cablecar from Zermatt to one of the stops called Furi. Stay at the Hotel Silvana in Furi. Some meals are included and it has a pool in the basement. The view from Furi is spectacular. Yes, you take your luggage with you on the cablecar. We thought Zermatt itself was a little stark and touristy. Have a fabulous time.