We are planning our first (and likely last) trip to Switzerland the 3rd week in September and, after recuperating from sticker shock, we’re considering a week’s stay in Wengen as part of a monthlong trip which includes northern Italy. We don’t want to move around and Wengen looks wonderful and ideal for our interests. We do love to walk, visit charming towns and enjoy beautiful views.

I’ve got a reservation at Hotel Alpenrose Wengen and am trying to decide if a week’s stay is too much and revise our trip some or if we’ll have enough to do exploring the area. Walking is not a problem but extensive hiking is.

Thoughts?

Progol – We stayed in the Hotel Alpenrose Wengen for 4 nights (3 full days) last October and were able to do 3 hikes. I selected and timed them to be easy hikes/walks for me as I have plates and screws in my ankle. I totally loved them.

One thing that I had in mind and observed frequently while planning was the change of the weather in the mountains. So, we need some buffer days in case of bad weather.

-Grindelwald-First to Bachalpsee Hike -This one is beautiful and has a gorgeous lake but has a lot of crowds and people taking selfies. But it is worth it.

-Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg – Very easy and gorgeous views of the mountains, we walked in 1h50min with lots of stops for pics. No crowds.

- Lauterbrunnen, cablecar to Grütschalp then walk to Mürren and Gimmewald – This was also very easy. I think it was my favorite because it passes through a forest which I loved it, and no crowds.

There are many other easy, moderate or difficult hikes and different combinations, of course. But what is great is how easy it is to reach them with the incredible infrastructure of the Swiss public transportation.

Many thanks, leifields! I’m enjoying your TR and appreciate the limits on how much you can do. My husband and I are in our 80s (one of us will be at the tail end of them!) and definitely have a number of limitations so this is helpful.

it sounds like a week isn’t too much especially since we do like traveling slowly.

I spent a week in Wengen in 2016. We had the Swiss Rail pass unlimited travel version, and with that, Wengen proved a fine base for exploring not only the surrounding valleys and moutains, but also as far afield as Bern. Lucerne would have been an easy daytrip, too, if we hadn't been planning to spend 2 nights there later in the trip. Basically, with the train system there, your options are wide open if you get an unlimited travel pass.

On our first 8 night stay (at the fabulous Alpenrose) we met a regular visitor who no longer hiked but continued his annual 2 week visit.
There are easy walks, we ambled along to Wengernalp in awe after the Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg, it’s downhill and the mountains soar above you. I also loved the valley walk from Lauterbrunnen, with those huge dramatic cliffs either side, and surprisingly so incredibly peaceful. And, agree with Leifeld, Grütschalp to Mürren to Gimmelwald gives another perspective and is really lovely.
We had a BO card (and half fare card as it was longer trip), and jumped on and off the bus, through the valleys, every day felt different and incredible. Do a lake cruise, wander through Brienz and the Ballenberg, bus to Schwarzwaldalp and walk to Rosenlaui and lunch at the hotel.
Use the interactive hiking map to find walks in the area you choose for the day. https://schweizmobil.ch/en/map?E=264...s&shooting=yes


I know from your fabulous TRs that you are quite the planner and I cannot imagine you’d find a week too long.

Thanks so much, twk and Adelaidean! You’ve given me plenty of reassurance that a week isn’t too long.

And Adelaidean, thanks so much for those sweet words. I’ve sort of run out of steam over the last year or 2 and just haven’t had the energy for those reports (so I feel a bit guilty for even posting!).

Oh, and we may’ve gotten older but we are still in our 70s, not 80s! Though for one of us, not for that much longer!

Progol, I've been following your post, and when I read that you and M are in your 80's, I said to myself, "that isn't possible". I assumed that was a typo. My husband will be 79 in February, which makes him one year away from turning 80. How did that happen?

And please do not feel guilty for asking questions! Writing trip reports is NOT a prerequisite for asking for advice.

Many, many thanks for your kind words! And when I reread my post (written while on my iPhone!) and saw what I had posted about our ages, I had to laugh! My husband will be 79 in June, so he’s right behind yours - and we’re both shaking our heads, wondering how that hapoened, too!

I will try not to feel guilty, though I must admit, it’s still a bit tough.

If you do decide to base in Wengen, be sure to get the Swiss rail app (SBB). It will cover not only rail, but busses, boats, and mountain lift in putting together an itinerary to get you where you want to go, and the timing between the different modes is just amazing. For example, to make a daytrip from Wengen to the open air museum at Ballenberg (on Lake Brienz), you can take the Wegeneralpbahn train to Lauterbrunnen, the Berner Overland Bahn (the BOB) to Interlaken East, a boat to Brienz, and a short bus trip to the museum. Seeing how all this transport works together is really one of the attractions of visiting Switzerland (that's what turned it into a rich country, after being a poor isolated area for centuries).

Hey progol. Just saying hello. Switzerland's been on my list for a bit, but the prices have kept me away for now. Plus so many places I want to go and so little time.

Hi, tripplanner! It’s nice to “hear” from you. The prices have also kept us away but we’re getting to that point where it’s now or never. I was actually planning to on to the Dolomites and not Switzerland, but my husband wanted to go. I was happy to go along with the plan, too. So knock on wood, we’re going!

Wow, thank you for this! When we get closer to the trip, I’ll definitely be looking more at the details, but this is so very helpful - and sounds great!

Hi Progol, regarding the walk from Grütschalp to Mürren that is easy, I didn’t include that you need to follow the low route paralleling the rail line (via Winteregg to Mürren), because there is a higher route that is longer.

Thank you! I’m sure we’ll make sense of it when we’re there and I’ll do more careful planning before we go. I appreciate your input - it really helps!