Chamonix, France vs. Grindelwald, Switzerland for alps experience

While I have not visited Grindelwald I have spent time in Chamonix, Berner Oberland, Montreux, Annecy and Fabulous Dolomites. If y.oundrive in Switzerland u will need a car pass factor in that cost. I highly recommend the Berner Oberland for Swiss alps experience. The weather as in other alpine areas is iffy so multiple day visit is advised. There is a family hostel in Lauterbrunnen at base of Berner Oberland. I am not a hostel person but found it clean, fun and enjoyable and u can prep your meals there Saving a lot. It sure about car parking There. Really to me there is no substitute for Berner O. You can train up have lunch and hike down easily. On both sides of valley. Jungfrau at the very top is super expensive as it is a pvt rail line. Certainly it can be skipped as weather is a big factor. As for chamonix it is lovely, enjoyable but imo not the alps. If you have time include Colmar nr Alsace. Lovely, quaint with museum and nice walks.

If you go to Chamonix, there is a cave carved out of the Mer de Glacé glacier that is reached by train from Chamonix https://www.chamonix.net/english/leisure/sightseeing/mer-de-glace. My 16 year old son (in 2012) really liked Chamonix and was particularly interested in the glacier. Sadly, we were not able to go to the Aiguille du Midi you mentioned as the lifts were not running due to high winds.
I agree with above poster about the Berner Oberland and Lauterbrunnen Valley, it is quite spectacular. I’ve been twice and hope to return again some day.

I'm not sure that comparing Chamonix to the Berner Oberland is "accurate", as they're somewhat of a different experience.

Chamonix does have incredible mountain scenery and while there you could certainly take the cable car to the Aguile du Midi, and possibly the Panoramic version to Pointe Helbronner (Italy). It's a spectacular trip but one caution to mention. If any of you might be subject to altitude related problems, the top of the Aguile is at about 12,600 feet. As someone else mentioned, there's also the Mere de Glace and a few other sights in the area.

I haven't been overly impressed with Grindelwald. If you decide to visit the Berner Oberland, I would suggest basing in either Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Gimmelwald or Wengen. The scenery is more spectacular than Grindelwald (IMO) and you may be able to get less expensive accommodations. Grindelwald is somewhat of a posh tourist resort, and the prices are likely commensurate with that. Most of us here have a preference for a favourite location to stay in that area. I tend to prefer Lauterbrunnen as it's the transportation hub for that area so easy to get to both sides of the valley. Many others here prefer the picturesque village of Mürren, which is higher up on the mountain so has spectacular views. If you're planning to visit the famous Schilthorn (where the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was partially filmed), staying in Mürren will provide a slightly cheaper trip to the top. There's a nice revolving restaurant at the Schilthorn, where you can enjoy a fine meal or a "Martini shaken not stirred" while you enjoy the scenic panorama of the Eiger, Monch & Jungfrau gliding past the windows (a bit pricey but a nice experience). You could also visit the Jungfrau which is on the other side of the valley, but that's a bit of a pricey trip, and not as worthwhile if the weather is bad. The price can be reduced somewhat with some Swiss passes.

A few thoughts on your plans to rent a car in Italy. Note that each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home DL. You'll also have to be vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) zones that exist in many Italian towns, as there will be hefty fines for each pass through them, which you may not know about for several months after you return home. You'll also have to buy a Highway Vignette for driving in Switzerland (there may be hefty fines collected on the spot if you're caught without it).

Depending on which locations you choose, well planned rail travel may be a better, faster and more efficient option. However there are a few caveats to be aware of when travelling by train, especially in Italy. You may want to do some research on that in the RS Italy guidebook.

Good luck with your planning.

We've been to both areas and our advice is listen to Ken from Vernon, Canada. He really hit the nail on the head drawing a comparison of two very different areas.

Been to both places and loved both but yes very different experiences. You are immersed in mountains in the Berner Oberland. It’s beyond beautiful. But if you are also doing the Dolomites, Chamonix added to it might be enough mountain scenery if taking your entire family. Saving BO could be $ better spent with just the 2 of you. The ride to Aguille du Midi is fabulous and going over to Helbronner is magical. Then there’s the other side of the valley and the cog railway to the glacier. Plus the busy town for the kids.

If you choose to stay in Lauterbrunnen, check out the restaurant in the campground. We did this, based on advice in Rick’s book. Very generous portions, very good food, and one of the most reasonably priced meals in Switzerland. The campground store also had a good selection of unique souvenirs and gifts at reasonable prices. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Lauterbrunnen. It was easy to do a day trip up the mountain on the cable cars.

Since others have recommended it - thought I'd chime in.

We had a great 3 nights in late May, 2019 in Lauterbrunnen. I found the campground (Camping Jungfrau) had various options for staying - tents, campers, a hostel and several small cabin/modular units. Discovered it on Booking.com but did directly book since there were no units available on Booking for our dates. They fill up early. We rented a 2 bedroom "Mobilehome Staubbach” for two couples (CHF140/night) and had a great time. It's directly "under" the waterfalls in the valley, farms and cowbells abound and a very short short walk beyond town. You could either arrive by train or drive (we had a car). You can then enjoy easy access to all the area's sights. We had a great time watching the waterfalls change throughout the day, taking walks, the cable cars and generally exploring. I agree they have the best restaurant in town along with a small grocery, information desk and a game room.

This area deserves at least 2 or 3 nights - but would be a great stopping point in either direction from/to Milan.

If I remember correctly - the Swiss "Toll" sticker was about 40CHF (we stopped and bought ours at the first checkpoint as we entered Switzerland). Basically a fee for non-residents to drive on all the roads. Guess they have to pay for those tunnels someway - and it's great not to have to stop and pay tolls every few miles.

"The ride to Aguille du Midi is fabulous and going over to Helbronner is magical."

The ride on the Panoramic Mont Blanc is definitely "magical" most of the time, but not always.....

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/world/europe/mont-blanc-cable-cars-alps-rescue.html

I really enjoyed Chamonix. So far sticker shock keeps steering me away from Switzerland. I had a nice studio apartment in Chamonix a little after mid September for roughly 50 euro per night. The town is pretty, there are activity options including trains, hikes, mountains, mountain climbing, skiing, depending on your interest and time of year.

I enjoyed the train trip to the "ice cave" but was underwhelmed by the cave itself. Just a short walk carved out of a glacier. At least there wasn't a long line. It looks like it's built to host a crowd. I had planned some hikes but had to replan due to some early snow. The view up at the top was spectacular and I enjoyed going across to Italy for lunch (not sure the cable car is rebuilt yet?).

I went through Annecy. Annecy is pretty. It has a nice old center on the lake and has a nice walking/biking trail around the lake. I'm not sure I'd find enough to do for a longer stop but I enjoyed visiting for a few hours on the way from Lyon to Chamonix. I had originally planned to train from Lyon to Annecy and then on to Chamonix but the time in transit convinced me it was better to rent in Lyon and drive to both.

I did the RS "My way Alpine" tour in 2016 and we lucked out with good weather on non travel days. I really enjoyed the Lauterbrunen valley and did Rick's recommended hike from Männlichen to Klein Sheidegg. Enjoyed Chamonix also, tough to choose one over the other. Just for the record, I rode the cable car over from Aiguille du Midi to Italy earlier in the day on Sept. 8th an hour before the cables got tangled up and stranded all those people. I left Chamonix early the next morning and didn't find out about the cable car mess until months. Keep in mind the lifts up to the mountain top are expensive both in Switzerland and Chamonix so budget accordingly. Lauterbrunen was the most expensive location during that tour but I am planning on going back to spend more time there in the future.

I love Switzerland. We have made 5 2-3-week hiking-focused trips there between 2001 and 2018, all with one or more of our adult kids and partners, or my sister and her husband. So groups of 6-10. We rent apartments to keep the cost down and always include the Berner Oberland ( specifically Muerren) in our plans. after the 207 trip ( a celebration of my 60th) we took a 10-year hiatus because of the expense, and went elsewhere for our hiking ( Spain, Slovenia, Italy). Then we returned in 2018 with kids and now, Grandchildren, to celebrate my 71st. We had a wonderful time.

That said, I believe Chamonix would work well for your family if you are concerned about costs.

Our 2005 trip included a week in Chamonix after 2 in Switzerland, and we liked it a lot. In addition to hiking, we made a daytrip to Montreux to see Chateau du Chillon ( a good rainy day activity). We found a lovely cafe above the town with a balcony where we could sit and enjoy a view with our lunch, and we saw hummingbird hawkmoths for the first time. They were visiting the flower basket within inches of my shoulder. We also played tennis on the clay courts and some used the large public pool. we rode the La Flegere lift to access hiking, but did not ever go up the Aiguilles du Midi cablecar. We did not visit Annency but I hope to some day. ( We planned to donthat as part of a visit to Chamonix we planned for last March, but that trip was of course canceled).

We also visited Chamonix after Switzerland on our most recent trip in 2018, to meet our guide and group for a guided hiking tour ( Tour du Mont Blanc). The tour started and finished in .Chamonix, and the rest was hiking around Mont Blanc, staying in mountain inns. We were thoroughly charmed by the culture, the food, and the warmth of the welcome everywhere. I know you won't be hiking like that, but you might enjoybexploring some of the mountain villages if you have a car.

Given that your trip will also include the Dolomites ( another place we love and hope to return to soon), I think saving Switzerland for a later couple's visit, and including Chamonix this time, is a good plan for keeping expenses down. And you will still have a great experience.

The Alps go from the Mediterranean coast in France into eastern Europe. You just have to pick a focus. The Swiss Alps are gorgeous mountains on mountains on mountains, which is why romantics have been going for 200 years. But you are landing in Milan and could easily go north to the Ticino Region of Switzerland (Lugano-Bellinzona etc.) and "the Lakes." Then you could go east into the Dolomites for more of your time and north into the Austrian Alps, perhaps all the way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze in Germany. The high Alpine valleys south of Innsbruck (Stubaital and Zillertal) are lovely as well. No Swiss horns but lots of dirndls and other Alpine sights, hiking, smaller glaciers, etc. You can also head west from Innsbruck into the westernmost Tirol around St. Anton and Ischgl and then easternmost Switzerland (although that is not the most "Alpine" part). Or, from the Dolomites you can head east into the Julian Alps of Slovenia (Mt. Triglev national park)... which are both cheaper and (compared to the Swiss Alps in summer) rather quiet.

I originally went to these areas for the skiing, but they are great in the summer both culturally and for the cuisine too.

https://www.suedtirol.info/en

https://www.stubai.at/en/

https://en.zillertal.at/en.html

Have fun.

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