4 day trip May 2024 from Milan to Grindelwald/Lauterbrunnen

You can get a bus direct from MXP to Stresa.

We loved Grindelwald with its breathtaking mountain views We rented a chalet with our friends and loved it there. There were many good choices for hotels and dining too.
You don’t want to stay in Interlaken as it is a transit hub and not in the mountains. I would choose Grindelwald over Wengen and Murren as it has more to do. We did day trips to see them though. No cars are allowed in Wengen or Murren.

Grindelwald is beautiful but the constant rumbling of tour buses idling or driving past you takes away the beauty IMO. Wengen and Murren (and even Lautterbrunnen) are more popular on here for a reason. Breathtaking Mountain views without engines pulsating. I agree that Interlaken is more of a transit hub and I wouldn’t personally choose to stay there over Wengen or Murren, however, we like hitting Interlaken as a day trip occasionally. Good shopping, restaurants, lake walks, and boat rides on the lakes (free with Swiss Pass or BO Pass) are always fun.

We stayed in the Lauterbrunnen valley. We found it to be very easy to get around from there and it is beautiful. We visited Grindelwald, Murren, Wengen and Gimmelwald from Lauterbrunnen. Grindelwald was gorgeous and way too busy. I would not stay in Interlaken. It's not in the mountains. Murren(including Gimmelwald just below it) and Wengen are charming. If you plan to stay put a bit rather than visit all the villlages, one of them would be a great place to stay. It takes a couple hours to get from Murren to Grindelwald.

Thank you for the helpful information!

Staying in Murren/Wengen/lauterbrunnen sounds like more of the place we are looking for that is quieter than Grindelwald.

Any recs on specific places to stay?

Also what is best train to take from MXP to get up there? Since we land late afternoon, we might just stay Saturday night at a hotel close to the airport, then make the trip up Sunday morning.

Our stay at Hotel Edelweiss in Wengen was terrific! Small, family run hotel; immaculately clean, awesome views, & great breakfast. They also offer a reasonable and delicious half board option for dinner that can be booked day by day. Daniel and his staff provide five star service. Highly recommend.

I prefer Wengen to Murren (although I won’t engage in an argument with folks that prefer Murren) as it offers more restaurants, hotels, bars, and holiday rentals while still managing to stay low key. Having multiple dining options after a day of hiking the Alps is most welcome. There are a lot of holiday rentals in Wengen (AirBNB or VRBO) that offer lovely views and a full kitchen. We tend to try avoid rentals when we travel but we admittedly tend to go the holiday rental route when we stay in Wengen. Murren has little to no rentals available and relies on hotels for overnight guests. As for Murren, we stayed at Eiger Guesthouse, which was fine. Check online reviews and shop around. Lastly, a trip to Switzerland is not cheap, yet, paying extra for a hotel with a balcony overlooking the Alps is a no brainer to me. You won’t regret paying extra money for the view as it will take your breath away.

It is worth thinking about the time you are travelling. Early May (how early I ask) may be early for hiking at altitude, you may see wildflowers or you may see slush and mud. Some trails may still be closed, and you should check the mountain transport because some may still be closed for the annual maintenance shutdown. A little research into these may be good.

That said, I have been there a couple of weeks later and meadows were dry and in full bloom.

I've also been there right at the end of April and had 5 foot snowdrifts in places....

It isn't clear to me what you'd like to do there. Instagram, or adventure rides, or hiking or riding the trains and cable cars? What attracts you, what would you like to see and do?

We are traveling there to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Looking to hike, take the cable cars, do the cliff walk, and enjoy the food/wine scene. We thought about taking a day trip to Zermatt although not sure if it would be worth it.

With that said, we do enjoy a quieter place and it sounds like Wengen might be exactly what we are looking for with a nice selection of restaurants, shops, bars etc without the crowds/noise/congestion of Grindelwald.

We will be there the second week of May - so hoping for warm sunny days, but also know the weather can be hit or miss that time of year.

Agree on getting a hotel/rental with a balcony and amazing view - that is a top priority for us. We don’t need anything super fancy but a balcony with a great view is a must!

Second week of May is early in the season, and I would not expect anyplace to be all that crowded.

If the Cliff Walk is a priority, you would be better off staying in Wengen rather than Mürren, as you can reach Grindelwald and the First lift by riding the Männlichen cablecar up the ridge and the gondola right there down to Grindelwald. Or walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg if the trail is open ( it may not be that early) and ride the train down to Grindelwald. If you do go that way it will be very scenic, but a pricy day unless you have a Berner Oberland pass. So that is something to consider—-a3- or 4- day Berner Oberland Pass will fully cover those 3 lifts and many more, including boat rides and trains.

https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/

Or you could travel by train from Wengen to Grindelwald, heading down to Lauterbrunnen and then to Zweilütschinen, where you change to the train heading up the next valley Tom Grindelwald.

An alternative, if you want to re-consider Grindelwald, is a hotel above the village, away from the tourist traffic. I have always wanted to stay at Hotel Bodmi,ever since we had dinner on their terrace 20 years ago. What a gorgeous view! A room with balcony would face that view.

https://das-bodmi.ch/en/das-bodmi-the-spirit-of-swiss-nature-2/

https://das-bodmi.ch/en/gastronomy/

As for bars and restaurants, most European visitors to hotels like this take half board in their hotel, on the nights it is offered. On or nights they can choose a different hotel or restaurant for dinner. The hotel willgenerally have a pleasant bar as well; a nice place to enjoy a before or after-dinner drink.

@Lola - thanks for the tip, I will look into that hotel!

Looking at a few hotels in Wengen, it appears as though there are no rooms available in April and the first 13-14 days in May - is that a time of year where a lot of places are closed between winter and summer seasons?

Yes. Many of the small family-run hotels close for a break sometime after Easter and re-open sometime in May. Are you having trouble finding a place in Wengen for your proposed dates? Can you possibly come later? ,

Yes, after reading through this forum and other sites online, it seems early may weather is highly variable (and often still very cold). We are going to look at coming a different time, likely late summer/early fall.

Thanks for all of the helpful information!!

Good decision. Our last 2 trips to Switzerland (2022 and 2023) have been in September, even late September, and that was a great time to be there. Weather was very nice (just one day of rain this time) and the crowds were down.

The best month to come to the Bernese Oberland is september. Weather is often good (but there are no guarantees) and the crowds are less. After Easter is not a good time, as a lot is closed as you have discovered. We have a very distinctive Winter and Summer season, and in between everything closes down. Also the landscape is not at its greatest right after the big melt.

Hi! I'm too heading to Grindelwald from Milan in Jan. May I ask you, where will you book your tickets from milan to grindelwald? Thank you!

The best site for booking the whole journey at once is the Swiss train site, SBB.ch

We stayed at Chalet Gerbera in Wengen last June. The views from the balcony are breathtaking. Our group was in two apartments and both were great.

https://www.chalet-protea-gerbera.com/?lang=en