8 days in BO - hikes & passes?

I’m following, because I’m planning to spend 5 nights in Wengen next summer. One pass I’m interested in is called the Top of Europe pass.
https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/top-of-europe-pass/
It’s relatively new (post-Covid) so I can’t find too much on it. It interests me because it covers train travel throughout the valley, up into the villages (and higher), plus lots of cable cars, including those that aren’t covered 100% with the other passes. I understand that any cable cars above Murren and Wengen are discounted with a Swiss Rail or BO pass. The Top of Europe pass covers the high cable cars (like Mannlichen). AND it includes one trip to Junfraujoch during the pass period. I like the idea of the having the flexibility to go up and over the mountain from Wengen to Mannlichen to Grindelwald to First. Or up to Klein Scheidegg if the mood strikes.

The downside of the Top of Europe pass is that buses and boats are not covered. So if you plan to use those, it’s something to consider.

Thank you, Travel4Fun from Bend. We are just north of you in Vancouver. Your information and research is valuable!

Thank you, Shoe, We're only a month out and wish we had months to plan this. We're making up for lost time and the little amount of lifetime left. Thank you for you valuable response, which I will definitely check out.

For cow parades, I attended the Chästeilet in the Justistal where the cheese is distributed at the Spicherberg in the Justistal region. It’s a beautiful region and not far from Lauterbrunnen. There was a lot of impromptu singing, plus a number of folks in traditional dress and Alphorn playing. You can buy cheese to take with you as well as sandwiches/drinks for lunch. Attending this was one of the highlights of my trip. There is also a small café near the shuttlebus parking area. It's called Grönwaldhütte.

There is a shuttle bus from Beatenburg, which is about a 30 minute drive from Lauterbrunnen.

It’s on September 16 this year.

Locals and guests are invited to attend this festival. After the Chästeilet, the farmers move back to Sigriswil with their cows decorated with flowers and treicheln. They move down the valley in different groups, so once the first group starts down, you can set up along the road between the festival site and the café for some photos or video.

There is a driving ban in the area on that day, so you’ll need to take a shuttle bus.

Shuttle bus from 7.30 a.m. from Sigriswil municipal administration to Grön.

Walk from Grön Parkplatz to the Chästeilet at Spicherberg approx. 20 min.
Shuttle bus last return from Grön 2.15 p.m.

• Walk Beatenberg - Spicherberg approx. 1.5 hours

• Shuttle bus from Beatenberg also possible.

We were staying in Thun, so we took the shuttle bus from Sigriswil in the morning, and walked to Beatenburg in the afternoon and took the regular bus back to Thun.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/events/chaeseteilet-im-justistal/

In the Beatenburg area, there is an inclined railway and gondola lift to the Niederhorn, which has incredible views of the Alps across Lake Thun, plus a good chance to see chamois or ibex. Along the way, there are several hikes of varying difficulty.

When I stayed in Murren, there would be small parades with a few cows at various times. I believe there are some in Stechelberg, up the valley from Lauterbrunnen. You can take the bus there, then enjoy a nice hike down the valley along the river back to Lauterbrunnen. By choosing different bus stops, you can shorten this hike. It’s good to save this for a cloudy or rainy day. Check the weather for mountain areas/hikes you want to see, and go on those early when the weather is clear.

The walk from Murren to Gimmelwald is a pleasant short walk with an easy downhill route. Gimmelwald is fun to explore.

All the best,

Raymond

Raymond... you've given me a pot of gold with all of these specifications! We'll be there on there on the 16th! I'm grateful for the list of earlier links as well and will use them to research the other areas that we'll be in.

This is another pass that might interest you:

https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/

I think this is the pass we used in 2018. The major difference I see (as far as just the Lauterbrunnen area) is it does not include the Schilthorn at all. We took the lift up from downtown Lauterbrunnen and then rode the Panorama train over to Murren. (we were not going up the Schilthorn that trip). It's a little less money than the Regional pass listed above, but it also depends on what you are doing. Before we purchased it, I laid out what our plans were and added up the cost of just paying as we go. There was not a huge savings overall, but we ended up riding lifts and trains more than we would have if we paid as we went.

We will be there September 13-18, so I am checking all this out too. Let me know if you see any advantages or downsides to either ticket. Thanks

Edited to say: Keep in mind that if you are doing the Schilthorn and driving to the base, there is a good sized fee to park your car there for the day. There is a bus that goes out there, but you have to check the schedule to make sure it fits your time frame. Factor that in when estimating you costs if it applies to you.

Connie! Thank you for your reply! There is so much to figure out! Pay for parking or use a bus. Which cable cars go where and when. It's really overwhelming. I will check out that pass. We staying in a VRBO rental in Lauterbrunnen from Sept 9-17. Send me a private message if you might be interested in connecting although I'm sure we'll both be busy!

Keep an eye on the sign outside of the Lauterbrunnen Tourism Office as they will post when there is an official cow parade complete with headdresses on the cows.

Wow, Laurel...that's a great tip. Thank you!

Kay- I'll send you a private message when I get a chance. I am posting this public in case others are researching from this thread.

We were there in 2018 during the exact same time frame. There were cow parades going on, and as a previous poster said they post a list of dates at the TI in Lauterbrunnen. I imagine it changes year to year based on weather, etc. But it should be a good time to try and catch one.

We are staying at an Airbnb in Lauterbrunnen too. We are right behind the Hotel Oberland. I am not sure what it will be like after Covid as far as crowds. When we were there in 2018, it was a lot more crowded than our previous visits (2002, 2008) One tip is to make dinner reservations. We had never needed them before, but even the restaurant at the campground on the outskirts of town were turning away people without reservations. Our favorite restaurant is the one at Hotel Oberland. They have excellent rosti!

Hi Connie....Our location is further beyond you. Past a church and over a bridge. Good rosti at the hotel sounds wonderful! I'm still working on specific itinerary to figure out whether a pass of some sort will help. We definitely plan to attend the Chästeilet in the Justistal that Raymond mentioned. That sounds like a day-long adventure! Message if/when you get a chance! I'd love to know more about your itinerary.

Kay,
We always stay in an apartment that is “past a church and over a bridge.” The “Ey” bus stop serves it from the station 2x per hour. Also, there is a nice back way to-and-from the station you can walk fairly quickly instead of waiting for the bus.

PM me with the address of your place? Maybe it is the same we stay in!

Hi Kay!
We are also heading To the Berner Oberland in September - staying for the month in Wengen.
I'm still doing quite a bit of research, but I found a great YouTube video that covers a lot of the passes for that area, including using the 'half price' pass to get discounts on the bigger passes. It is definitely worth listening to!
The 'posters' are - The Traveling Swiss - Alexis + Louis.
I love hearing about the 'cow parades' - we will definitely try to catch some!

Thank you for the link to those Youtube videos, Bootahma! Lots of good tips there and nice videos.

Actually, I meant to send a different page -
Go to YouTube - Aplins in the Alps - Ultimate Swiss Train Pass guide - helped us a ton.
Happy trails! I'll look for you in the crowds at the cow parades!

Bootahma...I'll check out the second tip you gave. However, the first set of Youtube videos are fabulous! I've been watching them!