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Advice needed on length of stay in Grindewald

Posted by (Uk) on

Good afternoon,
My husband and I have 4 days, August 23-26, in Switzerland. We are flying into Zurich then taking the train to stay in Grindewald for 2 nights. We want to visit Gimmelwald, Murren and Luterbrunner as well as do the zip lining in Grindewald.

Proposed itinerary:

Friday Fly I to Zurich, train, etc to Grindewald, discover Small town in the area ( Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald)

Saturday. Continue exploring towns and hike to Grindewald and do First Flyer activities

Sunday Hike mountains and mid day take train to Lucerne and spend night in Lucerne

Monday. Take morning boat trip on lake then take train to Zurich airport. Return flight at 3:30 pm.

My question is whether or not to stay an extra day in BO area and skip Lucerne. The train/ boat journey between Zurich airport and Grindewald appears to be approximately 3 hours.

Thank you for your assistance.

Margaret

Posted by
768 posts

Here's what I'd do, assuming you travel light as Rick Steves suggests.
If you route it Zurich to Grindelwald via Lucerne, you have to change trains in Lucerne (Luzern) anyway.
We've put our bags in the big storage lockers in Luzern train station, then explore the city for a few hours. You are just a few minutes away from the covered bridge and the old city, and can walk there.
Your train ticket is good for all day, so no problem.

That way you get an extra day in the Berner region, and you'll want it. We typically try for 2 weeks there. If you want to see our dozen favorite hikes, click on my name for a link to great scenic trails around there, with maps and pics.

Posted by
11569 posts

We spent 5 nights in Grindelwald but could have spent much more time. Visited all the mountain towns you list and were so happy we were in Grindelwald. We felt like we could reach out and touch the Eiger!

Posted by
7209 posts

You can always take the boat on lake Brienz which just means jumping on the train in Grindelwald and riding for 30 minutes to Interlaken where you’ll connect with the boat.

Posted by
116 posts

Skip Lucerne!

Here’s how we are arriving in Zurich. Morning flight from Paris to Zurich. From Zurich airport go to Interlaken by train (2.5hours). leave luggage at train station. Take a jet boat ride on the lakes. do the Harder Klum. If there is time, do horseriding or explore small medieval town of unterseen. In the evening, collect luggage and take train to lauterbrunnen where our hotel is.

Day 2. Do jungfraujoch if weather is good, hike a portion of kleine scheidegg

Day 3. Do Grindelwald, first flyer activities. Schynigge Platte

Day 4. Whatever else comes to mind - murren, gimmelwald, wengen,

Posted by
116 posts

By the way, it will be long commute to go from Zurich to Grindelwald and then do murren/wengen/gimmelwald. Better to explore whats in your way (onwards to Grindelwald) than to change several different directions in one day.

Having been to Lucerne, I can tell you that it has nothing to offer that you wont find in plenty in the BO region. For a short visit, better enjoy BO, instead of wasting it on second best and touristy Lucerne

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you so much for all the advice. I have decided to skip Lucerne and stay an extra night in the BO area. Cheers!

Posted by
7209 posts

Lucerne is beautiful, but there’s nothing like to BO!

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