Berber Oberland fall trip 24

Quick correction: It is spelled Wengen. It is in the beautiful Berner Oberland.

The half fare pass might be your best way to go on this trip …

Good choice at Geneva or Zurich airport would be Holiday Inn Express…

We loved flying into Zurich in 2019. Very organized. I’m sure we would love flying out of it too. But it may depend on your destination, it might be more convenient to choose a different airport.

We do carry-on luggage only, so I wouldn’t know what any of these airports are like to check luggage.

Berner Oberland is beautiful! We stayed in Lauterbrunnen, which has a lot to offer. Murren is very nice, we walked to Grutchsalp to get the tram, it was a yellow trail (easiest), with stunning views, but I’m not sure if your wife’s sciatica would keep her from doing that walk. Wengen looked nice too, we went to Kleine Scheideg and stopped at Wengen on our way back.

Have a wonderful time!

I suggest you purchase a train ticket from Basel to Interlaken. Then purchase the Jungfrau travel pass purchase if your stay is in Wengen. It can be purchased at the Interlaken train station or online. The Jungfrau travel pass will cover several cable cars. This page has a map of the area along with the pass information https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/

Schynige Platte, Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfraujoch can be enjoyed with various amounts of walking. The transportation to the locations are part of the experience.

It’s impossible to tell you what passes(es) to get without knowing your full itinerary beyond just the 3 days in Wengen.

For your time in Wengen, you could pick from some options like these….
1 Day - Wengen > Kleine Scheidegg > Optional Jungfraujoch > Eiger Express to Grindelwald > Männlichen > Wengen

1 Day - Wengen > Lauterbrunnen > Murren > optional Schilthorn > Gimmelwald > Wengen

1 Day - Wengen > Interlaken West > Lake Thun Boat Cruise with castle Stops at Spiez, Oberhöfen & Thun > Wengen

1 Day - Wengen > Schynigge Platte > Wengen

when you say "fall" when will that be? Fall is from sep. 21 till dec 22. Late september - early october is a good time to come. Late october less so, and november you better avoid (pretty much everything closes in November here). Beginnen of December you are already in the beginning of the ski season, with possible snow on the ground.

You say long hikes are out. What length of easy walk can you do? There are two very easy one-hour round-trip walks in Wengen: The Mönchblick and the Staubbachbänkli. Maps available at the Wengen Tourist Info office.

Wanderweg has listed some great non-walking activities.

Thank you for all of your help. She can handle 2 or 3 mile walks/hikes fine, have to avoid strenuous elevation changes.

Hi, I am doing the same, 3 days in Wengen this September 2024, starting in Milan to Lugano to Luzerne to Interlaken Ost, Montreaux Zermatt, Poltresina (St. Moritz) then back to Milan 12 days altogether by train. In addition I am taking most of the Panoramic trains and I did the $ calculations between the 1/2 and full passes. Even though the trains are covered entirely by full the Swiss Travel Pass (except seat reservations when needed) it will still be cheaper for me to get the 1/2 fare Swiss Travel Pass. In addition I am adding the Jungfrau Pass (and not to complicate things because in case you plan to go to Zermatt I am adding the Peak to Peak Pass). I want to add though its really complicated and trip specific to determine which pass(es) to buy. The Jungfrau is cheaper for me because of what we were doing, but the Berner Oberland Pass may be better for you as that pass covers buses and local transportation given your wife's medical issue. There is a previous discussion on this forum from March 3, 2023 on this topic under "Jungfrau or Berner Oberland Pass?" You can still get a 25% discount on purchasing the BO or Jungfrau passes with the 1/2 fare Swiss Travel Pass (buy this first) but the 1/2 fare Swiss Travel pass covers 1/2 off of all the regular trains (but not the seat reservations if needed) in Switzerland for 30 days and is far cheaper than the Full Swiss Travel Pass ( and though the train ticket is free you still pay the same amount as the 1/2 pass for seat reservations). The Full Swiss Travel Pass gives you more convenience and there are some situations it makes sense. Also I suggest you go on YouTube and there are videos that go over how to decide which passes are good for you and when to buy seat reservations and seats. Hope this is helpful.

George.Kenna raises a good point about the passes. IMO the Berner Oberland Regional Pass is a better fit because it covers buses and everything both sides of the valley with the exception of maying extra to go all the way to the Jungfraujoch and all the way to the Schilthorn. Last I know, the Jungfrau Pass does NOT cover the list from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald to Mürren. That is significant if you want to, for example take the easy walk from Grütschalp to Mürren or even just visit the village to see it.

If she can handle 2-3 miles with no elevation change, definitely do the Panorama Walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. It’s a gorgeous easy walk that gives you stunning views the whole way. You can combine this with doing Jungfraujoch at the end and/or taking the Eiger Express down to Grindelwald. Or just leisurely enjoy Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg before returning to Wengen.

Agree with what wanderweg said just above. We stayed in Wengen 4 nights several years ago and loved it. Another easy hike is to take the cable car up from Lauterbrunnen and then walk to Murren (it's fairly level) and then down to Gimmelwald. You can then take the cable car on down to the valley floor and catch a bus back to Lauterbrunnen - unless you want to hike back (easy if you're not too tired).

Good advice just above. And As Laurel suggested, , the Berner Oberland Pass is your best option. Get the 4-day pass and it will cover all the trains, lifts and boats for your time in Wengen, plus your journey from Bern to Wengen and your train from Wengen to Luzern should you choose to spend your last night there. Or it will cover most of the ride to the Zurich for your flight. and in between, you can ride the Männlichen, First, and Schynige Platte trains and lifts to access beautiful scenic spots and take short easy hikes amid that scenery.

You can also ride the boats on the two lake nearby, Brienzersee and Thunersee. Maybe take the train and boat combo to Grandhotel Giessbach for lunch on the terrace?

https://www.giessbach.ch/en

It won’t cover the Jungfraubahn train above Eigergletscher, but that trip isn’t worth the time and trouble anyway, in my view. Once past Eigergletscher the train enters a tunnel bored in the Eiger rock, and apart from a short stop to look out the carved “windows” in the rock you ride in darkness the rest of the way to the top. Once there you are in a very crowded building with very expensive food on offer.

Here is a map of the BO pass coverage in case you haven’t seen one:

https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/assets/Uploads/BLS-BO-Pass-M-23-WEB.pdf