Berner Oberland for 3 days and weather is a nightmare

I suspect the reason that Rick doesn’t mention more alternatives for bad weather is there aren’t a lot of alternatives if you’re staying in the Berner Oberland. You could always consider taking the train to a larger city for the day. Otherwise, I think you’re out of luck and will have to deal with the weather the way it is.

In your same boat. Posted earlier about my 3 days in Lucern starting tomorrow. Hoping for better weather than is forecasted. Hotel and train tickets already paid for…

My trip is ruined now and as much as I hate to say it, Rick's guide is partially at fault bc I decided to come here on his recommendation. His book is just so well written and makes you feel as if you are virtually there so I stupidly trusted it without thinking. Thousands of dollars down the toilet.

I'm also looking at AccuWeather right now for Wengen for the next 12 days and there is literally only one day (5/26) between 5/21 and 6/1 with a less than 40% chance of rain.

Bad weather in the Alps this time of year is always a possibility. Does the forecast call for rain all day? Even with good weather the peaks can be hidden by clouds. Heck, Colorado got hit with a lot of snow the other day.
Put on some rain gear and head out anyway or check the the radar for a nearby town with better weather and head out on day trips.

We stayed in Grindelwald and it was raining when we arrived. No mountain views at all. We went down to lakes Thun and Brienz during two rainy days as it was better down there. Then all of a sudden, it cleared and the Eiger appeared so close I felt as if I could touch it from our deck! The rest of the week the weather was good. But I understand your heartbreak.
However, in no way is Rick Steves responsible for the rain ruining your trip to the BO! Think about all the beautiful places in the world and all of them have bad weather at times, rain, dust storms, etc.

Keep in mind the weather forecast is accurate for maybe 24-48 hours. I have seen drastic changes in the forecast during my visits to Europe -- changes that generally worked in my favor.

As an encouragement, there is rain and then there is rain. I have only been once and it rained 2 or my 3 days. However it was a gentle intermittent rain, not a pouring drenching all-day rain. So while beautiful sunny, warm (not hot) weather would have been nicer, I still was able to get out every day and walk. Went under Staubach Falls, and even further a different day, rode the train up to Wengen (you could ride down to Lauterbrunnen). Maybe the bus to Trummelbach and see the falls there (I didn’t do this). It will still be gorgeous and probably won’t rain full time.

Blaming Rick Steves for the weather?
Anyway, you know in advance so simply dress for the weather, get outside and enjoy it anyway. Shelter during an actual thunderstorm, hike and explore the rest of the time. I don't know where you are from, but here in the Pacific Northwest we have learned to just keep going when it rains.

Will you have the same views and experience as if it was a sunny day? No. Can you still have a terrific time? Yes.

40% chance of rain means any rain at all, any point in the day. A 3 Minute shower at 2am would meet that criteria. So the nuance of that forecast may mean things could be better that you fear.

You are blaming Rick and his guidebook for ruining your vacation - because of a bad weather forecast? Seriously? Have you never been in the mountains (any mountains) before? Is Rick somehow supposed to be able to predict the weather months or years in advance and provide a day by day guarantee? Did you spend any time on the Swiss tourism sites researching the weather averages for the mountain areas BEFORE committing to your trip? I've never seen anyone guarantee clear blue skies for the mountains. How many warnings about the possibility of cloud or bad weather do you need? One should suffice.

Yes, it's very disappointing if your trip will be ruined by this. But you might want to wait until this is in your rear view mirror before writing off the whole thing. Odds are you won't have continuous storms and rain for the whole time, and if you take some of the suggestions given, may still have a good time, even though not exactly as planned.

We had a lot of fun at a chocolate making workshop at Funky Chocolate Club in Interlaken
https://funkychocolateclub.com/workshops-2/. We also spent a bad weather day on a day trip into Bern.

You are in charge of your own happiness, always. You have several good suggestions here. I have been in Wengen a couple of times and it is beautiful there regardless of the weather. You cannot blame anyone for the weather. It is what it is. First world problem.

If you're worried about a little rain on your Swiss vacation, consider yourself lucky. There is a land to the east of Switzerland where civilians are shot and thrown in mass graves while whole vibrant cities have been wiped out for no reason. Things could be worse for you. Much, much worse.

Are you using the weather channel to check the forecast? That always seems to show rain every day for Switzerland for some reason and is just not accurate. I had this same issue when I was there last year.

You should check the meteoswiss app or website for the local weather. In checking that, I don’t see much rain for the next few days.

https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/home.html?tab=overview&date=20220526

Lots of good options for rainy days: Trummelbach Falls, Ballenberg open-air museum, a trip to Thun to see the castle, a boat ride on lake Thun or brienz, a trip to the giessbach hotel and waterfalls, a trip to Bern, St. Beatus caves, shopping in Interlaken (I love looking around the coop and migros, stock up on some chocolate). Pop into the hotel edelweiss in murren for some of their delicious apple strudel and a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

With a raincoat and a good attitude, you can have a great time in the rain. I know it’s frustrating, but I suspect the weather won’t be as bad as you’re thinking. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.

For those posting on this topic, please remember the community guidelines, specifically, rule 2, be unfailing polite.

People do save up a lot of money for their vacations and it is frustrating when you have less than ideal weather. Yes, of course, there are bigger problems in the world. But pointing that out is not very helpful.

Please just be nice to everyone. Those of us that read the Switzerland forum like to keep things civil. Thanks. 😊

Indeed. I imagine Rick doesn't like being blamed for the weather, either.

There's country-wide weather (such as cold fronts bringing rain throughout most of Switz) and then there's regional mountain weather, which typically means afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains. Yes, meteoswiss is a better source. So if you see Bern will have rain all day then Berner Oberland probably will too. However, if Bern is predicted mostly clear but Berner Oberland has thunderstorms predicted, that's fairly typical. THAT MEANS GETTING OUT EARLY IN THE MORNING BEFORE MOUNTAIN THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP.

Here are things we did when it was all-day rain (in Lauterbrunnen): visit the Lauterbrunnen museum (very close to where the river crosses under the main road), walk up and behind Staubach Falls (mostly out of the rain), visit Trummelbach Falls (no rain inside the mountain), take the train to Interlaken Ost and browse the huge Coop store.

Just my opinion, but I'd rather be walking the Lauterbrunnen valley in the rain than sitting at home watching TV. Your mileage may vary.

Just my 2 cents…this forum has been a wealth of information and suggestions when I have experienced bumps in my travel road. I have only been to Switzerland once and planning a trip right now. Perhaps there are some suggestions for alternative plans. Who knows - you might have a great time. I hope so !

An alternative view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hziG9Nr6KHU

I can only echo the advice here. Been up there 5 times. Only once did we have bad rain all day and we just walked the valley floor with all our rain gear, went to Trammelbach and then took the bus back, train up to Klein Scheidegg for a beer (even with rain still fun). We also had intermittent rain one other time and took the boat ride but by the time we had eaten lunch had cleared up and so was able to hike a bit. I think you will find it to be less than a full nonstop rain every single day. Take your rain and mountain gear and get out anyway. My guess is you will get some clearing here and there and with a pass you can hop on any gondola, train or lift at a moment’s notice.

I just checked the Mürren webcams and it doesn’t look bad. It is evening there, like 7 pm. Cloudy, but no more so than on most of our visits to Mürren later in the summer. The peaks across the valley and surrounding Mürren are clearly visible.

I hope you had a good day today, and have realized you vacation is not “ruined”.

Hi there-

It's never a good feeling when the forecast calls for rain, especially when you were looking forward to beautiful alpine views, so I can definitely empathize with your disappointment.

Having said that, I agree with the others that weather often changes in the mountains, and I would not let that deter you from going on some of the hikes/walks you planned (provided it is safe to do so). Some of my most memorable hikes occurred in the rain, and when the clouds lift and you see the mountains, it can provide some breathtaking views.

I do hope you are still able to do some of the activities you planned. Looking at the webcams in Wengen and Murren, it does look like it cleared up somewhat so I hope you were able to take advantage of that. Give us an update! I'll be going there in July myself.

Having lived in the mountains I can tell you no matter the forecast, it changes constantly. What might be 40% chance of rain could be a small portion of the day that it rains. Regardless, plan on taking it day by day. Last time were were in the Oberland it called for a 60% chance of rain in Lauterbrunnen. It was crappy weather in Interlaken, but when we got to Lauterbrunnen the clouds broke and it was lovely for several hours. It's mountain life. Don't despair. Enjoy walking the towns and exploring the shops. Treat yourself to a wonderful lunch or dinner. Take a day trip. Thun is not far away and a lovely little town to explore. The lakes are absolutely stunning. There is so much to do and see in the region. If Wengen is rained in, it doesn't mean everywhere will be. Keep us posted on how it worked out!

May is always an iffy month weatherwise in the Alps. It's always a good idea to at least look at the averages of weather in the month one is considering traveling to a destination. It sounds like you didn't do any research before booking your trip-- you can't blame others for that omission.
On the bright side, the weather forecasts for the Alps are only reliable for two or three days in advance- mountain weather can
change quickly and often does . If rain is forecast for a particular day, it doesn't necessarily mean it will rain all day. It can rain for the better part of the day, or it can rain for just an hour. And a 40% chance of rain means rain is forecast to fall over 40% of the region. That means no rain is forecast to fall over the remaining 60% of the region.

Rick has amazing powers, but control of the weather is not one of them

"And a 40% chance of rain means rain is forecast to fall over 40% of the region. That means no rain is forecast to fall over the remaining 60% of the region."

I would like to correct this statement. The 40% chance of rain is the probability of precipitation (POP). It means there is a 40% chance of rain at some point that day for the area covered by that forecast.

We were in Wengen and Lauterbrunnen for the weekend of Friday May 6 - Monday May 9. The weather forecast was somewhat grim and Thursday night I was exploring my rainy weather options. Having been to the Dolomites in May 2019, I knew to manage my expectations and also I knew to grab photos whenever a mountain peeked out of the clouds.

The weather turned out to be not-as-bad as forecast, and as in 2019, showers were intermittent. And it got better all weekend. Monday was clear blue sky spectacular. So don't fret about the forecast too much. Mountain weather always changes.

Also! I was just looking through my photos and I have some haunting, gorgeous photos of Lauterbrunnen with misty clouds. The brochures may promise us clear skies, but those aren't the only way this area is gorgeous.

I'm happy to say that Rick provided me with great weather during my current 2-week trip to Bavaria and Austria that is ending soon. Despite several days with >70% chance of rain, we only had rain one out of our 12 full days. Thanks, Rick!

Wow, this topic sure has generated a lot of interest. All I can say is, while the weather was pretty bad during most of the three full days I had planned there, on the first morning the storm took a bit longer than anticipated to move in, so I managed to get a worthwhile trip up to Schilthorn by religiously following the hourly updates on the meteoblue site. On the day I was supposed to leave for another part of Switzerland, the weather got better so I delayed my train trip for a couple hours and was able to see Jungfraujoch too. The key is not to be too rigid in your planning and go up the mountain whenever the chance presents itself. In the times between, the helpful tips provided here, especially Carrie and Shoe, were immensely valuable. A trip to Ballenberg, and trips to the St. Beatus caves, Staubach falls, and the lakes Brien and Thun. Thanks to the posters here for keeling me sane and in perspective. Rick Steve's continues to be a valuable resource.

As a side note, Switzerland is a tremendously organized and courteous country. The trains run on time, everyone seems to speak 3 or 4 languages, etc.

The only other advice I have now is not to look down on staying in lower altitudes if not doing major hiking or skiing. I stayed in Wengen but Lauterbrunnen would have been more convenient for everything except Jungfrau. Interlaken would have even been a good choice too.

Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it turned out. I am glad you were able to make the most out a mess than ideal situation.

I’m glad you were able to get up to the Schilthorn, a favorite of mine, and find some other things to do. I’ve found all these recent weather posts helpful. It’s a good reminder that we all need to be prepared for bad weather. I know I’ll be packing my umbrella and raincoat when I leave next week. But I sure hope I’m not going to need them. 😊