Bernese Oberland alternative April 20-22

Having stayed in those areas u mention, i would suggest Murren or in the valley of Lauterbrunnen, not sure why others have said no. They are extraordinary beUtiful with gd accomodations, pls reconsider.

JP,

I would definitely stay in Lauterbrunnen or Mürren. I have stayed in Lauterbrunnen on a RS Tour, and will return there in May. The two towns are great places to stay and visit. Enjoy!

DS

If you are driving I would recommend staying in Grindelwald where cars are allowed. If traveling by train then almost anywhere in the area is reachable.

My concern was about the poor weather and fertilizer smell/runoff that I've read occurs in April. Is this not the case in Murren, Wengen, and Lauterbrunnen in late April?

Yes, that's the problem in April. I know people on this website love Murren, but it really isn't the best place to spend your time in April, for the reasons you have mentioned.

The Alps everywhere are in a transitional period during April, when it's too warm to ski but too wet to hike. Hence, most of the infrastructure goes on temporary hiatus. You could take a chance, but without the benefit of a shirt term weather forecast, the odds are stacked against you

When you're referring to "fertilizer smell", its actually the Swiss version of organic farming in the pastures. Its the byproducts from the back ends of cows thats sprayed and spread on the field. The smell usually lasts a day and is not bad - not even close to the awful aroma from feed lots in California or Texas. As a Swiss, its part of life (especially in Spring) and is actually quite comforting. To us, its a signal that winter is over.

Thanks for all the great feedback! Can you recommend another quaint villages where we can enjoy the Swiss culture and outdoors in late April or will the entire region have similar weather?

What about Appenzell, Bettmeralp or somewhere in the Rhone Valley?

Hi JP:

When I took the best of Switzerland tour we stayed in Engleberg. It is a ski resort and a hiking resort, but small. Mt. Titlis is also there and you can ride the Gondola up to the top and, if it is clear, see some wonderful views. There is also hiking as well.

We also went to Zermatt and I was not impressed. Maybe it was because it was raining and we did not get to see the Matterhorn. I went the last week of May and the first of June and we got rained on pretty much every day. Sometimes for short time others longer. However ,we were also told it was the wetest May in years.

The Alps everywhere have the same crappy weather in April. It simply isn't a good time to visit.

The smell isn't really the issue. The problem is that the manure runs off and can be difficult to avoid if you want to do any walking.

Tom, seriously? Its dirt with a little bovine pee/poop in it. Walk through the wet grass if it really bothers you that much. The tray table on your flight, the handle on the water fountain in the airport and button on the elevator in your hotel are far more unsanitary than the average Swiss farmers field.

Its dirt with a little bovine pee/poop in it. Walk through the wet grass if it really bothers you that much. Um, no, it isn't ''a little". It saturates the pastures, and runs off onto the trails. If the grass were only wet, that would be one thing, but the ground gets soft enough that your boot can sink several centimeters into the muddy-poopy soup. That's probably why the farmers wear knee-high rubber boots.

Have you actually walked in the Berner Oberland in April? Well, l have, before I knew better, and I got all kinds of crud on my boots and hiking pants. Unless you confine yourself within the villages, it's unavoidable. And this was before the period of time when I lived in Europe, so I couldn't just stash my dirty stuff in a bag, pop it in the car trunk and do laundry when I got home to Germany. I had to take extra time out of my vacation to do some pretty extensive laundry.

Seriously, I'm not trying to ruin anyone's vacation here. But the fact is, the Berner Oberland isn't the glorious, sparkling pastural wonderland in April that most people experience in the summer. I'm speaking from actual experience here and in other Alpine areas during that month, for several years in a row. It's wet, overcast, and very, very muddy. Hence, the good reason most tourism-related businesses temporarily close.