Bernese Oberland - best place to use as a hub for 4 nights

I agree that Lauterbrunnen makes the most sense. It is a charming village with great views. Murren and Wengen have more spectacular views but as you pointed out, it costs a lot to go anywhere from either one of them. The trick is to find a hotel that has parking (there are number of them). We like the Hotel Staubbach and will be there the end of next week.

That being said , if you can arrange a valley side room in Murren for one night, it is a luxury worth having. Standing on our balcony at the Alpina and looking straight down 2000 feet was memorable.

Also, the Ballenberg Open Air Museum is well worth the time and easy to do with a car.

How many people are traveling with you, and are they all adults? What do you want to see and do in the Berner Oberland? Any hiking? Where else are you going on this trip? Do you plan to rent a car and drive the whole time, or just in Switzerland?

Not being nosy, but these answers will enable us to help you better.

I’m planning to go to both Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch along with some moderate hiking. Also, hike the Lauterbrunnen Valley. My wife also likes to be on water, so perhaps the boat on Lake Brienz. The more I read and think about it, maybe stay one night in Gimmelwald. That might be really fun. This would be the same day we go to the Schilthorn ideally, weather dependent.
If you stayed 8 nights, you must have hiked quite a bit. I’ve been to the area 30 years ago and regretted not hiking to Gimmelwald. I might likely never get back after this trip so I’m thinking it’s a good idea for one night.
Very curious about the 8 night stay if you could expound on that.
Thank you to both of you for your replies

If you are doing both the Schilthorn and the Jungfraujoch, you likely will want a Half-Fare card. The regular fare for the Jungfrau roundtrip from Lauterbrunnen is 201.60 CHF per person. That is $227 at the current exchange rate. A Half Fare card will bring that down to 100.80, just as the name suggests. The card will cost you 120 CHF each, but you can then use your cards on the Schilthorn and Brienzersee boat ride, as well as any ot he lift, boat, or train rides you might do.

There are other pass options that will fully cover your travel to and from Lauterbrunnen (from Bern, Luzern, or other places in Switzerland, if you choose to travel by train instead of the rental car. This would save you the daily rental cost for the car, plus fuel and parking. Let us know if you are interested in hearing more. But if you are set on the car, then the Half Fare card makes the most sense.

When is this trip? This year or next?

Lola, I'm happy to answer those questions. This will be a trip in a future year, not this year for just my wife and I. We are in our mid-60's with aging knees. So, we will do some moderate hiking, as much as our knees will permit. I've been to Switzerland about 30 years ago and loved the Bernese Oberland and want to share it with her. This trip will probably start flying into Geneva and include Austria and Munich/Bavaria. I'd rather limit it to Switzerland and Austria as I'm still working and will only take about 2 1/2 weeks, but she really wants to get into Germany too. I really like have the mobility of a car. We rented a car in France last year and I'm heading to Ireland in a few weeks and have a car lined up there too. I used the Swiss Rail 30 years ago and it was great, but the car gives you more mobility.

We rented a chalet in Grindelwald and had a car.
We loved staying there, lots of fining choices. And the views of the Eiger are incredible, breathtaking! We toured the area,Wengen, Murren, and Lauterbrunnen and were so glad we were staying in Grindelwald. A favorite vacation.

Thank you for all that detail, Tintaldra. I suspect my wife and I won’t hike as vigorously or long. I do have plenty of time to research but I would like to find some moderate hikes that we could do in 2 hours or less. 30 years ago, when my first wife and I were in our early thirties, we hiked from Kleinescheidig to Grindelwald on our return from the Jungfraujoch. We got off the train in Kleinescheidig and that hike seemed quite long I remember, but was virtually all downhill.

Suki, thank you for your response. It’s very helpful to get many different people’s perspectives.

With your itinerary, covering Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, a car does indeed make sense. You should consider car rental fees when planning your flights and route. Picking up a car in one country (say at Geneva) and dropping it off in another (say Munich) can incur a large drop fee. So check prices (both flight and rental cars) for flying into and out of the same airport, or at least the same country. For a loop from a single airport, Zurich or Munich would work well. For a linear route, try pricing flights into Geneva and out from Zurich, and check if there is a drop fee for the rental car.

For a base, you could stay in either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald.

I agree with Suki that the views from Grindelwald of the Eiger and other peaks are stunning. And the town does offer a wider range of hotels and restaurants, including more at the high end, than LUterbrunnen. We spent 3 nights in Grindelwald with our Seattle alpine club about 20 years ago, at moderately-priced Hotel Alte Post right off the Main Street in town. (Dorfstrasse). I did not care for the traffic noise, and they seemed to cater to tours and other groups, as breakfast was very busy in the morning. But we were treated to a delightful evening of yodeling by a local club our last night there. If we were to return to Grindelwald my hotel choice would likely be Hotel Bodmi, up on the Terassenweg above town, with beautiful views to the peaks across the valley. It is accessible by car but out of the main traffic in town. We enjoyed a lovely dinner on their terrace, right next to the landing area for the Gleitschirm pilots (paragliders).

https://das-bodmi.ch/en/das-bodmi-the-spirit-of-swiss-nature-2/

We have never stayed in Lauterbrunnen (we like Mürren) but have passed through there for walks or lunch. As you probably know, Lauterbrunnen is on the floor of a valley that reminds many of Yosemite, with soaring cliffs and and a waterfall. Hotel Staubbach’s webpage shows it well:

https://www.staubbach.com/en/summer/

I am sure people here can recommend hotels in Lauterbrunnen for you.

For hikes, it is hard to know what others mean when they say “moderate”, but the Northface trail from Mürren probably fits. Here is the short description:

https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/summer/tracks/northface-trail-2h30/

And the longer one, with photos:

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/northface-trail-murren-switzerland/

Both describe the trail going clockwise, starting in Mürren and ending with a ride down the Allmendhubel funicular. We like the reverse, as the views seem to be more in front of you as you hike. We sent our kids and grandchildren up on the funicular to the playground, and we hiked up the steep path from town to meet them for lunch. Then we hiked down on the Northface trail, while they took the Children’s Adventure Trail—-a series of slides, ladders, bridges and tunnels—-back down.

Since you will likely be in Mürren only one day, on your way to the Schilthorn, you will only need one hike there, and this is the one I would recommend for an “after Schilthorn” hike (I am assuming you would take the Schilthorn cablecar ride in the morning). You could have lunch either in Mürren or on the terrace of the little restaurant at the top of the Allmendhubel funicular, before starting the Northface trail hike.

For a hike from Grindelwald, I suggest the easy hike to Bachalpsee from the top of the First gondola. There are many websites with photos and description of this hike, such as this:

https://fullsuitcase.com/bachalpsee/

If that isn’t enough, you can continue past the lake to the Faulhorn hut for lunch:

https://hikingwalking.com/index.php/destinations/sw/sw_bernese/grindelwald/faulhorn

https://grindelwald.swiss/en/summer/eat-and-stay/mountain-hotels-huts/mountain-hotel-faulhorn/

Or consider making a loop hike by returning from Bachalpsee by of the Flower Trail to Waldspitz and Bort.

I could not fit in the directions for the Flower Trail walk from Bachalpsee down to Bort, where you catch the gondola for the ride back down to Grindelwald. Here is one website::

https://grindelwald.swiss/en/summer/tracks/flower-trail-first-bachalpsee-waldspitz-bort-no-4/

Thank you much. The hike suggestions are very helpful. That sounds like my idea of moderate. I’m thinking it would be fun to stay In Gimmelwald for one night and use a town in the valley for the other three nights. I think either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald would work.
The suggestions about cars and flights are certainly worth considering. I was just looking at a linear route without backtracking but I sort of enjoy the process of figuring that out. I’ve got plenty of time to do that.
My initial plan was landing in Geneva and spending the first night in Montreux. Then driving and stopping in Gruyeres and Murten on the way to Bern for one night. The next day, linger in Bern and then on to the Berner Oberland for a total of 4 nights.
From there, I was going to head to Munich for 4 nights, stopping in Vaduz on the way for 3-4 hours. Then Zell Am See, because I just want to and it looks beautiful. Two nights there, followed by 3 nights in Salzburg and finishing in Vienna for 3 nights. We’d fly out if Vienna in this itinerary. I’ll look into alternatives

@Lola... thank you for all the detailed hiking trips. I've added them to my itinerary for next June!

Back from a great two week trip to Ireland and thinking about this trip again. As I mentioned previously, my plan is to rent a car and land in Geneva and end in Vienna and fly out of there. I have been considering using a combination of trains and cars, but it seems even more expensive to rent a car for a 1 day drive and then stay somewhere. It just seems a bit wasteful to have a car in cities like Munich or Salzburg or Vienna or for that matter in the Bernese Oberland, where we will likely have to use trains to get where we want to go. The longest stretch is from Lauterbrunnen to Munich via Vaduz, Liechtenstein, which is about 5 1/2 total drive time. In a train, it's 10 hours minimum and then doesn't consider departure availability. We'd probably have to use a night in Vaduz to do that. I'm leaning back to just hiring a car for the whole trip and splurging. Even in the Bernese Oberland, maybe we want to drive to Grindelwald or even Interlaken for dinner. This would definitely give us that flexibility. It appears to cost quite a bit more to just rent a car for a day, especially if you want to drop it in another country, and train tickets add to the total cost. I'm sort of rambling here, but would love more input.

I also considered flying in and out of Munich as I could rent a car for about 1/3 of the cost if I return it there. However, then I'm back tracking a lot and driving quite a bit more than otherwise necessary.

I'd love other peoples thoughts.

If you time it correctly, you can get from Lauterbrunnen to Munich by train in 6 hours. They have 2 trains a day that are direct from Zurich to Munich. We’ve done it and it’s a very easy train ride. See the times on SBB. It’s definitely only 10+ hours if you take the wrong train combos.

I didn’t read this entire thread, but I’d recommend doing everything by train or else do Switzerland all by train and then get to Munich and rent a car from there. It is not convenient to have a car in Switzerland and the concept of just driving to Interlaken or Grindelwald for a meal isn’t great. Parking is difficult, traffic can be bad and it’s much more enjoyable to take the trains/cable cars and buses everywhere. Get a Half Fare Card and/or a regional train pass based on your plans and enjoy the area the way it’s meant to be enjoyed. While it is slightly more “expensive” to stay up in the mountains, the experience is well worth the money. You’ve come all the way to Switzerland and spending a bit more to really immerse yourself in what is unique about the Berner Oberland justifies the cost. Lauterbrunnen is convenient but quite busy/traffic heavy and not as magical as staying in Wengen, Murren or Gimmelwald, which are all unforgettable experiences that transport you away from anything you’ve probably experienced anywhere else in the world.

I truly appreciate the insight. More to think about and sink my teeth into as I plan this

As someone who lives in the area let me add a few things:

Every time I go to Lauterbrunnen I think the same thing: This could be a nice place, if it wasn't for all the traffic. So staying in Lauterbrunnen because you will come by car and need a place where you can abandon it you are actually actively contributing to making the place you have chosen to stay in less agreeable.

It is true that when you stay in Wengen or Mürren you have added transportation. That however does not need to cost extra. If you stay here it pays to get a pass, like the Jungfrau pass or the Berner Oberland pass, and then you can travel at will. That way you do not have to try to minimise the number of trains and cable cars you take.

Not having a car has advantages. With a car you always have to return to where you abandoned it, and that limits what you can do. For example, suppose you stay in Lauterbrunnen and want to visit the Jungfraujoch. You have invested heavily in your rental car and now need to minimise your exposure to public transit and thus drive to Grindelwald Terminal, park your car and take the cable car up. Then you need to return via the same route because your need to recover your car.

Alternatively you can take the train to Grindelwald. Then go up to the Jungfraujoch, and then return via Wengen. That is a far more interesting route, and you can fit in a stroll around the village.

The same when you visit Mürren or the Shilthorn. There are two routes, and you can take one up, and then the other down.

The same applies to most hikes here, which are usually A to B hikes. Take public transit to A, hike to B, take public transit back.

You do not need a car here. So please, do not come by car. Do not contribute to the destruction to this place that is dear to me.

Regarding Lauterbrunnen to Munich by train: There are actually six direct trains a day from Zurich to Munich. So there are plenty of options. There is no need to go to Liechtenstein. What is so special about a boring Swiss town that just has different licence plates for their cars...

WengenK, I've reconsidered after the post before yours. This trip is far into the future, probably 2025 and I've reconsidered the car. I think I'm going to figure out the train situation. Not only is a car going to be just sitting in Lauterbrunnen or wherever we decide to stay, and I'm now leaning toward Gimmelwald after the convincing reaction from this forum, I was thinking it would likely be sitting idle in the bigger towns, cities while we visit locally on foot. I think I was just mostly concerned about getting from there to Munich. I can certainly forego stopping in Liechtenstein. I did travel in Switzerland 30 years ago only by train and it worked well. And back then I carried a lot more luggage. I've gotten wiser about that since, too. The idea of staying away from the hordes of tourists really appeals to me. Any my wife loves small quaint towns/villages. What I've realized in the last few years, as the world's population increases and there are very large Asian countries particularly, with now, newer thriving middle classes, who want to travel, these popular tourist destinations get more and more crowded. I'd prefer to go the contrarian route a little bit; away for the throngs.

Anyway, great advice. I'm sure I'll have more questions for the forum as I get deeper into planning this future trip.

By the way, since you live there, do you think late August is a good time to visit, if we want to avoid colder weather? I know that mountain areas can be unpredictable.

Thank you much.
Ric

WengenK, I forgot to ask one question. If we want to travel from Switzerland to Germany and Austria, are you able to recommend which rail pass(es) I should research?

I would not go with a rail pass. Just long distance train tickets in advance to get discounts.

Lauterbrunnen - Munich you can for example book on www.bahn.de
For Munich Salzburg just get a Bayern Ticket when you are there.

Late August is a good time to come. but in my opinion the best time is September.

Wow, really?? I’m surprised to hear you say that. We have to from Geneva to Montreux to Gruyeres to Murten to Bern to Berner Oberland to Munich to Zell Am See to Salzburg to Vienna. Are you suggesting that we are better off just booking individual tickets for all of these segments?

In regards to the train from Zurich to Munich, I should have specified that I meant when connecting all the way from Berner Oberland that there are a couple options a day with reasonable departure time from BO and reasonable arrival time into Munich. For example, when we did it the opposite direction, we left Munich at lunch time and arrived in the BO at dinner time.

A side note about Zell am See, I’d strongly recommend rethinking that stop. We love quaint villages and Austria is magical, but Zell am See has been overrun with middle eastern restaurants and is not quaint Austrian feeling at all. It’s got a lot of traffic and has not retained it’s authentic Austrian village on the water feel at all, quite sad. I’d recommend looking into places in the Salzkammergut. We loved staying in Grundlesee and doing the 3 Lakes Tour by Boat that takes you back into little hamlets with no cars and a very picturesque little restaurant on the water that serves fresh fish caught in the lake. A much quieter more authentic Austrian experience.

You might want a Swiss Pass or Half-Fare card for the travel,within Switzerland. But no pass for Austria or Germany. You will get a better price on the cross-border tickets (like Zurich to Munich) by buying a month or 2 in advance to get a “Sparpreis” or Special Offer.

wanderweg, thank you for the advice about Zell Am See. I wouldn't have known that.

Thank you, Zola. So a Swiss pass for all of Switzerland and then just point to point individual tix to get to Munich, Salzburg and Vienna. The train options are plentiful and more than a little confusing. I appreciate the help.

There's a lot of opinions here. Haven't read many. My take is this--Just spent 3-4 Sept '23 days in Murren Berner Oberland. A car would have been disastrous for my son & I: how would the driver see these wondrous mts? Where to park? Too many obstacles with a car. We traveled on dozens of trains, clean, comfortable, inexpensive all thru Schweiz---Half Fare Card.

Lauterbrunnen--we delayed there after our TRAIN tour to Jungfraujoch and before our lift/train back to Murren. Our time in the valley consisted of avoiding cars cars busses busses busses. Walked perilously down the street, saw 2 waterfalls (forget the RSteves book cover one--in accessible because of the traffic), then hastened back to the Murren lift.

Wanderweg, still planning this trip for 2025. I listened to your advice and others and have now decided to stay 5 nights in Gimmelwald. My preferred choice for lodging is already booked for my preferred dates in early September. I can book for the second half of September. I’m just a little hesitant about the weather changing. Since you live in the area. I was hoping to pick your brain about the weather. Is there ever a time that you recall when the trains/ lifts to the Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn were blocked due to snow? Also hiking trails blocked by snow?
Thanks, in advance.
Ric

This is for September 2025? I am surprised that you are finding your preferred place in Gimmelwald already booked. More likely it is simply not open for booking in 2025 yet.

Thank you much, Maureen. Lola, yes, Olle and Maria’s bnb apartment is already booked. I was surprised too. I have been emailing them, so it’s not as if it’s just not open for booking yet.

Maureen, we actually do live in Murren, just not year round.

To answer your question, you should be fine in late September but it will start to get slightly chillier most likely. It won’t affect getting to the Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch or hiking, but the temp, slightly. Last summer we got a dusting of snow above Murren in late August, but then it was back to summer weather a week later. In 2022, we got some snow in mid September, but again it’s usually a dusting that doesn’t stay.

Also, I agree that I’m slightly surprised if something is already booked for Sept 2025, although it could be a long standing booking for someone who goes every year at the same time. That is the case for some places.

Very helpful advice. Thank you

Olle and Maria’s is in a neat location, but I personally wouldn’t let their availability dictate my entire trip. There are other places in Gimmelwald and Murren that are very nice and will be available for early September, if that’s when you prefer to go.

Wanderweg, that’s what I’m concluding. That was my first choice, but it would negatively impact my time from work, just logistically with the way the calendar falls. I like to take advantage of a holiday and weekends to there fullest.
I always appreciate your input

Some other options - https://gimmelwald.ch/?page_id=1101&lang=en

I presume that you travelled from Interlaken to the higher villages. How difficult is it to get from Zurich to Interlaken and up into the villages?

See SBB.ch for train times/connections from Zurich to Interlaken and beyond.

Thanks for the link. I’ve been conversing with Pension Gimmelwald. They don’t take reservations yet but it sounds like the right option.