Day trip from Weggis to Lauterbrunnen, Murren and Gimmelwald

From Gimmelwald there is a cable car to take you to Stechelberg and from there you can take the bus back to Lauterbrunnen.

Yes, the lifts and train to Muerren and Gimmelwald will be running. These are inhabited Swiss villages and the lifts are critical infrastructure. In fact, they are the only way the residents can travel to the outside world.

Small car should be fine. There are few hairpin turns and curlicues going over the Bruenig Pass. Swiss roads are pretty civilized.

You do know you will need to stop and buy a Swiss vignette sticker and attach to your windscreen ass you enter the country. Cost is 40 CHF, unless you rent the car in Switzerland, then it will already have one.

PS. It does look like the lift & train combo is not running on the mid May day I looked at. So park in Stechelberg and take the cable car to Gimmelwald and Muerren.

from Weggis to Lauterbrunnen (how are you getting to Weggis from Alsace?) you are on the wrong side of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) so you will have to loop around Kussnacht and through the centre of Luzern. At least you will miss some tunnels.

As you head up and down the hills I wonder if the little car you are getting will be under powered.

As you come down towards Meiringen and Interlaken the road is narrow and very steep, so you go around in a spiral tunnel to drop down into the valley.

As soon as you get down you will be at a road junction so be sure to plan which way to go.

There isn't a bus from Gimmelwald to Lauterbrunnen. Gimmelwald is up and Stechelberg is down, and they are linked by a cable car. Then there is a bus between the Stechelberg car park and Lauterbrunnen.

But if the train isn't running into Mürren you will need to park at Stechelberg and up from there (or bus from parking in Lauterbrunnen). If there is only one way up it will be crowded.

As you head up and down the hills I wonder if the little car you are
getting will be under powered.

Small cars are great in the mountains. Farmers here love'm. Its not the power, but the power to weight ratio that matters.

Yes, the cable car/train to Murren is closed from 6-31 May, as they are installing the new train cars. You’ll have to park at Stechelberg (past Lauterbrunnen) and take the cable car up to Gimmelwald and then on up to Murren. There honestly isn’t really anything to explore in the town of Lauterbrunnen, other than some souvenir shops and restaurants. It’s just a traffic hub town these days. If you like to walk, you could park in Lauterbrunnen and walk to Stechelberg through the Valley and then up to Murren. Then take the bus back when you’re done. That would be a nice walk in May. You could also rent e-bikes to bike the Valley from Imboden in Lauterbrunnen. Walking down from Murren to Gimmelwald is also an option if you’re okay with 1,000 ft of downhill walking. It’s paved and a lot of switch backs, so you may enjoy it or you may not. You’ll get the views up in Murren and walking around Gimmelwald without necessarily having to walk between the two if you decide to walk the Valley instead.

I am curious why, with only 2 days in Switzerland, you are staying in Weggis to visit the mountain villages above Lauterbrunnen. I like Weggis a lot, but if you want to see the Berner Oberland it is mot a good base. You will be spending at least 4 hours in the car going there and back, and according to Nigel, some part of it will be in a tunnel.

Instead, from Weggis, you can ride the cablecar up to Rigi Kaltbad, from which there are beautiful views over the lake and the mountains opposite. You can take the cogwheel train from there up to the summit at Rigi Kulm for even more expansive views, and a nice hike around if you like. Then ride the train down to the lake at Vitznau and take a boat back to Weggis.

https://www.rigi.ch/en/experience/summer/viewpoints

Thank you all for the great info. I’m staying in Weggis because there’s a pretty decent chance the weather might not be good in the mountains in Mid May. I’d rather spend time in Lucerne and Weggis during rain than the mountains. I chose Weggis because it seems more laid back than Lucerne. If we were traveling in Mid-June I’d roll the dice and make a reservation In Lauterbrunnen or Murren. Now the plan is to go for a day if the weather is nice.

We are flying to Zurich and then driving to Alsace.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think four days in Alsace is a good amount of time. I don’t want to start tiring of the colorful villages. Since we are flying out of Zurich I thought we’d spend the last two days not far from Zurich.

Thank you Lola, I have a feeling we will be making the trip to Rigi. However, if the forecast for Murren area is blue skies I may not be able to pass it up.

I’m staying in Weggis because there’s a pretty decent chance the weather might not be good in the mountains in Mid May.

You are right, there may be rain, or even snow up top.

The thing is that you have 3 things working against you - first is that the mountains of the Berner Oberland have their own weather. What is cloud halfway up may be sunshine above, or vice versa, and on a beautiful sunny morning the thermals will carry that moisture up and clouds bubble up often just after noon. The thunderstorms roll in in the evenings.

Second, most weather apps and webpages are not programmed for mountain weather. With that day I just described most apps will show rain or even storms on the icons when morning and early to mid-afternoon can be glorious. Sure you can get low pressure systems anytime which will put paid to the weather for a few days but that's not all the time.

And third, and this is the biggie - when you look on your phone or laptop or TV screen (lots of live cameras on YouTube of the mountains, especially the channel Feratel) you will be a 2 hour drive away. By the time you get there the weather may well have changed and then you will blame me. If you want to go to the mountains of the Lauterbrunnen Valley you need to be away early so you can get there in time for the good stuff.....

Thanks Nigel. I was doing research on Mount Rigi and that looks pretty nice too, although not as stunning I’m sure. I have all the info and I’ll just play it by ear when I get there.