Feedback Requested on Hiking Itinerary w Murren as Base

A. good weather site:

https://www.srf.ch/meteo

It's the mountains - be prepared for rain and early snow. Have fun hiking.

If it was me I would do a lake cruise on the Lake of Lucerne or Zurich See,

My notes....

Day 1
Yes, Suppenalp and Spielbodenalp are on the Northface Trail. Suppenalp has good lunch, but is very slow service, so take that into account on how long you want to spend there. Spielbodenalp is very simple, mostly drinks and some baked goods. If you want to stop for a beer, sure.
Alternatively, if you really are strong hikers, you might want to change up this day and just hike Birg > Grauseeli > Wasenegg Ridge > Bryndlii > Murren
This is a mix of the Northface and Rotstockhutte hikes and you’ll see basically no one on it because it’s only for strong hikers, with hiking poles for the scree — it takes the ridge right above Rotstockhutte, so technically has even better views, so you wouldn’t need to repeat Rotstockhutte

Day 2
If you take my advice above about switching to the Birg > Murren hike then I’d do this day…
Grutschalp > Allmendhubel > Suppenalp for lunch > and then 2 options from here:
1. Longer option Northface > Sprutz Waterfall > Gimmelwald (forested)
OR
2. Shorter option Blumental to Murren > Paved road to Gimmelwald

Dinner in Gimmelwald is nice (reservation fixed menu at the Pension or wood fired pizza at the Hostel)

Day 3
Schynige Platte Daube Oberberghorn Loucherhorn and back to SP + cog train up and back is probably a 3/4 day. You can make it more challenging by continuing the ridge and hiking to Faulhorn, Bachalpsee, Grindelwald First and then returning to Murren from there. That’s a long day and requires you leaving Murren early to make sure you don’t miss the last cable car down from First. Personally I’d probably just do the first option and then if you get back down to Wilderswil at a reasonable time and still want to do something, maybe walk the Lauterbrunnen Valley back to Stechelberg and ride the cable car up to Murren from there.

Day 4
Mannlichen to KS is going to feel like a toddler walk after everything else you’re doing :) To add to it —
Mannlichen > Royal Walk detour > Kleine Scheidegg > Fallbodensee + kneipp bath detour > Kleine Scheidegg lunch > hike to Wengernalp > optional hike all the way back to Wengen or train to Wengen from Wengernalp

Day 5
If you want to spend some time on one of the lakes, you could do this.
Wengen > train to Lauterbrunnen > train to Interlaken Ost > get on the boat to Brienz with your luggage and boat to Brienz > train to Luzern > afternoon in historic Luzern > train to Zurich Flughafen

I did really quick, rough numbers for this plan to help you with passes. They’re not exact numbers, but give you a close idea.
Full Fares = 520 chf
Half Fare Card only = 380 chf
Half Fare Card + Reduced Fare 6 day Berner Oberland Pass = 400 chf
Full Price 6 day Berner Oberland Pass = 400 chf
Half Fare Card + 4 Day Jungfrau Travel Pass = 430 chf

It looks to me like the 6 day Berner Oberland Pass is your best option. Having the half fare card is pretty much a wash, because the discount it gives you on the BO Pass + the portion of your travel to/from airport not included in the BO is just enough to break even, so probably not worth the hassle. If you get the 6 day BO Pass, all you’ll pay for is 2 tickets your whole trip - Zurich Flughafen > Bern on the way to Murren and Luzern > Zurich Flughafen on your way out (and Wengernalp to Wengen for 11 chf if you decide not to hike all the way back to Wengen on Day 4). The rest of the time, your pass will be your ticket.

Thank you NickB!

wanderweg: Wow – thank you so much for your input on our itinerary and best transportation options. We really appreciate it! We also like your idea for day 5 and incorporating the cruise that way. Thank you very much!!

For your “Day 4” suggestion, what are your thoughts on hiking further up KS and eating lunch at Eigergletscher restaurant. And then from there, going to Grindelwald and then to First primarily to explore those areas? If you like that, do you have suggestions on how to spend time at First, ideally away from crowds? How would going to Eigergletscher, Grindelwald, and First compare to hiking KS to Wengernalp? We enjoy challenging hikes, but we also enjoy leisurely strolls!

For the passes, if we get the BOP, we would need to purchase full fare from Zurich Flughafen to Luzern (not Bern) and return. Is that correct? And for the BOP, can you please shed some light on the benefits, if any, of upgrading to first class given our list of activities?

Thank you!

Eigergletscher restaurant —

it’s ok — the Restaurant Grindelwaldblick on the trail from Mannlichen to KS has more charm and mountain hut vibes/views to me, but if it makes more sense in your hiking timeline, it’s fine to do Eigergletscher.

Grindelwald First, ideally away from crowds? —-

That’s not a thing. First is literally one of the most crowded options you could pick. You can hike away from First to Grosse Scheidegg, but KS to Wengernalp is just as beautiful and avoids the chaos at First. If First is something you’re just so curious about that you can’t miss it, then you can do your plan but you’ll have to pay extra for the ticket (it’s not included in the BO pass) and expect a lot of people waiting in line to go up and crowding around the areas at the top. The Marmot Trail from First to Grosse Scheidegg is nice, but make sure to time it all out to make the last bus down from Grosse Scheidegg or you’ll be walking.

If you want to add to the challenge of that day’s hike without doing First, once you get to Fallbodensee, then keep hiking up to Eigergletscher, then loop back down and continue on to Wengernalp and optionally all the way to Wengen for a very quiet hike. Almost no one is on that trail.

Cost of tickets?

When you arrive at the airport, go the quick way to Mürren via the direct train to Interlaken Ost, which would mean paying through Bern (59 chf). It makes the most sense to do the simplest connections at the start — Zurich Flughafen > Interlaken Ost > Lauterbrunnen > Grutschalp > Mürren. The direct train from the airport to Interlaken is every 2 hours, so hopefully your flight arrival works with that option, otherwise just add the connection in at Bern. Then take the longer Luzern route on the way back. Luzern to the airport will be 31 chf, unless you prepurchase a Supersaver ticket in advance, since you know what train you’ll need to take to get to the airport at the correct time. Then it’s cheaper.

Benefits, if any, of upgrading to first class given our list of activities? ——

The majority of things you do in that region are not first class options (cable cars, mountain trains). The only benefit you’d get is the boat ride (it is very very crowded in 2nd class) and then trains between Zurich and Interlaken and on to Lauterbrunnen. If you value more space and quieter cars the 2 times you ride those trains and/or the boat ride, you can do point to point class upgrades individually for about the same price as the extra cost on the pass. Up to you.

Thank you again wanderweg!

I ran the numbers on transportation costs and would appreciate feedback on the below. I like the convenience of having the BOP as it provides unlimited use for the six days. I compared the Bernese Oberland Pass (BOP) with the BOP and half fare card (HFC):

Prices are per person in chf:

BOP for 6 days BOP 350.00 vs BOP & HFC 254.00

Half Fare Card BOP 0.00 vs BOP & HFC 120.00

Train ZRH to Bern BOP 59.00 vs BOP & HFC 29.50

Train Luzern to ZRH BOP 31.00 vs BOP & HFC 15.50

Subtotal BOP 440.00 vs BOP & HFC 419.00 Difference 21.00 ($26)

Optional add ons

Train Wengernalp to Wengen BOP 22.00 vs BOP & HFC 11.00

Gondola Grindelwald to First BOP 18.00 vs BOP & HFC 18.00

Total BOP 480.00 vs BOP & HFC 448.00 Difference 32.00 ($40)

1. Do you agree with my calculations?

2. Can the BOP and HFC be kept on each of our phones (husband and me) in the apple wallet or in my SBB.ch account? Do each of us need our own sbb.ch account? The BOP website says to print the pass, so I wasn't sure if we have to keep a paper copy on us.

3. Can we purchase one or both passes at ticket machines and/or on sbb.ch on the day of arrival to ZRH? Is there a benefit to purchasing via ticket machine vs online?

4. How far in advance can you purchase supersaver tickets?

Thank you!

Are penions suppenalp and spielbodenalp on the Northface trail?

In October, they may be closed. Best to call.

Sonnenburg should be open. It’s just down the hill from Almendhubel.