Help with Itinerary for a 14 night trip to Lake Geneva area and Murren

Posted by matureandtravels on 05/30/22 09:30 PM

My husband and I (around 70 and in good health) loved hiking around Lucerne and in the Engadine Valley this past september. We want to go back in September, 2023 to Murren to hike more and hear the cowbells! Just simple thoughts here.....thinking of
1. Flying into Geneva and staying for 3 - 4 nights in Montreaux.....or wherever you recommend. To get a "lake" experience.
2.Then 9 - 10 nights in maybe Murren
3. Then train to Zurich....with maybe a night there for convenience before hitting the airport.

Here are my questions:
1. Should we reverse this route? That might remove the need for a night stay over in Zurich. We could probably do a 3 hour train ride after the flight.
2.When should we arrive in Murren....at the earliest Sept. 15th to hear the bells? Hotel recommendations?
3. Is there a better town than Montreaux to stay in? And, we're interested in upscale but not formal accommodation recommendations.
4. Is 3 nights long enough in Montreaux?

Thank you for your help. I love reading through all these posts, and I know Wengen is a favorite, but I usually prefer small villages!

Posted by Carrie

Chicago

05/30/22 10:08 PM

2669 posts

I leave Saturday for 5 nights in Montreux at the Grand Hotel Swiss Majestic. I don’t think 5 nights will be enough to see everything I have on my list. I plan to write a trip report and can let you know everything I do.

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

05/31/22 12:06 AM

11315 posts

We stayed in Lausanne instead of Montreux and loved the vibe, but on a return we would stay in Vevey. Smaller, great lakefront, flatter than Lausanne, more quaint than Montreux. 3 nights will give you a good feel for the area. You might plot out what you plane to do there to ensure you have enough time. We spent a week and did not run out of things to do, but I would not steal time from Mürren.

Sept 15 good arrival date for Mürren and environs. We often go late in Sept and will arrive there Sept 17 this year for a month. About the time we leave, it is getting pretty buttoned up for the season. We do apartments so cannot help with hotels.

Posted by fcraymond76

Rocky Mount, VA

05/31/22 12:10 AM

266 posts

For Murren, to hear cowbells, early-mid September is probably better. In early September, the cows should still be up in the Alps; many of the festivals where the cows come down out of the Alps start around mid to late September.

In 2019, I stayed in Murren & Lauterbrunnen from Sept. 24 – 29, and a few cows did come through Murren several times. I hiked the Murren North Face trail from Allmendhubel to Spielbodenalp and most of the cows were already down, but I encountered a herd during the second half of the hike.

If you really want to hear and see cows, check out a cow parade festival, also known as alpabfahrt, where the cows descend from the Alps to lower elevations. Some aren’t announced very far in advance, but there are some already scheduled.

I attended the Chästeilet in the Justistal where the cheese is distributed at the Spicherberg in the Justistal region. There was a lot of impromptu singing, plus a number of folks in traditional dress and Alphorn playing. After the Chästeilet, the farmers move back to Sigriswil with their cows decorated with flowers and treicheln.

It’s about an hour and a half journey from Murren, and there should be a shuttle bus from Beatenberg.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/events/chaeseteilet-im-justistal/

The Chästeilet in Stechelberg is Sept. 24. I’m not sure if they have a big cow parade or not.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/events/kaeseteilet-stechelberg/

I enjoyed my stay at the Hotel Alpenblick in Murren. It had great views of the Alps.

All the best,

Raymond

Posted by brenda73

06/04/22 09:33 PM

15 posts

I just returned from a similar trip. I had 6 days in Gimmelwald and 5 by Lake Geneva. I can recommend a really lovely hotel in the village of Chexbres. http://www.prealpina.ch/ It is about midway between Vevey and Lausanne, in the middle of wine country. If you have a car it is very very easy. If not, the train station is a 10 minute walk, downhill from the hotel (steep walk for part of it but truly no more than ten minutes. I walk slow) The views of the mountains are incredible. Most rooms have balconies or terraces. The restaurant has an amazing chef. It cost me 500CHF for three nights. It was quiet and friendly and I would go back in a heartbeat.