If you only had to choose one Swiss Alps experience?

Its all about the weather, isn't it?

If it were me, I'd go to Grindelwald, (i.e., the Lauterbrunnen Valley) because you have also the option of the Schilthorn, of course, depending on the weather.

Zermatt. If you had one place in France, it’d be the top location, Paris with the Eiffel Tower, no? England, the Parliament tower with Big Ben, right?

So for Swiss Alps, the top spot would be Zermatt, at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn. The surrounding scenery, activity opportunities, and food are outstanding, as well.

Zermatt is pretty much a one trick pony and everything else is a fair to long journey away. Scenic but limited. In 20 or so years going to Switzerland regularly I've been there once.

The Berner Oberland (Grindelwald and its valley, Lauterbrunnen and its valley, Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Interlaken and its attractions, Brienz, Kandersteg, Meiringen, the Brünig Pass) all have so many very varied things to do, rain or shine. I have revisited there every time I have revisited Switzerland - so many times I would have to sit down and write all the visits down and probably miss some, at least 15. So that, for me, would be my choice.

Gimmelwald and the Berner Oberland.

What kind of tours are these? Group tours? Hiking tours? Where else do they go?

Another vote for the Grindelwald & Jungfraujoch. While I have never been to Zermatt, it seems seeing the Matterhorn is pretty dicey. It would be so disappointing to have that be the one place I go in Switzerland and not be able to see it.

Lola these are group tours - sightseeing. I’m a widow and don’t like to travel alone. I’ve been on several already and have really enjoyed them. They both include Lucerne and Lake Geneva (which I’m interested in) and the Zermatt trip also includes Lugano and St. Moritz. The Grindelwald trip spends two nights in Grindelwald vs. one night in Zermatt and also spends a night in the Gruyere area. Also, a trip up Mt. Pilatus is available on both trips.

If you have not been to the Lauterbrunnen valley then you need to see it at least once in your life-time. I have been to Switzerland several times, starting in the '80s and then a long pause before returning to Switzerland during the last 10 years. I added Zermatt and the Matterhorn in 2017 to my itinerary only because I had never seen it. We spent 3 days there and while it was interesting and beautiful, I much prefer the beauty of the Lauterbrunnen valley. I think the villages of the Lauterbrunnen valley have a much different feel to that of the village of Zermatt which tends to be more commercialized and perhaps influenced by the very rich tourists it attracts during the winter season. The villages in the Lauterbrunnen valley are the places I dream of returning to in my travel dreams!

We also took the train up to the Jungfraujoch. It is expensive and personally, I would not go up again. I much preferred the Schilthorn and to look at the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau while I'm sipping coffee in a much less crowded atmosphere.

For what it’s worth, after my Zermatt time, I was in Geneva, and used the train for a day trip to Gruyere. Your group tour itinerary might not make such a trip possible, but Gruyere by train was easily doable from Geneva.

First of all, I want to say “Good for You!” to the original poster (sboh) for finding a way to travel that meets your needs and continuing on.

The good news is that I don’t think you can make a bad choice here. Either location will give you some very nice opportunities. I went on Rick Steves Best of Switzerland tour in 2019 and the itinerary included both locations.

Enjoy your trip!

A few years ago we had the same choice and selected the Berner Oberland area. It didn't disappoint. The reason for our decision was two-fold: the BO seemed to have more to offer and it was easier to visit from a transportation standpoint. Although I haven't yet visited Zermatt I'm pretty sure you can't go wrong with either choice. Have fun!

Thank you for answering my question about your tours. That will help me respond to your question.

Starting with the comment above to the effect that "you need to see the Lauterbrunnen Valley at least once in your lifetime": I agree that the Lauterbrunnen Valley is beautiful; it reminds me a bit of my beloved Yosemite Valley, where I lived for a year when younger. Now we always spend 3-6 days in Mürren, above the Valley, on our Swiss hiking trips. But Grindelwald is not in the Lauterbrunnen Valley; it is in its own valley on the other side of the Männlichen ridge.

(Note that some comments above place Grindelwald in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, or confuse it with Gimmelwald, which is above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Or address the Berner Oberland in general, rather than specifically Grindelwald. Som view those comments with that in mind).

My guess is that with 2 nights there, the tour includes a trip up to the Jungfraujoch on the intervening day. The train goes right up to Kleine Scheidegg (where the Jungfraujoch train starts) from Grindelwald, and unless they return by the much longer route,down through Wengen and Lauterbrunnen and Wilderswil, changing train several times on the way, you would not see the Lauterbrunnen Valley at all.

As for the Jungfraujoch trip itself, assuming that is on the itinerary for the tour that includes Grindelwald, my personal view---and I know I am outlier here----is that is is overpriced and overrated. I have been up there twice, the first time on a hiking tour with my local hiking club. The Jungfrau was included in the price, on one of our rest days from strenuous hiking, so I went. The little train from Kleine Scheidegg up was packed, and my discomfort was increased by the 45 minutes we spent in a dark tunnel through the Eiger. (They do stop the train once at the windows carved in the rock, and everyone disembarks for a look out, but I could not get close enough to see out before it was time to get back on the train). At the top, you are in an enclosed building. You have to take an elevator up to the main level, and everyone leaving the train tries to pack in like sardines. Once I did get on and ride up, I found the main space very crowded as well. It was lunchtime and I was hungry, but the lines for food were so long I gave up and went outside. I suggest you be prepared and bring your own food and water if you do go on this excursion.

The view from outside is impressive on a clear day, but not too different from what I have seen on other mountains as a skier and hiker. And for me, not worth all the trouble and the time in a dark tunnel (twice!). So why go a second time? I planned and organized a trip Switzerland trip for 9 family members, and they wanted to go up the Jungfrau, so we did. It was a cloudy, snowy day, so it was not as crowded. Once at the top we found our way to the ice palace, which was interesting, and then went outside so the teens could play in the snow, along with lots of other kids. That part, at least, was fun.

Grindelwald is a nice enough little town, with shops and restaurants, and beautiful mountain views. But apart from a very small pedestrian zone, it has lots of traffic, which diminishes the charm considerably.

Have to run . . . . I will finish this later

You're right Lola. My fault.

That’s OK, Stan, I know you know the difference, and were probably in a hurry. But she may not know, and I wanted to clarify because so many people are in love with the Lauterbrunnen Valley and mountain villages, and are referring to those rather than Grindelwald in their responses above.

Continuing with my thoughts, Zermatt is ostensibly car-free, but they do have those little electrobuses zipping around. But it is not bothersome traffic like you have in Grindelwald. And the village does retain some charm, in spite of all the tourists. So just comparing villages, I would give the nod to Zermatt over Grindelwald.

However, the main attraction of Zermatt, that which most visitors come to see, is the Matterhorn, and she is definitely a shy mountain, often remaining swathed in clouds even on sunny days. I don’t know the statistics on one’s chances of seeing the Matterhorn on any given summer day, but I’ll guess it is less than 50%. Maybe closer to 30%? Rick finally put Zermatt in his new Swiss Alps show, after giving the village less attention than the Berner Oberland for years, because on the 2019 film visit he and his crew saw the Matterhorn for the first time in what, 3 or 4 visits there? And they were enchanted. So was I when I saw her—-on our first and only (so far) visit to Zermatt. That was my 60th birthday trip, so maybe it was B-day gift from the mountain gods, but the Matterhorn came out of the clouds on the second day of our stay and remained, clear and stunning, for 2 more days.

So am I voting for the tour that includes Zermatt over the one that includes Grindelwald? Not at all. There are pros and cons to each. I may prefer Zermatt to Grindelwald for the car-free aspect, but I like the 2 -night stay at Grindelwald over the 1-night stand they give to Zermatt (which, in addition to the inconvenience of a frequent hotel change, lessens your chance of seeing the Matterhorn).

You need to think about the aspects of each that people have mentioned, and decide which are most meaningful to you. Maybe my aversion to that long time in the dark tunnel on the way to the Jungfrau is mine alone, and tunnels do not bother you at all. I admit that I will go out of my way to avoid them when traveling on Swiss trains.

If you haven’t watched Rick’s Swiss Alps shows before, I suggest you do that——watch both the older one (I forget the date) and the newest (dated 2020) one. He doesn’t include Grindelwald itself in either one, but he does cover the Jungfraujoch experience (If I recall correctly). You will see that either is a good choice—-but perhaps something will call to you from one area ofr the other, and give you that “I want to go there” feeling. Or maybe the opposite (“ack—-that doesn’t appeal to me at all”). And then you will have an easier decision.

Thank-you all for your replies. And Lola your detail was very helpful. I looked at the area in Google Maps after I read your response and I understand what you mean. I’m now actually thinking of trying Rick’s tour. I’ve not really considered them in the past because of cost (and thought perhaps they were for the younger crowd/the slepping your own bag thing) but when you really compare the cost for what you get it is reasonable and the itinerary seems to hit everything I’m looking for. I’m in my early 60’s and walk regularly and don’t have trouble with steps (yet!).

Oh, I would definitely encourage you to look into the Rick Steves Switzerland tour. They are not for the younger, backpack-wielding set; frommwhat I have read here, most guests are in their late 50's and 60's, and some into their 70's. We have never done one---we either travel independently or book an "adventure" tour that includes lots of strenuous hiking. But I have two friends, both widows, who started doing RS tours rather than travel solo, and really enjoy them, especially the company of the other guests. One woman met a compatible travel companion on an RS tour and now they travel together on their own.

If you are comparing the cost of a RS tour to the typical "big bus" tour, I would say the quality of the tour and the smaller group on the RS tour completely justify the greater expense.

Lola thanks for mentioning Yosemite, that was my first thought as we bussed through the BO from Lauterbrunnen to the Schilthorn cablecar looking up at the sheer walls and waterfalls. There are so many options in the BO, if you don't like Wengen do Murren, if the Jungfrau doesn't work try the Schilthorn, etc.

Note that on Rick's tour descriptions they are very scrupulous about what activity level is required for each day. Be honest about what you can handle and what you WANT to handle since it's supposed to be a vacation. And Youtube is very, very full of Swiss travel videos so you can easily see all of each location that interests you.

Matterhorn

In 2001, I visited Switzerland for the first time. I visited both Zermatt and Lauterbrunnen. Since then I have been back to Switzerland 3 more times. (The last time was 2018) I have gone to Lauterbrunnen all three times. I have not returned to Zermatt. (I enjoyed it, but not enough to go back). I guess that will tell you which one I would pick if I had to choose between the two.

My vote is for the Berner Oberland area which would include Murren, Grindelwald etc. Beautiful views. If you only have one day to see the Matterhorn, you just might miss it if the weather is cloudy. That is exactly what happened to us. It was rainy and overcast the whole day and we never did get to see the Matterhorn except on postcards!

Depending on the time of the year you go, you can enjoy cruises on Lake Brienz.

And I think some of the most scenic places in the BO are not at the peaks but places like Murren and Harder Klum.

Rather than go on tours and committing to something like Jungfrau, which takes and lot of time and money and requires a very clear day to be worth the expense, you could consider something like the Bernese Oberland pass, which gives you access to cable cars all over the region, including Harder Klum or the Schynige Platte train.

But also think that the mountain excursions around Luzern are also stupendous -- Pilatus, Stanserhorn, Rigi.

I lived in the Jungfrau region for 3 years.

As someone wrote before, it depends on what time of the year you would like to visit Switzerland, what kind of experiences do you prefer and of course, how much time do you have.
You have to know that the places you wrote, quite mainstream, and visiting them in the "main seasons" the crowds can ruin your experience.
The operation of the train to the Jungfraujoch is also depending on the seasons. You can find more information here. Check out the weather before you book. You do not want to waste 300 CHF and see nothing.
I would recommend visiting Isenfluh, in my opinion, you have the most excellent view of the 3 big mountains, Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau and the cable car ticket is only around 10 CHF. Ask the guys at the Jagerstübli, and they will give you information about the hikes around. Drink a local beer there and enjoy the views... I could stay there for days...
Wengen is a beautiful village too. Fewer crowds and stunning views. If you visit in the spring, at the Staubbach bankli you can see Ibexex 10ft away from you.
I know it is not on your list, but if you have the chance to visit Engadin, do not hesitate! Less crowded than the other places you mentioned, wild and beautiful. More wilderness, glacier views with super easy hikes, houses from the 17. century, etc.
We got lots of local info from our rafting guides. They told us places where we can stay away from the crowds and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.
I hope Switzerland will be open without quarantine for US residents soon. I would be happy to visit with my family again.