Interested in Thoughts on our Preliminary Itinerary for 2 weeks in the BO in 2023

I stayed in Montreux this past June for 5 nights and it worked well as a home base for me. I think Montreux has the best lakeside promenade. I enjoyed walking early in the morning when most everyone was still sleeping. It was an easy walk or boat ride to the Chillon castle and super convenient for day trips.

I did visit Lutry as a day trip and enjoyed walking around the old town for an hour or so. I did not find the lakefront to be as appealing as Montreux. I am not familiar with Morges so I can’t comment on that.

You may find my trip report helpful as I also stayed in Wengen for 5 nights.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-my-trip-report

Sounds like a very lovely trip!
Regarding your questions:

1) Morges also has a very lovely lakefront promenade, similar to Montreux, as Carrie described above. I have found it to be a very quaint and peaceful place for day trips (have not stayed overnight).

3) One thing that I wonder about is your estimation of a 4 hour trip from Oeschinen Lake to Murren. In looking at my SBB app I see that to go from the Oeschinen Bergstation (top of the gondola) to Murren is 2h 35 min.

You could also stay in Kandersteg itself, rather than the mountain hotel at Oeschinen and this would give you access to all the shops and restaurants, hiking and walking paths and even other mountain gondolas in Kandersteg and would also allow you to get more quickly and easily to the train station on your day of departure and you will see another (very beautiful) part of the Berner Oberland. Just an idea :-)

Thank you both! Yes, Carrie, I have followed all your posts! Thank you.
That's a great idea to stay in Kandersteg. Since you're so knowledgeable, how would you plan the trip?
What city on Lake Geneva would be on the way to Kandersteg? How many nights in Kandersteg....3? (Do you have a hotel recommendation for Kandersteg? Then to Murren for 4? Then to Wengen for 4? And back to a city on Lake Geneva that's within 45 minutes to the airport for 2 - 3 nights?
I lost my RS Switzerland book! It's driving me crazy!

I don’t understand staying in both Mürren and Wengen, Why not 7 nights in one or the other then 3 nights in Kandersteg, I would definitely stay in Kandersteg and not up at the lake unless you strictly want to hike the lake area for the whole time you are there.

As to where to stay on Lake Geneva. we favor Vevey. Big enough to have the services you need, small enough to be charming, and with a great lakefront, a short train ride to GVA.

I understand the recommendation to stay in either Murren or Wengen for 7-10 nights, but splitting the two for 7-10 nights is a good idea. Although going from one side of the valley to the other isn't a super big deal, it saves time being on the side of the trails you may be interested to use.

Also, they are completely different in look and feel. I find Wengen preferable, but neither is a disappointment. The views are great on either side. Sounds like a great trip.

"What city on Lake Geneva would be on the way to Kandersteg"

You can get from the Lake Geneva area to Kandersteg via Brig. Here are some travel times:

From Montreux = 2 - 2.5 hours depending on the connection time in Brig

From Vevey (another possible location to stay, as suggested by Laurel above) = only a few minutes longer than from Montreux

From Morges = 2h 44 min - 3h 14 min, again depending on the connection time in Brig.

Because I live here, I don't have very much experience with hotels, so can't recommend any in Kandersteg. I also think that 3 days there is a good amount of time. In Kandersteg I like walking along route #441 that starts at the train station. A flat, easy walk, but very beautiful.
https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/routes/obstacle-free-routes/route-0441.html

I would also suggest staying on Vevey on Lake Geneva. We stayed home in Guest House Charlotte. It was in 2014, so I would suggest checking the reviews on Booking.cm or Trip Advisor.

In Kandersteg we stayed at Hotel Blumisalp for three nights last year, We will be back there later this month. We loved the room, the hosts, and the FOOD. The optional fixed price dinner was so good the first night, we had it again on our third night. Great location.

Ohhh, Hotel Blumisalp looks awesome!

Do you have a suggestion for a hotel in Vevey?
Thank you!

I would stay in Montreux because the wineyards are more beautiful between Lausanne and Montreux than around Morges. Check out Lavaux, St. Saphorin, it is awesome!

Can you recommend 1 or 2 hotels?
Thank you! I looked at some u tubes and it does look awesome.

I stayed at the Grand Hotel Swiss in Montreux this past June. It was super convenient to the train station and just a quick walk down some stairs to reach the lake.

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/gvaak-grand-hotel-suisse-majestic-autograph-collection/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

I second roland’s recommendation for a day trip to St. Saphorin. It was one of the many highlights of my trip. Here’s a couple of videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUm-3ehmfek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieFwmKNncL8

Unless I missed it, you don't say in what month your trip will take place. I visited Lake Oeschinen on my recent (August) trip to the Berner Oberland. The lake was indeed beautiful from above (Trail #5 on the way down), but when I continued to the lake level and beach, I was appalled at the commercialization and the incredible numbers of people who were there. I got out of there as fast as I could. Such a different scene than most of my B.O. walks.

We have stayed up at Oeschinensee at the mountain inn many times, but the last time we stayed there (2018) we were disappointed to find that their restaurant menu had changed—-less “gourmet” and more child-friendly, with things like chicken fingers and spaghetti. Catering to large numbers of lunchtime visitors, I suppose.

In Kandersteg itself we have enjoyed Hotel Adler, but it has been 15 years since we were there, so I cannot promise that it is still as nice as I remember.