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Itinerary Help - Gimmewald Early/Mid-May

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My wife and I are doing 12 days between Switzerland & Italy in May. We are avid hikers excited to tackle the Berner Oberland region while also enjoy celebrating many life milestones (& a toddler-less vacation) with restful time in Italy. We had pictured starting in Switzerland & capping the trip off in the Cinque Terre, but in concern for the May weather in the mountains, would consider 'flipping the trip' and ending in Switzerland.

Our question - Do we have any significantly better odds of clear weather/green pastures staying in Murren May 21-24 vs May 14-17? Are we making a mistake visiting at this time in general? (we could in theory go in mid-June but it causes more logistical troubles for us unrelated to travel)

Other questions as it relates to this trip - in May, which is a better home base for 3 nights, Murren or Gimmewald? Any suggestions for how best to use a full day to get back to Zurich following 3 days up in Murren/Gimmewald?

Any help is appreciated!

Posted by
5602 posts

https://search.ricksteves.com/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Switzerland+itinerary+spring&button=

The above Search may offer helpful info. There are some limitations in May, as some trails and lifts have not opened yet. That should be addressed in the above Search. Overall, later in May is better, and June best for your season.
Gimmelwald is very , very small, not even a Coop grocery store. We much prefer Murren, which has a Coop and more restaurants. Predicting weather at this time is unproductive.
I'd go to Lucerne and commute to your Zurich flights from Lucerne. It's a very charming city that's fun to explore. Unless you have an early flight, spending the last night in Lucerne works well; the train from Lucerne to Zurich I'd 1+ hours.
Book lodging asap, as many travelers book lodging 8-9 months in advance.
Enjoy your child free trip trip in this beautiful country. It's my favorite, and I keep returning.
Safe travels!

Posted by
612 posts

If you can move to June a lot of options are going to open up for you. Männlichen opens May 25, while Allmendhubel opens June 8. You’ll see green in May, but you won’t be able to access some of the mountain trails, funicular, cable car, etc. As for where to stay, Murren offers the grocery and more shops/options. Gimmelwald is great if you want to truly feel like you’re away from it all. Either is fine, as they are only a 5 minute cable car ride from each other.

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