One day in Lucerne before Lauterbrunnen? Summer luge locations?

Posted by saraelliott66 on 09/04/18 03:01 PM

My family (myself, husband, and sons ages 16 and 10) will have four nights in Switzerland in the middle of a four-week Europe trip early next June. We are doing a short-term car lease for the whole trip, so will have a vehicle. The stop before Switzerland is Paris. My current plan is to drive from Paris to Lucerne, spend one night in Lucerne, then spend the next day doing one or two things in that area. We are interested in the WW II bunkers dug in to the hillsides around Lake Lucerne, and I definitely want my boys to try out a summer luge, so am thinking Mt. Pilatus would be the best bet for that. Would it be feasible to do both of these things in one day, then drive to Lauterbrunnen that evening? And -- are there other good summer luges closer to Lauterbrunnen? I might be willing to skip Lucerne if more experienced folks here think the drive from Paris to Lauterbrunnen would not be too much for one day AND we could find a good summer luge easy to get to from there. That way we could do four nights in one location instead of adding a one-night stop.

I also like the idea of staying up in Murren instead of Lauterbrunnen but then we would have to pay to park the car somewhere in the valley. The places I have looked at in Lauterbrunnen so far have free parking. If anyone has suggestions on cheapest parking in Lauterbrunnen for a stay up in one of the mountain towns, I would be curious to hear those.

Posted by Jane

Franklin, TN, USA

09/04/18 03:22 PM

920 posts

My husband and I were in Wengen a year ago after being in Lauterbrunnen on a prior trip. We LOVED Lauterbrunnen but wanted to stay in the mountains so we chose Wengen. It is VERY QUIET in Wengen......but beautiful. We parked our rental car in the lot in Lauterbrunnen near the train station and it did not seem too pricey for the 4 or 5 days we were in Wengen. You are correct in saying that the parking in Lauterbrunnen at our hotel was free.....and that was nice. We have a favorite restaurant in Lauterbrunnen and ended up spending 2 or 3 meals there. The Wengen views were gorgeous but I think if I had it to do over again I would stay in Lauterbrunnen and train up each day....and that is very easy......to the smaller towns like Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald for my hikes each day.

Posted by Laurel

Forest Grove, OR

09/04/18 03:58 PM

11776 posts

Why are you driving? Switzerland has the best public trans in the world and the train trip from Paris is very nice. I think you can go Paris to Lauterbrunnen in one day easily by train.

Shame to leave a car parked and unused for several days. Plus, you need to get a Swiss vignette on entering the country. Where are you returning this car if you rent it? One way rentals are insanely expensive.

Posted by jules m

Twin Cities of MN

09/04/18 05:01 PM

6462 posts

I would also say that its a shame to rent a car for Switzerland when the transportation options are so good. However, since this is a part of a larger trip, it sure could be that it makes sense to rent for the entire time period. I really enjoy both Lucerne and Berner Oberland. Lucerne is stunningly beautiful with the old town, mountains, lake and bridges over the river. But BO, when the weather is favorable, is one of the most beautiful places I've been. I would suggest time in both, but again, this is not knowing your other plans. I stayed in the Lauterbrunnen valley and really enjoyed the perspective of looking up at the mountains. That said, I sure can see the appeal of Murren and Wengen. Here is a thought you could check. When we took the gondola from Stechelberg to Murren, it looked like there were cars sitting there overnight. You might check to see if this is free/legal.

Posted by Shoe

Grand Rapids, MI

09/04/18 06:50 PM

768 posts

First of all, there IS a summer luge in the Lauterbrunnen area, and it is a town over, in Grindelwald. A cable car ride up from Grindelwald brings you to Pfingstegg, which has the luge:
http://www.pfingstegg.ch/index.php/en/timetable-prices-4/toboggan

I'm of the opinion that it is best to avoid one night stops, so if you can see Lucerne sights in an afternoon, that would be best. If you were to come into Switz. via Zurich, then Lucerne would be on the way down to Lauterbrunnen. I'm guessing you have the car for the entire time, but if not, then consider the bullet train from Paris to Geneva, Basel, or Zurich, each about 3 hours. From those places it is roughly another 3 hours to Lauterbrunnen. That ride in itself is something your kids should like, as they can brag about going about 200 mph.

I visit the Lauterbrunnen area often, and I much prefer to not have a car there (trains and cable cars get you anywhere you want to go), but if you do, here's what I recall about parking. At the Lauterbrunnen train station, there is parking for about $10 a night in a parking garage, somewhat underground. Over at Stechelberg, which is a cable car ride beneath Murren, there is open field parking for around $7 a night, as I recall.

I've taken young teens to the area many times, and they've loved it. Scenic trails, cows, goats, little villages to buy interesting snacks--4 days isn't even enough. (We try for 10 days.) In any case, I'll send to your private forum mail here our favorite hikes and maps of the area so you can see where Pfingstegg is and what you can do in the area. (If you're signed in, you'll see "unread mail" in the upper right, click on that.)