We're staying 5 nights in Murren and 5 nights in Wengen in early Sept. Could you throw out suggestions on what to do while it rains? We will have BO pass the whole time. And, rain gear, but we won't want to hike in pouring rain! Thank you. I'm working hard on figuring out hikes and transportation, but thought you might have some good suggestions for rainy weather. Thank you so much!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11322 posts
We ran into a couple of rainy/cloudy stretches during our month in Lauterbrunnen last fall. FWIW, that is rare, indeed. Usually a half day or a day of rain/mist and then good weather follows, but it is wise to have some ideas in your pocket. That many days made us get creative and we found some new-to-us options. I shared them here https://girovaga.com/2022/09/30/more-rainy-day-plans/ . Hopefully useful to you! Enjoy this magical place!
Posted by
OP
72 posts
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so very much!
I'm good!
Posted by
Chicago
2676 posts
Forum member shoe also has some suggestions for rainy days.
https://lauterbrunnenhiking.wordpress.com/tips/
Just scroll down to Weather and Rainy day activities.
Posted by
4384 posts
Sauna! They have one in the sportszentrum if you are not staying in a hotel with one.
Posted by
Tennessee
391 posts
Just left Murren this morning on the Rick Steves Best of Switzerland tour. 7 members in our group really enjoyed Trumelbach Falls, which is a very short bus ride from Stechelberg, the base station for cable car rides to Murren. It’s a falls inside a mountain. If interested, recommend you check it out on YouTube.
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1371 posts
One afternoon back in July 2017 we took the gondola down from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg for a nice easy hike to Lauterbrunnen. The skies cut loose just after we hit the trail with a driving rain that wouldn't quit. We found shelter in an old barn, under trees, and even in a porta potty. We also did some running and arrived totally soaked. I loved it but my son not so much because he had wanted to take the bus with our friends. A pub crawl is also good for a rainy vacation day in the mountains!
Posted by
OP
72 posts
Your son will always remember the day he spent with you!
Posted by
11 posts
A lake cruise during rain is positively stunning, watching the clouds and weather roll in and out. We prefer Lake Brienz but Lake Thun is nice too. Spring for the first class tickets so you can immediately go upstairs and seat yourself at a nice table in the indoor restaurant. Great food, very good libations, all positively civilized and stunning. As one expects in Switzerland. You can hop on/off should you choose to do so.
That's our first rainy day pick. If you have a second, a day trip to Bern is always fun.
Posted by
Franklin, TN, USA
874 posts
It is amazing to me that more people do not know about this…..but you can take a train to Interlaken, get on a boat there on Lake Brienz, travel over to the Hotel Geissbach and see the falls. Ride the funicular up the hotel, walk its gorgeous grounds and enjoy a lunch looking over Geissbach Falls…….hike back to the parking lot outside Interlaken where they will pick you up in a bus and take you back to the train station…….a great day!
Posted by
Thun, Switzerland
485 posts
This is indeed a wonderful thing to do @Jane. You can also just walk up to the hotel right from the lake- not too difficult and you have a few different views of the falls on the way, then once there continue on hiking up and you can walk behind the falls, and they are powerful!
When you say the parking lot "outside Interlaken”, do you mean in Bönigen? It is a great hike from the falls to Iseltwald, then a bit more up and down sections until you get to Bönigen.
Posted by
Franklin, TN, USA
874 posts
The parking lot at Iseltwald is where I meant!