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September cow descents

Because we’re traveling in September in Switzerland it feels crazy to miss out on the cow coming home festivals. That’s something that I would just love! But sadly with my itinerary we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time for literally all of the listed festivals I’m seeing online. The closest one to us is this one in saas-balen but it’d be 2.5 hours there and 2.5 hours back from Vevey where we are sleeping and it would make it so we miss out on the broc chocolate factory + chateau de gruyeres (unless we tried to squeeze one of them in after a full day of travel to and from saas-balen).

Worth it or not worth it? Skip the coming home of the cows? :(

(We’re using public transport with Swiss travel pass if that matters)

Posted by
613 posts

I would always pick a cow festival if you haven’t been to one because they are so uniquely Swiss, but only you can decide your priorities. Chateau de Chillon castle in Montreux will be right by you in Vevey, you can enjoy that instead of Gruyere. It’s the best castle I’ve ever been to and I’ve been to many all over Europe.

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23 posts

@wanderweg do you think this one will be a good one to do? https://www.saas-fee.ch/en/book-experiences-1/events/SAA/897ada47-0b8b-4de2-9fb8-8c2767bb0083/alpine-procession-from-hoferalp-to-saas-balen

I can’t see anything else about it online + where it’s described on festival lists says it’s a much smaller one (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I like the small town things more anyway… just scared of traveling several hours to it if it isn’t worth it haha)

Or should we travel a further distance - from murren at some point (September 8-15) for some other cow coming home festival?

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613 posts

I can’t directly speak to that specific festival in Saas-Balen but part of the reason it takes a while to get there is because that valley requires bus transportation. You could combine it with a trip into Saas Fee (car free village) or probably even better, cable car ride up to Kreuzboden which has an absolutely epic alpine playground, really pretty lake with high mountain reflections, hammocks along a flower trail. If I had kids I’d be taking them there for the day :) You also have views of tons of 4,000 meter peaks from that playground/lake.
https://www.saas-fee.ch/de/erlebniswelten/kreuzboden-sommer

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162 posts

festival lists says it’s a much smaller one (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I like the small town things more anyway…

Having attended many of these events, I’ve noticed that when it's just one or two farmers with only a few cows, the event is quite short—usually over within about five - ten minutes. So, it's not really about the size of the location, like a charming Swiss village, but rather about how many farmers are working together to bring their cows through simultaneously. It also depends on whether there are other things happening, like food, music, and other festivities, which can make the event feel much larger and more involved. I personally would not travel that distance for one that advertises itself as being small.

Since you’ll be in Mürren, it's worth noting that the surrounding areas (Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald) all host Alpabzug events. However, unlike other locations that sometimes announce the date a year in advance, these events typically aren’t advertised very far ahead of time. Be sure to check with the TI when you’re there for anything local.

Interlaken also has Alpabzug events, and one particularly fun sight is when the cows walk over the bridge to Ringgenberg.

Note: the cow parades are called Alpabzug, Alpabfahrt, Désalpe (in the French speaking area, you could try searching this term) and even Züglete. Some places might not even advertise in English, so searching these words might help you find more locations.

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613 posts

The cows don’t typically come down off the mountains in the Murren area until around the 3rd week of September, so they’ll be too early.

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162 posts

Perhaps not Mürren, but definitely check out all areas nearby. You can write to the TI in Interlaken, Bönigen, Beatenberg, as well as Wengen, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. I have done this numerous times and it is so helpful.

Are you leaving Switzerland already on the 15th? The cows will be brought through the city of Bern on September 16th this year. It's a big event featuring a Treichler group (who walk while ringing the large bells), a market with regional products, sheep shearing demonstrations, and more.

https://www.myfarm.ch/en/events/bern/sichlete-on-the-bundesplatz_AX4ejDB

Here is one on Sept. 14th in Hostetten (this is where Ballenberg is, near Brienz).

https://www.interlaken.ch/en/planning/events/event/alpabzug-hofstetten

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1064 posts

If you do not want to travel far and be disappointed by some small event consider it this way. Almost everything cultural started as a small event. Now many have horrendous hordes of people, maybe even bus tours and day trips and crowds that spoil the flavor. So, do you want to see something before it gets to that point? How would a festival or event be if you had gone there 30 years ago?

Posted by
70 posts

What is it called for a cow parade going up the mountain? Is it still Alpaburg? And is there a website that lists these things or just do searches/check with TI, etc? Thank you!

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162 posts

Great point, @treemoss2. Just to clarify, by 'small event,' I mean there might only be one or two farmers bringing their cows down at that time.

On average, a Swiss farmer owns about 26 cows, so it doesn't take long for them to pass by. It's still a fun event, but traveling a total of five hours to see it might be a significant investment, especially when there could be other options

@hellolittlesycamore - I looked in my photo archives and found that I went to an Alpabzug in Lauterbrunnen on Sept 12, 2023 and one in Wengen on Sept. 12, 2022. So it looks promising, hope it works out that there is something happening when you are there!

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17471 posts

SwissNomad, thank you so much for the information on the Bern event. by coincidence we will be in Bern that very day—-arriving from the US the night before and spending 2 nights in the city before we head to the Aletsch region. So this will be great.

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185 posts

St. Stefan im Simmental is also Sept 14-15. Much more authentic, and yet large enough to enjoy.

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185 posts

St. Stefan im Simmental is also Sept 14-15. Much more authentic, and yet large enough to enjoy.
For the OP, Charmey, near Gruyeres, has their festival on September 28.

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162 posts

This tradition is considered a 'Living Tradition' in Switzerland, with roots dating back several centuries. The practice of alpine pasturing has been well-documented since the late Middle Ages.

There is no such thing as an "inauthentic" Alpabfahrt. The farmers are genuinely bringing their cows down from the mountains after a summer of grazing. Local villagers eagerly celebrate this event alongside them. While tourists are welcome, it is important to note that the Alpabfahrt was not created for tourism.

Partly for this reason, the dates for the Alpabfahrt in popular tourist destinations, such as Appenzell and the Lauterbrunnen Valley, are often kept quiet until just before the event. This helps to limit the number of spectators, which is better for the cows, as tourists sometimes disrupt the procession by stepping in front to take photos—something the locals would never do.

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223 posts

Unfortunately we don't get to the BO area until 4th October. I assume all the cow coming home festivals will be over by then?

Wanderweg, we plan to visit Chillon when we are in Montreux later in our trip. That's a big call that it's the best castle you've seen in Europe! I am looking forward to seeing if we agree when we visit. We've seen some completely incredible ones, particularly in England.

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185 posts

There are still a few stragglers for Alpabzuege in October.
Research online.

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162 posts

@DebH

There is one in Lenk on October 12th. Lenk is in the BO, but it takes almost 3 hours to get there from Mürren, for example, so it depends on where you are staying.

This is in the same area as St. Stephan, as recommended by @wynoka54 above…a long way to travel.

Lenk Älperfest (which includes an Alpabfahrt):

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/experiences/events/27-aelplerfest/

You can see on My Switzerland that there are a few other October events, but they are in Graubunden and Appenzell (cattle show) and a few in the canton of Fribourg

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/experiences/events/events-search/?rubrik=alpinefestivals

Not a cow event, but the Grindelwald market is always the first Monday of October, if you are interested. When I went last year I was surprised that most of the people were locals, rather than tourists (I know this because of hearing them speak Swiss German, and so many of them greeted one another by name). It really felt like a community event.

https://grindelwald.swiss/en/discover/events/detail/grindelwald-mart-2024.html#:~:text=Every%20first%20Monday%20in%20October,%2Da%2Dbrac%20and%20bargains.

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1052 posts

We toured Maison Cailler and did their chocolate bar workshop. It was one of the highlights of our trip and beat the Lindt factory tour in Zurich. I guess it depends on what means the most to you. I would want to know if it’s a true festival or just watching for ten minutes as the cows with bells walk by.

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4071 posts

The cows will be brought through the city of Bern on September 16th this year. It's a big event featuring a Treichler group (who walk while ringing the large bells), a market with regional products, sheep shearing demonstrations, and more.

Wow! September 16 is the last full day we’ll be in Switzerland. We will be based in Zürich. Spending the day in Bern to witness such a festival sounds too good to be true! Spending our last day in Bern to see the cows, the markets & other festivities sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing this information. Does it take place even if it’s raining?

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223 posts

SwissNomad, thanks for the information. Much as I like cows, three hours is a bit far, and none of the others are anywhere near we will be.

Thanks so much for the details about the market in Grindelwald. We have a full week staying in Wengen, but definitely plan to visit Grindelwald at some point. We might well make it the first Monday in October.

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4071 posts

Thank you for the link, SwissNomad. You have given us something very special with which to look forward!

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2508 posts

21-22 September is the Cheese festival in Wengen.

The Wengernalp Alpabzug is on 26 september.
The other Alps haven't announced yet. Spätenalp is usually the first, but no date is know yet.

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17471 posts

Two more small festivals, one with cows (16 September) and one with sheep (20-21 September) in Bettmeralp:

https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/aletsch-arena/events/event/bettmeralp-autumn-cattle-drive

https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/aletsch-arena/events/event/schafscheid-bettmeralp

The cow parade will be a small one, probably without a lot of decoration. They traditionally bring the cows to the area around the little Maria im Schnee chapel to let them graze, to thank them for their summer’s work of producing milk.

There will be a fancier one with decorated cows in Fiesch on the weekend, 14 September (tomorrow):

https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/aletsch-arena/events/event/fiesch-autumn-cattle-drive

Ironically we will be in Bettmeralp for 3 nights next week, between the two festivals, so we will miss both of them! But we will catch one in Bern on Monday the 16th.

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4071 posts

We had such a wonderful time today at Sichlete in Bern. Thank you Swiss Nomad! It was so much more than the parade which we loved. The food, the sheep shearing (which looked very daunting for the sheep), the music, & lots of speeches. Nobody spoke English so my German had to suffice. I loved that. Talk about EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL!

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17471 posts

Continental,, we were in Bern today too. We went to the Sichlete venue in the morning for the alphorns and admired the animals and market stalls, then left for a bit for lunch and a short nap (this is our first day on the ground in Switzerland after a long travel day yesterday.) We returned around 2 in the afternoon and found we missed the actual cow parade into town. What time was it?

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4071 posts

Lola, the cows arrived around 1:30. We packed a lunch & sampled and bought some of the delicious offerings!

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43 posts

I just rechecked and it looks like the Wengernalp descent moved. It is now tomorrow, 9/21 instead of Thursday, 9/26.

Which means sadly, we will miss it as we won't arrive until late afternoon on 9/24.

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2508 posts

Indeed. Wengernalp came down today, which caught me by surprise. Had a chat with some of the farmers, and the unexpected early snow forced them to advance it.

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43 posts

Yeah, I figured the snow/weather was the cause. Just disappointed since initially it was going to occur while we would be there.