Use Luzern as home base?

faith,

You could certainly use Lucerne as a home base for exploring that part of Switzerland. However the travel time to and from the Berner Oberland is a minimum of ~2H:20M each way, so that doesn't allow much time for enjoying the spectacular beauty of that area. Which "main attractions" are you considering in the Berner Oberland? Be sure to allow some time for Lucerne also, as there's lots to see there. At least one trip to one of the mountains such as Mt. Pilatus would definitely be worthwhile.

As this is your first trip to Switzerland, I'd highly recommend having a look at the Rick Steves Switzerland guidebook, as there's an enormous amount of information there.

Thanks for the quick reply Ken! I’m not sure I even know what the main attractions are! I just know Rick highly recommends the area. I’m just concerned about moving luggage around a lot. Right now, I have the itinerary set to see Lucerne one day, Bern one day, potentially Mt. Pilatus one day, and Berner Oberland one day. All while keeping Lucerne as the home base. What do you think? And where would you recommend going if I just have one day in Berner Oberland?

faith,

That sounds like a somewhat busy Itinerary but I suppose it's possible.

You may get some ideas on things to do by having a look at these videos....

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFxqMPmxsDA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYy_maSNnco
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FedwX4PNAB4

As I mentioned previously, the RS Switzerland guidebook would be enormously helpful to plan your trip. You should be able to find a copy at your local Library or larger bookstores.

As you only have one day in the Berner Oberland, you could consider something like this.....

• travel to Lauterbrunnen by train (change trains at Interlaken Ost)
• cross the road to the cable car and take the lift to Grütschalp and then the BLM mountain railway to Mürren (it co-ordinates with the cable car).
• explore Mürren for an hour or so.
• take the Schilthornbahn cable car to Piz Gloria. If the timing works, have a fine meal in the revolving restaurant there while watching the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau glide by the windows. You could also have a "Martini shaken not stirred" in the James Bond bar (the Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was partially filmed there many years ago).
• take the cable car down past Mürren to Gimmelwald. Have a brief look around.
• take the final leg of the cable car down from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg; connect with the Post Bus back to Lauterbrunnen (only about a 15 minute trip) and then train back to Lucerne.

There are lots of possibilities and this is only one suggestion. If you decide on this option, the group here can provide more specific directions. One of the Swiss passes would probably save some money, but that subject can be complicated.

One other point to mention..... be sure to budget accordingly as Switzerland is an expensive place to travel.

Thanks so much for such a thorough reply. I will look into all of this!

You can also find all of the RS videos for free on Youtube...find the Swiss ones and have a fun several hours.

We did 3 full days of the BO based in Murren and it was still not enough. A day trip is possible as mentioned above but, oh my, there is so much to do and see at a slower pace. Also remember that the weather is a crap shoot in the Alps, so trying to plan on 1 day being clear is tough. Lucerne is super cute. As a possible alternative, you could day trip to Mt Titlis. We did not do this, but it looks like a more manageable day trip and the summit is a few feet taller than Schilthorn. Mt Rigi is a nice short boat/train/cable ride from Lucerne, but it is much lower than the big peaks further into the Alps. Switzerland is simply beautiful!!!! Good luck..

Thanks NickB. We thought that might be a good idea too, we found a few that are coming up on cable and recorded them. But I’ll check out YouTube as well!

Thanks caldbunch. The tips you gave are helpful. My husband and I are used to having to speed through things, we don’t get much vacation time. I’m just trying to make sure that I see the top things to see. Of course, I’m not going to see everything, but if I get to the most important ones, I’ll be happy.

To me, there is simply nothing that compares in Switzerland to spending a day in Murren and hiking in that general area on a nice sunny day. Since the unpredictable weather makes a huge difference when visiting the Berner Oberland, and with Luzern as a base, I would consider making a day or even an overnight trip (assuming you can get a hotel room at the last minute), if the Berner Oberland weather looks good that day. Of course this would mean paying twice for one night (Luzern and Murren). The remaining days could be spent in attractions around Luzern.

Thanks Andy! I should caveat, my husband hates hiking, so that is not what we plan to do in the area. More just seeing the beauty in the area over anything else. Would that change your opinion on what we do then?

faithjc, that wouldn't change my opinion. On the right day, you could just sit on the balcony of your room of a hotel like the Alpina in Murren and just enjoy the view. Even if you're in Murren/Lauterbrunnen for a day trip, the views are spectacular.

Sounds lovely, thank you!

Hi faith, I’d suggest one night in Lucerne then take the train to Murren (using the info Ken provided). Stay as many nights as you can in Murren, explore the area, go to the Schithorn, take a walk (there are paved paths, you don’t need to ‘hike’), sit on a bench or your balcony, and enjoy a nice dinner. The mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. Take the train to Bern, store your luggage and spend a few hours walking around. Take the train to Lucerne or Zurich to end your trip.

Thank you Donna, that is helpful too. So, I arrive into Zurich very late on a Saturday night. Was planning to tour Zurich/get over jetlag that Sunday. Five days later on Friday, I am doing Lausanne and staying the night in Geneva to get up Saturday morning and leave for another country. Which means I have to decide what happens Monday-Friday morning to help me get to Lausanne, all while seeing Bern, Lucerne, and Bernal Oberlands. So I think you are suggesting then...leave for Lucerne (from Zurich) Monday morning, stay in Lucerne Monday night. Then take a train to Murren and stay there Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. Sometime over that Tue-Thurs do a half day trip to Bern, all while keeping the Murren home base and exploring the Berner Oberland area. Then leave Murren Friday morning for Lausanne. This is what you suggest?

Hi faith, the rest of your itinerary is helpful, sounds like a wonderful trip. My suggestion is to spend as much time as possible in the Berner Oberland. Murren is amazing and I’m betting that you’ll want to return again and again. I’ve been there several times and it’s always near the top of my list.

Thank you again Donna! I appreciate the help! Is it easy enough to get in and out of Murren if I use it as a home base? I read in Rick’s book that he uses Gimmelwald as his home base for the region typically. But Murren just looks idyllic!

faith,

How "late" are you arriving in Zürich? You might consider heading directly to Lucerne as it's a short trip. There's a rail station right at ZRH. With a lot to see and limited time, I wouldn't bother touring Zürich as the time would better be spent in more scenic areas.

When in "late spring" is this trip taking place? One point to consider is that the Schilthornbahn will be out-of-service for maintenance from 20 April to 24 April. The Allmend-Hubel Funicular in Mürren will not be operating from 14 April to 12 June. I haven't seen any information on closures of the BLM cable car and railway from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren so assume this will be operating normally.

Regarding your last post, I'd have to give some thought to an ideal balance of time between Lucerne, the Berner Oberland and your other destinations. With such a limited time frame, I'd probably place less emphasis on Bern and focus on Lucerne and the Berner Oberland.

Thank you again Ken, I appreciate your notes. I arrive into Zurich airport at 10:45pm. My trip is scheduled for later May. The funicular you mention being closed in Murren...is that essential to my getting to/around Murren? Not sure when I will get back to Switzerland, so I thought it might be worth seeing the bigger cities as well while I am there.

The Allmendhubel funicular is a stand alone ride up a moderate distance straight up the side of the mountain and it gives access to hiking trails.

In April those trails are likely to be partly or completely under snow - at the very least they will be muddy.

I wouldn't worry too much about its loss.

Early June up there with the wildflowers - another story.

I've never understood the appeal of Gimmelwald - it truly is a place where two trails cross and you change from one gondola to another. Fun to walk to but I wouldn't stay there. I love Mürren.

What is it that your husband hates against hiking? Carrying stuff with him, or walking, or walking on narrow trails?

I consider the walk down to Gimmelwald a walk. Somebody who really hates the walking part of hiking might call it a hike. I call it beautiful.

Cross the road to the cable car and take the lift to Grütschalp and
then the BLM mountain railway to Mürren (it co-ordinates with the
cable car).

Ken, will this also close in April?

Also, what is the Schilthornbahn? It sounds like a train but there is no train to the top of the Schilthorn so I am confused.

Ken, how do I find out the specific dates of closures of trains, funiculars, or any other public transport in the spring? You knew specific dates. Can you share the website where we can look up other public transportation maintenance closures for April? Thanks.

Thank you Nigel. I am going later May, so sounds like I should be fine. In terms of hiking, he just doesn't enjoy it. Nothing more to it than that, ha!

Thanks for the note, Continental. Sounds like you are going in April. Good luck to you! I am hoping to have minimal closures when I go in later May.

faith,

As Nigel indicated, the Allmend-Hubel Funicular is not essential to getting around Mürren. It travels up the hill to a promontory above Mürren - https://schilthorn.ch/en/Info/Allmendhubel_1907_m_._6257ft . The walk from there back to Mürren through meadows with cows grazing is very pleasant, and not strenuous at all. I included that just for additional information.

Again as Nigel indicated, the walk from Mürren to Gimmelwald is more of a stroll. As I recall, it might even be paved. Of course if your husband doesn't like "hiking" you can take the cable car which will be the more expensive option.

Regarding some of the other questions.... the Schilthornbahn is the aerial cable car that starts in Stechelberg and travels to the Schilthorn / Piz Gloria. From Stechelberg, this requires three "changes" at Gimmelwald, Mürren and Birg. Information on annual maintenance can be found on their website - https://schilthorn.ch/en/Infos/Timetable__and__Tariff .

For travel in Switzerland, using one of the Swiss passes will provide a discount on the often high cost of aerial cable cars and other transportation. There are a number of different passes available and which Swiss pass to use will depend on which transportation services each traveller will be using, so you'll have to do the number crunching. This can be complicated and some of us here on the forum have resorted to formatting a spreadsheet to get the answers. You may find this helpful - https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes .

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't able to find any information on maintenance on the Lauterbrunnen - Grütschalp cable car or BLM railway, so assume this will be operating normally at the time of your trip. If it does happen to be out-of-service, that's not a big deal as you can simply take the Post Bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg and then the Schilthornbahn to Mürren. Everything will be timed for optimum connections, with typical Swiss efficiency.

Thank you Ken! And thank you all for the invaluable tips. I think you have all convinced me to stay in Murren. I too am having difficulty deciding which rail pass to get, so many options! As of 2020, they are taking the Schilthorn off the Swiss Rail Pass, I think discount goes down to 50% though. Maybe thinking about the half-pass for the month. We'll see...

Ken, is the Saver Day Pass so new that Rick didn’t mention it in the webpage you linked about transportation options and passes? Or does he not recommend it?

faith,

It's a bit of a daunting task to find the best Swiss pass, as there are so many options. The best pass usually depends on exactly which transportation services each traveller will be using, and the only way to determine that is to do the number crunching. A good compromise is often the Half Fare card, which provides a 50% discount. For travel in that area, you could also look at the Berner Oberland Regional Pass - https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/ . There's also a version for the Jungfrau region - https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/ .

Continental,

I don't know why the Saver Day Pass isn't included on Rick's website. You'll have to contact his staff for that answer. I suspect that web page hasn't been updated in quite awhile.

You both may find these websites helpful

• https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass
• https://www.seat61.com/Swiss-trains.htm
• https://www.swissvistas.com/swiss-rail-pass.html

Thanks again Ken. I started looking into that half-fare card, might end up being a good option. Again, I appreciate all the information!

Thanks for the links, Ken! Happy New Year!

Hi again all. You might know this already if you are a seasoned Swiss traveler...but I just came across the most amazing train timetable website. I believe it will be invaluable when I am there. Wanted to share the wealth.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

When you use the SBB website it assumes that you are a local, and most locals have a half price card. The initial prices shown default to half price. You can set it to show full price.

Good to know for future, thanks! I wasn’t concerned about the price really, but just love the ease of knowing what times the trains leave, as well as connection information. But since we are talking price Nigel, do you have recommendations on which pass to purchase? Swiss Travel Pass, half price pass, etc.? I’m just looking for the easiest option. I think the Swiss Travel Pass is the only one where you don’t have to purchase tickets at each station?