Visiting Switzerland Alps end of April 2022

The region is certain not closed in April! While some hotels and restaurants do shut down and a cable car or two are closed for regular maintenance, there is still plenty open in April.

The main thing to keep in mind is that snow is still a real possibility in the alpine villages in April, so mid- to high-altitude hiking trails will certainly be closed. But with kids that young, you probably would not be doing trails like those regardless. Walks in Lauterbrunnen valley will certainly be possible, and probably even ones on low-elevation trails like Grutschalp to Murren.

The good news is that April is certainly off-season, so crowds will be down and room availabilities plentiful. I'd stay in Lauterbrunnen.

Check out Hotel Oberland in Lauterbrunnen. They usually open mid-April. Switzerland is worth visiting any time of the year!! Enjoy!!

Can someone comment on when the fields are fertilized? I believe I read a something here about the timing of that activity--most likely in the spring, but I don't remember the details. I think there's quite an odor associated with the process.

Thanks, this is helpful. Do you think it would be silly for us to stay in Wengen, or should we pick a larger area that might have more places open, such as Grindenwald. We prefer to stay up in the mountains, but if accesability witht he cable cars are an issue, we can stay in the Lauterbrunnen valley. Thoughts?

We are likley going for an airBnB so our kids can have some more space.

check each cable car route and read when they are shut. Each one needs maintenance and they are all maintained in the off season. They all advertise exactly when they will close. There is always another route around but it may not be direct - adjacent routes do not close at the same time.

The slurry spreading (liquidised stored up diluted winter cow and goat manure) for fertilizing the fields timing depends on the weather. The fields need to be free of snow and sturdy enough to support the weight and movement of the tractors. Yes - it does come with its own special perfume - it is part and parcel of farming and common throughout Europe where we use as little artificial fertilizers as possible.

Staying in Wengen will present no travel issues issues , as there is frequent rail service from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen .and from there you can easily reach other places in The Oberland , without needing many lifts .

Zermatt is higher elevation than the Jungfrau/Berner Oberland region so if you want snow and most things open and for skiing Zermatt would be a better bet though no guarantees at that time of year. Also, just a conceptual thought that skiing requires significant snow, whereas light hiking (unless you are avid show shoe-ers) requires "not snow". With only four nights I think you need to decide on your priorities and maybe you can't meet all of your goals on this short trip.

Zermatt offers year-round skiing on the glacier, so it is possible to ski there when the lower hiking trails are snow-free. We were there at the beginning of July a few years ago, and saw skiers boarding the Klein Matterhorn lift up to the Glacier Paradise runs each morning as we headed out for a hike.

https://www.matterhornparadise.ch/en/Discover/Peaks/Matterhorn-glacier-paradise

Their Winter lift schedule is in effect until May 1, 2022.

https://www.matterhornparadise.ch/Prospekte%20%26%20Flyer/Winter/2021-2022/Fahrplan-Winter.pdf

I would expect the skiing near Wengen to be finished by late April, and many hotels closed after Easter. The Männlichen lift is shutting down for maintenance on the 24th or 25th of April in 2022.

We enjoyed our 4-night stay in Wengen four years ago this past July. It's easily accessible and IMO preferrable to Grindelwald.