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Weather/ hiking in Murren May 1 & 2

We will be in Murren 2 nights the beginning of May. We are flying in to Basel where we are staying the night and also the night before we leave on a Viking River Cruise departing from Basel. I know....a river cruise? well, we are seniors, although we love to hike and not be in crowded places and have travelled pretty much on our own all over, but somehow never Switzerland. After reading RS we decided to add extra days at the beginning of the trip so we could go to Murren, and then after the river cruise we are going to Riga, Latvia.

Anyway, even though we have already set the dates, I am wondering what the weather will be like in Murren at that time. I want to pack light and bring only one pair of walking shoes, not snow boots, and a medium weight water resistant jacket. But I don't want to freeze either.

Any ideas on the weather will be appreciated. Also recommendations for such a quick visit. Do you think there is time to go to the Schilthorn? If we make our connections right we should be there 2 half days and one full day.

Thanks for your replies.

Posted by
8375 posts

ola, you can see extended forecasts for just about anywhere on weather.com. Or just Google "weather in Murren, switzerland" with or without umlaut.

Posted by
42 posts

thanks everyone for your responses.

I just found out from the hotel we had reserved that the cable car to Schilthorn is closed for repairs for a week, during the time we will be there. Do you think it is still worth it to go to Murren? Can you get the mountain train to Jungfrau from Murren? I know we would have to backtrack to Wengen but could that all be done in a day and would it be worthwhile?

Thanks for your opinions.

Posted by
12040 posts

I'm watching the live camera scans they usually show on TV in the morning, and it looks like most of the Alps received a fresh layer of snow in the past few days. Despite the winter and spring being quite mild thus far, it looks like winter is going to persist for at least a few more weeks this year in the high Alps. Several of the ski resorts even appear to still remain open, although I have no idea about Mürren.

Posted by
42 posts

Thanks everyone for your responses.

It looks like the town shuts down the first 2 weeks of May, along with the cable cars. This is very typical of us.....waiting to the last minute to do our planning. We talked it over and we do have reservations so we know at least a hotel is open, and since we do want to see the natural beauty of the Alps, we are going anyway, regardless of what we may or may not be able to do once we get there. It will be beautiful, and that is what we are looking for. We haven't had a bad trip yet.

Thanks again, Ola

Posted by
42 posts

I really appreciate all the good replies. thanks you again.

My husband checked the weather forecast and it is supposed to snow on tuesday 5-2. Does snow, rain or weather ever stop the cable cars or train to Interlaken? It is essential that we be able to leave Murren on 5-3 or we will miss our river cruise on 5-4, leaving out of Basel.

Or are we cutting it too close?

Looking forward to hearing back from you all.
Thanks,
Ola

Posted by
12040 posts

''Does snow, rain or weather ever stop the cable cars or train to Interlaken?''

Only high wind sometimes shuts down the higher elevation lifts (like the cable car up to Piz Gloria), but never the lower altitude cable cars that run up to Gimmelwald and Murren. Plus, for a town that depends on skiers for it's economic lifeblood, you can bet that snow will never shut down Murren, although it will interfere with hiking if you're there at the wrong time of year, obviously.

Posted by
42 posts

Thanks Chris and Tom
Chris, I loved the photos of the area, they are great. I see you live in Murren? If so, maybe we will see you there, since we have definitely decided to go, based on your and Tom's input, as well as everyone else. Everyone, including the hotel, has been so helpful. I just love this Rick Steves website. So if you see 2 old codgers wandering around, stop us and say hello.

If possible and if the weather is good we will take the cable car to Schilthorn in the morning May 3, right before we leave. And hopefully we will be able to at least walk to Gimmelwald.

Tom, the weather websites you forwarded are great. I understand weather is very changeable and anything predicted over a week is unreliable, but these sites are fun to look at and give us a good idea of what to expect.

I think I mentioned that after our river cruise we are going to Latvia for 10 days. Do either of you, or anyone else reading this, have any ideas to share with us about Riga, or Latvia in general?

thanks again for all your help, you're the best!!!!!!!
Ola