Switzerland ?!

I would certainly visit the Interlaken area. From there you can "rail it" up to places like Wengen, Murren, etc. etc.. BEAUTIFUL area and the hiking/scenery is fantastic. I also liked Lucerne. I thought Zurich was too big city-like.

Lauterbrunnen. I know they parasailing and basejumping there.

Here is Rick Steves' latest Blog on Switzerland. Start with the date July 23rd through July 27, 2007.

http://www.ricksteves.com/blog/

We stated at the Valley Hostel in Lauterbrunnen. From there you can take day trips to Wengen, Murren, Gimmelwald and Interlaken.

http://www.valleyhostel.ch/index.php?lan=e&pag=0

If you're going to the mountain villages of Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Muerren, Gimmelwald then by all means STAY in those villages...bypass Interlaken.

As strongly mentioned above, bypass Interlaken and go into the Lauterbrunnen Valley. If you stay in Murren or Wengen, you look 5,000 feet down to the valley and up to the 12,000 Mt. Jungfrau - All in one up and down swoop of the eyeballs. You have no views like this from Interlaken. Also, Murren and Wengen are smaller villages that do not permit tourist cars. Did you say Skydiving in Switzerland? Try this link LINK to see what it looks like in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. What you're seeing is from Stechelberg which is well into the valley.

I just got back from a month in Europe, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen at the Staubach Hotel. It was wonderful. Every morning we watched the para sailers playing around the waterfall as we ate breakfast.
I was so upset, we missed Rick by one day. He had stayed at our hotel the night before. Mariam and her staff we the most friendly and helpful of all the places that we went. I'll be happy to send some pictures.
We have stayed in several of the small villages in the area and like Lauterbrunnen the best. It is very central for the train system. It has changed since our last visit. It is now a 6 day pass instead of 5.

Just one caveat on Interlaken/Lauterbrunen- it is usually preferable to stay in the mountains, but during the shoulder season, Interlaken is the only real option. During this time, nearly everything in Murren except the cafe by the cable car station is closed. Not much more is open in Lauterbrunnen. Most of the citizens of Gimmelwald are actively engaged in the cattle industry in some way. And as far as large Alpine towns go, Interlaken is actually a pretty nice place.

I just got to France from Switwerland, and here is what I have to say. If you are an absolute outdoor maniac, go to the mountains. I am not, I love walking only in the city. This time, I was in Bern and Luzern, and in Muerren. I wish I spend all my time in the cities. I can spend a whole long day roaming the city streets, but in the mountains you go for hike, you make a trip to the mountaintops - and then what? Bern and Luzern are most beautiful, so much to see and do I don't want to go to sleep. I will take a city over the wild nature any time.

In Muerren, the Staegerstuebli restaurant is open year round. It is right across the street from Chalet Fontana, approximately midway between the train station and the gondola.

Tom's comment above is correct. I messaged our favorite Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen and they messaged back that almost all of the valley and mountain villages are closed down from early October to Mid-December when they open for ski season. Still, that doesn't prevent you from taking the train into the valley and hiking around. You may not find open restaurants, however.

Great suggestions everyone, THANKS!! I guess I should have said this earlier, but we aren't going until June, so the comments about going during the shoulder season shouldn't effect us, I don't think. Thanks :)

Yeah. June. Murren and Wengen will be open by then. We were there in late May this year. We wanted to book into Murren but we were scared away by RS' book that warned about snow and closures. Snow was all gone. We had the most beautiful mild days. The wildflowers were in full bloom and the farmers were walking their cows with their Melodic Swiss cow bells up to higher pastures. We were at the Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen. The cows went by every morning. We did have lunch in Murren and there was skydiving going on. Hope you looked at the YouTube video I linked above.

I know Rick really pushes the Lauterbrunnen valley, but there are lots of other valley's/towns that are close to Interlaken that also give you the same (or similar) experience, but for less money. We stayed in Meiringen (sp?), about 1/2 hour east of Interlaken, and really enjoyed our stay. It's less expensive, equally as impressive, with great accesss to hiking and skiing in the Hasliberg/Meiringen/Brienz area, train/bus/car access to Interlaken etal, NON TOURISTY, and also BEAUTIFUL.
While we enjoyed visiting the Schilthorn/Lauterbrunnen area, we were happier (in our opinion) staying in smaller places away from the hustle and bustle of bus tours and high density tourist traffic. Each to their own, I guess. We found we got closer to the Swiss people in these smaller locations -- which is part of what travel in different countries is all about.

Zermatt. Pretty town, I should say gorgeous town, and of course the Matterhorn looking down at you. Walk through the cementary there, headstones carved to look like ice picks and ropes, you know how many here died...
Hike up to the hut on the Matterhorn, any reasonablely fit person can( I did and I am not sporty, but I like to walk) .
In the evening they run the goats through the streets,, and they sell wieners and sausages they roast on grills , right on the side walks. The town is pedestrian only, except residents can own little electric cars, but even they cannot go into inner core of town.
Window boxes overflowing with flowers. Fields with old barns on them.
Many, many hikes, and a train that will take you up for a view of the most incredible mountain valley, you will actually look right into Italy, and see Mont Blanc in the distance.
Expensive , but worth it.

Loved Zermatt, Lucerne, and Murren!!!! Saw all of these on 3 seperate trips. Actually did Zermatt in Winter and then again in a summer trip combined with doing Murren.

It's a bit off the beaten path but I loved Pontresina, a small town near St. Moritz. It's a great location for outdoor activities. I stayed at Hotel La Collina and hiked on a different trail every day for nearly two weeks. You can also take a short train ride into northern Italy from there.

We just returned from our trip and stayed at the Blumental Hotel in Murren....The village and the people were great....it snowed and was perfect. The Blumental was fantastic and the food there was very good. Avoid the Bellview for eating....but they do have laundry facilities.. Interlaken is interesting, but too big. Getting to Murren is an adventure in itself....

Barb
Lehi, Utah, United States 09/16/07