I'm trying to plan a trip to Switzerland in mid-May and I read in Rick Steves' Switzerland book that some places are closed during May, especially in the St. Moritz area. My original plan was to spend 2 days in the St. Moritz area after taking the Bernina Express into Switzerland and then spending 2 days in the Interlaken, and 2 nights in Luzern to explore that area, but now I'm questioning going to St. Moritz. Has anyone traveled to that area during May? Will there still be enough open and is it worth stopping? Thanks!!
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
yep St Moritz wil be a ghost town for sure. We were there one early may and it was essentially deserted however we walked around and saw what we wanted to. Otherwise it would have been outrageously expensive anyway. We stayed in nearby Pontresina. A lovely village with great views , people and some sights. very peaceful area. We took the Bernina to Italy. We enjoyed ourselves alot eventho it was quiet.. Near Interlaken do not miss the lauterbrunnen valley and the special little villages on the flanks. It is my favorite place in Switzerland!!! not to be missed!!!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Mid May isn't as bad as mid April, but still not the best time to visit. I've never been to St. Moritz during that time period, but I have the Berner Oberland. Although not as dead as April and the workers had finished fertilizing the pastures, I still wouldn't go out of my way to return in May. There was still too much snow on some of the trails at higher elevations, and the visibility wasn't great.
Posted by
Holland, MI
24 posts
I was in Switzerland in mid-May last year, and almost everything was open. We actually got cheaper accommodations in certain areas. Luzern was beautiful in May, Lauterbrunnen was gorgeous (as was Gimmelwald, Murren, Grindewald, etc). The high trails were still closed if that was the plan. Interlaken will be open too, but not worth your time in my opinion.
Posted by
OP
Belmont
2 posts
Thank you for the advice!