Hello, I'm looking for any advice on my trip in September with my husband and one other adult couple. We have never been to Switzerland, but have tried to piece together the best itinerary we can through travel books and other peoples advice. Any tips or advice would be very much appreciated. Day 1- Take the train to Winderswil and catch the Schynige Platte Bahn to Schynige Platte. Walk around the restaurant area and grounds then follow the trail signs to First. Once in First take the gondola down to Grindelwald (be sure to be there before 5pm). Walk through Grindelwald to the train station and back to Murren. Sleep in Murren. Day 2-Take the early good morning train to Jungfraujoch. Arrive in Wegen by 7:15am. Go up to the Sphinx Observatory. Then hike to Monchsjochhutte (1 hour). Take the train back down to Kliene-Scheidegg and do the Hike from Kliene-Scheidegg to Mannlichen. Take the gondola back down to Lauternbrunnen onto the Interlaken area. Do the Planetenweg walk in the late afternoon walk. Have dinner in the area and take the boat back to Interlaken. Sleep in Murren. Day 3- Breakfast at the Schilthorn leave Murren before 9am. Go out to the terrace and walk along the ridge. Go back down to Murren by 12 to do the Via Feretta. If we have time and engery take the gondola to Gimmelwald. Hike from Gimmelwald to the Sefin Valley to Kilchbalm (2 hours to the Glacier fields). Take the gondola back to Murren. Sleep in Murren
Day 4- 9am hang glide. Afterwards, do the Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg walk with the Trummelbach Falls. From take the gondola to Grutschalp and then hike from Grutschalp to Murren. Once in Murren take the funicular to Allmendhubelbahn and take the 20 minute flower trail. Head back to Murren and sleep in Murren. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17432 posts
Hi Angela-this sounds great to me if you are fit hikers. I love that area and have done most of the hikes you list, but not the via ferrata. The Panoramaweg (Schynige Platte to First, via Faouhorn) is a glorious 5-star hike, but pretty strenuous-10 miles over fairly rugged terrain, with 900 meters of elevation gain. Just want to be sure you are aware this is not a simple "walk in the park." Once you are past the Faulhorn it is easy, but make sure you reach First in time to take the gondola down-it's a long walk back. You've got a lot on you list for Day 3, but the walk into the Kilchbalm glacer cirque is not all that tough. Day 2 is a long day. I assume you mean the Planetenweg at Ringgenberg? The walk itself takes about 2+ hours; not sure how long it takes to get there and back on the boat. If you are doing this after the walk to Mannlichen, you will ride the cabelcar down to Wengen, then train down to Lauterbrunnen, then train to Interlaken Ost where you catch the boat. Make sure you confirm the last cablecar/train up to Mürren so you don't miss that on your return. Do you know about the 2-for1 deal on Swiss passes for September? That would be pretty ideal for you; you can get one for each couple. It will give you 50% off the recreational lifts (Schynige Platte, first Gondola, Schilthorn, etc.) and fully cover the valley trains and the boat rides. You might consider the 4-day Flex pass which would cover your travel to and from this area. You don't really need to use up a "pass day" on days 3 and 4 as you aren't traveling far and the recreational rides are covered 50% in any case.
Posted by
OP
Louisville, KY, United States
2 posts
Lola, Thank you for the advice! We are actually NOT experienced hikers. We have been reading the Rick Steve's book and gotten some advice from a person that has been the area many times that loves to hike. We were under the assumption that the hike to First was strenuous, but not grueling and would take about 6 hours. My husband and I are in our late twenties and in average physical shape. We will be traveling with another couple in their middle thirties. Would you suggest that we sit the hike to First out? We want to enjoy ourselves, but we are willing to push ourselves as well. We've actually been hiking our local area to try and prepare, but nothing nearly the length of these hikes. Maybe we should consider only going as far as Schynige Platte or taking the gondola to First instead? Have you taken the walk to Kilchbalm? Would you recommend it? Yes, I did come across the Swiss Pass deal for September and we may very well get that. We will actually be in Switzerland for ten days traveling to Zermatt, Lugano and Luzern after Murren so we are still trying to figure out which pass will work the best for us.
Thanks again!
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
There are stretches of the Schynige Platte-First hike that are a bit "grueling". I don't recommend doing it if you haven't hiked a wilderness trail before. Instead, just do the second half of it by going to First, and hiking from there to the Faulhorn Lodge, and doubling back to First. This stretch is much easier and just as scenic.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Keep an eye on the weather. And have a rain/fog day planned, just in case.