We have 2 kids (ages 7 and 9) and 4 days in the region. We've read all the posts about how we'd be crazy to stay anywhere but the mountains, but we've also read through the posts about the completely unpredictable weather up high, and are thinking about hedging our bets and staying lakeside and taking trips up the mountain. Our kids enjoy hiking in small doses, but need downtime, and the lakeside area in Thun and Spiez look like they are reasonably convenient for trips to Junfraujoch and Schilthorn, while still affording some water fun (steamer rides, castles, swimming) in the afternoons if things cloud over or rain. We found a nice-looking hotel in Thun. Anyone tried this?
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
Didnt stay there, but passed through slowly. Thun looked like an interesting village. And close enough to the mountains
Posted by
California
494 posts
We didn't but we stayed in Brienz, also a lakeside village, and trained it to Jungfrau and Shilthorn easily. Brienz is also very convenient for Rothorn steam trains up the mountain and Ballenberg. Ballenberg is a great open air museum especially for the children.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
If your primary objective is to stay in the Swiss Alpine Villages of Muerren or Wengen (and you most defintely should) then why don't you just go ahead and stay there? If the weather is bad then you can take a quick 20 minute train ride down to Interlaken and see the lakes and villages down there.
Posted by
Calgary
2297 posts
If your primary objective is to stay in the Swiss Alpine Villages That is the key question. If that's why you come to Switzerland in the first place then do so. And plan for a variety of day trips down into the valley should the weather not cooperate. When we went to Switzerland this was NOT our primary objective as we have seen the German Alps already and live close to the Rocky Mountains. We wanted to see the Switzerland beyond the Alps and that on an affordable family budget. Thus our base for exploration was a small village in the Emmental region, very low key as far as tourism is concerned and quite affordable (accommodation was $500/week, a full restaurant meal under $20/person) . And our highlights of the trip were the transportation museum in Lucerne, the castle in Oberhofen on Lake Thun, the Ballenberg open air museum, and a ride with the funicular up the Niesen. We had the Alps in full view from every room of our appartment but were never really on a very high top (the Niesen is "only" 2362 m) and didn't miss it - because it was not our primary goal for this vacation.