Berner Oberland

The Berner Oberland is a large area of Switzerland that contains some of the best scenery in the country. There are cities like Spiez and Thun but best sights are in Interlaken and the Lauterbrunnen Valley that contains Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald, Gimmelwald, Murren, other smaller villages, two major moutains (Jungfrau and the Shilthorn) and Europe's largest glacier. The sights are beyond description. However, in March, the higher elevations are skiing villages. Even Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken, which are in the valley, may have snow. April and May is the "shoulder season" for this area. This means that many areas close to transition from winter to summer. Still, you can train and gondola to all of these places. If you go, and you want to see all of these places, I would suggest 2 days and 3 nights. If you just want to peek, it can be done in a long day if you don't go up to the tops of the mountains.

Old guidebook to the area written by one of my friends is online at www.users.bigpond.com/franksoft/guide/index.htm

Note that prices are way out of date, and some of the transport/lodging options will have changed in the 13 years since it was written, but the hiking and local colour sections should give you an overview of what you can do in the area.

It tends to focus on the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

End of March is going to depend on the season, but that's usually at the end of the ski season, so the hiking may be restricted. Beautiful snow capped mountain views at the time though, with early Spring flowers lower down if the season is short.

Transport is pretty easy direct trains to Interlaken from Zurich or Frankfurt. Paris arrivals you can TGV to Switzerland then use normal trains. Look at the Swiss Card for access if you are travelling in Switzerland for more than a few days - includes access to/from the border and 1/2 price travel the rest of the time.

Need more help. Cause we have 4 whole days and want to go to Lucere also.
I think by the talks hiking is out and I am not a ski fan also, but would love to take cable cars or get views of the mountains.
Suggestions please?

Your question was on the Berner Oberland. If you want to go to the mountain tops, it's a 4hr. round trip train ride to the Jungfraujoch from Lauterbrunnen plus 60-90 minutes for viewing and walking around. The Ice Palace is also there (you can look it up on the Internet). The cost is about $136 round trip per person. It's about a 3-hr. round trip to the top of the Shilthorn. The round trip cost is about $88 per person. This is a long day if you want to do both. For a quicker look at the mountains, assuming that the clouds aren't covering them, you could visit both Wengen on one side of the valley and Gimmelwald and Murren on the other side of the valley. At Murren, you can stand at 5,300 feet and with one scan of your eyeballs, you can look down thousands of feet to the valley and then up to look at the 12,000 ft. Jungfrau. You will still need at least 2 nights there if you choose the long tourist day. Then you can train to Luzerne

Weather is going to be a factor yes, but thats going to be true anywhere in Europe in March.

Mountain towns are colder, on the flip side are quite often above the valley cloud levels. Trips to the mountain tops for sightseeing are weather dependent, but the cable car stations have live video feeds of the tops so you can decide before you pay if it's worthwhile.

If you are not into Winter sports, it's probably not the right time of year to visit. There can be stunning winter views, but you can't be sure of anything with a short 4 day window.

We are going end of March.
and yes I understand that the rest of Europe is going to be cold...but its not going to but as bad as chicago ....
we spend 10 days in Europe end of feb in 2005 and it was cold but a different kind of cold .....

So then we shud skip switzerland all together?
Maybe we can just go to Lucern for sometime and thats it? Or is there any other place in Swiss you guys would recommend?

The Berner Oberland is a beautiful area, and well worth a visit. With such a short time frame, it would be better to focus just on the Lauterbrunnen Valley IMO.

The transportation route is covered in Rick's book, but here's a quick summary. Take the train to Interlaken East/Ost; buy a ticket for Gimmelwald or Murren (whichever place you're staying-the ticket covers train, bus and gondola); take the local train to Lauterbrunnen; walk across the street and board the yellow Post Bus; at Stechelberg, board the Gondola to Gimmelwald or Murren. It's actually a very simple route.

Regarding the weather, it could be a bit cold at that time of year or could be sunny? In any case, there's no reason you couldn't have a look around the area for a day or two. Take the Gondola to the Schilthorn (if weather is cold, just stay inside) and also explore the area by foot as much as the weather allows. I'm not sure whether Trummelbach Falls will be open at that time of year?

Happy travels!

I am sure there are year-round attractions in this area, but I would wait until May (or later) when it's warmer and lighter and the trails are open.

If that's not possible I'd consider saving it for another trip. Switzerland is not cheap, also getting to and from takes a chunk of time from your itinerary.

Not to be a wet blanket--that's just my opinion.

Going to Swiss is only a 4 hour train ride for us...so its not out of the way...and i know its going to be cold
but im sure i can see some parts right?
Everyone has been so helpful to me..thanks so much all..but i am so confused!! :(

Simran, it shouldn't be too confusing. I've seen your many posts on the RS site. You may just need to pick something and commit. I went through 6 months of planning. I did a spreadsheet. I knew when I was leaving the U.S. are where we would be on night one. From then on, my wife and I would discuss our choices and make a decision. Our main desire was to stay at least 3 days wherever we went. On the spreadsheet, list what you think you will see or do on each day. It doesn't have to be exact but the better the plan, the better the trip. You need to do this advance planning because the next step is making reservations that will lock in your plans. If you want the spreadsheet, let me know and I'll send it to you. Larry

To get a good grip of the area - watch his video - or check out some other travel shows by Burt Wolf - he has lots of specific swiss shows! Rick book is one of the best - put a lot of work into this area. Its an amazing area worth at least 4-5 days min! So much to do - lots of hiking or train and lift rides. EVen if you get an older 3 year old copy for $2 on evay - read his book first - to get an over view. The 20$ investment in the new one is not asking too much and it will REALLY wet your appetite for all the fun!

My husband and I stayed in Meiringen, about 30 miles east of Interlaken, for 10 days. We found this area just as beautiful as the Lauterbrunnen area, but way less expensive. You're still close to Interlaken and also have access to trains and buses that will take you up to the Jungfrau area. We felt that by staying out of the high tourist areas you experienced more of a true "Swiss" experience. Brienz is an interesting city and Meiringen area also has a number of beautiful waterfalls and gorges.

We will be in Germany and Switzerland for the last week in March and first two weeks of April, and I really wanted to go back to the Lauterbrunnen area but decided against it because of the weather factor. It is absolutely stunning there, but we were there previously in July and were able to hike; I think if you are not a winter sport enthusiast then the area might be dull during cold weather.

If you decide to go: we stayed at the Hotel Caprice in Wengen and found it to be an exceptional hotel. Check it out on Tripadvisor.

We just spent four glorious October days in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. I would recommend staying in Lauterbrunnen since the main train station is in the town with connections to the villages up on the mountains. Rick's comments on Hotel Staubbach were right on for us. We were there just at the start of shoulder season so the crowds were down, but hotels, restaurants, stores, etc. were still open. Great hiking trails on either side of the valley. Shilthorn and Jungfraujoch should not be missed.
We landed in Zurich and in 3 hours we were in Lauterbrunnen. Had a rail pass. Everything went perfectly.

Enjoy. Spectacular spot.

Dave

Simran -- i am on your track -- we are going there the last of March - for 3 days -- i want to see the alps - even if it is cold -- have you came across any more information on the area?

Try this: http://www.rhb.ch/erlebniszuege/erlebniszuege.e.php

And also go to the home page, http://www.rhb.ch/

cml

I agree with Susan Emily about Meiringen. There is a gondola up to Planplatten that can also be taken back down the mountain (rather than skiing down the gorgeous bowl). You can learn more about the area at www.untours.com.