Berner Oberland around May 11, '09

In May, depending on conditions, you may be able to do some hiking at the lower elevations, like around Murren and Gimmelwald. You could probably also make the hike from the valley floor up to Gimmelwald. As you ascend higher, however, most of the trails and pastures will be soaked with mud, slush and "natural" fertilizer (this is the time of the year that the workers from Gimmelwald spray the pastures with their special mixture...). The lodgings in the mountains may or may not be open at this time, but you should have plenty of options in the valleys. This is not the ideal time to visit the Berner Oberland, but probably better than April.

And by the way... despite what some people on this website seem to think, the Berner Oberland is not the only area of the Alps worth seeing. The scenery in the Alps is breathtaking just about anywhere, other places are much cheaper, open all year, and not packed with Rick-niks.

Rick's book is good about giving opening/closing dates and hours for gondolas, tourist facilities etc for this area--check it out. In general, that is too early to do much alpine hiking.

I am wondering about this too. We will have three weeks in Europe and hoped to spend 2 days in the Berner Oberland in mid- to late-May in 2009. We would be traveling from Amsterdam via plane or overnight train through Zurich to the B.O., and then continuing on to Vienna (again, via Zurich). (The weird routing is due to meeting up with family, and attending concerts that are on set dates.)

Because it is out of the way, I am wondering if it is worth the extra travel to get there, or if we should skip it and can get in some good Alp-viewing somewhere more convenient. We are both experienced hikers and would really like to spend a few days in the mountains.

What were your favorites? Thanks Bill NJ

If Chalet Fontana in Muerren is open for business then I would say definitely go because it is worth your time. I have never seen such eye-popping scenery like the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the surrounding Alpine Villages of Muerren, Gimmelwald and Wengen.