Berner Oberland in April

Thanks so much for the advice; I need to rethink my strategy now! I was skeptical about basing higher in the mountains, didn't want to be stuck with nothing to do in bad weather, but it looks more than doable in mid to late April. We love hiking and the Lauterbrunnen valley looks like paradise!

We will be going in early May, staying in Lauterbrunnen. I believe the gondola to the Schilthorn will be closed about April 26-30 - write them on their website at "contact us" to make sure before you go. Also, the Allmendhubel in Murren will be closed for several weeks, in April and May. I'd still go up to Murren, though - it's views are beautiful! I think the Jungfraubahn will be running in April.

I've been to the Berner Oberland in April, and here's my opinion... not worth the money at that time of year. The mountain towns are almost completely deserted and there's a good reason. Those beautiful mountain views you traveled out of your way and paid through the nose to see are obscured in fog and rain clouds. Not to mention that the hiking trails are slogged with mud and "natural fertilizer" (if you ever see the farmers spreading this stuff in the pastures, if changes your opinion of that supposed "pure" water that you see cascading over the cliffs). Save your money and make better use of your time on the direct route from Paris to Milan, which runs through the French-Italian Alps. The weather here tends to be a bit better in April. I love the Berner Oberland, but I've been to enough Alpine areas to know it's not the end-all/be-all of mountain regions. And because it is so much more expensive, all the more important to go somewhere else in the shoulder season.

Thanks for the honest opinions...I've done tons of research and I'm getting such differing viewpoints, it's overwhelming! Clearly, this isn't the ideal time to visit the Berner Oberland, at least in the higher elevations.

Still, we want to see Bern and the lakes and Lauterbrunnen, so how's this for a quick two day itinerary:

Day 1-train from Paris to Bern, sightsee, sleep in Bern

Day 2-based on the weather, either linger in Bern, then take a train to Lauterbrunnen, maybe checking out Thun and Interlaken on the way. Or go straight to Lauterbrunnen early and spend time hiking. Maybe take a lift to one of the higher villages like Wengen or Murren and hike around there if possible.

Day 3-Wake up in Lauterbrunnen, hike where possible, hopefully will have good weather. If not, then just take it easy or check out Interlaken (20 min away) and the lakes again before taking a late afternoon train to Milan.

Any opinions about this itinerary would be appreciated! Basically, we want to experience a Swiss city, a small village and a beautiful natural setting (hopefully getting in a good hike or two and some alpine views) during our short stay. We're not really looking to spend lots of time on scenic train rides ascending the high peaks or zipping around all day on cable cars, as spectacular as that may be.

Thanks for everyone's help, I really appreciate it!

Bern is...underwhelming.

I feel compelled to mention that there are many fine stop-overs between Paris and Milan other than the alps, though.

Thanks for the link! Rick's new Switzerland guide isn't out until late in March, I can't find the old one in bookstores now, so that is much appreciated. Murten looks beautiful too, we've considered staying there or at least visiting. I though it was north of lake Thun and the Berner Oberland though, and we wanted to see what we can of that; was it a half-hour away from Bern?

Yeah, I've heard that Bern isn't the most amazing city. The historic area and the river look pretty, though, and seems like a nice stopover in between the other areas we want to explore, plus I hear the arcades make it a great place to see in the rain. We're pretty set on our itinerary, but are there any other places in Switzerland you'd recommend? I thought Luzern, but the bf went once years ago and wants to see something new.

I think your idea of going to Lauterbrunnen then choosing an activity based on the weather is a good one. Even in less than ideal weather, you can still have a nice walk in Lauterbrunnen, and if you have even semi clear weather--anything but fog, really--a trip up to Murren or Wengen will be great. There are live cams in the train station so you can see what the weather is up top.