Is late May too risky weather wise to enjoy Murren, alpine lifts and day hiking? We were thinking of flying to Paris in mid May and then going to the Berner Oberland around May 27 but I do not want to waste precious travel funds on a high probability of bad weather. Anyone have great luck with weather in late May? I have not booked a flight yet but was having trouble finding open seats at the end of May with our FF mileage but I could try for mid June.
Posted by
OP
Newport Beach, CA, USA
54 posts
Hi Kent,
I guess the answer I was looking for was that it is possible to have a good weather day hike in late May as opposed to it being totally out of the question for that time of year - I have read conflicing feedback about it being a ghost town until later June and I just saw that the Murren hotel does not even open until May 24. I don't mind taking a chance if it is practical but if it is all snow and ice typically in May then I won't bother. Have you been there in late May?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
We were in Muereen in the 3rd of June of last year. At 5,300' Muerren was free of snow. So was Wengen across the valley and at Kleine Scheidegg farther up the mountain towards the Jungfrau. Weather was warm. However, good weather can't be guaranteed. It does cloud up on the top of the mountains in the afternoon. Expect hiking trails to have some water from the snow runoff. But, as we saw, it wasn't all that wet. Your choice.
Muerren has a wonderful high-tech fenicular up to the top of a nearby mountain where you can hike down.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32198 posts
Teri,
I was in the Berner Oberland in Sept. / Oct. and the weather was great. Sunny for the most part, but of course a bit "chilly" in the mornings. I didn't even bother with a coat when visiting the Schilthorn!
However as Kent noted, it's difficult to predict the weather. I would have no reservations about travel there in late May or June, as I suspect the snow will mostly be gone.
I believe that Larry is referring to the Allmend-Hubel Funicular in Murren. It's a very short trip and a wonderful hike down through Alpine meadows. As I recall, there's a B&B / Bar along the way down to Murren, in case you want to stop for some "refreshments".
Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Newport Beach, CA, USA
54 posts
Kent,
Thanks for your posting and referrals to other postings - it really helped. I still may want to take you up on your weather prediction as it gets closer! LOL :)
Thanks Ken and Larry too. I would feel a little more comfortable leaving a couple of weeks later on this trip but it all falls in the hands of the freq flier availability and it is not cooperating just yet.
Another question: Most likely we will be coming from Colmar before heading to Murren. Do any of you recommend a cutoff time for getting to Murren due to connection coordination? We have stayed in Interlaken before years ago on our way to Zermatt so we are familiar with the place and could book a night there if it made sense but otherwise we have no reason to stay there. Also, anything in Interlaken to stock up on before going to Murren? I just bought the latest RS books so will read more as the days go on but I do appreciate your feedback!
Teri
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Terri, we too had challenges in getting our flight with FF miles on United. It did work out well.
The only way to get to Muerren is by gondola or gondola/cog train (2 ways). The closest one is the gondola/cog train that is across the street from the Lauterbrunnen train station. However, this system seems to shut down around 8:00pm.
The second way shows a gondola running up to midnight. For this method, go across the street from the Lauterbrunnen train station to the bus stop in front of the post office. Take the bus to the Stechelberg gondola station (about 7.5 Swiss Francs that you can buy onboard). You buy the gondola ticket to Muerren but the first gondolas stops in Gimmelwald. Walk a few feet in the gondola station and catch the gondola to Muerren. If you provide a time when you will expect to be in Interlaken, I can provide a more detailed train/gondola schedule.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32198 posts
Teri,
Regarding the "cut-off" time for arrival at Interlaken, as long as you don't arrive too late in the day, you shouldn't have any trouble getting to Murren. There are several ways to get there, which will be detailed in Rick's book.
Regarding things to "stock-up" on, I'm not sure what type of items you're referring to? There's a Grocery store in Murren, in case you need any food items or things like toothpaste or whatever (as I recall, it's a Co-Op store?).
The Post Bus that Larry referred to is bright yellow, so you can't miss it. I'd suggest buying a "combo" ticket at Interlaken Ost station, which covers all modes of transport to Murren. The small local train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen is blue & gold. You can buy a similar ticket at the Murren Cable Car station on the return trip, or use the small train from Murren to Lauterbrunnen, and then the local train to Interlaken.
Cheers!