Hello,
I was wondering if I could get some opinions on where to go in Switzerland. We will be there for 3-4 days, and would really like to find a "home base" with good, beautiful hiking. We want great views more than anything, and good day hikes. Cheap accomodations might be nice too.
=) Any help and suggestions appreciated, thank you!
We will be there in early/mid June.
Wanting great views, good hiking, and cheap accommodations in Switzerland, eh? Well, you can get 2 out of 3, anyway--the first 2, by staying in one of the Alpine villages above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. But I don't know about cheap accommodations, it is Switzerland and it also depends on what you mean buy cheap, how many swiss francs or dollars per night? click here to get an idea of the views and hiking. However, the hiking depends on the time of year and elevation. Re accommodations, Rick gives his recommendations in his book Switzerland.
What time of year you travel makes a big difference as well, as some months in certain areas are unsuitable for hiking. Like what Kent mentioned, "cheap" and "Switzerland" are not usually found in the same sentence, particularly in the mountain areas. The only cheap options here are hostels or haylofts. Food is expensive everywhere.
The best areas for Alpine scenery, in my opinion, are in the cantons of Berne, Valais, Uri, Vaud, Ticino, and Graubunden.
Many hiking trails are still snow covered till late May,, when are you planning on going?
sorry see you have listed dates. We also loved WENGEN,, but when we were there in July the hotel said the hiking trails still had some snow on them in June, and we really needed our fleece up there on the trails even in July..
Wengen is awesome though, so beautiful.
Hi Beth,
I agree with Kent... you'll most likely get 2 out of the 3. We loved our stay in Wengen (never wanted to leave!), above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Berner Oberland.
Paul
How's the scenery in Wengen in May? I would like to take pictures of the gorgeous meadows ( not covered with snow).
Thank you.
Early May in the Alps isn't the best time. The snow is usually gone from the villages, but there is still a lot of wet run-off from higher elevations. And fog can be significant. The runoff tends to lessen later in the month, but the rain and fog are still very frequent.
I am partial to the Berner-Oberland area south of Interlaken. There, I especially like the north "rim" of the Lauterbrunnen valley--the town of Murren and village of Gimmelwald. Both overlook the Berner Oberland Alps, considered by many to be Switzerland's most spectacular. In Gimmelwald Walter's Mittaghorn Hotel is cheap as is the Mountain Hostel. The Mountain View trail has non-stop, incredible views of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. There could well be snow on some mountain trails, especially higher altitude ones. If the high-altitude trails are open, I'd suggest riding the cable car up to Shilthorn and hiking down. Snow is possible anytime in June. A couple years ago this area of Switzerland got over two feet of snow in late June! Were you to stay in Wengen, on the south rim of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, you'd also be accessible to numerous day hikes. However, this very touristy village is closer-in to the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau, so the views are not as open and stunning as they are from across the Lauterbrunnen valley on the north rim. Murren is around 1000-feet higher than Wengen (Gimmelwald about 350-feet higher) which also makes for better views.
