Cows in Switzerland

One place that you are sure to see the cows is in Gimmelwald. Lots of pastures there. If you are driving, go straight through Lauterbrunnen and on to the Stechelberg cable way station (you'll see it). Plenty of free parking at the station. The top of the cable way is Gimmelwald. There's an adjoining station there that will take you to Murren.

If you happen to be there during the last week in May and the first two weeks in June, you see the farmers walking small groups of cows up to the higher summer pastures. We have been there during this time and have seen this tradition. It was just great.

The cows move around based on time of yr and feed needs. best ck with tourist bureaus for specifics. The cows are indeed happy in Switzerland I hope you get to experience up close also.

Jim,

It's a bit of a drive from Milan to the Berner Oberland, but if you have a few days it should work out. You'll be spending a lot time with "windshield time" though. There are cows in many places in Switzerland, so you probably won't have to go that far to see them.

One reminder, don't forget the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy. A GPS and a good Map would be prudent also.

Cheers!

Seems sort of out of the way/wrong direction just to see cows, but perhaps you really would like to visit Switzerland and the cows are secondary? It’s a great scene way up in Mürren in summer (not sure about April), but I’m wondering if you’ve considered an agriturismo in Tuscany since you’re going there anyway…many will have cows on their working farms. Not the same as a Swiss pasture, but...

And if you’re going to use the motorways in Switzerland, you’ll need to make sure your car has the required toll sticker (or you can buy one).

You can't throw a rock without seeing a cow in Switzerland:) They can even be found in the middle of Interlaken....across the street from Hooters!

Jim

Perhaps some of the posters have missed that you are travelling in April.

RS suggests that they tend to move in June, and when we have traveled in May they have been down as far as I have noticed.

If you are after high cows perhaps you need either more southerly or lower altitude cows. I wouldn't risk a trip so far out of the way for you as the Lauterbrunnen Valley; such a risk if you don't see what you're after.

Of course (tongue firmly in cheek) there are the purple Milka cows at the ski races - maybe still a few skiers around in April LOL

Jim, I don't think that the cows are in the high Lauterbrunnen Valley pastures in April. In fact, as soon as the snow melts up there, they spray the pastures with liquid manure to stimulate the growing.

It's a little too far from Milan, but in the Allgäu region of SW Bavaria, we took the bus to Bolsterlang, then the Hörnerbahn (gondola) up into the mountains. Once on top we took a trail a mile or two back into the mountains to a restaurant. All along the way were summer pastures with cows. (You know, the cows didn't look much different there than anywhere else. Except all through the valley you hear the constant sound of cowbells.)

In the Iller valley of the Alläu they celebrate Viehscheid, the return of the cows (actually separating each farmer's cows from the herd) every fall (very late summer).

We have lots of Happy Cows in California according to the cheese commercials. They travel all the way from Wisconsin.

The weather is very iffy and many Alpine businesses are closed on the northern side of the mountains in April. And as another poster mentioned, the workers are busy spraying "natural" fertilizer in the pastures. Not the most pleasant time to visit.

The Italian Alps might be a better place to go see cows in April.