Gimmelwald in April

Hotel Mittaghorn isn't open, and neither is much else during April in Gimmelwald. I think there's one hotel that stays open up the road in Murren during this period, but virtually everything else shuts down. You can still visit and walk through the village, though.

At this time of year, staying in Interlaken is your best option.

Would there be any difference in the middle of May? That's when I'm looking to go and I'm considering making a detour in my route to return in Switzerland in early June.

A few businesses in Murren and Gimmelwald may still remain closed in May, but most should be open at this time.

I'd stay in Interlaken and then take trains to all the smaller towns. That was the easiest thing for me to do. It's a great home base. Since it's the off season the small towns shut down so it's better to stay somewhere larger.

Personally, unless there are no open hotels, I would never choose to stay in Interlaken if I had an option to stay in the villages of Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Murren or Gimmelwald. Interlaken is a great transportation hub to the mountains and other locations. But having spent the time, effort and money to get to the Alps I would ALWAYS choose to stay IN the Alps rather than a transport hub.

Thanks for all the input. We have decided to stay in Lauterbrunnen at the Hotel Staubbach. We are driving so there will be no problem driving into Interlaken when necessary.