gimmelwald in late april

Don't count on paragliding.

If I knew how to upload photos to this forum, I would show you a picture that says volumes about why not to visit the Berner Oberland in April. It was taken in late April on the road between Gimmelwald and Murren during the 3rd heavy rainstorm in a 24 hour period. Visibility was down to about 30 feet. You can see a stream of liquid manure running across the road- the farmers had just fertilized the pastures earlier in the day.

So there you have it. Heavy rain, fog, mud and manure, all for your enjoyment in one of the most expensive corners of Europe.

Not sure about the weather, there may still be snow on the ground! It will be magical anyway, though. I was there in Mid-may and it warmed up during the day but mornings and evening/night were sweatshirt weather.

You can get there by taking the train to Lauterbrunnen (from Interlaken) then switching to the cableway in the direction of Murren. Halfway through the cable car ends and you get on a little put-put train that goes into Murren. Then you can walk down into Gimmelwald. Everyone is very helpful with directions and it's much easier than it sounds as everything is coordinated and clearly marked.

Snow accumulation is unlikely at the altitude where Gimmelwald sits. Your biggest weather impediments will be fog and rain.

When I visited Gimmelwald in late April (a mistake I won't make again!), the cablecar took us to Murren, and then we could ride a shuttle van down to Gimmelwald.

Unless you are absolutely dead-set on Gimmelwald, I highly recommend going to another Alpine region in April. The Berner Oberland, although beautiful, is extremely expensive, even in the shoulder season. And the mountain towns really are deserted at this time of year... well, not quite. You may see the workers fertilizing the pastures, which will destroy any vision you have in your head of pristine Alpine cleanliness.

Thank you for the replies. I just called Hotel Mittaghorn to make a reservation for those 2 nights in late april and he would not even take my reservatioin, stressing the difficulty in getting into gimmewald. Will most of the hotels be closed at that time? Also, what will there be todo if it is snowing/raining? We were very excited to go paragliding, but will that be closed as well?

Thank You for your suggestions

James is either a geographer or an airplane driver -- nobody else knows about lapse rate.

Wow this is very bad news, as I have already booked a flight from paris to geneva and a train ride from geneva to interlaken. It seems I have made an unfortunate mistake in planning. Does anyone recommend other locations to go to from interlaken?

Head north. Do every bit of the Rhine until you get to the Mosel, then hang a left.

Do not dispair. You should be fine if you just stay at lower elevation, where spring has begun. Lauterbrunnin is low enough, but may be shaded by the high cliffs (where Muerren is).

Or you might look at the town of Brienz, on the lake (Brienzersee) a short trip from Interlaken. Or stay in Interlaken and daytrip up to Wengen for views if you get a nice day. WEngen faces more south and gets more sun than Gimmelwald.

I see that the Grandhotel Giessbach, across the lake from Brienz, opens April 17, so that is an indication that the season has opened at it will be nice. You might take a look:

www.giessbach.ch

I'm not suggesting you stay there, but iy is worth a visit to see the waterfalls and maybe have lunch.

A gloomy day in Gimmelwald, Muerren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen is better (to me) than a sunny day in my hometown ANY day!

Great pix, but it looks to me like there's a lot of snow up there in your photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/spdickey/Hallstatt?authkey=Gv1sRgCM6n8d-JsKbJVg&feat=directlink#5335418933362119890

http://picasaweb.google.com/spdickey/Hallstatt?authkey=Gv1sRgCM6n8d-JsKbJVg&feat=directlink#5335419492329204834

Thanks, Chris---I love those webcams. It looks like it was 2 degrees and dreary there (in Mürren) today.