Gimmelwald in late May?

I've been there a little earlier. Cloudy, stormy weather can strike in the Alps at any time of the year, particularly in May. Other than trying to get their in the morning, there isn't that much you can do to avoid it.

We were there just this May (late) and hiked to Gimmelwald. The weather was perfect --we stayed in Wengen and loved it. Lots of hotels in Murren were still closed. Trip up to Jungfrau was good with sunny weather but reports on weather at the Schiltorn were not good so we did not make that trip.

We were there in mid-May last year, and I too, had the same question as you and did alot of research trying to find the answer! My conclusion - May in Switzerland can really go either way. It's a chance you are taking. We happened to get good weather (not great, but good) and had pretty good views from the Schilthorn. It seems that I found half the people who have been there in May had good weather, the other half didn't. You're just going to have to decide if it's a risk you want to take...but I do think your odds are a lot better being late May than early May.

I was there May 19-22 of this year. The weather forecast called for snow during our stay and the live cams showed lots of snow a week before our arrival. When we got there it was 4 beatufiul, crystal-clear days with highs in the 70s. There was just a little snow in patches on some of the more shady paths. It was very slow and we saw very few people, which we love. We stayed in Muerren because Gimmelwald was just a little too slow for that time of year. We hiked down to Gimmelwald and found tuplips and wildflowers everywhere. Muerren had one fantastic restaurant open and the CoOp. The Hotel Eiger opened on our last day. It was a wonderful time to go but the funicular was closed.

We were in Switzerland the week after Tommy and the funicular was operating. The wild flowers were beautiful and the melting snow created fantastic waterfalls. We were there six days and did a different hike each day--bought cheese at the cheese hut in Gimmelwald--a highlight of one of our hikes. The Mannleichen Lift opened the day before we left.

"It seems that I found half the people who have been there in May had good weather, the other half didn't. You're just going to have to decide if it's a risk you want to take...but I do think your odds are a lot better being late May than early May." That pretty much applies to the Alps as a whole at anytime of year. So I think here's the lesson: hope you lucky during your visit, but plan for stormy weather, just in case.

We stayed in Murren for 3 nights on the 31st of May through 2nd of June this year. The weather was great in Murren and Gimmelwald, and also at Jungfrauhoch. We went up to the Schilthorn but there was a lot of fog and clouds and we did not enjoy the view very much. Most of the hotels and restaurants in Murren were still closed, but the restaurant in the Eiger Hotel across from the Bahnhof was open (if you like beer, try the local "cloudy" beer that they sell there!). But the Co-Op grocery store was open, as was the Chinese/Thai restaurant next to the Co-Op.

Penn

Thank you everyone for the info! We will either be there the week before Memorial Day or the week following. Sounds like we have a decent chance for good weather. Fortunately, we have several days to spend there (In case of a day of bad weather). It's also good to know that things will still be quiet - we prefer it that way. :)