I will be traveling with one of my college roommates and are looking for a place to stay in the Berner Oberland. We are starting out in Interlaken and hoping to move up the mountains and stay one night in a mountain village. What towns and hostels (or CHEAP hotels) would you recommend? We're considering either Kleine Scheidegg or Murren.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Mark, I'd suggest having a look at the famous Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald. I've never stayed there, but spent some time there on a few occasions during my last visit to Gimmelwald, and all of the guests I spoke were very happy with the facilities at the Hostel. If you're starting out in Interlaken, you might have a look at Balmer's. It's also very highly rated (as you'll note on the website). With all of the Hostels in that area, I'd highly recommend pre-booking! Happy travels!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
258 posts
Balmer's is legendary: http://www.balmers.com/ Stayed there MANY yrs ago, when I was back-packing through Europe, and my understanding is that it's still going strong and is as good as ever. Central location, right in Interlaken, clean, you'll meet people from all over the world, etc. Very heavy "just graduated from college" crowd. This place is in Gimmelwald (Gimmelwald is more "rustic" and charming than Interlaken, is beautiful and un-spoiled, and Rick is a HUGE fan of it; waxes poetic about it in his Switzerland Guidebook and on his TV show):
http://www.mountainhostel.com/ You can't go wrong with either, and you're def off to 1 of Europe's most spectacular destinations. Have a blast.
Posted by
Naperville, IL, USA
296 posts
We went from the train directly to the local commerce office there and they showed us a few in our price range. The one we picked was nearby (I'm sorry but can''t recall the name) was run by a woman and her son, who by the way was on his way to Las Vegas. The rooms were clean and price was good. So there are bargains available you just have to do a little research.