Hotel, B&B & Transportation in Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen area

A lot depends on what you intend to see. If you plan on going up to the Jungfraujoch on one side of the valley and up to Gimmelwald and Murren and maybe the Schilthorn on the other side of the valley, then perhaps a central location like Lauterbrunnen is appropriate. It's the starting place to go up either side of the valley. I don't mean to take anything away from staying in Wengen or Murren but that places you up on one side of the valley.

I recommend the Hotel Silberhorn (www.silberhorn). It's a bit more money but a great place to stay with a great restaurant. However, Rick Steves likes the Hotel Staubbach. The Hotel Staubbach is also #1 on www.tripadvisor.com. Its less expensive and many of this site really like it. However, when I see "charming" and "rustic", it tells me something.

If you are not going up to the mountain tops, you might consider P2P tickets for getting around. for 2 days, it should be less than any pass. Train travel in Switzerland is not cheap so you might consider a pass or card anyway. If you are going up the Jungfraujoch, I recommend a Swiss Pass or Card. One card you might consider is the Swiss 1/2-fare card. It costs 99CHF and is good for 30 days. All fares are 1/2 off. You can buy it at any train station. Just going up to the Jungfraujoch will almost pay for it. Note that it will take you 2hrs to take the train up to the Jungfraujoch and 2hrs to come back down. But, its really worth it if you have the time.

I second Larry's suggestions-well put! Staying in Lauterbrunnen makes good sense if you are visiting both sides of the mountain, plus if you have to leave early on the 29th, leaving from Lauterbrunnen will save the additional time of coming down from either side. You'll have to check the train times to see how early you'll need to leave from Lauterbrunnen to get to Bern.

We've stayed at the Hotel Staubbauch and I too was a little worried by the "rustic and charming" description as I envisioned staying in a log cabin. It was not close to that in my opinion and was quite comfortable. If staying there, I'd recommend the splurge for a room with the waterfall views for the extra cost. Breathtaking in the morning when you wake up! Here's the link: http://www.staubbach.ch

We also went up to Jungfrau and Schilthorn while there and thoroughly enjoyed both. For late April I would make sure and check the weather before heading up as not much to see if cloudy. You'll need to weigh this possibility of not going up to either as you decide what type of rail purchases (pass, card, p2p) to purchase. The savings are significant if you get to use one of these going up to either.

Enjoy!

Jed

THX this is good info.
From wah I can tell the Schilthorn is closed for maintenence while we are there (April 27 and 28) at least from Gimelwald. Is there another way up?
It looks like the restarant is closed there as well.
Would this change any of the plans you gave me?
Clint

I agree with all of the above.

If the Schilthorn is closed, its probably 100% closed.

Checking the weather is a good suggestion. We went up to the Jungfrauhoch in mid-May 2006 and had to wait at Kleine Scheidegg for track maintenance. One could visibly see the clouds move away from the mountains and it was perfect weather when we got to the top.

The Hotel Staubbach is a good option. Its within walking distance of Trummelbach Falls.

We had a Swiss Saver Pass and saved alot on the Jungfrauhoch tickets.

If the cable car is closed, the only way to the top is to hike. But this time of the year it's likely that the trails near the peak are still covered by a couple of feet of snow. Even if the trails are clear, the building at the the peak will probably be closed.

Clint, with your time contstriants it would have been a stretch doing both the Schilthorn and the Jungfrau anyway. There's a handy bus that goes between Lauterbrunnen and Trummlebach falls. I agree with everyone that Lauterbrunnen makes the most sense, and I've stayed at the Hotel Staubbach and loved it!