Interlaken, Gimmewald

I've been there slightly earlier. Yes, it is generally foggy, muddy, smelly (the farmers spread "natural" fertilizer over the pastures during this period), and most of the businesses in the mountain villages are closed. Businesses in Interlaken remain open, though. I would say don't go out of your way to visit the Berner Oberland at this time of year.

Good to know, is there somewhere else in Switzerland you would recommend visiting in switzerland at this time of year? We haven't been there and would like to go.

thank

Lindsay

Lucerne is a lovely city with lots of history, great museums, churches and the lake (with opportunities to take boat tour and a gondola ride up to the top of a nearby mountain).

Lindsey,

In my experience, conditions can change from year-to-year, depending on weather or other factors.

If I were heading to the Berner Oberland in May, I'd probably send an E-mail to one of the B&B's or whatever, to get some sense of expected conditions during the time I was planning to be there.

You could also base yourself in Interlaken and take day trips to the Berner Oberland area (Lauterbrunnen, Murren and of course a trip to the Schilthorn / Piz Gloria). The weather should be reasonably nice at that time of year, so if you're interested in "adventure sports" that would be a good opportunity.

Happy travels!

I've been in May several times. If you want to hike then it might be muddy. Have you ever been to these villages? If not you might have the misconception that they are totally without any pavement. In actuality they have roads and paved walkways. So they will not be muddy. Smelly? I've never noticed anything unpleasant. However, it is a farmland so you if are standing next to a barn full of cows or horses then I guess you might be able to smell the manure. Otherwise, don't worry about it. It's the most beautiful region I've ever seen...and I'm NOT including Interlaken in that statement. Interlaken is a town that's best used for a convenient railway hub.

I am going to be in Gimmelwald May 13-15 and I am crossing my fingers that it will be sunny and maybe 50S-60S for temp midday. I really hope I don't end up with rain and fog the whole time. Does anyone know about whether I will be able to get good views this time of year or is it constant raining? I noticed there are some paved hiking trails around the Wengen area so that would take care of the mud......

Head up to the mountains early in the day to increase your chances of good views. But there's no guarantee. Storms are frequent in the spring, they move in within minutes, and once a storm hits, visibility goes down to about 50 feet.

Thank you so much for your replies! I've decided to stay in gimmewald for 2-3 nights, my train gets in at Interlaken Ost at 1757, how long does it take to get up to Gimmewald? I haven't been to this area, and the pictures look unbelievable, and I live right by the Rocky mountains,but it's just not the same! We aren't planning on doing any strenous hikes in the mud, just some exploring. Thanks for the advice

Lindsay

It can take as little as 20 minutes to get from Interlaken to Gimmelwald, but 1-2 hours is more likely.

Is 1-2 hours to Gimmewald hiking? or does the train really takes that long?

The two hours I quoted would include waits for a train and cable car connection, if you missed one. Take that as a worst case scenario.

Luzern is a lovley city, lots of great scenery and the lake and old town are very interesting, I was there in May and it was gorgeous. Zurich is a fun city for a day or so, plenty to do and see and doable before Luzern which is a couple of house away by train.
Interlaken in my opinion is very overated. Try Luterbrunnen, aa gre,at option for viiting Muuren and Vengen, really pretty senery though I was only there at Christma.
BTW I bought a swiss saverpass, well worth it.
Hope this helps and enjoy you trip!

The trip from Interlaken to Gimmelwald should not take more than an hour. The Swiss train website shows the journey to be 55 minutes.

You take the Jungfraubahn train from track 2A in the Interlaken Ost train station to Lauterbrunnen (20 min). It runs every hour during the day. For Gimmelwald, you need to take the post bus to Stechelberg (12 min). The bus stop is directly across the street from the train staion in front of the post office and TI. At Stechelberg, the bus stops at the gondola station. At Stechelberg, you take the 5 minute gondola ride to Gimmelwald (almost straight up). The gondola runs every half hour during the day.

...and those connections are timed perfectly when transferring from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg to Gimmelwald. So be prepared to NOT waste time when it's time to change trains or connect to buses or gondolas.

One note though- the gondola to Gimmelwald is often closed around the spring shoulder season for annual maintenance. During this period, you have to take a shuttle van from Murren (or you can walk).

Lindsay,

Some further information on maintenance on the Schilthornbahn. This was listed on the website for one of the Hotels in Gimmelwald:

"Important: For a 7-10 day period during late April the Schilthornbahn cable car Stechelberg-Gimmelwald-Muerren is closed for maintenance - please check the schilthornbahn website for exact dates. The Schilthornbahn provides an alternative but limited service to Gimmelwald using other transport."

Cheers!

We were there in mid-May, 2006 and stayed in Lauterbrunnen. Murren was virtually closed. There was no mud where we were. Trummelbach Falls was open. The Jungfraujoch was awesome. Advice: go, don't cut it.
Have a great trip.

I arrived in G'wald on May 26 and it was absolutely lovely - and untouristed. BUT many of the lifts didn't open until June, which meant my hiking possibilities were reduced - that would be my concern more than the weather.