Lauterbrunnen to Schilthorn

"...its the time of the year when, the farmers are walking their famous Swiss cows with their great cow bells up to higher pastures..."

It's called "transhumance".

Yes, at the train station in Lauterbrunnen.

Thank you- Now just to find a hotel- looking at Hotel Staubbach- any other suggestions would be appreciated. We are going in May 2010 and would like one with a restaurant also a view of the falls.

Just a note about buying train tickets. You can buy train tickets to any Swiss destination at any Swiss train station anywhere in the country.

When you say you want to buy tickets to the Schilthorn...the Schilthorn is connected via gondola to the seamless public transport system of Switzerland. So it's just like buying a train ticket from one city to another instead of thinking of it as buying an entrance ticket to a museum at the museum's ticket booth. Theoretically you could land in Zurich Airport and buy a train ticket all the way from the airport to the Schilthorn if you wanted.

FYI, if you're going to be using public transport in Switzerland then it might be beneficial to look into some sort of Swiss Pass for your Swiss journies. A Swiss Pass will let you travel all around the country and while in Lauterbrunnen the Pass will take you from Lauterbrunnen->Muerren for 100% free. From Muerren on up to the Schilthorn you'll get a 50% reduction. Also kids <16 years old travel for free on the public transport...something to keep in mind if that pertains to you.

Since you must pass through Muerren to get to the Schilthorn why not stay in Muerren? There are many nice hotels with eye-popping scenery. My favorite place is the rustic Chalet Fontana with Denise as your hostess. (www.chaletfontana.ch) If you want something a bit more upscale try the Hotel Blumental or the Hotel Alpenruh which sits right next to the gondola station that takes you up to the Schilthorn. If you choose the Alpenruh then you can choose to take your breakfast for free at the Schilthorn...the bfast is free not the gondola ticket.

It's a good idea to wait until the day of your trip to buy a ticket to Schilthorn. The top can be cloudbound in which case you might dcide not to go up.

We went up as high as Murren and the ticket seller in Murren for the Schilthorn tram persuaded us that we wouldn't be able to see anything from the top. We had a nice day walking around Murren instead and then walked down to Gimmelwald on the paved path.

Good point about not buying tics to go up to Schilthorn ahead of time. We were just there in May and while we had perfect weather for our visit to the Jungfrau, Schiltorn was shrouded in clouds the entire time. The train station (Wengen, but others probably have this too) shows current weather conditions on the high alps to help you with your decision on going up--it is expensive but with the Swiss Rail Pass there is a discount. I have read positive reviews on Hotel Staubbach but you will have better views in Murren.

http://www.stechelberg.ch/cam/cam.htm

live webcam of Stechelberg in Lauterbrunnen Valley, just so lovely

We stayed at the Valley Hostel for 6 nights. It has a shared kitchen. Very clean and short walking distance from the train station.

Ask for a room upstairs facing the mountains.

http://www.valleyhostel.ch/pages/en/home.php?lang=EN

Shelley, the Hotel Staubbach is RS' favorite in Lauterbrunnen. It's also highly rated on www.tripadvisor.com. It's inexpensive. However, our favorite is the Hotel Silberhorn (www.silberhorn.com). It's a bit more expensive and thus not in the RS book. Ask for the new annex. It does have the best restaurant in the valley (IMO) and the restaurant is in the RS book. You can see pictures of the restaurant and menu on their website. It's about 500 feet from the train station. You are very close to the gondola station to Grutschalp (on the way to Murren). You cannot see the falls from the Hotel Silberhorn but I think you can from the Hotel Staubbach.

If you are going in late May, its the time of the year when, the farmers are walking their famous Swiss cows with their great cow bells up to higher pastures. Many go right in front of the Hotel Silberhorn as one of the trails for the farmers is adjacent to the hotel.

Also in late May, you can walk down to Gimmelwald from Muerren on a backroad. The wildflowers in the alps will be in full bloom. We were there in the first days of June and we were able to see all of this.

As Peter said, best to wait until the day you want to go before purchasing tickets because it can be cloudbound on top. Good advice. However, keep in mind that just because it may be cloudbound in Lauterbrunnen or Murren, that doesn't mean it is cloudbound on Schilthorn. Schilthorn is over 2000 meters above Lauterbrunnen and over 1300 meters above Murren (6000'+ & 4000' respectively). Thus, those towns can be in the clouds while Schilthorn is above the clouds with spectacular above-the-clouds views. So check on views from the top if it is cloudy in Lauterbrunnen or Murren.

There are monotors showing live video of the summit at the base of the lifts. Sechelberg and Murren both have monitors showing the conditions at Piz Gloria - the top of Schilthorn.

The TV stations also show live summit cams in the morning.

We just stayed there this week....at the Hotel Staubbach. We loved it, it was a great location, and the staff are wonderful.

We had room number 4, which has the best balcony in the hotel...private, and huge! We sat out most nights and watched the falls....

We bought our tickets on the day we went up to Schilthorn. We took the trains/gondolas all the way up, but only to Murren on the way back. We then went to Gimmelwald (which I highly recommend) for a picnic lunch, then took a funicular up to Allen-something, and did a hike down right through a cow field or two....the bells sounded like chimes..it was amazing.

we are not "real hikers" and still had a great time doing the "downhill" ones...but be warned...we were sore for a couple of days, because some of the downhill is straight down a hill!

Happy planning..this was our favourite stop in our Europe trip. The Obeland Hotel had great meals too....

"funicular up to Allen-something..."

would that be Allmendhubel?

Tim, yes, that 's the funicular to Allmenhubel.

Thank you Tim...sorry, we are just finishing up our trip, and my brain no longer works!

Between too much food, too little sleep, and just the right amount of wine...I am not ready to return to the "real world" yet.....sigh...

you will be glad you stayed in Lauterbrunnen. I am her now, walk to everything and buy your tix at train station. acinch.