Pros and cons? We have two nights, traveling by train, to explore- on the way from Murren to Vencie. Which town/city would be better to stay in? We want to hike and visit the cows, listen to their bells and embrace the beauty of the land, which we'll do much of in Murren, too.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Kellie, The best opportunities to "visit the cows, listen to their bells and embrace the beauty of the land" will be found in Mürren and the Berner Oberland, so you could extend your time there by a few days instead. If you did want to fit in one more location, either Lucerne or Lugano would be a good choice. Which one to choose will likely depend on which fits best with your overall travel route. I've been to both and would probably "lean" more towards Lucerne. There are so many things to do for sightseeing, both in the city and with day trips. Happy travels!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17432 posts
I would suggest Luzern, but not for the town itself. Travel beyond, by boat to Weggis and ride the cable car up Rigi. There are hotels at Rigi Kaltbad and other places on the mountain. Rigi iis laced with hiking trails across meadows, with views of the lake and mountains beyond. You can hear the sound on cowbells coming up from below, and also meet some on the trails. To continue on to Italy, take the cogwheel trail down the back side of Rigi to Arth-Goldau, where you catch the Train to Milan. Change there for the train to Venice.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17432 posts
To see photos of Rigi, check out the photo galleries on the Hotel Edelweiss website: http://www.edelweiss-rigi.ch/ go to Galleerie and click on one of the photos to open the slideshow
Posted by
OP
Laguna Niguel
41 posts
Is this Hotel Edelweiss the same one that is in Murren? If so, that's where we're staying for 3 nights. :) I'll check out the photos. Thanks!
Posted by
OP
Laguna Niguel
41 posts
Neat photos and not the same hotel Edelweiss, as they are two different locations. Duh. Thanks for the information!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Two of the best times for the cows with their melodic bells is Mid-May to early June as the farmers in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Gimmelwald and Muerren walk them up to higher pasture. My wife and I saw this during our stay in Lauterbrunnen in early June a couple of years ago. The second time period is when they walk them back down for the winter. Outside of the cows we saw being walked through the streets of Lauterbrunnen, the most cows we saw in the pastures were in Gimmelwald.