Shoulder season in Lauterbrunnen

All of my trips to the region have been in October. In all of the mountain villages, there will be at least one hotel/B&B that is open. But most of the shops and restaurants will be closed, and even the grocery stores will be operating at very reduced times. The villages will still have spectacular views, and be very peaceful BUT they will feel like ghost towns. Personally I find it a bit spooky so I stay in Interlaken. If you feel this could limit your enjoyment then stay in Interlaken. Interlaken is a bit touristy, but it is also a great transportation hub; and staying there isn't the end of the world. In terms of crowds at the major sites; Jungfrau is still very popular this time of year(lot of locals)and the trains up to the top were mostly full. At the observation deck on top, there was lots of room to spread out. The Schiltorn was completely deserted and I had the observation area to myself! Trails at the moderate elevations like Kleiene Scheidegg/Gimewald/Murren will still be open for hiking anything higher could be snowed in. I'm going taking my fourth trip to the area the third week in October; can't wait!!!!!!

To be in Lauterbrunnen, Muerren, Wengen, Gimmelwald without hordes of tourists sounds very appealing to me. I love the area and have NEVER had a need to go to Interlaken other than to change trains or catch a boat to Brienz or Thun.

I admit, it was nice to be virtually alone in Gimmelwald in April of 2006- but there was no place to sleep there, Murren or Lauterbrunen. And the only source of food was the cafe by the cable car station in Murren. So, staying in Interlaken is sometimes the only option. In it's defence, Interlaken is a nice town, it just doesn't offer the same thrills a mountain village can provide.

Rob, I just tried to answer your message, but it kept telling me to sign in. I was signed in. It just kept going round and round.
We loved the hotel Staubbach. We voted it the best and friendliest staff. It was very clean. It had the best book exchange in all our travels. We have stayed all over and like staying in Lauterbrunnen the best. If for any reason you need to move to Interlaken just do it. But not until after you feel you need to. We never get tired of hiking and walking. Jack hikes, I walk. A good beginners walk is from Mannlichen to Kliene Schidegg. We had a great bowl of soup with brown bread at the restaurant above the train station. One year we did the reverse walk and missed the last cable car back. Don't think about doing that. We were so lucky to find a worker enjoying his beer that drove us down.

It is difficult to know what to do with the weather. One of the couples checked the web site for Schilthorn and saw it was clear. Clouds moved in. No vi

Per another similar post, I messaged our favorite Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen just last week on this subject. They informed me that they will close from Oct 21 - Dec. 20 for shoulder season. They also indicated that most of the mountain villages close down as well. It was reported that the restaurant across from the Chalet Fontana (name escapes me) is open all year round. We had lunch there. Very good. You might also check with the Hotel Silberhorn in Wengen (not related to the one in Lauterbrunnen) and the Hotel Staubbach.

Stager Stubli (restaurant across from Chalet Fontana)

Hi Rob,
We stayed 4 nights in Wengen at the Hotel Eiger in mid Oct. (a while ago). While everything may not be open, there were enough places doing business that we didn't feel like we were limited. During the day it was quite busy (people on the way to/from Jungfraujoch trip), but very peaceful at night. Had a fantastic time and would go again during October in a minute.

Paul

I know through correspondence that the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald will be open in November when I'll be there, so I'm sure they'll be open in October.

I'm very much looking forward to going!

Their website: http://www.mountainhostel.com/

Sounds like we'll be in good shape early Oct. with some things staying open. I don't want it to be a ghost town but we're OK with a little quiet time too. I'm willing to sacrifice a couple of closed establishments for a good view and pleasant Hotel experience. Thanks for all the replies so far.

Another quick question: We'll be travelling to the Lauterbrunnen region on a Sunday. I know most things close down but what about the rail system? I assume that stays open, right?

Trains run on a full schedule 7 days a week. Most shops are open on Sundays, but no matter where you are in Switzerland (big cities or small towns), all stores close at 6pm everyday. This doesn't sound like a big deal on paper, but coming from the 24 hour convenience culture of the US, it does take a bit of adjustment when your traveling around Switzerland.

The stores also close for the two hours for lunch. We always managed to hit Murren at lunch time. That is where we do our major shopping. Watch what you buy. I bought a lovely painted cow in the "all Swiss" store and got it home to find out it was made in????? you guessed it, China! My own fault, but don't let it happen to you!