Can anyone give me some suggestions for an itinerary for a May trip to the Bernese Oberland? We (group of 4 adults) will leave Milan and spend 3 nights before traveling back to Milan. We were thinking of staying in Lauterbrunnen. First visit advice would be appreciated. Would love to hike if time permits.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Janis, Transportation between Milan and Lauterbrunnen is fairly easy. My preference would be the train departing Milano Centrale at 07:28, arriving Interlaken Ost at 10:28 (one change in Spiez). From Interlaken you can transfer to the local Berner Oberland train for the 20-minute (or so) trip to Lauterbrunnen. On the return journey, there's a train departing Interlaken Ost at 13:29, arriving Milano Centrale at 16:38 (again, one change in Spiez). There are numerous other trains on that route, but I used minimal changes as the criteria. Note that schedules are subject to change, but I doubt they'll change significantly. You could stay either in Lauterbrunnen or Murren. For sightseeing options in that area, I'd suggest having a look at the Switzerland Guidebook, as it lists numerous hiking and other options. I've never been in that area in May, but assume it will be reasonably warm. Happy travels!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
We have stayed at the Hotel Silberhorn in the first days of June. It was wonderful. Very close to the train station. The Hotel Staubbach is a bit higher rated on www.tripadvisor.com and is less expensive but we really liked the Silberhorn and their restaurant. The weather was just great. Note that as you book your train tickets to Switzerland from Italy, the Italian agents cannot see Lauterbrunnen or Murren on their screen. They can see Interlaken Ost. Simply purchase your tickets to Interlaken Ost and when you arrive, go into the small train station there and purchase your tickets for the remainder of your journey. The Jungfraubahn train departs from track 2A every 30 minutes for the 20 minute run into Lauterbrunnen. If you are planning of traveling into the Lauterbrunnen/Muerrren area in early May, check with your hotel to see if they are open. Some may be closed for the transition from skiing to summer tourism (known as Shoulder Season). Also, hiking trails could be very muddy from the snow run-off from higer up.
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
I was in the Berner Oberland this weekend. We stayed in Kandersteg which has tons of hiking. We also did a quick day tour of Adelboden which has even more hiking (skiing right now) even over to Lenk. The hikes are 30min to 7-8 hours. These towns have tons of charm. You can get on the town websites for maps of the hiking areas.