The Alps

We stayed a week in Lauterbrunnen (BO) and a week in the Lake Luzern area last Sept. The Bernese Oberland was glorius. It even tied Italy as our favorite place in Europe. We rented an apartment and traveled by train all over the Bernese Oberland portion of the Alps. I highly recommend it..
Kathryn

We spent five days in Muerren and 3 days in Milan last September and really enjoyed the area. We spend a day at Bellagio and that was very enjoyable - we took a ferry from Varenna to Bellagio. If you like beautiful scenery and walking and hiking then the Lauterbrunnen Valley is the best place to visit. You could spend some days at Lake Como (Varenna or Bellagio) which is lovely too. We just did a day trip. The highlight of our trip was Muerren though. We could have stayed there for another few days.

Marianne, We've taken two "big" (4 - 5 week) trips to Europe, and spent 4 nights in the Berner Oberland each trip. For both trips it was the one place we felt like we could have easily spent more time there and been very happy, and for both trips it was our favorite destination (out of Great Britain, Netherlands, Prague, Germany, Austria, Italy and France.)

Thank you for your replies. It sounds like the Berner Oberland is worth staying a at least 4 nights. I've heard raves about Gimmelwald, but Muerren sounds wonderful,too. Any thoughts on the surrounding countries' Alps? Also, did you use the train or car or both? Thank you again.

If you're going to travel in Switzerland then by all means do it by public transportation (Swiss Pass) if possible. Network of trains, gondolas, boats, buses is extensive. Also, if you decide to go the Swiss Alpine villages of Muerren, Gimmelwald, Wengen you can't get there by car - you must use public transport. Same goes for the Matterhorn in Zermatt...no cars allowed.

Marianne,
You will love the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and Muerren is perched right on the edge of the valley giving you fantastic views of the valley floor as well as the mountains. We were there in September and the weather was just perfect. The trails are great for walking/hiking and you are surrounded at every turn by great snowcapped peaks and beautiful green pastures. We also did a trip to the Schilthorn above Muerren and also the Jungfraujoch which is the other side of the valley and actually takes several hours total up and back but the veiws are worth it as is being at the top of the mountain.
We had a Swiss Rail Pass which served us well for that area because all the way to Muerren is free with the pass (and the cost can add up depending on how many times you journey up and down). The pass also gives you discounts on various journeys including the Schilthorn and the Jungfrau. I really recommend that area. We are thinking of going back again this year!You can google any of these places and check out the photos but nothing does it justice. It just takes your breath away when you see it.