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Hello!
I am planning a trip to Switzerland this September and I’m really in a dilemma as to whether I should stay in Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. After reading extensive reviews here and on other pages, I have decided on Grindelwald. Any comments or alternative recommendations will be very much appreciated!
All the train timings given are sourced from http://www.bahn.de. We aren’t planning on hiking or skiing, may do some easy/moderate hiking though!
14 Sept – Leaving in the early morning from Colmar to Grindelwald by train (4hr20min). Rest of the day explore Grindelwald (any activities or must-sees?)
15 Sept – Bus/train down to Murren area and do the Murren Loop (referenced from another comment on the site!): Murren Loop (cable carring and cog railing up to Murren, cable car to Schilthorn, cable car back down but to Stechelberg this time, visit Trummelbach Falls then yellow Postbus back to Lauterbrunnen.
Will there be enough time to do this and return to Grindelwald in a day?
16 Sept – Grindelwald
17 Sept – Train to Lucerne, explore Lucerne for the day
18 Sept – Mt Rigi trip, Lake Lucerne
19 Sept – Lucerne
20 Sept – Leave for Innsbruck in the early morning
Also, which Swiss pass do you reckon will be best for this itinerary?
Many thanks!
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Hi Elizatyx,
Welcome to the website! We usually get the train times directly from the Swiss railways here, but bahn.de (which is the German railways) may work fine as well.
September 14: I don’t know which type of activities you’re looking for, but Grindelwald itself mainly consists of hotels, shops, restaurants and chalets. There’s no sightseeing or anything like that. You can swim, play tennis, do other sports. The main attraction here is the overwhelming surroundings of the village, where one can hike, bike, just admire the views, etc. No skiing in Summer though. That’s for Winter only (from December, usually). So you would leave the village to really do/see something. The Glacier Gorge is just outside the village and may well fit your plans for this afternoon. See the Grindelwald page for more about the village, activity suggestions, hotels and more.
September 15: There’s plenty of time to do this in one day. If you want to see even more of the area, you can travel to Lauterbrunnen by taking the cable car from Grindelwald Grund to Männlichen, then the cable car down to Wengen, and finally a train to Lauterbrunnen. On the way back, you can use the regular trains via Zweilütschinen.
As for the pass: either an 8-day Swiss Pass or a 4/5-day Swiss Flexi Pass could work for you. See the pass pages for all details, and this page for how to choose. Validity of the passes starts at the border, so you only need a ticket for the French and Austrian legs of your inbound and outbound trips.
Hi Elizatyx,
Have you been able to choose a base town and rail pass? Feel free to post back here if you need further help.
Hi Arno!
Many thanks for your reply 🙂
Yes we will be staying in Grindelwald for 3 nights and Lucerne for 2, traveling down from Colmar and stopping in Interlaken for 3-4 hours before heading to Grindelwald on our first day.
For now, we have decided on getting the 4-days Swiss Pass (we don’t need a flexi pass since we will be using them in consecutive days) for our 2nd-5th day in Grindelwald and Lucerne, and purchasing pt-to-pt tickets separately for arrival (Colmar-Basel-Interlaken-Grindelwald) & departure (Lucerne to Innsbruck).
Does this plan sound sound to you?
Hi Elizatyx,
This sounds very well! The only thing I can add is that you may want to reconsider spending time in Interlaken. It’s not a typical sightseeing town, but if you go there for souvenir hunting you’ve found the right place. Bern would be an option too. It’s a much prettier city and also on your route.
Be sure to keep an eye on our Swiss Pass price and promotion overviews. We’ll update those pages as soon as there are changes, new promos, etc.
Hi Arno,
Yes we were planning for a 3-4 hours stopover at Interlaken before going down to Grindelwald, and if it’s not enough we’ll stop by there again before heading up to Lucerne!
There has been a slight change in plans – someone else is joining the trip and we’ve decided to drive instead of taking trains everywhere. Is it advisable for us to drive down to Grindelwald and use the car to get to Lauterbrunnen & the surrounding areas for our 2 day trips or park at Interlaken and take the public transport down?
Also, what swiss pass do you think is more suitable then if we’re driving, since we won’t benefit from rail coverage between the cities now?
With the car, we could possibly stop at Bern for a few hours (maybe up to 1pm+) and then another few hours in Interlaken, up to evening time, then driving to Grindelwald – how long do you recommend for Bern and Interlaken? Flexible to change our itinerary and maybe stop by Interlaken another day if Bern requires more time.
Many thanks for your help Arno!
Hi Elizatyx,
If you’re traveling by car I would park near the accommodation you have in Grindelwald, and leave it there until you go to Lucerne. There’s isn’t really much you can do in the Jungfrau region with a car. You can indeed drive to Lauterbrunnen, and to Interlaken, but that’s about it. The rest of the area is car free and only accessible by cogwheel trains, cable cars, etc. A Jungfrau VIP Pass or Jungfrau Railways Pass covers traveling. The Swiss Half Fare Card is an alternative. It depends on what you will do during those days, so I recommend to read the linked pages and choose the one that best fits your plans.
A stop in Bern is more interesting than Interlaken, although the stop is much easier by train. By car you will have to drive into the rather busy town center and find a paid parking place.
Have been to the Berner Oberland four years in a row, and am headed there again in a few weeks. Grimmelwald is better than Lauterbrunnen, but Wengen is more authentic and has better views.
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