[Anonymous]

12 October 2018 at 0:57:27 #818664

Hi All,

I am having a dilemma on where to set base for 4 nights (26 – 30 June 2019), either Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen? I am aware that they are very close to each other, but just can’t decide which would be a more convenient base. I am leaning towards Grindelwald, but if I have to keep going over to the Lauterbrunnen side, I might as well base myself there instead.

The activities we plan on doing on the days are (days are not set due to weather)

Day 1: First activities and explore Grindelwald

Day 2: Panoramaweg trail from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg then to Jungfraujoch

Day 3: Oeschinen Lake day trip

Day 4: Explore Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Gimmelwald

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[User]

Reply 1 of 9 • 12 October 2018 at 7:13:39 #897786

Hi Claudetteee,

It really is a wash I think. Grindelwald is better for day 1 and Lauterbrunnen better for day 4. Both towns are equal location-wise for day 2 and 3 though.

Perhaps base it on a hotel you find and like? 🙂

• http://www.myswissalps.com/gr indelwald/hotels
• http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/hotels

If you’d like to check schedules for trains and cable cars etc you can use the Swiss railways timetable here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

[User]

Reply 2 of 9 • 13 October 2018 at 0:26:42 #897787

Grindelwald is larger and more commercial than Lauterbrunnen ( or Wengen or Mürren).

The cableway up to First is across the street from the Hotel Sunstar Alpine.

http://www.google.com/maps/pl ace/Grindelwald,+Switz erland/@46.6234434,8.0 444458,17z/data=!4m5!3 m4!1s0x478f9eab18c7921 7:0xbfaa5c0f42972f65!8 m2!3d46.624164!4d8.041 3962

Slowpoke

[AlanPrice]

Reply 3 of 9 • 13 October 2018 at 7:05:13 #897788

Hi,

My preference is for Grindelwald, but as already noted, your chosen destinations make either town viable. Lauterbrunnen, being deep in a valley, doesn’t have the same vistas as Grindelwald, but that is really only my personal opinion. Both places are spectacular.

Alan

[User]

Reply 4 of 9 • 13 October 2018 at 22:29:37 #897789

We just came back from a great vacation in Switzerland. Our base was Wengen. Grindelawald and Lauterbrunnen are both beautiful, I think you can do more stuff from Lauterbrunnen, is more central. Our view from Wengen was the Jungfrau, priceless.

I

[User]

Reply 5 of 9 • 13 October 2018 at 22:49:13 #897790

Hi Claudetteee-

Oeschinensee is very nice, especially on a clear day with the reflections in the lake.

However, if I were doing it, with your short visit, personally, I’d stick to the Jungfrau region. It is much larger and grander, and it has more things to do and see than you can visit in 2 or 3 days.

For example Schilthorn, or Lake Thun, or the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn.

Slowpoke

[kim11]

Reply 6 of 9 • 14 October 2018 at 3:25:59 #897791

I agree with Slowpoke, I would not advise to take an entire day away from the BO to travel all the way to Oeschinensee and back. A cruise on Lake Brienz will take your breath away. And it’s right there.

After 21 trips to the region my personal preference for base is Wengen. The views are jaw-dropping and it is a quintessential Swiss Alpine village. Grindelwald is much larger with lots of traffic. Lauterbrunnen is fine but is deep in the valley without the stunning mountain views. You can easily do everything you have outlined from a Wengen base.

[Danielsan]

Reply 7 of 9 • 14 October 2018 at 15:57:32 #897792

Hi Claudetteee,

I just spent 3 nights in Wengen last month. I don’t think it matters where you stay, but I echo kim11 in that Wengen is beautiful. It is close enough to Lauterbrunnen (15 min. by train) that you can make plans to do almost anything you may want to. From Lautrbrunnen, train to Interlaken is less that a half hour and that is like a hub to do many more things, like the two lakes, Harder Kulm, etc. I was unfortunately victimized by bad weather and never got to Grindelwald, as I wanted to hike and see Grindelwald First cliff walk. I’m glad I stayed in Wengen, as it is breathtaking, and it is pretty centrally located for the area. It is a car-free village also and, again, just stunning to see. There is just so much to see and do in the area that wherever you do stay is going to be beautiful. Happy travels, and enjoy your trip.

Danielsan

[User]

Reply 8 of 9 • 16 October 2018 at 23:59:58 #897793

Thank you all for your responses!

Out of curiosity, exactly how far is Oeschinensee from Grindelwald? – to my knowledge it was an hour and 45 minutes away, but please correct me if I am wrong.

One of the reasons why I wanted to go Oeschinensee, other than the beautiful lake of course, was because of the toboggan. Are there other toboggans as impressive with similar views in the Jungfrau region?

[User]

Reply 9 of 9 • 17 October 2018 at 6:33:05 #897794

Hi Claudetteee,

It is about 1 hour 50 min to Kandersteg and then a 15 minute walk or so to the cable car to Lake Oeschinen and then a 25 minute hike to the lake. So your time adds up quickly.

The timetable link I gave you on my first post can be used to find travel times for any destination.

There are many other toboggans around Switzerland, some with similar mountain views. Have a look here: http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en/tin-toboggans.html