Bernese Oberland in May: good time to visit?
Aadi is planning a trip to Switzerland with his wife and daughter for the last two weeks of May. He is concerned about the potential closure of train routes and hiking trails in the Bernese Oberland, particularly Wengen or Mürren, and is seeking advice on whether to postpone the trip to a later date for better conditions.
- Consider moving your trip to mid-late June for better hiking options and clearer mountain views.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is useful for altering travel plans based on weather and can cover many attractions in the region.
- Some mountain routes may close in May, so check the opening dates and conditions before you go.
- Wengen offers stunning views and a quieter atmosphere compared to the more commercial Grindelwald.
AI-generated summary-
Hello All,
I am excited to be part of this wonderful forum.
I am planning to travel to Switzerland in the last 2 weeks of May 2019 with my wife and 10 year old daughter. We will be first going to Italy before coming to Switzerland. My plan is to stay in Lucerne for 2 nights and Bernese Oberland for 4 nights in one of the mountain villages – Wengen/Murren/lauterbrunnen.
However, after doing some research on Internet, it seems that May last week might not be a good time to visit the Bernese Oberland area as some of the train/cogwheel routes might be closed and walking/hiking trails might be difficult to find. Also, I am not sure if end of May weather is worse than other parts of the year for having a clear view of the mountains.
I would like your advice whether I should postpone my travel plans and if so, what is the earliest time to visit this region? June 2nd week? Getting long holiday in July/August is difficult for me. So, I need to plan well in advance.
Thanks a lot.
– Aadi
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Hi Aadi and welcome to MySwissAlps!
May has fine weather typically in Switzerland, but at higher elevations there is still snow around and it can bi difficult to hike. This is why some mountains close for maintenance work (between ski season and hiking season).
You can read more about the best times to visit Switzerland here: http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit
You can also check the moutain closing dates (if any) on our site here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/naturalsites/ mountains
Click the mountain of interest and then click the route tab to see any notes on closing dates.
If you’d like to do some hiking at higher altitudes (http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king) I’d try and move your trip to late June (as late as early October). But you certainly can find things to do in the Bernese Oberland region in May. http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es
The weather is always hit or miss. One of the many good things about a Swiss Travel Pass is your ability to alter plans based on the weather in a specific place. I would vote for late May or early June. Attractions like the Brienz Rothorn (Steam) Railway open in mid-May to Planalp, then early June open the rest of the way to the top of the mountain. This is an extraordinary trip we did a few years back (to Planalp), and plan to return in June 2019 to get the whole way to the top. We used the Swiss travel pass to go from Zurich to Interlaken Ost, then walk to the ferry and take a scenic trip to Brienz on the lake. (covered by the Swiss Pass) The Brienz Rothorn (Steam) Railway is a short walk from the ferry stop, and the Swiss Pass gets you half fare on the train.
Other regional suggestions include taking the train to Lauterbrunnen, then getting the Post Bus to Stechelberg and riding the tram up to Gimmelwald. (All covered with Swiss Pass). You can continue up to the Schilthorn, or stroll Gimmelwald towards Murren. There is a train that runs along the rim from Murren to Grutschalp, then a funicular back down to Lauterbrunnen. This is all covered by Swiss Pass though the part up to the Schilthorn has had off and on again Swiss Pass coverage. This is a spectacular venue.
Finally, one thing we have enjoyed is taking the train from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen – a no-cars town, also covered by the Swiss Pass. (If you continue to Kleine Scheidegg, this is not covered by Swiss Pass though some discount is offered.) Once in Wengen, take in the view of the valley and mountains. We liked to walk to a few outside benches by the Evangelisch reformierte Kirche Wengen and enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the valley. You can get there by walking along the Dorfstrasse to Buhl, I think it is about a 10 to 15 minute walk. Here are a few images of what I have described here in this post.
The photo’s are lovely and the information good. We too are planning to be in Switzerland in early June followed by Austria. We are a family of 4–2 teenagers and while there is so much to see and places to go, we are hoping to stay/rent a house in one place fairly central for about a week or so and do a few day trips. We arrive in Geneva for a couple of days, then wondering where to stay in Bernese Oberland area without the need for a car, then will head onto Zurich for a couple of days before heading to Austria.
While Thun & Spietz look beautiful and seemed like a fit, nearly all houses on the lake recommended a car, Wengen sounds beautiful, it might be too quiet for teens. Many say don’t stay in Interlakken, but instead in towns away from…all the information is great, but at times overwhelming. If a few towns to stay could be recommended, I would be very greatful. I understand that while not large, there is much to do in Switzerland & we can’t do it all and it is not our goal to spend 1-2 night in all the highlights just to say we’ve been there.
<<“then wondering where to stay in Bernese Oberland area without the need
for a car, then will head onto Zurich for a couple of days before
heading to Austria.
If a few towns to stay could be recommended, I would be very greatful. “>>
Wengen, Muerren, maybe Grindelwald ( more commercial).
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
If the cableway from Wengen to Maennlichen is running by the time you are there, take it up and spend some tome at Maennlichen.
Slowpoke
PS- Teenagers will complain munless they have constantly changing excitement. No way to fix that. ;-(
Slowpoke has some good suggestions. Also, I wouldn’t rule out Interlaken – between the lakes, it allows you to choose many close by options – Interlaken is central to Ferries on Lake Thun (ferry ride to Spierz and check out the castle) and Lake Brienz (From near Interlaken East and West Train stations)
And there’s Harder Kulm :
http://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/harder-kulm/
and short train rides to Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, and the other places listed by Slowpoke. Have stayed at Hotel Metropole in Interlaken, and loved their breakfast – had a room looking out to the Jungfrau. Without a car, if you want to explore the region, consider a hotel near the train station in whatever town you choose. You have many good choices, good luck.
As I understand, the general consensus is May is better avoidable. Mid-late June is probably the earliest time to visit these places (not considering the winter season)
I will try to postpone my trip but may not be possible. Also, July-Aug is difficult for me to take holidays because of work commitments. What is the alternative time? Is early Oct a good time to visit? What is the start and end time for the peak tourist season? I was hoping to avoid the peak tourist season if possible
Hi aadi007,
Have a read through my last post where I answer those questions for you.A link is posted for the the best time to visit Switzerland and talk about when to visit the Bernese Oberland region.
Peak tourist season is early July to early September, but May can still be good. 🙂
Hi Aadi007,
There is no need to avoid May, you just need to be prepared: it can be a great time, but it’s good to know about the limitations like higher hiking trails not being accessible (see Lucas’s first post). I went to Switzerland several times in May and enjoyed it a lot.
Hi aadi007,
<<“As I understand, the general consensus is May is better avoidable.
Mid-late June is probably the earliest time to visit these places (not
considering the winter season)”>>
You are more or less correct, but the timing depends a lot on what exactly you want to do.
I go every year in late May, but I stick to lower altitudes. At high altitudes, Arno’s and Lucas’ comments prevail. As long as you do not plan to do extensive hiking at altitudes above 2000 meters (more or less) , May is fine. You cn see, and ride public transport to the major tourist sites.
Schilthornbahn closes in April, and will be open in May.
schilthorn.ch/en/Infos /Timetable__and__Tarif f
Slowpoke
Thanks guys for your replies.
I will try to push my dates to mid-June. If not, is early October a good time or it will be too late?
I will probably have more queries about details once I finalize dates and the places to stay. So far, I am leaning towards Wengen or Grindlewald. Which one will be a good place to stay in late-May/early-June? I would like to have a quiet place with great views and decent connectivity but not totally deserted
Either town would be fine I think at that time. Again, it is more issues at higher altitudes (hiking and some mountain closures) that may affect your plans in late May.
<<“So far, I am leaning towards Wengen or Grindlewald. Which one will be a
good place to stay in late-May/early-June? I would like to have a quiet
place with great views and decent connectivity but not totally deserted”>>
There are some indicators for the “degree of desertedness.” 😉
A very nice traditional hotel, with an outstanding kitchen and a very Swiss high-end experience, is the Hotel Schoenegg in Wengen.
It closes on April 30th at the end of the ski season, and reopens on May 28th.
I stay there only once in a while, because it is more expensive than I usually like to pay . But, those dates give a clue to the pattern of activity. Other places are open all year. Wengen is a fairly small town at about 1300 meters. Especially compared to Grindelwald. It is sited to take advantage of striking views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Jungfrau. Snow will be pretty much completely gone by mid to late May.
Here is another clue. It is the schedule for the cableways from Grindelwald or from Wengen up to Männlichen in the Spring:
http://www.maennlichen.ch/en/ summer-timetable.html
Look carefully at the dates. From Grindelwald, regular service begins on May 26th, with the weekend of May 19th possible if the weather is good. From Wengen, regular service begins on June 1. The last day of the Summer season is October 21st.
A clue for trail conditions at about 2000-2300 meters is the condition of the trails at Männlichen.
A well known and beautiful easy walk with spectacular scenery is the one from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. The typical opening date is June 15th. That varies.
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
Part of it opens earlier, usually, but the part that goes around Tschuggen does not get much sun, and even if the trail is clear, there is danger of snow slides and ice on the trail at that point. That date varies a lot with the snow pack from the previous Winter. About 3 years ago, I was up there with my grandson on the day that the trail opened…maybe the 16th or or 15th of June. There was still a lot of snow all around. The weather forecast predicted a several hour break in the clouds, but it did not happen. So, we had a bite at the restaurant, went back down, and went to Brienz to buy a music box at Jobin ( well-know wood carvers’ store) for my granddaughter.
Grindelwald is substantially larger and more commercial…more stores, more places to stay, more restaurants… than Wengen.
This detailed topographical map shows altitudes:
Slowpoke
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