[Anonymous]

26 October 2019 at 0:40:27 #824305

Hello,

We will be traveling to Switzerland in May (7-23) and want to focus a good part of our trip on hiking. We are bringing friends who have never been to Switzerland and want them to see a good representation/variety of sceneries. We will begin in Lausanne region, spend a few days there (Gruyères, Terraces de Lavaux, Lac Léman, etc.) and perhaps day trip to the Valais. Then we would like to take the Golden Pass train route from Montreux towards Luzern, stopping somewhere on the way for several days to visit the Bernese Oberland. I am concerned/unsure about the weather there at this time of year and wish to find out more information on what is open/not open. I understand this time period is considered in some places (especially higher elevations) to be between the winter and summer seasons and therefore things like trails, restaurants, etc. will be closed. How do I reliably find out this information? And where would you suggest we base ourselves for exploring this region at this time of year? Would love a charming alpine accommodation in a quaint village where we can find choice of hiking trails (including trails that have one of those charming little restaurants with a terrace overlooking the mountains) but don’t know if this is unrealistic due to the weather/season constraints. Would somewhere like Kandersteg or Wengen not be advisable due weather/season, as well as accessibility (harder to access other areas without several train rides)? Have been to Grindelwald several times so would like to stay somewhere else, and don’t care for a larger and touristy city like Interlaken. Would appreciate any advice/recommendations regarding weather, seasonal closures and locations for accommodation–thank you!

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[Anna]

Reply 1 of 7 • 26 October 2019 at 6:01:11 #924213

Hi Stephanielau,

Welcome to MySwissAlps!

I can’t really say what the weather will be like in May but in most places in Switzerland it would be spring and the perfect weather for chasing butterflies and waterfalls! (for me, not necessarily for others:)). For a detailed description of the weather and how you can prepare yourself, please refer to the link below.

• Weather in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather

May is considered a shoulder season and some trails and mountain transportation in the higher elevations may still be closed. That can be frustrating but not a big deal as there are plenty of trails you can still hike in the lower elevations, in the valleys, along the lakes, offering equally beautiful views: https://www.myswissalp s.com/besttimetovisit. The “Getting there” tabs on each of our attraction pages (http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities) mention opening dates, so that will help you to check which activities are available.

Below are just a few hike suggestions you can do in the Bernese Oberland region in May. Most of these don’t require taking cable cars or mountain railways up the mountains:

• Lauterbrunnen Valley: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/lauterbrunnen-stechelberg
• Easy walk Lütschental – Grindelwald Grund: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/luetschental-grindelwaldgrund
• Giessbach Falls hike: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/giessbach-iseltwald
• Reichenbach Falls route: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/grossescheidegg-meiringen
• Walking around Frutigen: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/frutigen-reinisch-frutigen
• Lake hike Faulensee – Spiez: http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/faulensee-spiez
• Aare Gorge : http://www.aareschlucht.ch
• Oeschinensee: http://www.oeschinensee.ch/en /
• Ballenberg Open Museum: http://www.ballenberg.ch/en

Additionally you can find more hike options on this page, using the drop down menu and search button.

As for choosing a base, if you plan your activities across the Bernese Oberland region and not specifically in one area, I would suggest a place like Interlaken where there are regular trains and buses to get you around. Suggestions below:

• Interlaken hotels: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels
• Lauterbrunnen hotels: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/hotels
• Thun hotels: http://www.myswissalps.com/th un/hotels
• Search Bernese Oberland accommodation: http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/hotels

If you are considering getting a railpass, feel free to check out the various options that are available. The Regional Pass Bernese Oberland might be a good fit for your days in that region, but it won’t cover your activities in Lausanne and Lucerne. So a nation-wide pass might be better overall:

• Regional Pass Bernese Oberland: http://www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpassberneseoberl and
• Swiss railpass options: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw issrailpasses
• Choosing a railpass: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

Hope this has addressed some of your concerns.

Best regards,

Anna

[Mark]

Reply 2 of 7 • 27 October 2019 at 3:52:35 #924214

Hi Stephanielau

Unfortunately the high alpine trails in the Jungfrau region will most likely still have enough snow cover to be impassable. Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, the Eiger trail, Schynige Platte, and most of the trails out of First don’t open till mid June or sometimes later. It is possible that they have a very warm May and some of them might be passable. You can check at the local tourist office and your hotel concierge for up to date trail reports.

I would highly recommend staying in Wengen or perhaps Murren instead of Interlaken. They are car free and much more scenic and charming than Interlaken. Although not quite as convenient as Interlaken, Wengen is well situated to travel by train.

As Anna states the valley trails will likely be passable in mid May.

Mark

[User]

Reply 3 of 7 • 27 October 2019 at 23:49:05 #924215

Thank you Anna for all of this great information–I will check it out!

[User]

Reply 4 of 7 • 27 October 2019 at 23:55:07 #924216

Thank you Mark! I was thinking about Wengen but was worried that some of the town–restaurants, shops, trails, etc.–might be closed due to the period being between winter and summer high seasons. We would much rather stay in a charming, typical Swiss village accommodation over a larger town, and definitely do not want Interlaken. Was also a bit worried about Wengen being at a high enough elevation that we would not be able to take any trails from there. If that is the case, does it take a long time out of the day to go by train to another location/valley there in the Bernese Oberland (Lauterbrunnen, Kandersteg, etc.)?

[Mark]

Reply 5 of 7 • 28 October 2019 at 2:51:01 #924217

Wengen is only 1 stop away from Lauterbrunnen and Lauterbrunnen valley. Also 1 stop from Kleine Scheidegg and thus Grindelwald valley. It’s 4 stops from Interlaken Ost , less than an hour I would guess. Mark

[rockoyster]

Reply 6 of 7 • 28 October 2019 at 6:22:40 #924218

Hello Stephanie,

By far the best way to check timetables, find fares* and buy tickets on-line if required is using the SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi). In the unlikely event you don’t have a device capable of running the app then you can use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B). If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions at http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.

* The SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, the mobile app allows you to nominate whether to show full or half-fares (by editing the passenger details in settings) and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass) if that offers the best fare. The app also show a platform map (at least at the larger stations) to help you make connections.

[User]

Reply 7 of 7 • 29 October 2019 at 21:26:46 #924219

Thank you