[Anonymous]

13 March 2017 at 22:56:29 #811063

Hello, I will be arriving at Zurich in the afternoon (about 3pm) and plan to travel straight to Interlaken and based there for 4 nights.

Day 2 – Take train to Lauterbrunnen in the morning, hike from Grutshalp – Murren – Gimmelwald, and finally take the cable car up to the Schilthorn. Go back down Lauterbrunnen via cable car & explore. (+ Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg hike. Will I have time? Will I also get the view of overlooking Staubbach Falls and Lauterbrunnen valey from this hike?)

Day 3- Head from interlaken to Iseltwald (by bus) – is this worth? Head to Kandersteg by train, start hike from Kandersteg – Blausee – Frutigen – Reichenbach. -would also love to visit Oeschinensee lake but seem to be closed in april? Any other way to view Oeschinensee lake from top? Are they also other things to do in Kandersteg?

alternative- Day trip to Bern

Day 4 – Morning train to Zermatt, hike Rottenboden – Riffelsee or Blauherd – Stellisee – Grindjesee – Leisee, depending on which trail will be open. Spend rest of the day sightseeing in town then head back to Interlaken.

Day 5 – Sunday – any suggestions? Night/ Morning train to Zurich

Day 6 – Explore Zurich

Day 7- Afternoon depart Switzerland

• Is this itinerary feasible? Would Day 2 be too tiring or should I split into 2 different days? I don’t hike often but I do light exercise fairly often. Would also like to fit in hike trail from Wengen – Staubbachbankli but not sure where to fit it in..?
• I will be travelling solo on hikes, would this be safe? Are all the hiking trails mentioned above will be opened on the week of 5th April?
• Do I need waterproof pants to hike/ how warm should I dress? Are there still snow around?
• Is Interlaken as a base good idea for this trip?
• Not sure which/ how many days of travel pass I should get?

Thanks in advance!

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[kim11]

Reply 1 of 2 • 14 March 2017 at 16:45:02 #860051

Unfortunately the hikes you want to do will not be open in early April. The only one that may be is Grütschalp to Mürren then on down to Gimmelwald. However everything will be closed in Gimmelwald (there is not much there, only two hostels and a handful of private houses).

Depending on your exact travel dates some of the transports to the places you want to see will be running, weather permitting but some will be closed. What are your dates?

And you are moving around too much anyway. With 7 days you should pick 2 bases at the very most. It takes much longer to get from one place to the next than you may be thinking. You can see transport schedules at http://www.sbb.ch.

April is not a good time to visit the Jungfrau Region nor Kandersteg. In early April I would chose Luzern as your best base. The mountains there are beautiful and being at lower elevation will be more accessible.

[User]

Reply 2 of 2 • 14 March 2017 at 17:27:27 #860052

Hi Primrose,

I agree with Kim, hiking in the Jungfrau is quite limited and I think you will find more things to do in the Luzern (local German spelling) area in early April.

To answer some of your specific questions:

• Hiking solo in Switzerland is very safe yes, its very rare to hear of any issues – be sure to let someone know where you are going if you plan on venturing away from main tourist attractions like Mt. Pilatus etc.
• Yes, there will be a lot of snow and very cold when you go into the mountains in early April. Dress warmly!
• As mentioned, Luzern would be a better option in early April
• The 8 day Swiss Travel Pass would be perfect for your needs I think – no matter where you end up basing yourself in Switzerland.
• You can check our train schedules to and from anywhere in Switzerland here.

Let us know if you have further questions!

Lucas