Wengen in early May advice on what can be done
A traveler is planning a trip to Wengen from May 7-12 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, having previously visited 22 years ago. They are looking for advice on easy to moderate hikes and open restaurants during their stay, as many services may be closed in early May.
Check the individual websites or local resources for hiking options in Wengen, as some routes may be affected by altitude during this time. Consider the Swiss Travel Pass for convenient travel on public transport and accessing various attractions. Look for accommodations near the Bellevue hotel for better valley views, as many popular options may be closed.
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I am just starting to plan a trip to Wengen in early May, 2019. Backstory: 22 years ago I spent 2 nights in Wengen as a college student. I fell in love with the place and decided back then that I wanted to bring my girlfriend (now wife) to Wengen someday. That “someday” is in May 2019 in honor of our 20th anniversary.
I am aware that visiting Wengen in May is not the ideal time as many services and hotels etc are closed between seasons. But for a variety of reasons the dates we need to visit Wengen will be sometime during May 7-12, staying 3-4 nights.
We are relaxed people and enjoy scenery and hiking more than entertainment and being “on the go” all the time. I anticipate most of our time being spent with easy to moderate hikes during the day and good food in the evenings.
I could use some advice regarding what hikes and other natural attractions will be open and available to us? If you had 3 days in Wengen in early May what would you do? For example, the valley hike from Lauterbrunnen to Trummelbach falls is on our list. Are there any hikes at elevation that would be open at that time?
Also, if anyone has a recommendation for a hotel or chalet with a great view of the valley I would love to hear it.
Thanks in advance!
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Hello Buckeye and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
You might find the following threads useful.
What’s operating in April May – http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/gondolarail-access-to-mountains-in-aprilmay-2018
Hiking in April http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/hiking-alternatives-for-april-2018
They are from earlier this year. If you search this site for the particular attractions or routes you should find the dates for 2019.
For hotels see http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen/hotels.
Hi Buckeye –
Welcome to My Swiss Alps!
What great trip for a special occasion! Too bad that you cannot go in late June…but it will be special, anyway.
My family..both sides, with German background.. is from the Buckeye State. Are you?
This may help, although you’ll need to adjust for time of year:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
The Lauterbrunnen Valley, and Schilthorn, are possible options:
http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion
Some of these hikes/walks will be available:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king
Altitude is the issue – what is open depends on altitude. You may not recognize that until you are there, but altitude drives the weather, thence the skiing and hiking. In between the good seasons for those activities, as you have noted, things slowdown a lot.
You’ll probable want to check out individual hotels, to see which ones will be open
Slowpoke
Thanks to both of you!
Slowpoke, yes I am originally from Ohio. Both sides of my family are Swiss/German and my ancestors emigrated from Attiswil Switzerland in 1765.
I saw that wonderful guide by Kim and will study it.
I guess I should probably post another thread in the accommodation section regarding a place to stay. I’ve done some research and while there are hotels available for our dates I have so far been disappointed that the hotels with the best views of the valley are closed. I’m trying to now find a chalet of some kind up near the Bellevue hotel.
<<“Both sides of my family are Swiss/German and my ancestors emigrated from Attiswil Switzerland in 1765. “>>
A lot of Anabaptists from the Emmental ended up in and near the Jura during their persecution.
Surely not for this trip, but some places close to Attiswil are nice.
I often visit the 3 Lakes Region, staying in Ligerz and Sugiez. Buren an der Aare has a small and attractive old town center. The Weissenstein is worth going up. Brugg, a bit further north, has a nice small museum and the remains of a major Roman legion’s camp….Vindonissa, now Windisch.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/brugg-windisch.html
The Emmental is not far, and has its own special variation of Swiss culture.
Not to rub it in, bit all of those lower altitude places are nice in May. 😉
Slowpoke
Attachments:
<<A lot of Anabaptists from the Emmental ended up in and near the Jura during their persecution.>>
In fact my family was and still is Anabaptist-Mennonite. There is circumstantial evidence that my ancestors were part of the earliest Anabaptists near Zurich (Zollikon) in 1525 but it can’t be proven. I don’t know the history of my family before about 1727, which is when they were in Attiswil. What I know for sure is that my ancestors left Attiswil in 1747 (I was wrong on the date above) because of some sort of religious pressure or persecution. They first went to the area around Montbeliard for a generation before emigrating to the USA.
I had thought about taking a train to Attiswil from Lucerne but it didn’t look like there was much to see there 🙂
<<“I had thought about taking a train to Attiswil from Lucerne but it didn’t look like there was much to see there :)”>>
Other forum posters have reported quite positive experiences from contacting local resources in order to explore roots.
Might be worthwhile for the next trip.
Slowpoke
Will Wengen restaurants be open in early May? If not, will there be a good selection of open restaurants in Lauterbrunnen?
<<“Will Wengen restaurants be open in early May? “>>
I did not check beyond this one, which I have enjoyed a few times: It is.
A range of menu options, not just Pizza.
I’d check with the Wengen Tourist Office.
Slowpoke
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