Wengen or Grindelwald for family of 8 in June?
A traveler started a thread asking for advice about their upcoming trip to the Bernese Oberland area from June 3-7. They are a family of eight, including a toddler and two grandparents, looking to explore scenic areas like Lauterbrunnen and Murren but are unsure between staying in Wengen or Grindelwald for convenience and ease of access.
- Consider staying in Wengen for a more car-free and charming experience, but note it has an extra train stop.
- Grindelwald is easier to reach, though it can be busier with tourists in early June.
- You won't need winter gear in June; just be prepared for possible rain with appropriate clothing.
- Ensure you have good walking shoes for some hikes, especially around Murren and Lauterbrunnen.
AI-generated summary-
Hi there, I know there have been many posts on these lines but I still am unsure of the better base for our family.
we will be in the BO area for 4 nights from June 3-7, and are a family of 8 including a toddler of 16 months and 2 grandparents who are in mid 70s.
we will likely do some leisurely hikes / walks in the area, check out Murren, Lauterbrunnen falls, etc.
it seems like Wengen is the more preferred area since it’s more scenic and car free than Grindelwald but is Grindelwald easier to get to / from the BO area?
We would be arriving from Lucerne and plan to go to Montreux after BO. Looks like staying in Wengen would add an extra train stop for us arriving and departing from BO.
Also is Wengen uphill? Concerned if that will be an uphill climb for the grandparents.
The concern I have about Grindelwald is that I’ve read it’s busier and filled with tourist buses during peak season. Would that be the case in early June?
And finally, on a separate note, would we have to bring snow boots or winter coats if we visit BO in early June? I’ve heard they can still be snow in the area then. We would avoid Jungfrau due to elevation for our little one.
Thank you!!
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Hello Bubbles0283 and welcome to MySwissAlps
You could go to the refurbished hostel of the Nature’s Friends in Grindelwald (see here, German only). It is above the village, but just at a stop of the local bus line. Yes, Wengen is uphill.
I’m sure someone else on the forum will suggest hikes, in case you don’t find them yourself (check other threads on this forum).
You won’t need snow boots, but have hiking boots appropriate to your needs.
Hi.
I think Grindelwald is a bit easier to get to and is really only busy during the day when you will probably out and about. The Dorfstrasse is the only road that gets lots of traffic, but you still need to be a little bit alert on all the other roads, mostly because of mountain bikes.
Wengen does require 1 extra stop to reach, but is car free (mostly) when you get there. The town itself is more compact than Grindelwald, but you may need to take trains or mountain transport to get to some of the interesting hikes.
No winter coats or snow boots are required in June as a rule, just some decent wet weather gear in case of rain/storms. If you plan on going up the Jungfraujoch then you will need some decent footware – I’ve seen people walk out onto the glacier in high heels!
Have fun!
Alan
Thank you both! Appreciate the responses and looking forward to our stay in BO!
anyher question that I’m hoping you can help with. We are looking to go somewhere else after our 4 night stay in BO. We will be in Zurich for a night, 2 nights in Lucern, 4 nights in BO, and then have 2 more nights before we leave for US.
Where do you suggest we go? We are thinking of Montreux / Vevey but are open to other suggestions. We haven’t booked our return ticket yet so could depart from zurich or Geneva.
we do have two 75 year olds with us and a 1 year old so we don’t want anything to hectic for the last 2 nights.
thank you!
Hi there,
IMO, Montreux/Vevey area sounds like an excellent choice. Strolling the lake promenade is an nice leisurely end to your Swiss vacation. A ferry on the lake and visit to Chateau de Chillon would be quite lovely. Another option is Rochers-de-Naye near Montreux. See the link here for what that looks like:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ro chersdenaye
Another option for your last two days is to spend it in Zermatt. The Matterhorn is worth a visit to me, but again, this is a matter of personal likes and choices, and if you have spent time in BO, perhaps Montreux makes more sense. See this link for an overview of the area:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt
Certainly hotels very near the train station are always an option to cut down on the walking if necessary. If you are in Montreux, then Geneva would be a closer point to exit Switzerland than Zurich for the flight out.
Hope you have a great time – I’ll be vacationing about the same time (end of May through June 6) in Switzerland as well, enjoying some of the same sites, so here’s to hoping for great late spring weather! Assume it’s Grandpa and Grandma along for the trip – hope you have an excellent family experience!
Mike J
Hi Bubbles0283,
Some great advice from Micalj. I too think that the Lake Geneva area would be a lovely ending to your holiday, in particular in June when you have the long summer nights! You should have a look at this link: http://www.myswissalps.com/la kegeneva
The promenades by the lake in Ouchy (Lausanne) http://www.myswissalps.com/la usanne, Montreux http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux, Lutry, Rolle beach or Geneva http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva are really worthwhile.
As is a day trip to Rochers-de-Naye, or the Lavaux vineyards, simply beautiful.
Zermatt is also worth it however looking at your itinerary you will already have a lot of mountain scenery in your trip and this would give you a more complete Swiss experience 🙂
Enjoy whatever you decide!
Maria.
Thank you both for your helpful suggestions, and reaffirming our decision to visit the Lake Geneva area.
Mike – you are right that we are taking the grandparents along as well! We are looking forward to a big family trip 🙂
With such a huge age difference in our group (youngest being 1 year old and oldest being 75 yrs) we are trying to think of some easy yet beautiful and fulfilling activities with lots of breaks to keep us busy!
I think the nature walks in the BO area are going to be splendid so I hope we get some good weather as well!
Hope you have a wonderful vacation too; and that we are lucky to be blessed with pleasant weather during our stay!
It’s good to know we won’t have to carry winter gear with us! I was afraid of packing a suitcase full of winter coats and boots!
Thanks all!
Hi Bubbles,-
Seems like the advice for the BO is focused on Grindelwald.
There are good reasons to consider Wengen.
More compact, more charming, less commercial.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
Slowpoke
Thanks Slowpoke.We were looking forward to staying in Wengen but have decided to choose Grindlewald only because it might seem to be slightly more convenient for us as a base (both as we sightsee in BO area) and also one less stop when we enter / depart to and from BO. With a 1 year old and two 75 year olds, we are trying to optimize for convenience.
I wanted to ask you all for some thoughts on the portion of our trip while we are in Grindlewald for 3 full days (4 nights:
1. Cable car from Grustchlap to Murren, and then down from Murren to Gimmelwald. Is this doable for our family? How do we get from Grindlewald to the cable car to Murren? and how do we get back to Grindlewald from Gimmelwald?
2. Mannlichen to KS – take train from Grindlewald to Wengen, walk to cable car and take cable car to Mannlichen. Then go up 30minute to the lookout point and return. OR walk to KS. If we do the walk to KS, is this doable with a 1 year old and two 75 year olds? Worries about how steep the hike is or if the elevation up to KS is OK?
3. First to Bachalpsee. I believe this is a 45minute walk back and forth?
4. Laturbrunnen to Trummelbach falls
5. Ballenberg / open air museum
6. Lake cruise – we’d love to do a boat ride on the lake while in The area. Would anyone have any recommendations on this?
thank you!
<<“only because it might seem to be slightly more convenient for us as a base (both as we sightsee in BO area) and also one less stop when we enter / depart to and from BO. With a 1 year old and two 75 year olds, we are trying to optimize for convenience.”>>
Maybe.
I’d encourage you to look at the maps for both places as you make your bookings. Grindelwald is so spread out that it may turn out to be more inconvenient. There are some very nice places to stay within 50 meters or so of the station in both towns, of course. The Talstaion ( valley station) for First is quite a distance from the train station. There is a bus, of course. . The change of train at Lauterbrunnen for Wengen, if you are goingto/coming from Interlaken Ost or Zweilütschinen is trivial. The trains are usually side by side.
If you want to take the cableway up to Grütschalp, it is about 60 meters way….basically, across the street.
By the way, I’m older than the grandparents, and find Wengen to be much more friendly for a walker with sore knees. And, the walks you have asked about are accessed much more easily from Wengen except,of course, First to Bachalpsee.
Your choice, of course.
I cannot offer any opinion about ease or difficulty for the grandparents. I have no knowledge or opinion about their fitness.
As for the one year old, you’ll probably want a stroller on the W->KS walk ( the trail is OK for one most or all of the way) , or you’ll carry the chld.
I made that walk last September on a glorious day, and, though m y knees complained a bit, I then rode to IO and up to Harder Kulm, and back for dinner, at the Bellevue in Wengen which is 15 minutes easy walk from the station. I’d suggest something closer to the station than the Bellevue, if you are concerned about that walk.
If I were worrying about the details that you ask about, I’d be looking at maps and the timetable.
A map makes it obvious exactly what the layout is in Mürren.
Here are two…one with altitudes and tremendous detail; one with no altitudes:
and, details at Mürren:
The cableways between Mürren and Stechelberg (at Lengwald) go through Gimmelwald
That map, when switched to aerial view lets you see exactly what the trails are like.
A map with less detail:
map.search.ch/?pos=638128,158056&z=32 &poi=bergbahn,halteste lle,zug
Shows the trains nicely. Zoom in for details at Mürren.
I turned on transport stations in the menu (Under Points of Interest -star in a circle – and Traffic. Mouse over them and you’ll get the exact name for use in the timetable.
<<“If we do the walk to KS, is this doable with a 1 year old and two 75 year olds? Worries about how steep the hike is or if the elevation up to KS is OK?”>>
Look at a map. It is downhill, not uphill from M to KS.
Zoom in for more detail The hike is the yellow line.
Here is some information:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
Attached- some pictures with my daughter and 8 year old granddaughter on that trail. The local nickname is “The Grannies’ Walk.”
<<“3. First to Bachalpsee. I believe this is a 45minute walk back and forth? “>>
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/bachsee
It is the most strenuous walk of those listed because of the 100 meter climb at altitude from First to Gummihitta before the trail levels out. If you make it in 45 minutes (one way, not back and forth), you are fit and active, and capable of walking quickly at high altitude. If it were level ground, you could do it in 30 minutes at an easy pace. The link from My Swiss Alps says 2 hrs 30 nminutes round trip..:
4. Laturbrunnen to Trummelbach falls”>>
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/lauterbrunne n-village
This map shows Trümmelbach near the bottom center. It is about 2.5 km from Lauterbrunnen and at almost the same altitude.
There is a bus stop
map.search.ch/?pos=636412,158051&z=25 6&poi=bergbahn,haltest elle,zug
6.- Lake cruise:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/b oat
Ballenberg is a matter of personal taste; it involves a walking:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/ballenberg-open-air-museum
About 2 km from end to end.
Switch to aerial view and zoom in to locate the parking lots at each end, which help identify the boundaries:
Slowpoke
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