[Anonymous]

31 January 2017 at 4:48:53 #810696

I am planning to take a hiking trip to the Bernese Oberland region this summer. Thanks to the great information provided in MySwissAlps, the preparation is far easier than what I have anticipated.

Expecting everything in Switzerland to be expensive, I am quite surprised to find that the rental charge of some of the chalets are not that high. For example, this one at http://www.en.e-domizil.ch/vacation-home/488378/holiday-chalet-sunnestuebli-aeschi-b-spiez-thunersee-bernese-oberland-switzerland/#summary seems to be quite nice and it costs less than CHF 400 per week. That makes me wonder if I have missed something important. Can anyone share their experience with renting chalet in this region ? are there anything special that I need to pay attention to ?

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[Annika]

Reply 1 of 6 • 31 January 2017 at 11:05:25 #858566

Hi swissfans!

Don’t worry, apartments are generally less expensive than hotels, so you can indeed run into a good deal without getting suspicous ;-). The official amount of stars granted by Swiss Tourism is a good indicator of what (luxury) standards to expect. One and two stars indicate pretty basic conditions; three stars indicate a well equipped apartment; four and five assure more space and luxury. It’s worth to try and find this information about the particular apartment in Aeschi you’re looking for. The description and guest reviews look fine to me. Note that the location isn’t central and not ideal for train travelers. If you’re traveling with a car you’ll be fine. Also, be aware of additional costs. Wifi and the rental of bed linen don’t seem to be included in the standard price. You can also expect additional tourist tax payment and an amount for cleaning.

Further tips can be found at myswissalps.com/rental s.

[User]

Reply 2 of 6 • 31 January 2017 at 13:27:18 #858567

Thanks, Annika. The apartment mentioned in my post is just an example which is picked just because the rental charge seems to be exceptionally low. If I am planning to hike in the Bernese Oberland region, will Grindelwald be an ideal choice ? it is described as “hiker’s paradise” in the website and I believe that’s because the location makes it convenient for hikers to travel to popular trails in the region ?

[Arno]

Reply 3 of 6 • 31 January 2017 at 15:43:52 #858568

Hi swissfans,

The Bernese Oberland is a pretty large area. The Jungfrau region is a part of it, and Grindelwald is a very good base for hikes in that region. You’ll find other options on the Jungfrau region page. You can pretty much start hiking right from the village in Grindelwald, and even more options after a short cableway/train/bus ride. You will probably find holiday homes in Grindelwald to be more expensive than the one you linked to. If you avoid high season a nice deal might be possible though.

[AlanPrice]

Reply 4 of 6 • 31 January 2017 at 22:44:19 #858569

Hi,

As a rule of thumb, there are a few factors that will determine how expensive a holiday apartment (Ferienwohnung in german, or FeWo for short) will be.

1: Are you renting an apartment or the entire Chalet? A whole chalet can be very expensive, but if you are travelling with a large group it can still work out quite cheap.

2: Distance from the train station. The further you have to walk, the cheaper the FeWo, particularly so in car-free towns such as Wengen, Muerren and Zermatt.

3: Is there parking?

4: The age of the apartment, or the length of time since its last renovation,

5: View of the mountains. Expect to pay more for a FeWo with panoramic views.

6: Are there shops nearby? You can save a lot of money by cooking for yourself, but you will have to get your own groceries.

7: Incidental charges such as cleaning etc.

I personally like Grindelwald very much and visit there everytime I go to Switzerland. I’ve been staying in the same FeWo for the last 12 years and wouldn’t even dream of using a hotel if I was there for a week or more. Grindelwald, however, is a victim of it’s own success and you will have to pay a bit more to stay there.

Cheers

Alan

[kim11]

Reply 5 of 6 • 1 February 2017 at 0:39:21 #858570

Alan has provided a good list of things to look for. Additional items that are important to me:

1. Wifi

2. Are there laundry facilities? If you are staying for awhile it is nice to be able to do laundry in something other than a sink

[User]

Reply 6 of 6 • 1 February 2017 at 8:12:28 #858571

Big thanks to all for the help. The info provided is really useful. Much appreciated.