16 days honeymoon in Switzerland, September

Hi Cbianchi

I think it is very wise to include some hiking in your itinerary especially in the Jungfrau area. The experience of seeing the spectacular scenery on even a short hike is , in my opinion, much superior to just getting off a train stop or cable car and looking around (like at Kleine Scheidegg).

A couple of points. Having no alpine hiking experience really doesn’t much matter. The trails in the Jungfrau area are well marked and maintained with good footing. You will not need any technical hiking knowledge. But I would recommend a small backpack, comfortable walking shoes, and perhaps a walking stick or hiking poles. Perhaps the most important piece of equipment is your camera.

When you say you want short easy hikes that can mean different things to different people. A hike can be hard due to its length or how much elevation change is necessary, or a combination of both. Are you interested in hikes of no more than 30 minutes, 1 hour ? Or would you be interested in 2-3 hour hikes if they were flat or downhill ? Depending on your answer I can adjust my recommendations but of course the longer your willing to walk the more options you will have.

Last I wouldn’t much worry too much about altitude unless you are very sensitive. Most of the alpine hikes will not be over 6-8000 feet.

Mark

We chose Thun because we wanted the flexibility of being able to travel all over the Bernese Oberland. We only spent one day in the Jungfrau region. If you want to be “in the mountains” then Wengen is the perfect spot.

Does this count as a “book”. It should I think (some out of date links notwithstanding).

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and the honeymoon trip to Switzerland! Wonderful idea. We were there last October for 15 days and visited some of the same places you noted. We ended up buying a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass, and used it extensively for trains, cogwheel trains, gondolas, boats, and buses. Great convenience for last minute changes of plans and “catching the next train” (or the boat just pulling in) without worrying about getting a ticket.

Day 1 – I agree with staying up as late as possible your first night to adjust to the time difference. We did that and still woke up at 4 am the first couple days. A good way to spend your first morning in Zurich is to take a walking tour of the Old Town section, including St. Peter’s and the Grossmunster and Fraumunster churches, with a brief stop at Lindenhof Park overlooking the river. We also took a day trip to Leichtenstein “just because” and that was enjoyable too. However, it is roughly 1.5 hours each way, plus time for walking around, so that may be trying to do too much on your first day if combined with the Old Town walk. However, if you go to Vaduz, I highly recommend the Made in Italy restaurant. Small, but excellent food, and cash only; they take Swiss francs.

Days 2-4 – We spent most of our time in Luzern, with day trips to all the places you mentioned. Being so close to Luzern, it is easy to do the mountain trips in one day, or do two mountains in one day. Each one has a different feel to it, with Pilatus and Titlis a bit more of the “in the Alps” environment. Rigi is lower and gentler, but more easy walking trails at top. Pilatus has very limited walking but the short rock tunnel walk around the top, the expansive plaza, and modern infrastructure combined with isolation are quite nice. Titlis is higher, and quite impressive. If you go to Titlis, you will also go right by the Stanserhorn, so you could do both easily in less than one day. The Stanserhorn also has a short walk around the mountain top that is deceptively not as easy as it looks, especially if you’re not yet adjusted to altitude; we didn’t think that short walk from the restaurant plaza/upper gondola station to the top would take more than 5 minutes or so, but we stopped twice along the way. Wonderful views there too, and fully covered if you have a STP, as is Rigi.

Old town Luzern is delightful, and the Chapel Bridge rafter paintings are interesting, so be sure to look up as you walk across. The Rathaus Brauerei is a wonderful spot to have a cold refreshment, or dinner, while in the area and is fortuitously located very close to one end of the Chapel Bridge.

Days 5-9 – We visited the Schilthorn and Kleine Scheidegg during one of our day trips. Unfortunately our morning trip to the Schilthorn was during a cloudy period, so the views weren’t as spectacular as we hoped. But where else can you have your picture taken next to George Lazenby/James Bond? On our way back we stopped at Kleine Scheidegg for an outdoor lunch in full sunshine. No better way to enjoy the view of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau than that. The train station restaurant serves an excellent rosti.

A few final suggestions: Be sure to download the SBB timetable app to your phone or tablet, it is invaluable for traveling and making last minute changes as the mood strikes you. Get the Traveler’s WiFi for your trip. It is small, slips in your pocket, lasts all day, worked everywhere we went, and allows you to use that SBB timetable on your phone anywhere. And last but not least, be sure to check the mountaintop weather cams before heading out for the day. The weather on top is not always the same as it is at your hotel.

Have a great trip!

I stay at Hotel des Alpes in Luzern if I feel rich. It is on the list of recommendations of this My Swiss Alps website. River view. Similar to attached, somewhat different angle.

Otherwise, I stay at Gasthaus Engel in Sachseln, 20 minutes away with frequent train service.

http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/review-of-an-inn-in-sachseln-near-luzern

Traditionally, I spent time on the Rigi, but my choice for many years (Hotel Bergsonne) has changed hands. No longer a special kitchen and wine cellar.

One try of Hotel Edelweiss at Rigi Staffelhöhe has been quite nice. Also, Hotel Central am See in Weggis has been reliable and good, great views, nice rooms, and, last year I found that they had finally upgraded their kitchen. Now definitely worth eating there .

Slowpoke

<<“Renaissance Hotel in Luzern l”>>

Looks like a good location, and right next door to Sammlung Rosengart. Fantastic exhibit of Klees, and lots of Picasso.

And, you don’t pay extra for the riverside ambience, as you do at the des Alpes.

Slowpoke

Hi Cbianchi

Since you are going to be in Wengen for 3-4 days and are interested in some easy hikes up tp 4 hrs, I will suggest some options and include some photos at the end. Note estimated hiking times are based roughly on a 1.5 MPH pace and do not take into account stops or uphill vs downhill.

Slowpoke’s suggestion of Maennlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is an easy, slightly downhill, and very scenic walk. It will take you about 1.20 hrs. If you would like to extend your walk you can hike up from KS to Eigergletscher (another 1.20 hrs). It is uphill but you are walking directly toward the base of Monch and the Eiger with beautiful views ahead and on either side. (see photo ) You can then return to KS by train. Another option is hiking from KS to Wengernalp (1.5 hrs) It is downhill, easy, and nice close up views of Jungfrau on your left for much of the way. Then train to Wengen. We actually did all 3 legs and made it back to Wengen by mid afternoon.

Another very popular and scenic hike is First to Bachalpsee (50 minutes one way). Instead of returning the same way which 90% do, I would highly recommend continuing downhill to Waldspitz and having lunch at the restaurant there and then continue down to Bort where you can take the cable car back to Grindelwald. (total time hiking 2.45 hrs mostly downhill) The section near Waldspitz is one of my personal favorites for scenery.

Another classic hike is the Eiger trail. It is rated 2.50 hrs and is much easier going the direction from Eigergletcher to Alpiglen (downhill). You hike along the base of the Eiger on the right and Grindelwald valley on the left. There is a nice restaurant for lunch at Alpiglen.

If you are interested in a very short and easy hike you walk from First to Grosse Scheidegg (which has a nice restaurant ) then bus back to Grindelwald.(1.15 hrs )

Last the Panaramaweg cliff top walk at Schynige Platte is spectacular. You walk along a cliff with views of Interlaken lakes on one side and mountains on the other. The loop SP to Laucherhorn and back to SP takes about 2.30 hrs and is mostly flat.

I hope this is helpful. I don’t think you will regret 1 minute of your hiking in the Jungfrau area which is world class. It is a much different experience (and to me much preferred) to the touristy and crowded Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn but that is solely a personal opinion. Mark

Hi CabinJon and cbianchi! The Traveler’s Wifi discount is still available, until January 31. Here’s the information CabinJon referred to: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/15-discount-on-unlimited-fast-wifi-in-switzerland.