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I was originally planning to stay 3 days in Interlaken then move to Lauterbrunnen but now i’m thinking whether it is worth it to waste time moving bases to save the 20 min. train journey each way for 3 days.
Here is a summary of my planned activities:
1. Interlaken – Schynige Platte hike
2. Interlaken – Harder Klum hike
3. Interlaken – Grindlewald / First mountain
4. Lauterbrunnen – Staubbach Waterfall & town exploration
5. Lauterbrunnen – Cable car Schilthorn/Murren/Birg
6. Lauterbrunnen – Top of Europe (Jungfraujoch)
Thoughts on just staying in Interlaken for all 6 days or does it make sense to shift bases to Lauterbrunnen for days 4-6?
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Interlaken is the best general base in my opinion. Many responses to this sort of question, say ‘oh no – you must stay in the mountains (ie Wengen, Grindelwald)’ but I firmly believe Interlaken is the best base, as you can quickly go in any direction; Spiez, Bern, Brienz etc (not just towards the Jungfrau!) and when you do go up to Wengen etc you appreciate the views even more. It is certainly not worth moving base between two places a few minutes ride away from each other, especially as Lauterbrunnen is in a deep valley
Final comments: Nearly all your days are focused on the immediate Jungfrau area, so it could be argued that you will keep seeing the same mountains. Think about going to the Brienzer Rothorn or other areas nearby such as Niesen Kulm. Also there is not much to ‘explore’ in Lauterbrunnen itself as it is not a town but just a small village really
Hi
Interlaken is the best Base for moving around Jungfrau region & even as far as Bern, excellent rail connectivity. We also made Interlaken as one of our vase during our 18 days Switzerland tour. Only thing you should have some rail pass.
I agree with 1960man that it makes no sense to move from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. Interlaken is certainly very convenient for transportation purposes. However with the places you are planning on visiting it won’t much matter which area town you use as a base as the train and cable car availability make the travel easy without much significant travel time difference. (Except the slightly less convenient Murren) I would guess you will never get a clear consensus on the best town for a base which means likely they are all good choices. My personal preference is Wengen due to its ambiance (car free and beautiful views, no congestion)
I really like 1960man suggestion of adding Brienzer Rothern or Nielsen Kulm. However the views of the Jungfrau area mountains are very different from viewpoints at First, Schynige Platte, Murren/Schilthorn. I would definitely recommend visiting all three. If I was going to take 1960man’s suggestion I would drop the current itinerary on days 2,4,or 6. (Jungfraujoch has never appealed to me as crowded, expensive, and very touristy).
Mark
Hello Johnny4111,
Thank you for sharing your plans. Both Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen have their appeal in their own right. It really depends on your own additional interests, facilities, shops, restaurants all could help in your decision. Lauterbrunnen is less populated if you prefer a quieter setting? Interlaken has more shops and restaurants, also if the weather turns, there would be more rainy-day options in Interlaken.
For all your sights you are intending to visit, either staying in Lauterbrunnen is sensible (closer) or all quite doable from Interlaken too.- https://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/activities
- http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen/activities
Good luck with your decision and enjoy your trip.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hi Johnny4111,
You can easily combine days 4 and 5. From Lauterbrunnen train station, you can basically do one big loop. From directly across from the station, take the Grutschalp cable car (maybe a 4 min ride) to top. Once there, take the train down to Murren, OR you could walk/hike. The walk/hike is beautiful with the mountains in view the whole time. From Murren, through the town is the Schilthorn gondola. From there hike or take the cable cars down to Stechelberg via Gimmelwald. There you can board the bus to Trummelbach falls, and from there right back to the Lauterbrunnen station. You can go in either direction, but the view of the mountains starting from Grutschalp is breathtaking.
Days 3 and 6 can also be done the same day if you start early enough. It’s said that the Jungfraujoch is usually clearer in the morning hours. Then you can hit Grindelwald First on your way down from the Jungfrau.
Depending on how long you spend at/on Schynige Platte, you can see Harder Kulm after that. Just by dumb luck, I did the aforementioned “loop”, and then went to Harder Kulm later in the day and saw a beautiful sunset while having dinner on the patio and listening to an oomph band. A great way to end that day’s sightseeing.
I make these suggestions solely because it can open some more days to allow more things/places to see as sugested by 1960man, Yolanda and Mark. Or perhaps maybe check out Kandersteg/Oeschinen, about a 40 min ride from Interlaken, via Spiez. Or anything you may want to do/see. I hope you have a great trip.
Regards,
Danielsan
Thank you very much for all the suggestions. @Danielsan, I will indeed consider consolidating Days 4 & 5, I think that does make a lot of sense.
Another quick q – since I consolidated days 4&5 as suggested (and thanks for that, made a lot of sense), I am thinking of the following options for the extra free day:
Trip to Brienzer Rothorn
OR
Day trip to Bern (since it’s only 52 mins away by train)
On the fence between these two choices, the views from Brienzer Rothorn look fantastic but on the other hand since i’ll be seeing so many mountain views thought it would be nice to see another Swiss city, if Bern is interesting enough…
Hi Johnny4111,
I certainly think Bern is worth a visit if you have an extra day. You can easily combine a trip to Bern with visits to nearby Thun, perhaps you might even have time for a boat trip on Lake Thun. But if you can’t enough of mountains, a trip to Brienzer Rothorn is definitely recommended. It is a personal choice. You can find useful tips on how to plan an excursion to Brienzer Rothorn here: http://www.myswissalps.com/brienzerrothorn
Regards,
Anna
@Anna, thank you! I will keep that in mind, looks like I have a decision to make but I am leaning towards visiting Bern as I am interested in checking out the capital city. The visit to Brienzer Rothorn will be on my todo list for the next time!
One thing is certain… there is no shortage of things to keep you interested in Switzerland 🙂
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