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I am travelling alone for business trip ( 3 weeks ) and a vacation( 1 week ) this May to June , thinking of staying in a quiet resort with beautiful scenery and waterfall but it will be boring to be alone
since this places are usually quite isolated and far away from city ? Example like Berggasthaus aescher hotel which is beautiful but hard to get there.
Question 1) Would there be any nice hotels that oversee similiar beautiful mountains and waterfall but at the same time still
located centrally in switzerland that allows me to travel around conveniently ?
Would be here for 6 days own time, would like 2 days to see snows on mountain and 4 days of normal sightseeing.
Don’t think I will hike alone, probably will hike when joining colleagues.
I still haven’t makeup my mind where I am staying, prefer somewhere convenient to travel about.
But convenient places are usually crowded with tourists and don’t really spot beautiful sceneries.
The last time I came, i stayed in Interlaken. It is very convenient but boring.
Was happy to see grindewald, beauitful. But if i didn’t remember wrongly, getting there involves walking a distance to another train station from interlake OST. Would it snow on grindewald this May to June, I might stay there.
Question 2 )I am planning this for weekdays as it won’t be crowded. My plans are flexible and would change as well.
Where would be the ideal base camp I can set with beauitful amazing sceneries but at the same time convenient ?
Not keen to move hotels, would prefer 1 fixed location for this 6 days.
2 days at Biel and meeting friends
1 day at Geneva ( Going to the Plainpalais, geneva lake and museums only )
1 day at Jungfraujouch ( snow and the summit observatory )
1 day at Zermatt or Glacier 3000 ( snow )
1 day at a lake, maybe Blausee at Kandergrund to think and reflect about life 🙂
Question 3 ) Is there any other amazing rivers that I should go instead of this ?
Question 4 ) I heard places that one can ski in summer isn’t alot, i think i would drop the idea of skiing for now though I would like to try it.
What other things you would recommend me to do ?
Question 5 ) Is zermatt worth the trip if I have been to Jungfraugjoch ?
I have been to this few places the last time i came
Zurich, Geneva, Biel, Bien, Laussane, La chaux De fonds, Interlaken, Lucerne, Jungfraujouch ( came and it was winter, can’t see anything)
Question 6) I will still have another 3 weeks where I can travel during the weekends. I am
open to other places as well. I have heard Montreux is a nice place to see as well. Where other places you would recommend ?
Question 7) For my case, in summer which would be the best to catch the best experiencce ?
Golden train, Glacial Express or Bernina Express ?
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Hi BrianBrian,
Yes, the Berggasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli is hard to get too! I don’t know of other accommodation options that are quite like that but many do offer great views!
I think for the Interlaken area / Jungfrau region that has good train connections but also good views I’d look at Lauterbrunnen. Use the Swiss railways timetable to check trips out from there and see if that can work for you. Thun might be another option – perhaps not quite as scenic but a nice town with good rail connections.
You can ski when in Zermatt if you would like. If you need suggestions on what else to do there see our Zermatt page. Zermatt is mostly worth the trip for the Matterhorn & summer skiing. Hiking is also great but you have a lot of options around Jungfraujoch as well.
It is hard to recommend areas/towns without knowing your interests in what you want to see/do. I would have a look through our Switzerland town guide and activity guide to see what interests you and where it is.
The Glacier Express and Bernina Express are fairly similar (Glacier Express trip is much longer). The Golden Pass is also nice, especially between Zweisimmen and Montreux.
Hi Lucas,
Thanks for the information. I realized some hotels are not open during the May period when I am going.
I read May might not be an ideal time to stay at the mountain hotels because most shops and hotels would be closed, and many places under construction. Is this correct? Then it will be ideal to stay lower ground near interlaken ?
Yes, a fair few hotel options will shut down for April / May due to it being low season for them. A few mountains will have their cable cars closed for maintenance during this time as well.
I think you’ll find Lauterbrunnen or Wengen a nice option than Interlaken even with some temporary closures. Lauterbrunnen would be a safe bet as it is the largest town after Interlaken (and easy to get to Interlaken from there as well).
>> Was happy to see grindewald, beauitful. But if i didn’t remember wrongly, getting there involves walking a distance to another train station from interlake OST.
Getting to Grindelwald is very easy. You just get a train from Interlaken Ost station to Grindelwald. Grindelwald station is right in the middle of town.
However, if staying there, it is a good idea to select accommodation within easy walking distance of the station, as Grindelwald is very spread out, and steep in places. There is a town bus that services the outlying areas, but it only runs until early evening. After that, you have to walk or take a taxi.
>> Would it snow on grindewald this May to June, I might stay there.
You couldn’t rule out some snowfall, but all the winter snow in the village will probably have melted by then. It is quite likely the winter snow will still be hanging around at higher altitudes e.g. Jungfraujoch (snow all year round), Schilthorn, Männlichen.
>> 1 day at a lake, maybe Blausee at Kandergrund to think and reflect about life 🙂
At that time of year, I would head for one of the larger lakes from which you can enjoy the sight of mountains and picturesque lakeside villages e.g. the Brienzersee (Lake Brienz), the Thunersee (Lake Thun) or the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne). That way, if the trees are still looking more grey than green, and the flowers are not yet well established, there will still be dramatic scenery to gaze at from a boat. In winter, and early spring, smaller lakes can look a bit grim.
>> Jungfraujouch ( came and it was winter, can’t see anything)
That was bad luck! However, clouds can envelop the peaks at any time of the year, including mid-summer, and you can get beautiful clear blue skies in the middle of winter. If you are staying in one place for 6 days, you are increasing your chances of getting a clear day to enjoy the views. I hope you have better luck this time!
>> I read May might not be an ideal time to stay at the mountain hotels because most shops and hotels would be closed, and many places under construction. Is this correct?
Yes, but some hotels will remain open, and in the alpine villages they usually offer half board (i.e. breakfast and dinner). It is easy enough to find somewhere to buy lunch.
>> Then it will be ideal to stay lower ground near interlaken ?
I would still stay up in one of the mountain villages rather than Interlaken. Even when it’s quiet, the scenery is still there 😉
It will take you a bit longer to travel to other places, but staying in the midst of stunning scenery makes up for slightly longer travel times in my opinion.
Alpenrose
Thanks Alpenrose for the detailed answers, interlaken OST to Grindewald and Lauterbrunnen belonged to the same railway ? That is I don’t have to walk out of interlaken station and hop onto another train from another station ?
Lastly, End May to June what is the time that the sun will set ? If it sets later like summer, then I probably can have dinner at biel and then make my way back to the hotel.
Hi Brian,
The timetable will show you which stations your trains come in and out of for transfers. Almost certainly you will change within Interlaken Ost (the other being Interlaken West). I believe all trains bound for Jungfrau region terminate at Interlaken Ost.
>> interlaken OST to Grindewald and Lauterbrunnen belonged to the same railway ? That is I don’t have to walk out of interlaken station and hop onto another train from another station ?
Yes, trains for Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen leave from Interlaken Ost station. Wherever you are coming from, you should plan your journey from there to Interlaken Ost.
Perhaps on the earlier occasion you got off at Interlaken West by mistake. However, if that happened, all you would have to do is get on the next train and continue one more station to Interlaken Ost.
>> Lastly, End May to June what is the time that the sun will set ? If it sets later like summer, then I probably can have dinner at biel and then make my way back to the hotel.
Do you mean you would be travelling from Biel/Bienne to Grindelwald after dinner?
If so, make sure to check this journey in the Swiss Timetable to make sure you don’t miss the last connection to Grindelwald. The last train for Grindelwald leaves Interlaken Ost at 22:05. There is also a bus at 23:05, which is the last connection for the day.
You would have to leave Biel/Bienne by 20:24 to catch the last train to Grindelwald, or by 21:24 to get the last bus. Depending on your date of travel, these times might change due to night-time construction work on the rail line between Spiez and Interlaken Ost. Check the timetable closer to the date of travel to be certain not to miss the last connection.
Alpenrose
Thank you so much for the help, last question : I come from a country where the night skies are totally unseeable because of the cities light. Where in switzerland can i catch the celestial sky at night ?
Where which is near to mugen, wengen, interlaken etc ?
Like this youtu.be/VP5n0gsNCBY you mean?
Yes exactly, where can I see such celestial views ?
Are this views seeable in Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and interlaken in the hotel room ?
That video was shot at Wengen. You may need to go outside to see the sky. Interlaken may have more light pollution than the mountain villages.
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