[Removed user]

9 October 2018 at 5:43:48 #818638

Hello, we (2 adults and 2 teens less than 16) will be in Switzerland for 7 nights starting April 13.

I was thinking to have 2 bases one in Lucerne and the other either Wengen or Lauterbrunnen.

Reading all the posts from this forum gives me 2nd thought about basing in Wengen or Lauterbrunnen. I love the sceneries there from pics and reading reviews that why I’d like to spend 3 or 4 nights there. Please advise if staying in Wegen or Lauterbrunnen (preferably Wengen) is still a good choice in Mid April.

We’re not going to hike much, just for the sceneries. I’d also like to take a day trip there to go to Montreux via the Golden Pass (or GEX?) from Interlaken to Montreux then to Chillon castle and back, is it doable?

Any helps regarding my week in April will be greatly appreciated, please feel free to suggest. Thank you.

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[Removed user]

9 October 2018 at 17:50:37 #897649

Hi Shopper99 and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Mid – late April will be quiet in both towns as ski season ends and hotels and restaurants tend to close for 6-8 weeks. You’ll have more success finding open places in Lauterbrunnen.

• http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen
• http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne
• http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen

You would take the Golden Pass route which you can start in Interlaken to get to Montreux. A day trip is doable – you can check timings with the Swiss railways timetable here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

[Removed user]

9 October 2018 at 23:13:43 #897650

Thank you Lucas. I also found a beautiful house in Oberageri/Morgaten, is it ok to have that as my base for the entire week? The owner said, I’d need a car for convenience, the thing is we plan to get STP so adding a car will be an additional expense (large) not sure if it’s a good idea to drive in Switzerland (we’re from the US). I really love the house. Your thoughts please. Thanks

[Removed user]

9 October 2018 at 23:27:28 #897651

With my wife, I have hired many detached houses all over Switzerland in the last 20 years. We normally go by car from UK, but have a couple of times travelled by train. You will need to research carefully the location of your beautiful house. I don’t want to pry so won’t ask you exactly where it is, but of course this means I can’t help you identify transport options.

However, Morgarten is not far from the ‘Sudostbahn’ railway route from Luzern to St Gallen.

There are intermediate stations on this railway near Aegeri/Morgarten as follows:

• Sattel-Aegeri
• Biberegg
• Rothenthurm

Ask your house owner if any of these station are anywhere near the house

Look at this map and you will see what I mean:

map.wanderland.ch/?lang=en&bgLayer=pk&sea son=summer&resolution= 5&E=2691805&N=1216420

Now go to the same map again and click on the left hand side on ‘Rail/Bus/Boat’

map.wanderland.ch/?lang=en&bgLayer=pk&sea son=summer&resolution= 5&E=2691805&N=1216420& layers=Station

Now you will see that there is a bus stop in Morgarten and that bus (number 9) stops close to Sattel Aegeri railway station

[Removed user]

10 October 2018 at 5:27:25 #897652

Thank you 1960man for the information. I’d love to stay at that house but that means I have to have a car for convenience (even the owner suggested it) looks like I have some thinking and more researching to do. I still have sometime to plan my first Switzerland trip.

[Removed user]

10 October 2018 at 6:09:01 #897653

It would be best to find the closest bus or train station to any house you are thinking of renting. Then you can check the timetable to see how long it will take to get you to various destinations.

Either check with the owner or on Google Maps which will show bus and train stops when zoomed in.

[Removed user]

10 October 2018 at 14:02:07 #897654

Thank you Lucas!

[Slowpoke]

10 October 2018 at 14:36:06 #897655

Hi Shopper99 –

You have good advice from 1960sman and Lucas.

Perhaps I can add a few thoughts.

The location you describe puts you a long way (travel time) from the places you want to see. It is pleasant country, nice walking country, probably even in April, but the scenery , though nice, is not spectacular.

Checking the times of travel in the timetable linked by Lucas…please make sure to read the instructions page…will show that you have to spend a fair amount of time to get to Luzern, and another long journey to Lauterbrunnen. You’d find your self resenting the time needed to travel…even though parts of the journeys are scenic, and even if you used a car.

There are several maps that can be used to understand the geography. The one that 1960s man suggested is very good for a lot of details of the topography, in case you want to hike and would like to understand the altitudes involved.

Google maps is useful, as Lucas noted (no altitudes, though) , but my preferred map for looking up bus stops and train stations/routes (but not for hiking…no altitudes)…is:

map.search.ch/?poi=bergbahn,haltestel le,hotel,zug&pos=63627 2,160736&z=32

I have selected the Lauterbrunnen area, and, using the menu at left, under Points of Interest/Traffic, turned on layers with icons for transport stops.

I have zoomed in to zoom level 32, at which magnification the train lines pop up and appear very clearly. I like that feature a lot.

If you mouse over the icons, you get the exact name of the transport stop. That is especially useful for getting the exact, official name to be used in the timetable, or to watch for on the internal signage for stops common on many buses.

The Jungfrau region will still be quite snowy at high altitudes well into late May or early June. Skiing tapers off in April

The floor of the Lauterbrunnen Valley at lower altitude is clear of snow, mostly, by May, but I don’t know about April. Altitude is critical.

I think that your original thought of basing in or near Luzern and the Jungfrau region makes a lot of sense. You will pay more, but you’ll have a lot more time in the nicer environments.

We had good luck renting an apartment at the Swiss Holiday Park, in Morschach, near Brunnen on Lake Lucerne. Bus service is good. It has a restaurant, for the times you don’t want to cook, and we stocked up at the Coop in Brunnen. It does take a while to get into Luzern, but that part of the lake is beautiful, for lake boat rides and some easy trails, probably open in April. It is just far enough off of main transport lines to perhaps not be useful for you.

It is also a bit far for the Jungfrau region, and, in fact, you might look on the route between the regions….Sarnen, Lungern…….At least some time in staying Luzern is nice for the ambience.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

11 October 2018 at 5:50:21 #897656

Thank you Slowpoke, much appreciated!