72625 posts
>> Would like to find out where are the best viewpoints in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen and Grindelwald in late February.
Lauterbrunnen – anywhere in the valley really. You can walk along the path through the valley if it is clear of snow, or get the Stechelberg bus from Lauterbrunnen station and get off anywhere you like.
Mürren – anywhere along the road between the railway station and the Stechelberg cable car (which are at opposite ends of the village). You can go up from Lauterbrunnen by cable car and train, walk through the village (about 20 minutes), then go back by cable car to Stechelberg and bus to Lauterbrunnen (or vice versa).
Wengen – lookout near the Swiss Protestant Church (see attached map, and photo taken from there in February 2014)
Grindelwald – I don’t know of any specific viewpoint. If no-one else comes up with a better idea, you could just walk up the main street from the station; or take Bus 121 to Oberergletscher and get out at any stop along the way that takes your fancy. This bus climbs above the village. I expect you would have to wait at least an hour for a return bus though.
>> We plan to spend an afternoon roaming these towns with our Swiss Travel Passes to enjoy the villages in the Alps. We prefer not to go up to peaks where we have to pay. So far the plan is Interlaken – Lauterbrunnen – Murren – Wengen – Grindelwald – Interlaken.
If you are only allocating one afternoon to this, you might have trouble fitting it all in before sunset around 6pm. Travel times alone will take almost 3 hours without allowing for walking and sightseeing. You can use the Swiss Timetable to plan it out:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Alpenrose
115 posts
Thanks a lot, Alpenrose666.
Perhaps we will do Grindelwald and First in the afternoon. Lauterbrunnen – Murren – Wengen the next day? We have time till 2pm on the 2nd day.
15471 posts
You can consider lunch at the Winteregg restaurant. There’s a train stop right next to the restaurant (free with Swiss Travel Pass), or you can walk there from Grütschalp or Mürren. I’m 99% sure they’re open in winter too, but they’ll close in low season I think.
http://www.restaurant-winteregg.ch
72625 posts
>> Perhaps we will do Grindelwald and First in the afternoon.
You did mention that you only wanted viewpoints that were free with the Swiss Travel Pass. First is a wonderful viewpoint, but is not free with the Swiss Travel Pass. You will get a 50% discount though.
>> Lauterbrunnen – Murren – Wengen the next day? We have time till 2pm on the 2nd day.
The Swiss Timetable will help you to work out what you can fit in. (A link to it is above.)
Alpenrose
115 posts
HI Alpenrose666. As I read on about Switzerland, more and more places pop up that we wish to visit. First Cliff Walk is one of them. Good to know there’s a 50% discount to it though 😉 Today I was happy to read Mt Pilatus is free, except for the winter activities, though Half Fare Card holders seem to get a discount. Really appreciate all the help I’m getting here and please bear with me if my itinerary keeps changing:-) Switzerland just have so much to offer and we’ve too little time.
15471 posts
Hi Uallin,
Sorry to inform you that Mount Pilatus is no longer free next year. However, the Schilthorn will be free by then. Please see: myswissalps.com/forum/ topic/swiss-travel-system-changes-in-2018.
115 posts
Hi Arno. Thanks for the update! Thankfully the trade-off is free up to Schilthorn, otherwise Mt Pilatus’ charge would have been a huge letdown. I noticed the STP prices are also going up. I wonder can we buy them in December before the price hike but use in Feb? Thanks again!
15471 posts
Hi Uallin,
Yes, you can buy your passes early. Some websites will charge the new price if the start date is in 2018, others do not. So I recommend to compare the websites listed on myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ price once you’re ready to buy. Also check the Promotions tab regularly as there might be a promotion you can take advantage of. That usually saves you more than the few percents of price increase.