[needforsneed]

11 April 2018 at 15:40:08 #815270

Hi!

We are going to have a car for one day in June (the 4th) and want to do a day trip from Lucerne and wondering if our plan is feasible. Here is the thought:

Drive from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen via the Susten Pass – will this road be opened by the 4th of June?

Explore the Lauterbrunnen Valley – ideas for this area? Would the Schilthorn be possible with this short of a time?

Drive from Lauterbrunnen to Spiez

Explore Spiez and have dinner – suggestions?

Drive back to Lucerne via A8

Is this a realistic day?

Thanks!

Mark

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[Removed user]

11 April 2018 at 15:48:03 #881967

Hi Mark,

It is a little bit out way to get to Lauterbrunnen via the Susten Pass but it could be done in the summer.

It may be open by June 4…but currently it isn’t scheduled to open until mid-June so I wouldn’t count on it. It jut partially opened a few days ago and if we have a hot Spring you may luck out. You can check on traffic conditions here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/car/trafficinfo

Otherwise if you have an early start the rest of the day would be fine I think.

[needforsneed]

11 April 2018 at 16:09:06 #881968

Thanks Lucas!

It looks like driving straight to Lauterbrunnen via A8 isn’t too big of a deal though, right? I imagine that the route over the Susten Pass would make the trip quite a bit longer!

Any thoughts on what not to miss in the Lauterbrunnen and Spiez area?

In general, what should we expect weather-wise? I live in Colorado, so I know what it is like to have all 4 seasons in 1 day! 🙂

Thanks!

Mark

[Removed user]

11 April 2018 at 17:03:10 #881969

I wouldn’t think you’ll get any snow around Lauterbrunnen (2600 feet in elevation) or the other towns but Schilthorn (9800 feet) could be quite cold (maybe around 40 F give our take) and certainly lots of snow around.

[needforsneed]

11 April 2018 at 17:15:13 #881970

OK, thanks Lucas!

This site and forum is great! I have a lot of other questions – I will poke around to see if they have already been answered and if not expect some more posts from me!

[Arno]

11 April 2018 at 17:23:26 #881971

Great to hear you like it here Mark! Do use the search box in the top of the site to find more information. It searches across all of the site, not just forum posts. If any questions remain, feel free to post here or open a new thread if it’s about a different topic.

[needforsneed]

11 April 2018 at 18:00:29 #881972

Thanks Arno! Will do!

[Removed user]

12 April 2018 at 0:03:48 #881973

I’ve driven in the areas you mention many times.

The Susten pass can be snowy even in high summer so don’t bank on it being open. It is a fabulous pass though! It is one of my favourites, and was only opened fully to modern road traffic in 1964.

Do please note that the A8 is not particlularly fast road. Many sections of the A8 are not dual carriageway motorways but are single carriageway ‘semi-motorway’. To underline this, the nearly 150km route on ‘real’ motorways which would take you up into northern Switzerland, only takes 10 minutes longer than the 85km route via the Brünig pass (A8)

Some of the A8 route, such as over the Brünig pass, is not motorway at all. However, the Brünig pass is a nice drive. At the top of the pass at the railway station there is a huge antiques and bric a brac centre which might be a fun place to look in on.

There is a superb view from the railway station area at Spiez over the lake so it’s a nice place to stop (and often missed by tourists)

[needforsneed]

12 April 2018 at 3:55:52 #881974

Thanks 1960man!

That’s a good point – I see it now on Google maps. So, maybe a good option would be the A8 going to Lauterbrunnen and Spiez and then make it a loop by going the northern route back to Lucerne.

Thanks!

Mark

[Removed user]

12 April 2018 at 8:28:17 #881975

>> The Susten pass can be snowy even in high summer so don’t bank on it being open. It is a fabulous pass though! It is one of my favourites, and was only opened fully to modern road traffic in 1964.

It’s one of my favourites too!

For other people who might come across this thread, I thought it might be worth mentioning that you can also travel over the Susten Pass by PostBus between late June and mid-October each year. (The dates for 2018 are 23 June to 14 October.)

You can do it as part of an all-day round trip starting and ending in Meiringen, or by taking the Sustenlinie PostBus #162 between Meiringen and Göschenen (twice daily in each direction).

I experienced it as part of the Vierpässefahrt round trip from Meiringen (Four Passes Trip), which took us over the the Grimsel, Nufenen, Gotthard and Susten Passes. There are some photos taken from the Susten Pass road attached to my post headed Susten Pass on the following page for anyone interested:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/postbus-through-four-passes-of-the-central-alps

Alpenrose