[Rivertrip]

8 March 2015 at 12:35:56 #806958

We are travelling down the Rhine in early June (Amsterdam to Basel); arriving in Basel June 6.We like hiking and walking and wanted to spend enough time in an area for good walking opportunities; we also want to go up the Jungfraujoch and are interested in the cable car to Schilthorn withthe idea of getting off midway down and walking. My husband likes taking pictures

we plan to use the Swiss half fare pass and take the Golden Pass railway route as much as possible. Should we book in advance or should we just book when we get to Switzerland?Also have trouble finding where to buy passes in Canada

Day 1: arrive early morning in Basel; take train to Lucerne and stay overnight; Day 2: take train to lauterbrunnen:

Day 3: lauterbrunnen:Jungfraujoch?

Day 4 : Lauterbrunnen;Schilthorn?

Day 5: Lauterbrunnen: other gondola ride or cable car with chance of walking? walks around Lauterbrunnen?

Day 6: take Golden pass strain to Lausanne; spend 2 nights and take early morning train on Day8 to Geneva airport for return home

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[Annika]

8 March 2015 at 12:49:50 #841944

Hi Rivertrip,

Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren all make a wonderful base for day hikes in the Jungfrau region. Please see the Jungfrau region page for many hiking tips.

All points of sale for Canada are listed here. Make sure that “Your country of residence” is set to Canada, but the page should do so automatically. Be sure to check the Discounts section of the page as well. As you can see there, you can currently buy the Swiss Half Fare Card online for € 98. In Switzerland it is more expensive. The Golden Pass trip does not need to be booked in advance, please see here.

[Rivertrip]

8 March 2015 at 23:53:02 #841945

thank you Annika: I have bought the half fare passes. The info on the trails is exactly what I was looking for. Do I need maps or guide books for the following walks?

Grütschalp – Mürren

Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg

Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg

[Arno]

10 March 2015 at 5:25:45 #841946

Hi Rivertrip,

These walks are very easy and it’s almost impossible to get lost, so you can do them without a map. Have fun!

[Removed user]

10 March 2015 at 21:32:47 #841947

Rivertrip,

Just a few comments. First, you’ll need more time in this area. There are so many wonderful things to do it would be a shame to come that far and miss them. Can you skip Lucerne and save a half day by getting to your destination point earlier? The views are so fantastic, you won’t mind sitting on the train a little longer. Second, don’t plan your days before you arrive. There is little reason to go to the Jungfrau or Shilthorn unless you have good weather. You’ll just have to see how things are on arrival and make plans when you get up each morning. The hiking in this area can be very easy depending on what you choose. The hikes you listed above are all like a stroll in the park. Except for the sounds of cowbells and the gorgeous vistas. There are also challenging hikes. Do your homework to match your hiking options with your interest. If your plans change and you want to extend your range of exploration, I recommend Swiss Bernese Oberland by Philip & Loretta Alspach. However, you won’t need this guide if you stay in the Lauterbrunnen area. One thing we enjoy is the cable car to Mannlichen and the gondola to Grindelwald. Like floating in a magic carpet. You can then go to First for hiking if you choose.

[Rivertrip]

10 March 2015 at 22:09:48 #841948

Thank you Travel Bug. We plan to be flexible and will adapt depending on the weather. Will there be snow on the ground or on any of the walks we mentioned? In Canada, in trails around banff; there can be 3 feet of snow on popular trails like the Beehive at this time in June and we could not walk in the icefields parkway because of the snow depth.

We are cautious about descriptions as easy; been burned before and cautious about winging it without maps; also been burned before.

Any more possibilities like the following? Your imagery is wonderful! “One thing we enjoy is the cable car to Mannlichen and the gondola to Grindelwald. Like floating in a magic carpet. You can then go to First for hiking if you choose.”

[Arno]

12 March 2015 at 11:29:10 #841949

Grütschalp – Mürren and Lauterbrunnen – Stechelberg are fine in early June. Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is higher up so could still be closed or muddy/snowy. Probably it will be accessible too.

[Removed user]

13 March 2015 at 20:24:31 #841950

We’ve encountered snow on trails as late as mid-July. Everything depends on the spring snowfall. Usually, however, you are OK by June. I’ll cross my fingers your weather is perfect. Makes a top destination a dream come true. Are you sure you can’t squeeze out a few more day? weeks? “Like floating on a magic carpet” etc. came from the text of one of my books. Check out http://geni.us/GTFS. BTW, there is a rotobahn in Grindelwald.