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Hello all!
This site is absolutely fantastic & the forum discussions provide answers to most of the questions on our mind. Reading all the information given here we have charted a plan for our one week plan of Switzerland trip. We are a family of 3 & we will be reaching Basel by flight on 8th May 2018. Planning take Swiss pass for 6 days.
We will take train to Lucerne, spend half a day around Lake Lucerne. We are planning to book apartments through Airbnb at Lucerne for 3-4 days. I wanted to ask experts here if hiring apartments little away from the main town will be difficult to commute? Making Lucerne as the base we want to go Mt Titlis & Mt Pilatus for the next two days. Or Mt Rigi. could someone please suggest which two to choose among the three? one day we are planning spend in a city tour of Lucerne. Would it be feasible to do a day trip on Glacier express instead?
From Lucerne we are planning to go to Interlaken through the Golden express scenic route & thanks to the information provided in this website we could take any trains. After reaching we plan to go to lake Thun. Making Interlaken as the base we want to go Jungfrau the next day. (round trip) Next day back to Basel to catch our return flight which is on 15th. When I see booking options there are not many in Interlaken. As suggested in some forums if we book either in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald instead of Interlaken wont it be difficult to connect? We also found some nice stay options near Thun. Can we stay there & make it a base instead of staying in Interlaken. We will have one more day left i.e 14th May. Not sure what to do on this day. Suggestions would be of great help. Or spending an extra day in Lucerne is a better idea? Since we have 4 & a half year old daughter we cannot have a very tight schedule. And cannot plan any hiking or trekking activities. This is our rough itinerary based on all the information I got in this wonderful website. Sorry for posting such a long query. Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Shruti 🙂
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Hi Shruti, and welcome to MySwissAlps,
If you choose to stay in a little village I would check how easy it is to commute. Especially in the weekends and evenings. You can use the Swiss timetable to plan check that.
Mt. Titlis, Mt. Pilatus or Mt. Rigi? It’s really a personal choice. They are all different. You can use the search box at the top of this page to see what other forum members say about it.
Read here more about how to enjoy a part of the Glacier Express route as a day trip from Lucerne. It is possible.
I would also suggest to stay in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald instead of Interlaken. It won’t be difficult at all to connect. Thun is also nicer than Interlaken. I like a stroll along Lake Thun.
I would stay an extra day in Lucerne or the Interlaken area. Depends on the activities that you are going to do.
Hi Shruti,
>> I wanted to ask experts here if hiring apartments little away from the main town will be difficult to commute?
When considering which accommodation to choose, look up the address in Google Maps, then zoom in to find nearby railway stations and bus stops. If you hover the mouse over the bus stop or railway station logo (or tap it on a hand-held device), it will give you details about the official name of the stop, and for buses, the number/s of the bus routes that stop there. You can then use that information in the official Swiss Timetable to find out how frequent the service is, and at what time the first and last connections for the day run. As Chantal has already mentioned, make sure the transport options for evenings and weekends in particular will suit you.
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
>> As suggested in some forums if we book either in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald instead of Interlaken wont it be difficult to connect?
It will be very easy as long as you are close to transport that meets your needs.
Lauterbrunnen has a railway station and a regular bus service (#141) that runs along the valley from Lauterbrunnen railway station to Stechelberg. The bus service operates from early until late at half-hourly intervals (hourly after 19:35).
Grindelwald is hilly and very spread out, and the town bus service only runs until early evening, so you might prefer to find somewhere within a comfortable walk from Grindelwald railway station.
>> We also found some nice stay options near Thun. Can we stay there & make it a base instead of staying in Interlaken.
Likewise, find out where your accommodation is in relation to Thun railway station, or to any bus services. If you would be relying on a bus, find out what time the first and last services of the day run, how frequent the service is, and whether weekend and evening services would meet your needs.
Something to be aware of with addresses is that Bern and Luzern (for example) are the names of cantons as well as cities, so when you see “Luzern” in an address, particularly if it is not a hotel, it might not actually be in the city of Luzern, but could in fact be in a more remote part of canton Luzern: so finding the address on a map is a good way to ensure you know exactly where it is, and what transport is nearby, before you book.
Alpenrose
Hello & Good morning!
Thank you Chantel & Alpenrose for your kind replies. These suggestions are really valuable.
Shruti.
Hello all!
Also wanted to know if it is a good idea to plan a visit to some waterfalls around Lauterbrunnen or most of the falls will be still frozen since our visit is during the first week of May?
Shruti.
Hi Shruti,
They won’t be frozen no. Might be quite good with the Spring melt. Trümmelbach Falls can be visited easily from Lauterbrunnen on bus or a nice walk. Staubach Falls are right in Lauterbrunnen and will be easy to enjoy!
>> Also wanted to know if it is a good idea to plan a visit to some waterfalls around Lauterbrunnen or most of the falls will be still frozen since our visit is during the first week of May?
Trümmelbach Falls are the only ones in the Lauterbrunnen Valley for which there is an admission fee and opening/closing times and seasons, and Lucas has already noted that they will be open when you are there.
You can get up close to the Staubbach Falls, but I’m not sure how close you can get to other waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It will probably be more a case of enjoying the view from a distance as you stroll or take a bus through the Lauterbrunnen Valley, rather than visiting them.
Alpenrose
Thanks for the prompt replies. Shall try to cover at least one of these water falls. I had one more query. Is Sigriswil a good option to stay to cover Jungfrau region? I found out that there are regular buses from Thun railway station. The place we are thinking of booking is close to the bus stand. We wanted to stay somewhere away from the main Interlaken area as also suggested in the forum. Any suggestions in this regard would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.
Shruti.
Hi Shruti,
>> Is Sigriswil a good option to stay to cover Jungfrau region?
I’m not familiar with the village of Sigriswil myself, but it sounds like a nice place:
http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en /hiking-in-switzerland/services/p laces/ort-0459.html
If you have seen the bus timetable, are happy with the operational times and frequency of service, and your proposed accommodation is close to a bus stop, the other thing to consider is travel times to the places you intend to visit while staying there.
Use the Swiss Timetable (link in earlier post above) to plan your trips from Sigriswil, taking note of the number of changes involved, and the waiting time between connections.
Getting to Lauterbrunnen from there will take almost an hour-and-a-half each way, so you will “lose” at least 3 hours sightseeing time every day you head to the Jungfrau Region. Most morning connections to Lauterbrunnen seem to involve a change of bus at Gunten, and a wait of 14 minutes between buses. Going via Thun would take even longer.
It would be a good idea to check connections back to Sigriswil in the late afternoon/evening to see if you have any long waits between connections, and where you would be waiting.
>> We wanted to stay somewhere away from the main Interlaken area
When people suggest staying somewhere else other than Interlaken, they are usually referring to villages that are closer to the attractions in the Jungfrau Region, rather than further away.
However, if you think Sigriswil will suit you despite the travel times, then it does sound like a nice location. In the end it is up to you whether staying in Sigriswil works for you or not.
Alpenrose
Hello,
Thanks again. Now I feel it is better to stay closer to Interlaken as we are completely dependent on public transport. Have shortlisted some more properties. Those in Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald are comparatively more expensive. Also since we have 4 n a half year old daughter with us we feel it could be more cold in these places especially in nights. Have found some compatible places in Wilderswill close to railway station as well as Interlaken proper. Would Wilderswill provide better views, as it seems little way from the Interlaken area on the map? I really appreciate your replies & suggestions. It has helped us so far to shape up our itenary in a proper way.
Shruti 🙂
I haven’t stayed in Wilderswil but I think you might like it over Interlaken.
I’d still lean to a village like Lauterbrunnen or Wengen instead. Currently it is 2 degrees in Wilderswil, 4 degrees in Lauterbrunnen and 1 degree in Wengen – so not too much difference. Check the links above for hotel help if you choose to look at those villages.
Cheers!
>> we feel it could be more cold in these places especially in nights.
You will of course need to ensure you have suitable shoes and clothing for the time of year, including nights if you are going to be outdoors at night. However, I would be very surprised indeed if any accommodation did not have adequate heating. I have been to Switzerland in the middle of winter several times and never been cold indoors at night. On the contrary, it is often a bit on the warm side.
>> Would Wilderswill provide better views
Wilderswil is in a pleasant setting amongst forested hills, but it is not a place you would go to specifically for views, and it cannot compare with the scenery in Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen or Mürren.
However, if you can find accommodation there that suits your budget better than what is available in the other villages, then the location is excellent in terms of travel times to attractions in the Jungfrau Region.
Wilderswil does, however, have a lovely little nook of beautiful traditional houses, a small square with park, and a covered wooden bridge over the Lütschine River, that dates from 1738 and is just a few minutes’ walk from the station.
To get there, cross the tracks at the station crossing, go down Bahnhofstrasse, continue in the same direction along Allmendstrasse to the bridge and Lütschine river.
You can see some photos attached to my post of Mar 8, 2017 – 12:57 AM on the following page:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/switzerland-13-days-trip-with-2-kids
Alpenrose
Hello,
Thanks a million Lucas & Alpenrose666. Every suggestion has been of great help. Shall seek advice again if required as I fine tune my itenary.
Regards,
Shruti:)
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