Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt in Sept

  • Will77
    Participant
    2 posts
    9 September 2022 at 11:12:41 #828299

    Hi,

    I’m going to Switzerland next week (sept 11 – 17). Originally, I was planning on flying into Zurich and spending the first two nights in Interlaken, then two nights in Lauterbrunnen (or one of the villages nearby), and then two nights in Zermatt.

    Looking at the forecast though, it seems like it will be sunny till Tuesday then raining the rest of the week which caused me to have a few questions.

    1. I know the forecast can be unpredictable, but is there any area you would especially recommend I see while the weather is good in the beginning of the week?

    2. I’ve heard that Interlaken can be used as a good hub for going on day trips, so would it be a good idea to stay there as opposed to lauterbrunnen, wengen, etc. during the rain?

    3. Is it realistic to think during the rainy days I could wake up, see where the weather is good, go there/do a hike, and return each day? Is this only possible in a place like Interlaken (as opposed to a town like Lauterbrunnen or Wengen)?

    Sorry for all the questions, I haven’t been in this situation before. I really appreciate any help or guidance anyone is able to offer!

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    Pgraef1019
    Participant
    6 posts
    9 September 2022 at 12:58:25 #946633

    We were just there a few weeks age. A few days that had rain forecasted ended up being nice most of the day. Interlaken is a great base but make sure to visit Wengen and Murren if you have time. Brienz was an easy train from Interlaken as well and was a very cute town right on the lake. Feel free to ask any question on further details. We loved our trip. Did some hiking and some sightseeing of beautiful towns. We did Trummelbach falls on the one day it was a little rainy. Good option as it is inside caves.

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    9 September 2022 at 18:33:02 #946634

    Hi Will77,

    Welcome to MySwissAlps.

    I agree it’s difficult to plan a trip when the weather is unpredictable. But remember, the forecast are not always accurate to the last detail. It might rain but it’s unlikely to rain the whole day. In this situation it’s good to keep your options open.

    Interlaken is definitely a good base if you want to remain flexible. The transport connection is good and you can easily plan quick trips to the mountains or to the cities or neighbouring regions depending on the weather. You can find links to the weather forecast here: http://www.myswissalps.com/weather/forecast

    Best regards,

    Anna

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    9 September 2022 at 22:02:52 #946635

    Based on 60 years of experience, I always recommend to people to stay in Interlaken as a base. The area is (relatively to other famous places in the world) so small that journeys to Wengen, Murren etc don’t take very long

    Maruza89
    Participant
    3 posts
    10 September 2022 at 5:47:42 #946636

    Don’t despair. The rain doesn’t last the entire day. Check out MeteoSwiss app. It has been very helpful to me. The one day that it forecasted rain, it occurred after six and through the night, then the sky opened up splendidly. I just looked at it because I’m continuing for another week in Switzerland. It shows no rain until Thursday, and rain on Thursday. You can click on the day that the rain is showing and see hour by hour.

    I recommend you to go to Lauterbrunnen while in Interlaken. It is a 20 min train ride and it is breathtaking. At the end of this village, 45 min walk or a few min by bus are the Trümmelbach falls. Spectacular. Also, while in Interlaken you can take the bus to Iseltwald. It’s a tiny village with spectacular views to the pristine blue lake Brienz. Hiking trails there too. I believe that the last bus back from Iseltwald to Interlaken is at five or six, so plan accordingly. The bus takes like 20 minutes. Good luck and enjoy!

    Will77
    Participant
    2 posts
    10 September 2022 at 17:24:13 #946637

    Thank you all so much for your tips and advice! It does seem like the weather may end up being alright, so I think I will probably do a night or two in a smaller village and the rest in Interlaken, just so that I can experience both. It seems like you can’t go wrong with any of the smaller villages, but are there any in particular you would recommend staying in?

    Thank you all again for your help and advice – I really appreciate it!

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    10 September 2022 at 19:03:34 #946638

    Hi will77,

    If you prefer small villages with good access to transport, my recommendations would be Lauterbrunnen or Wilderswil. Wengen or Grindelwald if you prefer a mountain setting.

    Regards,

    Anna

    Danielsan
    Participant
    628 posts
    11 September 2022 at 11:28:51 #946639

    Hi Will77,

    I find the best advice one can give is, basically don’t buy any mountain excursion ticket until the day of. Most, if not all hotels, will have a “mountain cam” of sorts to look at. If not, then someone should be able to help at the reception desk. When I went for two weeks in Sept. 2018, I never even looked at a weather report, other than the aforementioned “cams” in the hotels.

    You may want to consider staying in one town/village for the whole time instead of moving around after two days. Be it Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, or one of the smaller mountain villages in the area.

    Anywhere you do stay, will be fairly convenient to the area’s sights/hikes, etc.

    Hope you have a great trip.

    Regards,

    Danielsan

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