Itinerary advice Murren & Luzern mid October

We will be arriving in Switzerland by rental car from Germany on Oct 11th, dropping the car in Bern or Thun, then taking a train to Interlaken and on to Murren for 3 nights. I am going to get the 8 day Swiss Travel Pass. On the 15th we will take a train to Luzern for 2 nights, then we are flying out of Zurich on the 17th (early afternoon). I understand that the weather will be unpredictable and we may be colder than we are used to. We are from San Diego, so very weather spoiled…

On this trip I am most interested in sight-seeing the Alps and light hiking and/or biking. Weather permitting is it advisable with our 2 full days in Murren to do the Jungfraujoch one day and Shilthorn the other? My ideal day would be a morning ride to the top and then a hike in the afternoon down below somewhere. I realize that depending on the weather seeing both may not be possible. I also know that it is going to be very expensive, is it worth it to do both? What other recommendations do you have for our time in this area?

I think we will have a day and a half in Luzern. Again not as interested in city sights (but wouldn’t rule them out), so I was thinking of a boat trip on the Lake and Mt Pilatus. If we have done the other mountains, should we skip Pilatus or should we take advantage of seeing the tops of all the mountains we can? This is my first trip to Switzerland, it’s been on my bucket list forever. I’m finally an empty nester and my husband and I are finally getting in some trips to Europe, I have to assume I may not make it back to Switzerland again and plan accordingly…

Also, is it possible to ski in October at any of these places?

Thank you in advance, I appreciate any and all advice, comments and critiques of my plans.

Hi Janet-

Welcome to My Swiss Alps.

I'll spend some time on details later, but, for a start-

take a look at these links:

map.search.ch/?pos=637296,156096&z=32

Zoom in and also , under "Points of Interest/Traffic, you can turn on a map overlay with transport stops.

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Check out the instructions. And, there is a lot of stuff buried in the menus. For a start, note that once you have selected a journey (start, finish and date/time) and gotten a list of four of them, you can click on the "+" sign to the left for more details.

Also-

www.jungfrau.ch/en/som mer/tourism/destinatio ns/kleine-scheidegg/hiking-trails/

and,

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

After you complete your study of the last document, there will be a quiz. ;-)

Too bad that you are making such a short trip. October is nice, especially at the lower altitudes.

In the Jungfrau region, you will be there near the end of the season, so keep an eye out for open/closed hotels/restaurants, and, possibly cableways.

More later.

Slowpoke

Hi Janet-

<<"Weather permitting is it advisable with our 2 full days in Murren to do the Jungfraujoch one day and Shilthorn the other?">>

The Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn (note spelling) are very different. Whetehr one is better than the other is a matter of opinion.You can estimate timing from the timetable linked previously. What you sugest is quite possible.

Sunset is at about 1840. You may have more light on the Wengen slope than the Mürren side of the valley at sunset, because it is south and west facing.

<<"in sight-seeing the Alps and light hiking">>

Some consider this hike to be the best "light " hike in Switzerland:

www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg

Please resist the temptation to tag it on to the end of trip to the Jungfraujoch, and walk in the wrong direction

If you walk it from Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen, you'll have to go back to Switzerland again in the future to do it in the correct direction. ;-) And I note that you may not make that trip. Sp, you would have a dilemma. ;-)

The effect of walking toward the Eiger, in the downhill direction, from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is made special by the way that the north face of the Eiger towers over you as you approach it. if you walk it in the opposite direction, you have to keep turning around to see it, and you never get the same feeling. The Eiger is overwhelming and you begin to realize why it is called the Ogre ( in Swiss German " Eiger")

Others don't feel so strongly about that as I do, but long time members of this forum know how strongly I feel about this. If it matters to you, so does Rick Steves.

I have attached a few images of varying technical quality to help make my point.

By the way, I checked the timetable, and the cableway ( a large cabin lift , what the Germans call a "Luftseilbahn" is running on the days you will be there.

Take the train up from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, walk 5 minutes up the main street to the lower lift station (technically and precisely at "Wengiboden" and take the ride up to Männlichen (technically and precisely Männlichen LWM station.). Once you are there, if you turn to the left, you can climb a steep train about 100 meters to the very top of Männlichen Gipfel (in this context, Gipfel is summit or peak) . Or, you can turn to the right, walk a few hundred meters to the restaurant, and grab a bite or walk on to Kleine Scheidegg. Bring a camera. Don't go up there to do the walk if it is cloudy; the inside of a cloud is not very scenic. The more days you can spend in the area, the better chance for clear weather.

Slowpoke

Thank you Slowpoke! Kim's tips are answering my questions faster than I can think of them :) Don't quiz me yet....And we will be taking your advice and hiking in the proper direction from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. It looks so beautiful.

Hi Janetnorton,

October isn't ski season yet, but there's a "Snow Fun Park" at Jungfraujoch for other snow activities. I am not sure if it will still be open in October though, but there will be snow.

myswissalps.com/ besttimetovisit

All about the Swiss Travel Pass (what's included, how it works, where to buy): myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass.