[Vlasta]

17 June 2010 at 6:32:01 #803868

I have more questions about our trip- 5 adults in Sept. for 2 weeks. One week will be spent in the Lauterbrunnen area going up as many mountains as possible hiking to villages, etc. For the other week we will be traveling around. These are the places we are interested in: Bern, Murten, Gruyeres, Chateaux de Chillon, Grimentz, Brienz, Zermatt, Ballenberg, possibly Lucern, Avenches, Broc and Thun.
We realize many of these are not far from each other and we would not like to change hotels everyday. Is it possible to stay in one place for 2 or 3 days at a time and do day trips by train? What places would be good to base ourselves for a couple days?

I guess the other thing we need to decide is if it would be better to rent a car for the week of travel, and then get a rail pass for the week in Lauterbrunnen area, or if it is possible to do this whole trip by train comfortably-without having to constantly worry about having to store luggage for all of us in order to be able to do the sightseeing. Of course if we stay at one hotel for 2-3 days we don’t have to worry about that so much. anyt houghts on this are appreciated!

Thank you for all your help.

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[Removed user]

17 June 2010 at 10:18:26 #831421

Viasta
I would suggest you base your self in Interlaken or Brienz. It is very easy to get to the mountains if the weather is good however if the weather is not so good you could go to Bern, Brienz, Zermatt, Ballenberg, Luzern, and Thun.
For the second part of your trip you could base yourself in Montreux and do Murten, Gruyeres, Chateaux de Chillon, Grimentz, Zermatt, , Avenches, and Broc. Gruyeres and Broc can be done on the Chocolate train
To get from Interlaken to Montreux use the Golden Pass.
Since you would be staying in only two places train would be the best to see as many of the places you want to see.

Dick

[Annika]

17 June 2010 at 12:41:20 #831422

Hi Vlasta! I agree with Dick: it would be a good idea to base yourself in one place for the first week and in one for the other. Having the same base for more than 2-3 days is quite relaxing and saves you from carrying your luggage around several times. The train system in Switzerland is brilliant and I’d definitely recommend to make use of it, instead of renting a car. Train travelling in this country is a fantastic exerience and as Dick already indicated, most of the places you’d like to visit can easily be reached from two towns only. Thun, Interlaken, Bern and Spiez can be recommended for your first week; Montreux would be the best option for the second week in my opinion as well. You may want to take a look at the overviews of day trips and hikes in the Bernese Oberland to get some more ideas for your first week in/around Lauterbrunnen.

If you decide on shorter stays in several towns and hotels, please review the Fast Baggage Service of the Swiss Federal Railways. If you hand in your luggage before 9am, you can collect it at your destination the same day after 6pm, so that you can travel without your suitcases.

If you’ll be travelling by train quite intensively, a Swiss rail pass may save you lots of money. Exact calculations should be made to find out which pass suits your plans best; instructions on this can be found in the rail FAQ. But based on your plans, I’d say a S wiss Flexi Pass might be a good option for you. It allows free travelling on a number of days and a 50% discount on the remaining days. If you plan to use the cable cars and mountain trains in the Lauterbrunnen area a lot, you may supplement this with a Jungfrau Railways Pass. But again, please make calculations to be sure of the best pass or pass combination.

[Vlasta]

17 June 2010 at 16:55:06 #831423

Wonderful suggestions- thank you!

[Vlasta]

17 June 2010 at 17:47:38 #831424

What is your opinion about staying in Lauterbrunnen for the week we want to go up the mountains? Would that be less train travel on a daily basis than staying in Brienz or Thun? Interlaken seems so busy from what we have heard. I will further check the timetables- but I am interested in your personal opinions. We prefer smaller towns in general and easy access to day hikes as well . Thank you!

[Marla]

18 June 2010 at 9:55:14 #831425

Hello Vlasta,

Lauterbrunnen is a fantastic place to stay with lots of possibilities for travelling and hiking. But it all depends on what you are planning to do during your stay. You already mentioned some of the places you would like to visit, but if you plan to visit many of them during the first week I would suggest a more central location, like for example Spiez (which gives a little less access to hikes, but has a good railway station) or Wilderswil (small station, good connections, many hiking possibilities). On the other hand: if you are planning to stay within the Jungfrau Region Lauterbrunnen is great. It’s small, but you can start hiking from there or take the train to wherever you like – not only within the Jungfrau Region, but if you don’t mind travelling by train a bit more Lauterbrunnen is not bad at all too.

I hope this helps a bit!