[Removed user]

2 February 2018 at 22:28:21 #814230

Hello, We are an English family of 5 (2 adults and 3 children aged 15, 12 and 8) and will be visiting Switzerland in August as part or a month long European trip. We are looking to spend 10 days in Switzerland and have roughly planned 7 days in the Bernese Oberland and then 2 days near or around Zermatt/Matterhorn area.

We will have our own car with us and will be travelling in from Germany and then out into Italy.

We would like some advice on the following please:

1. Where is a good place (Town/Village) to stay in the Bernese Oberland? I have read that Interlaken is in a good location but that there are nicer places to stay (Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Grindelwald). We would prefer to stay in a more scenic location and our budget would be 150 – 180 Swiss francs per day. We are happy to stay in an apartment or campsite (we may bring our own camping equipment).

2. I have read that public transport is very good so is it better to use this instead of using our own car?

3. We are an active family and love the outdoors, so would prefer to spend most of our time outside. We haven’t really considered visiting the cities, although Bern and Lucerne look lovely so may take a trip to either one. Which would you recommend, or would it better to spend more time in the Mountains?

Thanks in advance, Scott.

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[Removed user]

3 February 2018 at 12:49:22 #875533

Hi Scott and welcome to MySwissAlps!

1. Interlaken is convenient for its train station and being connected by rail around the larger Bernese Oberland region. But the villages you mentioned a much nicer stay we think and if your focus is on the Jungfrau Region they are quite convenient as well. Wengen & Mürren are the most popular on the forum (accommodation options are all noted on each town page).
2. Yes – it is very good. Plus Wengen & Murren are car-free so you can’t drive there. The closest you can drive is Lauterbrunnen, park there and train or gondola to the two towns.
3. Both Bern and Lucerne are lovely towns and usually worth a visit! But as you say you are nature focused and it won’t be the end of the world to miss them – personal choice on that one. 🙂

[Removed user]

3 February 2018 at 13:20:52 #875534

Hi Lucas, Thank you for the information. We will look at the pages you suggested.

This is an excellent website and we look forward to using it more to plan our trip.

All the best, Scott.

[AlanPrice]

3 February 2018 at 22:29:18 #875535

Hi sleach.

While Wengen and Murren are justifiably popular on this forum, I prefer Grindelwald. It is more touristy than the others, but there are a lot of activities there and it can be reached by car.

On your budget, i think a holiday apartment is the way to go. Hotels cost a lot more and you’ll save a lot of money if you can make at least 1 meal a day for yourselves. When you are doing your research remember, some hotels charge per person, per night, which can become an expensive proposition for a group, but apartments usually charge only for the room (plus a small cleaning charge)

Unless you really need a car, I’d take the train. As Lucas has already mentioned, not everywhere is reachable by car and Swiss trains are a marvel. Sit back and enjoy the view.

Cheers

Alan

[Removed user]

4 February 2018 at 20:36:08 #875536

Hi Alan, Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

We did struggle to book accommodation as we will be arriving mid week, and as mentioned previously most apartment rentals are Sat to Sat.

We have now booked a camping pitch (Tent) at Lauterbrunnen (Camping Jungfrau campsite) for a week, so let’s hope it is sunny! 🙂

Cheers,

Scott