MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial 4 Days Lauterbrunnen on a budget with children
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hi after much research and deliberation we have decided that unless we win the lottery between now and next week we will not be able to purchase any of the railpasses as collectively it would cost more than the holiday . we are 2 adults a 16 yr old and 8 and 5 yr old any suggestions for the lauterbrunnen area over 4 days we have walking boots at the ready it would be nice to do 1 train or cable car
trip but open to suggestions.
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Hi Memorylane,
Did you check the suggestions on http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/activities? Some of the listed hikes are in the valley so little or no transport required.
Will you be traveling to Lauterbrunnen by train? If so, where from and where to?
no we are eurocamping and driving through France lol , it would have been nice to do the Jungfrau and some of the train trips but at over £500.00 for us its a bit beyond our budget, we are staying a week .
You’ll most likely need to do a little bit of travel by train / cable car in the Lauterbrunnen area – Arno’s link has some good suggestions. The Swiss railways timetable will give you schedules and pricing for any trip. The first price you see is the Swiss Half Fare Card price (so double it to get the regular fare).
Short train trip or cable car trips can be under 15chf to access some hiking trails. IE Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp or Stechelberg to Mürren. The 5 year old travels free without any ticket.
If you don’t buy any pass you can consider buying a Junior travelcard for the 8-year old: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju niortravelcard. If you do buy a pass like the Swiss Half Fare Card, you would get a free Swiss Family Card for the 8-year old: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw issfamilycard.
Hi Memorylane –
Arno asked “When.”
It matters in the Alps, because Winter lingers at high altitudes.
That is a separate issue from when you need to win the lottery.
I’m not sure how you got £500.00, but trips to the Jungfrau alone ( which you mentioned) would certainly add up something near that, by themselves. Not to mention the cost of Swiss Travel Passes. So, I’d take the Jungfraujoch off the list, no matter what.
It probably still would be a bit much for you, but half fare cards for the adults at about 120 CHF each might be worth a re-check. Don’t know about the 16 year old. Arno knows a lot more about passes that I do, so he has the details of the low cost add-ons for the younger members of your family.
And, of course, any of the discounted rail cards only pay for themselves if you make a lot of trips.
A peculiarity of the transport system in the Jungfrau region, due to the Swiss Federation policy to provide low cost transportation between population centers, is that fares from Lauterbrunnen to/from Wengen are very cheap. From there on up, the same cograil train continuing to Kleine Scheidegg and Grindelwald is then officially an excursion train with fares based on “specialty pricing” for the people who will pay for the views.
So, you certainly could go up to Wengen, as well as stay on the valley floor. There are some nice views from Wengen. Also, as noted above, c\heck out the cost to ride up to Grütschalp from Lauterbrunnen,, walk to Mürren, take the cableway down to Stechelberg ( two stages,; you could walk the first stage as far as Gimmelwald) and walk or bus back to Lauterbrunnen. Apart from your campground, you can park at the station in Lauterbrunnen…a bit pricey…or Stechelberg.
I don’t know the costs to park at Stechelberg.
If you go up to Wengen , and are there after mid to late June (when the trail opens) , give some though to making your chosen cableway venture from Wengen to Männlichen, and then walk to Kleine Scheidegg (easy).
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
It is easy enough to have the nickname “The Grannies Walk, and the views are spectacular. See attached. The young lady in the pictures is my 8-year old granddaughter in 2009.
Then, walk back down to Wengen instead of using the train.
That walk is not difficult, but can be hard on the knees because of the elevation change…downhill.
Not sure how your 5 year old would handle that.distance.
If you read topo maps, this one will show the trails and the altitudes:
The color coding of the trails – simplistically – is that yellow ones can be done with no special gear, but you ought to have sturdy shoes or your boots, red ones demand boots and hiking staffs, blue are technical climbing.
There also some nice walks along the lake shore, near Thun and Faulensee.
Slowpoke
Attachments:thank you we will be arriving 27th may and leaving the 1st June , as you say junfrau will be a miss this time but would be good to have a trip up to see some of the views and to some easy trail walking with the kids, thank you for the advice i think also it will be weather dependent. thankyou for your advise and we are all kitted out with boots even my 5 yr old. i will be looking at the trails later
Louise
louise
The trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg will not be open. I think the cableway up from Wengen only opens at about the time you arrive…maybe a bit sooner. The Valley floor should be mostly free of snow…it is at only about 800 meters, but does not get a lot of sun.
The trail from Grütschalp to Mürren should be open. Decent views of the Jungfrau Massif if you walk toward Mürren. ou could stop for a cup of tea at Winteregg, if the terrace is open. Great views.
Consider some walks along the lake shores. In late May. early June, altitude really matters.
When I am in the region, I always go to Brienz.. I visit the store and tiny museum of wood carving at Jobin – I’d not pay for the museum if on a budget, even though it is not expensive. My granddaughter now has a nice collection, which she cherishes, of music boxes bought one at a time over the years at Jobin.
So, the cost to go in and look around is zero CHF. The cost to get out depends on your will power or “won’t power.” 😉
Slowpoke
ooh that sounds good we will look at taking a trip to bern as well .
Hi memorylane – <<“no we are eurocamping and driving through France lol , i”>>
As Lucas noted, most of the area is car-free.
Slowpoke
Bern is a good idea.
If you drive, here are some ways to find parking.
1.- Mapsearch.ch
In the menu, under Points of Interest, Trafic, tick the box for Parking.
2.- http://www.bern.com/en/detail /traveling-by-car
Some photos attached. Bern is a nice town for walking.
For your amusement, I have attached some from the Wintertime.
The Onion Market is in November, and the trolley runs only near Christmas, I think. That is the only time that have seen it.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that the Swiss don’t have a sense of humor. 😉
Slowpoke-
Attachments:when i get home from work i will post a couple of photos of my last trip , i was 9 !!!! i am now 40 something lol
wow they love their onion’s
<<“wow they love their onion’s”>>
It is an overgrown harvest festival. There are many smaller ones.
It has been around for a while…maybe since 1405.
From Wiki-
<<“
Zibelemärit in Bern
The Zibelemärit (Bernese German dialect; English: Onion market) is an annual market with aspects of a fair in the old town of Bern, Switzerland. It takes place the fourth Monday in November.
Historical research indicates that the Zibelemärit originated in the 1850s with marmettes, farmer’s wives from around Murten, coming to Bern at around St. Martin’s Day to sell their produce; however, a persistent local legend holds that the Zibelemärit is a much older festivity. According to this legend, the Bernese awarded the people from the nearby city of Fribourg the right to sell onions in the city in reward for their aid after a fire destroyed much of Bern in 1405.
As the name indicates, it is mainly onions that are sold on the Zibelemärit. Bernese farmers, who are proud of their decorative onion tresses and onion wreaths, also sell other onion products on the market, including Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie), onion soup and onion sausages. Decorative chains of sugar onions are also popular with children.
The Zibelemärit opens very early in the day, at around 03:00 to 04:00. Later in the morning, the narrow alleys are usually packed tight with people, which is what the Bernese call the Gstungg. A general confetti battle in which mostly children participate ensues at four o’clock in the afternoon, officially ending the market.”>>
Slowpoke
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