[Removed user]

14 May 2018 at 11:03:33 #815952

Hello friends,

Greetings from India.

I will be visting Switzerland from 7th August (will land at Zurich airport by 9am) to 14 August. (8 nights) along with me wife.

I need to take a train to Paris on 15 August. Based on research it seems Laussane, Basel or Geneva are the best places to take trains from (as these towns have direct connection).

We are very keen to explore the natural beauty (major part) of Switzerland plus towns. We will be travelling to Europe for the first time (heading to Amsterdam first)

For my total 8 nights in Switzerland, till now I have finalised Mount Titlis+ Lucerne, Jungfraujoch and Zurich (3 days, one day each). I plan to explore more of Bernese – Oberland area (other than Junfraujoch) and Montreux. Not sure whether to do The Matterhorn or not.

a) Could you please suggest how much more days should i spend in exploring Bernese Oberland area and any suggested places or itineraries to visit. Also, interested to do easy to medium level hikes.

b) What base should i keep for Switzerland? My friends suggested to keep base as Interlaken as it is centrally located and transport hub to get to other places.

I am planning to keep two bases – one in Bernese Oberland area and one in Lausanne (since i need to travel to Paris, and Montreux is nearby)

c) I researched on tripadvisor forums and found that keeping base in Grindelwald/Murren/Lauterbrunnen is good to explore nature. However, we are vegetarians (do not eat egg as well). So which town/village would be good to stay which has good facilities, supermarkets and restaurants (where i can find decent veg food, with reasonable price)?

d) suggestions for clothing?

e) Suggestions for decent hotels, apartments, hostels? will be out for the whole day, hence don’t want to spend on luxury but want reasonably priced decent accommodation with good options for Vegetarian breakfast.

Thanks in advance,

Warm Regards,

Harish

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[Removed user]

14 May 2018 at 12:42:55 #885134

Hi Harish, and welcome to MySwissAlps,

1. It depends on the activities that you’re planning to do. Have a look at our Bernese Oberland webpage and our Jungfrau region webpage. On these pages we’ve listed activities, including hikes.
2. Your friend is right. Interlaken is centrally located and a goo transport hub. But it’s not really an attractive place to stay. I would rather stay in Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Mürren.
3. Grindelwald is the biggest village of the four. You could also do your shopping in Interlaken. Migros, Aldi and Lidl are the cheaper supermarkets.
4. It’s summer. So bring your shorts. Make sure you wear some layers as you go up the mountains. Read our webpage on the weather in Switzerland as well: http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather.
5. Please have a look here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac commodation.

[Removed user]

14 May 2018 at 13:19:41 #885135

Thanks a lot Chantal.

Should i stay for entire 8 nights in Bernese Oberland area or 6 nights and than move to Geneva/Laussane? Is Montreux and Laussane worth visiting?

How do i decide amongst Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Mürren? From what i researched Wengen and Lauterbrunnen are small towns and would not have much facilities compared to Grindelwald and Mürren. Can you get decent vegetarian food in restaurants over there?

Your reply is very helpful, helped me to clear some confusion out of my head.

Switzerland is beautiful, almost every place seems to be ‘to do’.

Warm Regards,

Harish

[Removed user]

14 May 2018 at 14:00:51 #885136

Hi Harish,

Personally I would stay like 2 nights in Lucerne, 4 nights in Bernese Oberland and 2 nights in Montreux. Lausanne is ok, but it’s a city with not many highlight. I would rather spend time in the Lavaux vineyards which are easy accessible from Montreux. It’s a beautiful area.

Every restaurant will have a vegetarian dish on the menu. Maybe you find some tips when you use the search box at the top of this page. The forum members love Wengen. If you would like to have more facilities, I would choose Grindelwald.

[Removed user]

15 May 2018 at 0:53:11 #885137

>> How do i decide amongst Wengen, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Mürren?

In terms of scenery:

• Lauterbrunnen is on the valley floor, so views are up to the cliffs on each side of the valley, and to the mountains at the valley end. The Staubbach Falls are also a prominent feature in the village.

• Wengen is on a terrace above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and has views down to the floor of the valley, across to the cliffs and mountains on the other side, including the Staubbach Falls, as well as over to the Jungfrau Massif. Behind Wengen, the Männlichen massif looms over the village.

• Mürren is on the top of the cliffs on the opposite side of the Lauterbrunnen Valley from Wengen, and has remarkable close-up mountain rockface views.

• Grindelwald is also surrounded by stunning mountains. It has more shops, hotels, restaurants etc than the other villages, and a busier, more commercial feel. It also has traffic.

Wengen and Mürren are car-free, which makes them extra special in my opinion. Hotels usually have small electric vehicles, which they use to pick up guests and their luggage from the station on the day of arrival, and to drop them off on the day of departure – but check before booking.

>> From what i researched Wengen and Lauterbrunnen are small towns and would not have much facilities compared to Grindelwald and Mürren.

Is it only the availability of vegetarian food that concerns you? In high season, when everything is open, all villages are likely to meet your needs. Mürren is the smallest of the villages.

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

15 May 2018 at 5:06:35 #885138

Thanks Alpenrose.

Yes, availability of vegetarian food is my main concern. And we shall decide the base down basis availability of veg food options. As suggested by Chantal i searched the forums but didn’t find much on the veg food options.

I have total 8 nights in Switzerland, out of which i am planning to stay for 6 nights in Interlaken, Grindelwald, Wengen.

Out of these 6 nights, one day i plan to do Mt.Titlis + Lucerne, one day for Zurich and one day for Jungfraujoch…. and remaining 3 nights to explore other places in Bernese Oberland area. Does staying for 6 nights in Grindelwald makes sense?

Thanks,

Harish

[Removed user]

15 May 2018 at 8:45:47 #885139

Hi Harish,

And if you just google for vegetarian food options? As I said before, all restaurants will have a vegetarian dish on their menus.

6 nights in Grindelwald is fine if that’s what you want. You could also stay 2 nights in Lucerne and 4 in Grindelwald. It’s shorter to visit Mt. Titlis from Lucerne and there are enough other things to do in Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/activities. I see I’ve mentioned that before.