MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Lucerne and Jungfrau region in June or October?
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Hi All,
I am planning for a week long trip to Switzerland in 2020.
I have 2 possible dates – first couple of weeks in June or 2nd week of October.
I understand that neither of these are probably the peak season time and there might be some difficulties like some routes or hotels might be closed. My interest is primarily to enjoy the mountain scenery and one or two towns/cities with culture and history. I was tentatively planning 2-3 nights in Lucerne and 4-5 nights in Jungfraujoch region (Grindlewald/Lauterbrunnen/Wengen). I would also like to take 1 scenic train journey.
I understand weather can’t be predicted accurately but please advise what would be the best option between these 2 dates.
Thanks in advance…
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We were in Lucerne 11 days in the first part of October. We got rained on one day, had several cloudy days (due to the aftereffects of a massive hurricane that decided to move all the way across the Atlantic), but sunshine the rest of the time. Temperatures were moderate (light jacket). Everything was open everywhere we went.
We took boat rides on Lake Lucerne, and trains to Mt. Titlis, Stanserhorn, Pilatus, Schilthorn, and the Jungfraujoch. However, the Schilthorn and Jungfrau make for a long day if starting & returning to Lucerne, so your plan to stay in that area for a few days is wise. Any trip into that region is scenic.
We were also in Zurich & Lucerne last October for 10 days, and enjoyed sunshine every day, with a few periods of “T-shirt” weather.
We’ve never been to Switzerland in June. so no thoughts on that time period.
If you plan on doing any hiking, the higher alpine trails are usually closed due to snow cover until mid June or sometimes even end of June. Snow in October is certainly possible but would not cover the ground for very long likely. Mark
Thanks for your replies but I am confused about the recommendation 🙂
I plan to hike a bit in the mountains, nothing very tough but easy ones with family (wife and 1o year old daughter). Please ask any other questions. Really looking forward to make a decision soon and start planning the itinerary.
If you plan on any high alpine hikes even easy ones in the Jungfrau area (such as First to Bachalpsee, Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, First to Grosse Scheidegg) October is a better choice.
Hi aadi007.
Thanks for giving your dates as precisely as you can. It is particularly useful in the “shoulder” seasons, between the Winter and Summer seasons. You understand the seasonal nature of the Jungfrau Region, but early October should still have plenty of tourist facilities open. Early June is still the tail end of Winter at high altitudes near the Jungfrau. And, it tends to be rainier and cloudier than October…on average, of course. Mark nailed it. Go for October, no question.
At the lower altitudes near Luzern, although the weather patterns are similar, it is warmer, so it is definitely Spring in June, and, on dry days, can be very nice. October is great, too.
Apart from some seasonality on lake boat schedules in early October, I don’t think you’ll run into many schedule changes on public transport, but, once you have pinned down your dates, double check a few local cableways in the region ( such as Wengen to Männlichen) with the timetable:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
That link has useful tips and tricks..
I think that Mark answered your question quite well, base on the information you have given us so far.
If any refinement is needed, we’d like to your interests, besides a
<<” hike a bit in the mountains, nothing very tough but easy ones with family (wife and 1o year old daughter).”>>
First, those hikes that he mentioned are good ones for your family’s composition, including a 10 year old.
I have attached a few pictures from the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
It is nicknamed “the Grannies’ Walk by locals. I was there with my 8 year old granddaughter and her mother on about September 25th, 2009. They will help you judge the difficulty. Your 10 year old might enjoy the playground facilities at Männlichen, if she is not too old for them.
If you are interested in more serious hikes, there are plenty of suggestions, maps, trail onformation available.
You may find this useful,even if a few links are obsolete:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
<<“and one or two towns/cities with culture and history.”>>
Luzern has that, now matter how you define “culture.” Apart from the historical stuff, and a very nice old town, there are some superb art museums if you are interested. By early October, the tourist crowds will have thinned out a bit.
http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne, and,
http://www.myswissalps.com/ce ntralswitzerland
Luzern is a good base.
I’ve attached a page from a photobook that I prepared of that trip in 2009. The Lion of Luzern really caught my granddaughter’s attention.
She also liked the Bourbaki panorama:
http://www.bourbakipanorama.c h/en/
Bern is an easy train ride from either Luzern or Interlaken is fun to walk through, and has a lot of shop windows under the arcades to look into. I like to walk through the old town down to the Nydegg Bridge, check the bear pits, then go up to the Rosegarden. Good food at a range of prices at the restaurant by the bridge in “The Old Tram Barn.”
http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn
Zürich is a major center for shopping, restaurants, and world class museums of various kinds. It is a one hour train ride from Luzern. We don’t usually recommend it for first time visitors because it is not in the Alps, but it happens to be my favorite city for culture
Needless to say, you can enjoy the cities if the weather makes the mountains nothing but clouds.
One scenic train ride might be on one section of the Golden Pass route…that is, the Luzern-Interlaken Express. Others require more of a detour.
http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass
http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/t rain
Slowpoke
Attachments:WOW, this is awesome.
So, I guess I will be planning for the first half of October as I want to spend some time hiking and roaming around higher up in the mountains.
I need some more help in deciding places to stay.
My plan was to stay in Lucerne for 3 nights visting Titlies/Pilatus/Rigi , Bern and the Lucerne town itself. The remaining 4 nights in the Bernese Oberland region, visit Jungrau, go on some hikes and relax in general. I had 3 options in mind – Grindlewald, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. I don’t want to stay in a place where there are lots of crowds and noise but at the same time, I don’t want something which is totally deserted. What would be a good base in the region considering the time of the year? Also, please so suggest a few easy treks – I will go through them to shortlist a few.
<<“Also, please so suggest a few easy treks – I will go through them to shortlist a few.”>>
Mark gave them to you.
The link to Kim’s report will get you to a good source.
There are several listed here:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king.
Note the guidelines for Alpine hiking. Especially in October, wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots, wear or carry layers of clothing,and carry a hiking staff.
Scroll down for popular hikes.
Please also note Mark’s comments about the weather.
This year, some of the higher trails, such as the climb from Mürren to Schilthorn, were closed for few days in September because of snow. A year or so a go there was snow at Männlichen in August… very light, did not last. So there are no promises about October, because the chance of snow at high altitudes increases steadily as you go through the month.
On average, September is the best month for hiking in the high Alps.
I find this particular weather service to be good at detailed forecasts for specific localities:
http://www.meteocentrale.ch/e n/europe/switzerland/w eather-wengen/details/N-3517887/
Do you read topographic maps?
Slowpoke
<<“I had 3 options in mind – Grindelwald, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. I don’t
want to stay in a place where there are lots of crowds and noise but at
the same time, I don’t want something which is totally deserted. What
would be a good base in the region considering the time of the year?”>>
Here are some sources to answer that –
1. -This page gives links to the villages:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion
It also gives lots of tips about the region.
2.- Kim’s report, linked before, describes lodging in Wengen.
3.- Search for each village by name. The search function on this website works well.
“Lots of crowds” depends on what you mean by “lots” and the standards of the locality. “Lots” those villages is a far cry from the “lots” typical of Luzern. As noted in my first post, October has notably fewer tourists and consequently fewer open tourist facilities than in the summer months. That is why some hotels and restaurants close until around Christmas. Few tourists. November and very early December is really dead, but there are still facilities open. Noise is really not an issue at any time, unless you are standing by the tracks when one of the small trains goes by.
Grindelwald is the largest after Interlaken, has a lot of hotel and restaurants, and is spread out over a considerable area. I find it totally lacking in charm, but it has the most tourist services. Its a good base for that side of the Männlichen massif.
Many of us like Wengen. Good views, good trails access. Good range of facilities.
Read Kim’s report.
Lauterbrunnen is not up in the mountains, so the views are not as striking. There is good access to that side of the Männlichen massif and that part of the region, as well as and Interlaken.
Slowpoke
Don’t go in November:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/november-8th-ie-tomorrow-mountain-excursion
Slowpoke
Hi aadi007,
Feel free to use these links if you are looking for accommodation in the Jungfrau region.
- Wengen: http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen/hotels
- Grindelwald: http://www.myswissalps.com/gr indelwald/hotels
- Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/hotels
- Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels
The following links are useful if you are considering getting a rail pass for your trip.
- Railpass options: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw issrailpasses
- How to choose the best rail pass: https://www.myswissalp s.com/train/ticketspas ses/practical/choosera ilpass
Best regards,
Anna
As I mentioned, I had decided to travel to Switzerland in the first week of October but looks like leave plans are not working out for me and family. So, the only option is now go on June 1st or 2nd week – I guess the later the better.
Now, considering I will be traveling in June, where should I stay in the Bernese Oberland region. I have a week’s time (6-7 nights). I was planning 4 nights in Grindlewald/Wengen and 2 nights in Lucerne. Does that sound good? I am more inclined towards Wengen but I am not sure what facilities will be available in early June and if the trails will be accessible. Staying in Grindlewald can give me better options to travel to other places if the high mountain trails are closed.
Please suggest. I am okay if I have to postpone my trip in 2020 to a later year if this is not the right time. I am not sure if I will get the chance to visit Switzerland twice, so want to make sure that I give myself a good chance of seeing or doing the things I want to do.
Hello aadi007,
Thanks for your questions!
I think anytime is a good time to visit Switzerland with your family! I also think it is a good idea to split your travel bases to two. The Bernese Oberland and Lucerne (Central Switzerland) are definitely great choices. You can stay in Wengen if that is where you are inclined towards. However, not all trails are open by that time, but most of the lower altitude ones are. You’ll find plenty of easy to moderate hikes around Lakes Thun and Brienz, in the Lauterbrunnen valley, probably Grütschalp-Mürren, Alpiglen-Grindelwald (or even Kleine Scheidegg-Grindelwald), possibly Kleine Scheidegg-Wengen and First-Bachalpsee, and so on.
Please check the list on at: http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es from there scroll down to “REGIONAL HIKING SUGGESTIONS” and check the elevation information for each hike. Mountain transportation to Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, First, Männlichen, Niesen, Harder Kulm, Oeschinensee, Stockhorn, Niederhorn and Pfingsteg should all be available. Brienzer Rothorn and Schynige Platte will probably get running by June 1, depending on the exact weather conditions. The “Route” tab of each of our attraction pages (see the link above) shows operation dates and links to timetables.
Grindelwald is the second largest village after Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland region, thus you might find accessibility to hotels and everything else more in comparison to Wengen.
I will also attach links about Lucerne to help you plan your itinerary. If you can, please take a boat ride on Lake Lucerne, it’s beautiful!
I hope that helps!
Best wishes,
Suzanne
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