Things to do in May - Lucerne, Interlaken

Hi!

We have budgeted quite a few days in Switzerland but are not sure if we know enough of different types of activities to do there in May. Would you please help answer the questions given in the itinerary below?

15th May Arrive in Lucerne from Amsterdam

16th May Lucerne - Engelberg village -> hike/cable car -> Mount Titlis

17th May Lucerne to Interlaken - QUESTION: Should we stay another day at Lucerne and do Mt Rigi also or any other different/fun activity than taking cable cars?

18th May Interlaken - paragliding

19th May Interlaken - sky diving? Expensive – QUESTION: any other options of fun activities you could do in May?

20th May Interlaken - Hiking in Jungfrau region – QUESTION: can we go hiking their on own own as a day trip or will there be snow in May?

21st May Interlaken - Zermatt / Matterhorn - QUESTION: what would you suggest we do there in May if we are doing only a day trip? Does May have enough snow for skiing?)

22nd May Interlaken to Paris

Interlaken: stay at Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof

Thanks!

Neha

Hi Neha,

The Rigi combined with a boat trip on May 17 would definitely be nice. Further activities in the Lucerne area are listed here.

There are lots of outdoor sports options and in and around Interlaken, like paragliding, canyoning and rafting. Most of them can be done in May as well. Please check this list for a full overview of activities. Not all mountain trains and cable cars are running yet, but major ones like Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn can be visitied. There will be limitations when it comes to hiking: higher trails won't be accessible yet due to snow. There's still plenty to choose from though. Consider the Lauterbrunnen valley, Grütschalp-Mürren (most probably accessible by late May), hiking along Lake Brienz, etcetera. All tips are here.

Zermatt requires quite a long ride from Interlaken, as mentioned in your previous topic. It would be a bit of a hassle to include a ski class on May 21. I'd rather visit a viewing point like Gornergrat if I were you.

Hi Annika,

Thanks for your suggestions! We have dropped Zermatt from our plan :)

I have one more question for you: would you suggest we stay closer to the mountains, in Murren / Lauterbrunnen OR stay down in Interlaken if we will be there from May 18-22? We want to be close to the hiking trails and have heard Interlaken is very commercialized but will it have more to offer in the month of May than the small villages? We will be using the public transport.

Thanks!

Hi NehaY,

Interlaken itself isn't that pretty indeed, but it's located centrally and offers all facilities you may be looking for. For mountain villages like Lauterbrunnen, Mürren and Wengen it's low season, but that doesn't mean all facilities are shut down. Grindelwald may be a good alternative. It's smaller than Interlaken, but still has more than enough stores and facilities, and has stunning scenery. Searching this forum using the search box in the upper right corner allows you to find several topics on this matter and read about other visitors' preferences.