Trains, lodging, easy hikes in Berner Oberland

Two friends and I are traveling to Switzerland late September and plan to stay about a week and not renting a car. We fly into Zurich and then go to Bern to stay with a friend for a couple of nights. From there we'll spend the rest of the time in the Berner Oberland area, possibly lodging in Lauterbrunnen but also going to: Interlaken, Brienz (by boat and/or train), Ballenburg open air museum, Kleine Scheidegg, Gimmelwald (not Grindewald), Murren, Schilthorn, Mannlichen, Allmendhubel. We are open to other suggestions. We'd like to do some relatively easy hikes.

Will we have trouble finding lodging that has 3 single beds in one room?

We have not done train travel before, so need help deciding which Rail Pass to purchase and if we should purchase ahead of time. Next we will be going to Levanto/Cinque Terre Italy by train, staying 4 nights and then taking a train to Milan to fly home. Will we be able to get a decent train connection to Levanto from Lauterbrunnen, or should we be in a different town our last night in Switzerland?

On a previous visit to myswissalps.com, I thought I saw a link that offered a service of creating an itinerary, etc., but I can't seem to find it now. Is there such a service, and if so, what is the fee structure for this service?

We are grateful for any hints/advice/help you can give us. Thank you!

Hi lkbavmn,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! There are triple rooms, but they're not very common. I'd suggest you do a search on www.hotelscombined.com / Place/Jungfrau.htm. Click 'More options' under 'Guests' to specify 3 adults in one room, and see what comes up. If you know your budget I can perhaps suggest more specific options.

Hikes can be found on myswissalps.com/ jungfrauregion/ activities.

Please see myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/ chooserailpass for help on picking the right rail pass. You can reach Levanto from Lauterbrunnen in 7.5 to 9 hours depending on the connection you choose. All options are in the timetable.

There's indeed a service of experts doing the planning and booking of your trip. You can find it on myswissalps.com/custom holidays. It's a big time saver. They don't do budget trips (huts, hostels, etc.) by the way.

Does this get you started?

Yes, thank you very much for your input and providing links.

We have determined that we will be staying with a friend just outside Berne the first two nights (24 Sept - 25 Sept.) and then 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen (26 Sept. - 29 Sept.). We are in contact with a hotel there and making arrangements. We leave for Levanto Italy the morning of 30 Sept.

I have tried using the links you provided to try to figure out if we want/need a rail pass, and if so, which one. I began trying to use the timetable, but I must not be entering the right info, or it is too early or something. We initially need to take a train from the Zurich airport (I am assuming that is possible, or maybe it isn't) to Berne where a friend will pick us up. We don't know if we will be visiting any museums in Berne or not.

Two days later, we will take a train from Berne to Lauterbrunnen. We will use Lauterbrunnen as our base to take a day trip to Interlaken and on to Brienz (boat one way/train the other) and then to the Ballenberg Museum. Other days, depending on the weather, we will go via cable car to Grutschalp, hike to Murren, cable car to Schilthorn and back down to Murren; additional days might include up to Allmendhubel/Murren- North Face Trail, Gimmelwald Selfinen Valley to Kilchbalm, Wengen and the Mannlichen-Kleine Scheidegg trail.

Does this additional information give you any better idea of which pass, if any, we should purchase. Two of us are in our 60's and one is in her 50's.

Thank you!

Trains from Zürich Flughafen to Bern are frequent. You may have to change at Zürich main station. Plan on two or three per hour. Roughly one hour Züri main station to Bern.

Bern to Interlaken has frequent service. You will change to a different train at Interlaken Ost in order to continue to Lauterbrunnen. . I think those run every half hour, but, they could be more frequent.

Thank you!!! That helps me know what to choose for "location" on the timetable. We did not know the Zurich airport is called Flughafen.

<<"Thank you!!! That helps me know what to choose for "location" on the timetable. We did not know the Zurich airport is called Flughafen.">>

It is a useful German word for the traveler. Translates roughly as "flight harbor."

I just checked the SBB timetable (English language option), entering simply "Zurich" for the starting point of a trip

A list of related stations appeared, and "Zurich airp." was near the top. Zurigo Aerop. (the Italian name) also shows. French probably gives "aeroport" I'd guess.

If you enter the German spelling for Zürich, with the umlaut over the "u", like this "ü", then Zürich Flughafen shows up.

There are about 6 trains per hour from Zürich Flughafen to Zürich Hbf ( Hauptbahnhof, main station).

Some are strictly shuttles, others continue to other cities.

Trains departing at 13 and 40 minutes after the hour go to Bern with no change of trains.