[Xmistral99]

9 August 2019 at 3:46:56 #823321

Hi

I have planned to come to Zermatt from Milan via Brig and stay there overnight and do the Gornergrat rail ride in the following morning. However on second thoughts I am thinking of skipping Zermatt and heading to Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald and on the next day doing Jungfraujoch ride or the Schilthorn cable car ride from Murren. I will be having Swiss travel pass also. The dates of travel would be 18-19 th of October.

Considering the normal weather conditions during that period, availability of different activities ( We do not want to do skiing) and the surrounding views, would you recommend me to skip Zermatt and choose Lauterbrunnen? If the weather is not suitable for the Gornergrat ride, will Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald be a better base ?

Thanks in advance

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[Annika]

9 August 2019 at 5:57:41 #919691

Hi Xmistral99!

It’s impossible to predict anything about weather circumstances during your visit. In both Zermatt (http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt) as well as the Jungfrau area (http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion), you’ll want to visit mountain tops and all such trips are weather dependent. So in that respect there’s not much of a difference.

An advantage of Lauterbrunnen (http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen)/Grindelwald (http://www.myswissalps.com/gr indelwald) might be that you have slightly better access to alternative trips in case weather is bad, such as boat trips over Lakes Thun (http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakethun)/Brienz (http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakebrienz), city visits to Bern (http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn), Thun (http://www.myswissalps.com/th un) or Lucerne (http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne), etc. Plus, the ride up to Schilthorn (http://www.myswissalps.com/sc hilthorn) would be for free with your Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity). So even if weather doesn’t fully cooperate, you could still get up for free just to enjoy the ride, and try if you have any luck with the views up there :-).

[Xmistral99]

9 August 2019 at 7:09:47 #919692

Hi Annika

Seems that the better choice is Lauterbrunnen and giving Zermatt a miss! Let me make e few clarifications regarding activities:

1. If I leave Lauterbrunnen at 8.00 in the morning and reach Kleine Scheidegg by 9.00 am will I be able to take the Jungfraujoch ride, pass some time over there and return to Grindelwald by 2 pm in the afternoon? Yes I can understand that weather conditions may change rapidly. However , in the usual course of nature for Jungfrau area, the earlier I visit the better the possibilities of good weather or it does not make any difference ?

2. Should I buy tickets for Jungfraujoch in advance or is it better to buy on the day itself?

3. Since Mount Schilthorn cable car ride is free with STP, will it be practically possible do both Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn on the same day?

[Arno]

9 August 2019 at 9:53:17 #919693

Hi Xmistral99,

1. Yes, that time frame is doable. Indeed morning skies are clearer on average, but it can be the other way around too. Check the forecasts!

2. Whichever option you prefer is fine, but keep in mind that buying much in advance means that the weather isn’t certain yet, and buying last minute can in some cases be too late (sold out in high season, but October should not be a problem).

http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/tickets

3. That’s possible if you want to spend a full day. You won’t reach Grindelwald by 2 PM 🙂

[Xmistral99]

9 August 2019 at 11:21:13 #919694

Thanks a lot for the replies Arno. Most of my doubts are now cleared!

[pvonk]

9 August 2019 at 15:01:26 #919695

You might consider Grindelwald over Lauterbrunnen in late Oct. I was in Lauterbrunnen, late Oct, two years ago. The place was dead. Few restaurants open and likewise hotels due to most everything being shut down during the change of season from summer/fall to skiing. Grindelwald is a bigger town with more to do and places that stay open.

[Removed user]

10 August 2019 at 0:15:59 #919696

Personally I like Zermatt more than Lauterbrunnen, and the Gornergrat railway rarely if ever closes for poor weather.

You might want to read the comments about Jungfraujoch on this thread:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/jungfrauoch-after-mt-titlis

[Xmistral99]

10 August 2019 at 15:44:44 #919697

Thank you all for the ideas and useful information guys!In case I stay in Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald I think I’d prefer to do Schilthorn ride instead of Jungfraujoch.

Even if I stay in Zermatt I very much like to visit Lauterbrunnen region and take a cable car or short train ride to a surrounding area.

If I take the earliest train to Gornergrat (at 7.00 am I think) from Zermatt and spend some time there and come to Lauterbrunen by 12.30 pm do you think that it will be practically possible to go to Mt Schilthorn and come back to Lauterbrunnen to catch the train for Bern which leaves at 16.32 pm?

[Removed user]

12 August 2019 at 10:25:32 #919698

Hello Xmistral99,

Sounds like quite a day to me and I doubt you can fit in BOTH mountains AND be in Lauterbrunnen again late afternoon.

To find out about exact traveling times between Zermatt and Lauterbrunnen and also for the mountain excursions, use the advanced timetable available in below link. Make sure you read how it works first and keep in mind the additional time you’ll be ON the mountains.
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Best,
Steph