[Removed user]

7 April 2017 at 15:03:59 #811309

Hello,

Me, my boyfriend and our dog, will be travelling to Switzerland in early June. We will be driving up from Italy and will have about 4 to 5 days to spend in Switzerland, before driving back home to Belgium. Rather than travel around, we would like to stay in one place and do several 1-day hikes on location. Can anyone recommend a nice quiet area, ideally surrounded by natural beauty, where we can do this? If you have specific accommodation recommendations, that would also be great! We have a tent but would prefer to stay in a nice chalet, b&b, hotel.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Emma

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[Annika]

8 April 2017 at 6:09:19 #861103

Hi Emma,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! There are lots of options for a 4-5 day hiking holiday. Just to mention a few:

• the Bernese Oberland, and especially the Jungfrau region, are most famous for splendid views and endless hiking opportunities. By early June it will be a bit touristy, but definitely not as much as in July/August. So there are still chances of nice quiet hikes. Please see this page for towns with accommodation tips, hiking opportunities and much more: myswissalps.com/bernes eoberland;
• the Lake Lucerne area is at somewhat lower altitude and will have less snow-capped mountain tops in June than the Bernese Oberland, but it offers rolling green hills and many hiking trails as well: myswissalps .com/lakelucerne;
• if peace and quiet are your main concerns, I recommend to look into Graubünden and specifically the Engadine. It’s primarily known as a winter sports area and really not crowded in summer months, but scenery and hiking trails are phenomenal: myswissalps.com/uppere ngadine.

The pages below may also help you to get started:

• myswissalps.com/plantr ip/doityourself
• myswissalps.com/hiking

[Slowpoke]

9 April 2017 at 1:25:36 #861104

Hi Emma- please note that the higher trails near the Jungfrau may not open until mid- June.

Depends on the altitude, and the snowpack.

lowpack

[Removed user]

10 April 2017 at 13:16:22 #861105

Thanks all for the replies – v useful!!

Emma

[Slowpoke]

10 April 2017 at 16:20:26 #861106

Hi Emma-

The less “touristed”area of the Engadine…nearest Austria, may also have a good deal of snow at altitude until or during early June. A hotel tha I used to use a lot – Piz Buin – in Guara, usually opened around June 1.

This is a good web site to check out trails and altitude. If you pick out a specific trail , you can get a lot of information, including detailed maps and an altitude profile.

map.wanderland.ch/?lang=de&route=all&bgLa yer=pk&resolution=50&X =675450&Y=200550&layer s=Wanderland

Altitude is everything when it comes to the weather and the seasons. The area around Lake Lucerne is more likely to be well into Spring even in May. I like that area a lot, have spent many weeks in the area or nrarby, and Annika has given you some links.

This link which includes some pictures, may give you some ideas.

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

The attached image gives some ideas of the topography around Lake Lucerne. It was taken from the top of Pilatus.. It does not have the high Alps of the Jungfrau Region….but, early June in the Jungfrau region only has low altitude hikes.

Here is some information about late Spring near the Jungfrau:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/murren-in-late-may

There wil be some pleasant hikes at lower altitudes, but not as stunning as the ones at 2000 meters, such as this one which rarely ( but sometimes) opens before June 15th:

http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg

You could check with the tourist offices in Interlaken and in Wengen as the date gets closer, to get a sense of what conditions are.

Many hotels don’t open till early or mid-June, but rooms will be available on short notice. Not a lot of customers then. Skiing is awful, and hiking is not very plentiful.

I have attached some pictures taken in a warmer month….actually, mid-to- late September.

In both the Lake Lucerne region and the Jungfrau Region, the density of public transport assures you of frequent connections with various trailheads and hiking routes. So, you could pick a village around the lake, or anywhere in the Jungfrau region, and still get to various hikes. Of course, you are not permitted use a car in most of the Jungfrau region. Some of the regionaround Lake Lucerne is car free, too. Most of the Rigi is car-free.

Some time with the map and the timetable will give you ideas about how long various journeys take ( including lake boat journeys):

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

For Lake Lucerne (scroll down for the correct seasonal schedule and some details):

http://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/ timetable-fares/timetable/

This map is good for travel connections. Use the menus. If you zoom in with “Trafic” turnd on, you will see icons for station stops. Mouse over them and you get a near term transport schedule.

map.search.ch/?pos=679412,211632&z=64 &poi=verkehr

You will find information on most sites in German, French, Italian, and English. No Flemish, unfortunately. 😉 However, Arno and Annika (moderators) are Dutch; that might come close. 😉

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

11 April 2017 at 10:33:28 #861107

Thanks for the excellent advice! I think we’re going to pick either the Jungfrau region and enjoy some lower altitude hikes or go to the Lake Lucerne area.

Also I’m actually British and my boyfriend is a French-speaking Belgian so any of those languages you listed should be fine! 🙂

Emma

[Slowpoke]

11 April 2017 at 14:30:31 #861108

Hi Emma-

One of the interestingf features of Switzerland is the languages. In the Alps there are stil plenty of obscure dialects, near either the French or Italian borders.

And, of course, there is Swiss German – which is much like old German used to be, and not much like modern or “high” German. The Berner dialect is supposed to be hard for speakers of the other dialects “Zürcher” ,”Baseler”. Lozärner. They may not be true “dialects” but they sure sound different to my ear.

The one phrase that I always enjoy is “merci vielmal.” You hear it all the time in the countryside in the German speaking regions.

If either of you speak any German, you will find this interesting…or, at least, amusing:

http://www.eldrid.ch/swgerman .htm#How%20to%20impres s%20a%20Swiss

Might even come in useful, who knows.

And, the Swiss French use non-standard words for a few numbers….maybe the Belgians do also?

Slowpoke