Forum Index > Trip Reports > Switzerland: Bernese Oberland hikes – 9/3 to 9/12/2011
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Tigerotor77W
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Tigerotor77W
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 11:32 am 
Now I'm tempted to go back to either Zermatt or this area, particularly considering how nice the weather is projected to be this weekend. (I'm working in Stuttgart for six months -- so deciding to travel to Switzerland, or just about anywhere else in Europe for that matter, on a whim is quite easy.) A few questions... 1) Did you stay in Mürren the whole time? 2) The hiking pass you bought... was it to permit you to hike or to also reduce the (very steep) prices of the cable cars / trains? Both Zermatt and Lucerne/Wengen/Mürren look quite expensive this weekend, and looking at how much I've already spent on travel, I'm not sure another 10 hour drive round-trip + 3 nights in hotels will really be that wise. But still. It's an incredible area and far more reachable than Norway, which I'd also like to do again if I had the funds.

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Joe
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 2:32 pm 
We stayed in Murren the whole time, 9 nights. The train pass we used was the Bernese Oberland Regional Pass. There are two choices: a 7 day (3 free days and 4 half travel days) and a 15 day pass (5 free days and 10 half travel days). I'm unaware of a permit for hiking. The pass is useable on most of the trains and cable cars in the area, plus the Interlaken boats. Some trains outside of the core area, the train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch and the cable car from Murren to Schilthorn; you can only get a half price fare even when using a free day. There might be a few more exception, but that is all I can remember. The pass comes with a map showing the free day travel routes and which routes will only discount 50%. I'm working in the UK for year (until Dec. 2011), so we are doing a lot travel on a whim...depending on our funds.

Joe
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Bernardo
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 2:54 pm 
It is expensive in Switzerland for train tickets, trams, funiculars, not to mention room and board, but there are no fees for hiking. If you drive and your destination is Muerren you will have to pay for parking in Lauterbrunnen and the funicular up to Muerren.

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Dani
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 3:10 pm 
Thank you for the eye candy Joe! I loved this place. Switzerland is truly an amazing place. I do wish the beer had been a better though. cheers.gif

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Eek
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 6:36 pm 
Wow! Great Pics. up.gif My wife and I visited in May of 2007 (although my photos do not compare well with yours ) The weather was not great and we made some last minute changes in our itinerary that meant we couldn't stay in Lauterbrunnen as planned and stayed in the much less desirable (IMO) Interlaken instead. I did have the opportunity to hike from Gimmelwald to "the Burg" and was exhausted by the time I got their due to post holing. I was planning to go all the way to the summit but was thanking FSM that the tram was still running by the time I arrived at the Burg on the 8000' level. Our son visited this summer with his long-time girl friend on our recommendation and came home engaged (much to our delight). He proposed on top of Bryndi peak. Wish I had the sense to do something as romantic when I proposed to his mother. Bryndi from Gimmelwald:

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Tigerotor77W
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 9:54 pm 
Joe wrote:
We stayed in Murren the whole time, 9 nights. The train pass we used was the Bernese Oberland Regional Pass. There are two choices: a 7 day (3 free days and 4 half travel days) and a 15 day pass (5 free days and 10 half travel days). I'm unaware of a permit for hiking. The pass is useable on most of the trains and cable cars in the area, plus the Interlaken boats. Some trains outside of the core area, the train from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch and the cable car from Murren to Schilthorn; you can only get a half price fare even when using a free day. There might be a few more exception, but that is all I can remember. The pass comes with a map showing the free day travel routes and which routes will only discount 50%. I'm working in the UK for year (until Dec. 2011), so we are doing a lot travel on a whim...depending on our funds.
Re: the train pass: ah, I read "trail pass" in your original post and didn't pick up on the rest of the sentence that you were clearly referring to a train pass!
Joe wrote:
The day started with a walking tour of Murren including a trip to the train station to purchase our Berner Oberland regional trail pass.
I'll have to look at hotels in more depth tonight and take a look at whether it's cheap to take the train in. Driving is cheap but a bit exhausting, and as Bernardo said it's not possible to drive into Mürren directly. I'll see what happens.

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Joe
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PostMon Sep 26, 2011 10:27 pm 
oops, sorry, I mistyped in my original post. I corrected the sentence, it should had read Berner Oberland train pass.

Joe
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Tigerotor77W
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PostThu Sep 29, 2011 12:11 pm 
No problem. You convinced me... I booked a hotel in Lauterbrunnen for this weekend. If you hear anything, it's probably the sound of my bank account emptying. A few questions: 1) The Bernese Oberland Pass... I've only got two and a half days, so I'm thinking on one full day I'll do Schynige Platte to First, the half day I'll do Schilthorn, and the remaining full day I'd leave somewhat open (Eiger glacier is a likely candidate). With this in mind, does it make sense to buy the Pass, or is the Lauterbrunnen-Wilderswil-Schynige Platte ride and ride back from First (via Mannlichen, I think) not worth the price of the Pass? According to the Pass' website, all these rides would be free, but I don't know how much each leg would be individually. 2) How practical is it to try to hike to Bachalpsee by sunrise? 3) Do trains/gondolas run by 5 AM? 4) How well marked or travelled is the Schynige Platte - First hike? 5) From First back to Lauterbrunnen, I think I would go first to Grindelwald, then to Mannlichen, then to Wengen (via gondola), and then to Lauterbrunnen (train) -- this sound correct? My turn to thank you for your help. :-)

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Tigerotor77W
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PostMon Oct 03, 2011 2:54 pm 
To answer my own questions, in case anyone reads this later:
Tigerotor77W wrote:
1) The Bernese Oberland Pass... I've only got two and a half days, so I'm thinking on one full day I'll do Schynige Platte to First, the half day I'll do Schilthorn, and the remaining full day I'd leave somewhat open (Eiger glacier is a likely candidate). With this in mind, does it make sense to buy the Pass, or is the Lauterbrunnen-Wilderswil-Schynige Platte ride and ride back from First (via Mannlichen, I think) not worth the price of the Pass? According to the Pass' website, all these rides would be free, but I don't know how much each leg would be individually.
With my itinerary, it just barely made sense to buy the pass. What I did, all one-way unless otherwise indicated: 10/1: Lauterbrunnen to Wilderwil, Wilderwil to Schynige Platte Hike to First Gondola from Schynige Platte to Grindelwald Grindelwald to Pfingstegg gondola (round trip) Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen Wengen to Lauterbrunnen (separated only because I got off at Wengen to catch the sunset) 10/2: Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald Grindelwald to First, round trip Grindelwald to Pfingstegg, round trip Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg Hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen (I left KS after sunset; the last train down to Wengen leaves KS before sunset) Wengen to Lauterbrunnen ^ All those were free for me. 10/3: Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp (free, roundtrip) Grutschalp to Mürren (free, roundtrip) Mürren to Schilthorn (round trip; I needed to pay 37 CHF for this) So I paid 233 CHF for the 7 day pass (three days free) and 37 CHF for the Mürren to Birg to Schilthorn cable car. I think I saved somewhere around 50 CHF by buying the Bernese Oberland pass, but this is probably as close as anyone could make it. Certainly it would not have made sense the first time I went to the area, when I had only one Saturday to spend in the area.
Tigerotor77W wrote:
2) How practical is it to try to hike to Bachalpsee by sunrise?
It's not. The first gondola from Grindelwald to First isn't until 8:30 at this time of year, and sunrise is around 7:10 AM. Hiking is a possibility if you stay in Grindelwald, as the trail is well marked the whole way, but it's a 4 hour hike from Grindelwald to the Lake -- and there's no easy way to get to Grindelwald, either, early in the morning.
Tigerotor77W wrote:
3) Do trains/gondolas run by 5 AM?
Some trains do. Gondolas do not.
Tigerotor77W wrote:
4) How well marked or travelled is the Schynige Platte - First hike?
Very, except at the beginning, where it's possible to take a couple different options. Now that I re-read your TR, though, I don't think you ever mentioned Schynige Platte... so I'm not sure where I got this idea from. It is an excellent hike, but not really relevant to your TR!
Tigerotor77W wrote:
5) From First back to Lauterbrunnen, I think I would go first to Grindelwald, then to Mannlichen, then to Wengen (via gondola), and then to Lauterbrunnen (train) -- this sound correct?
First to Grindelwald: hike or gondola. Grindelwald can go to Lauterbrunnen either via gondola (which I didn't do), via Kleine Scheidegg by train (this is what I did), or via a name of a city I can't remember well enough to spell (begins with a V or Z) in the Lauterbrunnental (I also did not do this). The train route takes a while... probably 25 minutes to Kleine Scheidegg and then another 15 or so to get down to Lauterbrunnen. Not sure if the other two options are any faster. I think my favorite part of this area is First. Venture away from the gondola station and the crowds thin a bit, and there's also two lakes. Thanks for the suggestion! My own TR to come in the next few days. Just thought I'd post some observations here so anyone else looking for similar answers has a basis to go on.

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Joe
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PostTue Oct 04, 2011 11:00 am 
Sounds like you had a great trip. I'm sorry about not responding, we were away on a 4 day trip to The Lake District in the UK. By the time I saw your questions, it was too late. Our 15 day rail passes cost us 580 CHF (2x290). I estimate for 580 CHF, we got about 1100 CHF worth of travel, or a net savings of 520 CHF in 8 days. The cable cars are usually the most expensive segment of a trip.

Joe
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Tigerotor77W
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PostTue Oct 04, 2011 11:48 am 
No worries! It was a last-minute post, and I didn't actually expect an answer given that timeframe. Besides, there's something to be said about finding out for myself. biggrin.gif

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