Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By Car
Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Isenfluh, and Stechelberg are all accessible by car. You can't
drive to Gimmelwald, Mürren, Wengen, or Kleine Scheidegg, but don't let that stop you
from staying up in the mountains; park the car and zip up on a lift. To catch the lift to Gim-
melwald, Mürren, and the Schilthorn, park at the cable-car station near Stechelberg (2 SF/2
hours, 6 SF/day, cash only; see
here
for more information). To catch the train to Wengen
or Kleine Scheidegg, park at the train station in Lauterbrunnen (2 SF/2 hours, 10 SF/9-24
hours).
Helpful Hints in the Berner Oberland
Weather:
Let your plans flex with the weather. If it's good—go! Ask at your hotel or the
TI for the latest info. A webcam showing live video from the famous peaks plays just
about wherever you go in the area. The weather in villages on or near the valley floor is
usually sunnier, and almost always much warmer. For the current weather, you can also
check
www.swisspanorama.com
(entire area),
www.jungfraubahn.ch
(forJungfraujoch),
or
www.schilthorn.ch
(for Schilthorn peak).
Closed Days:
On Sundays and holidays (including the lesser-known religious holidays),
small-townSwitzerlandisquiet.Hotelsareopenandliftsandtrainsrun,butmanystores
are closed.
Off-Season Closures:
Note that at higher altitudes many hotels, restaurants, and shops are
closed between the skiing and hiking seasons: from late April until late May, and again
from mid-October to early December.
Rainy-Day Options:
When it rains here, locals joke that they're washing the mountains. If
clouds roll in, don't despair. They can roll out just as quickly. With good rain gear and
the right choice of trail, you can thoroughly enjoy a hike in the rain, with surprise views
popping out all around you as the clouds break. Some good bad-weather options are the
North Face Trail, the walk from Mürren or Allmendhubel to Grütschalp, the Sefinen
Valley hike, and the Lauterbrunnen Valley walk. Also consider a visit to Trümmelbach
Falls or the Lauterbrunnen Valley Folk Museum. All of these options are described in
this chapter.
Local Guidebook:
For an in-depth look at the area's history, folk life, flora, fauna, and for
extensivehikinginformation,considerDonChmura's
ExploringtheLauterbrunnenVal-
ley
(sold throughout the valley, 8 SF).
Visitors Cards
(Gästekarten)
:
The hotels in various towns issue free Visitors Cards that in-
cludesmalldiscountsonsomesights.Thoughthesecardswon'tsaveyoumuch,youcan
ask at your hotel for the details.
Skiing and Snowboarding:
The Berner Oberland is a great winter-sports destination, with
goodsnowonitshigherruns,incrediblevariety,relativelyreasonableprices,andasense
