Anyone been to Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald or Interlaken?

[TattiePants]

I got such good advice for a stopover in France that I wonder if anyone can help for a day trip to one or two of the above in August? We will be based in Lucerne and have a spare day and thought a day trip to Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald or Interlaken might be worthwhile.

Lauterbrunnen village and the waterfalls looks nice but is there anything else you'd recommend? We'll have already been up at least one, if not two, mountains so I don't want to spend another £200+ on cable cars. The DCs may also be hiked out by then!

Many times ! I would try to get up higher to Wengen/Grindelwald (for the Jungfraujoch railway) or Muerren (for the Schilthorn) via Stechelberg cablecar which will take you along the Lauterbrunnen valley. Takes a while from Lucerne though. Where else are you planning to visit?

If you fancy a walk by a fast flowing river the Aareschlucht near Meiringen and the Reichenbach falls (Sherlock Holmes) are closer to Lucerne.

Thanks @LIZS. We have 3 full days and 2 half days in Lucerne so will be mainly staying in that area, having a wander around the town, on the lake and going up either Mt Titlis or Rigi. The transport museum also looks good if we have a day with bad weather. Afterwards we move into Germany but not too far from Basel so that's another possible day trip later in the holiday. We're staying outside Lucerne, to the west, so driving looks to be around 1 hr 10 mins to Interlaken.

I'll take a look at that too.

Ah interlaken.such memories! We stayed at a campsite called manor farm and it was one of the loveliest holidays ever.i dutifully moaned all the way and up the mountains like a young thing does.but now I'm so glad I had "those parents" who gave me the experiences. and now the best memories.

@kateandme, one of the reasons we're thinking about a day trip there is DH went to Interlaken on a school trip about 35 years ago!

Haha yes.we were canvas holiday tenting on the campsite! About 20 years ago too.i wonder if we'd both be shocked at what it looks like through adult eyes hehe.it was beautiful.

There's a bike hire shop in Lauterbrunnen, so you can hire and explore the valley (inc falls) under your own steam

You could also take the bikes up the Stechelburg cable car, leave then in Murren and carry on up the cablecar to the Schilthorn (Bond villain lair in On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and lunch in the revolving restaurant. Back down to Murren, pick up bikes and cycle back to Lauterbrunnen.

If masochists with faulty sense of danger, try the Via Ferrata in Murren. In interested in climbing but not up for that, I think there's a climbing park further up above Murren

Or you can go up Wengen side and get the train that goes literally through the Eiger up to the Jungfrau

If very masochistic, there's both a Jungfrau marathon (first half flat in the valley, second half all upwards) and a triathlon - swim in the lake, cycle (flat) along the valley, then run up the Schilthorn.

The villages all have summer festivals. You might want to check dates and see if you can catch one.

August 1st is Swiss National day , if you happen to be there then. Good brunches, cheese festivals, alphorns and bells. Fireworks in the evening.

Titlis is worth a visit, snow sure on the top and a great bridge walk across an abyss. Monastery in Engelberg has a cheese factory to visit. Summer toboggan run up the Brunni side of the valley. Rigi is more local to Lucerne though or Pilatus.

If you don't want to hike up another mountain - and I know that the cable cars are eye-wateringly expensive....I would suggest Meiringen - Sherlock Holmes Museum. The Reichenbach falls are nearby with a funicular to the top. And the Arschluch Gorge is fabulous. And meringues :) All can be done in one day.

There's also a steam train (I think) from Brienz.

aareschlucht.ch/en/welcome You'll have to forgive my previous spelling.

We went to Grindelwald, up the cable car and walked down. Lovely scenic walk. Dd threw a strop. There was a great playground half way down as I remember.

Thank you all, there are some great suggestions. We actually arrive around lunchtime on the 1st so that’s good timing!

Bear in mind 1st is a bank holiday so travel timetables and shop opening hours may be restricted. Shops at the main stations will be open though.

I've done Wengen - Lauterbrunnen - Trümmelbache - Stechelberg - Piz Gloria and then back via Murren. Lovely trip but obviously another mountain.

How about Interlaken to Spiez by boat on the lake and then back on the train?

There’s an alpine garden trip from Wilderswil near Interlaken, old vintage train trip up.
Grundelwald has some different activities, there are two aerial zip-wires and you can hire wheeled scooters (Trottibikes) and karts to use on the walking paths at First and at Bort.
The cemetery in Grindelwald is interesting, if you are into mountain climbing history, and there is a museum, I think, though I don’t know when it’s open.

Interlaken has a funicular up to a restaurant and viewing platform of the two lakes, valley and mountains beyond.
I think you can hike down (or up) if you really wanted to.
www.restaurantharderkulm.ch/de/

Me me me. Jumps up and down.

Bloody love Interlaken.

I had never even heard of these 3 places. I've investigated and now added them to my list!

The boat trips from Interlaken are lovely in the summer. I also recommend going up to Wengen or Murren. There is a lovely cafe terrace in Murren where you can watch the paragliders disappearing down the valley to Interlaken where they land.

I wouldn't even bother driving, public transport is so good there. Take the train to Grindelwald/Jungfrau/Wilderswil, take the steamboats across Lake Brienz to Brienz and take the steam train up the Rothorn (they even offer a hiking ticket on the latter so that you can mix and match hiking and train).

Manor Farm! I stayed there too on a Guide trip in the 90s! Loved it. Stunning part of the world. We did Grindelwald and Jungfraujoch (as well as Our Chalet of course). Any ideas I have are 30 years out of date but have a fab time!

Argh, there’s too much choice!! @Oblomov22 they're absolutely gorgeous aren’t they? I think I need more than a day to see it all.

I think I’ll make a big list of all the activities then depending on how many boats/lakes/mountains/hikes we’ve been on in Lucerne, we can pick something different. I’m getting excited now, this trip was originally organised 2 1/2 years ago.

Also, I have a friend staying in Grindelwald 2 weeks after us so I’ll pass on all ideas.