French Alps or Swiss Alps for honeymoon in June?

[Weddingquestions]

Hello, would love some advice/recommendations on where to choose for a 1 week honeymoon. We are flying into Geneva next June (flights booked) and staying 1 night in Geneva as it is a late flight. Probably not hiring a car.
We were thinking of going to Chamonix in France which my DH-to-be is keen on. But my heart keeps pulling me back to Switzerland. We have never been to the Alps before but I have a childhood dream of visiting (since reading Heidi! 😂). I have heard that Murren and Wengen are lovely in BO. Also read about some lesser visited villages in that area.
We love walking (Lake District etc) but not into more extreme hiking with ropes, climbing etc.

We had ruled out Switzerland before due to fear of the cost but will be self-catering and only going for a few days, so maybe it is doable...
I would also love to visit Austria but it is too far from Geneva for this trip I think.
Which would you recommend please?

The other villages I read about in Switzerland are kandersteg, thun and some others that I can't remember how to spell! If anyone has been to any of these places, I would love to hear your thoughts

Bernese Oberland is lovely and accessible by train in a few hours. Kandersteg is more limited than Wengen/Grindelwald. Chamonix is a much shorter transfer but a more bustling town.

Have you considered Saas-Fee? We’ve stayed here a few times https://www.youthhostel.ch/en/hostels/wellnesshostel4000-saas-fee

June is also relatively early in the summer season so check which lifts/mountain cafes/facilities are likely to be open and on which days, in case they are not fully open.

We went on our June honeymoon to an (relatively) inexpensive hotel in Interlaken. 54 years later I still vividly remember the first morning of our marriage having a coffee on the balcony of the Harder Kulm restaurant with a magnificent sunny view over the lakes and mountains towards the Jungfrau. Glorious!

PS you got 9.8 Sw Fr to the pound then!

Murren and Wengen are enchanting. I love the little mountain railways and the cable cars that run up and down the mountains. Both French and Swiss Alps are magnificent, but Switzerland just has that something about it. I didn't think it was that more expensive than some of the resorts the French side, either.

Twyler, that's really romantic 😍

Thank you everyone so far...

Will look into Saas-Fee too.

@LIZS thank you...do you mean more limited in terms of things to do and ability to travel around without a car?

Lauterbrunnen is absolutely stunning. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en/destinations/lauterbrunnen/

Things to do. Most mountain trains and the rail network would be fine but cable cars, chair lifts, museums, attractions may be running to more restricted hours until around mid June. Saas Fee is also a great resort but a longer transfer by train then postbus. And bear in mind you can still find snow in early summer across footpaths and at altitude so take warm layers, waterproofs and good walking shoes!

Thank you, I will check the cable car opening dates. We're arriving 9 June so I'm hoping things will start opening up...

DP has looked up the train from Geneva and it looks like it takes nearly 5 hours...going through Bern...is that right? Or is there a quicker route?

To where?

Yes, Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald are very lovely and just how I had imagined Switzerland to be! It is pretty expensive - all of Switzerland is! But around 4 hours on the train from Geneva is about right and you have to change a few times, although Swiss rail genuinely is pretty efficient. The transfer to Chamonix is much shorter.

ETA: if you wanted to go to Lauterbrunnen another time Zurich airport is half the time

Yes, sorry, to the lauterbrunnen area. Unfortunately, we already got the tickets to Geneva. Will have to chat to DP...we were kind of all set to go to Chamonix but it doesn't seem to have quite the same magic (in the photos I've seen!). Need to convince DP...

It is a pretty journey though. You could always head to stay in Interlaken and take daytrips up the mountains.

Highly recommend Lauterbrunnen / Murren. Less touristy to stay than Wengen and Grindelwald but you can have easy access to both valleys (and three sets of peaks - the First / Grosse Scheidegg ones, Kleine Scheidegg and Mannlichen and then the Gimmelwald / Allemendhubel and Schilthorn set) - either by train or cable car (and walking). The big 3 peaks (Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau) are visible from both valleys. Definitely stay in the mountains rather than Interlaken - means you avoid the travel time each day (and see the mountains at sunset / when the villages are quieter).
SO many gorgeous walks / places to admire the mountains whilst having a drink / meal. We went to Grindelwald 20 years ago for our honeymoon (in mid May) and there were plenty of cable cars and post buses running in the area. Grindelwald likely to be more touristy now that they have opened new, fast, bigger cable cars up to Kleine Scheidegg.
We’ve also stayed in Kandersteg - which was great, but less choice of walks. One of the attractions of Kandersteg was that if the weather was bad there, you could go through the tunnel to the beautiful Lotschental Valley and there was a chance the weather would be better- but since the dreadful glacier landslide at Blatten (in the Lotschental Valley) a few weeks ago - I don’t think it’s feasible to walk there so much now.

Appreciate it’s not Switzerland, but from what you’re looking for, how about Courmayeur (Italy)? About 1.5 hrs transfer from Geneva. Charming and romantic town, more relaxed and quieter than Chamonix but lots of hikes nearby. Depending on how long you have you could have a few days there and a few days in Chamonix as well
for some variety (easy access between the two via the Mont Blanc tunnel).

Thank you so much everyone. I'm reading all your tips and suggestions. Really helpful

We haven't booked our stay in Geneva yet, so now I'm thinking that maybe we could go straight to Bern and stay there 1 night instead, then onto somewhere in the mountains around lauterbrunnen. That would break up the 4 hour train journey. And might help me convince DP!

@SharpGreenFawn thank you, I hadn't considered Italy but will have a look at your suggestion. I think somewhere more relaxed might be nice.

I wouldn’t worry about the 4 hour train journey - I can’t remember the details - but part of that time is travelling alongside Lake Geneva - which is stunning, and then the journey from Interlaken to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen is also amazing - climbing up into the mountains and seeing the countryside change and the peaks appear. That said, Bern is a lovely city and worth a day - but you might regret not being in the mountains longer. Of course you can’t guarantee good weather in the mountains…

The wild flowers in June will be stunning, and still some snow on the peaks 😍

@Sailingby it sounds so amazing. We're going to sit down this weekend and have a proper look. The wild flowers are the reason we picked June to get married and go on honeymoon 🙂

Interlaken is a good base to visit so many mountains. Previously did the Jungfrau and last year we went up the Schilthorn which has a revolving restaurant. I enjoyed the James Bond bottomless brunch!

Also look at Zermatt - train journey is meant to be one of the most spectacular ones in Europe. Traffic free centre. Atmospheric. Romantic. Cable car to top can be done in glass bottomed cars and I think there is evening dining some nights.

It is more expensive - we were there for an anniversary and I think 2 bowls of soup were dearer than the 2 glasses of champagne we had! But great memories.