Switzerland Trip in June

Jungfraujoch

We rented a car and are glad we did. Be advised you'll pay for it, though. Also, pay close attention to the speed limit signs in the zillion little villages you'll pass through. I'm still getting harassed by the camera tickets they issued. And it may preclude renting again.

Best place in the world.

Not planning to spend much time there. We are staying there on last night but it’s a hotel connected to the airport.

Lucky

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But five hours of driving may be a bit much for a day trip

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Trains go everywhere in Switzerland, eliminating the need for a car. They will get you to your destination more quickly too.

Jungfraujoch is a must. Also a day trip to the Rhine Waterfall is around $75.

Dont rent a car, you can get a Zurich city pass, cheap. Gives you access to all public transportation (ferry/buses/tram) and a few museums.

I love Switzerland. We didn’t rent a car and just took the train everywhere. It was super easy to get around on.

Go to dinner at Maya Caprice in Wengen. Great food and the best view of my life. Absolutely amazing!

Jungfrajoch should definitely be on your list. Great way to spend and afternoon.

We went to Trümmelbach Falls. It’s pretty cool to walk through the different parts of the waterfall. Good for a morning excursion.

It’s not for everyone, but we liked Gimmelwald. Took the lift up and walked around the quaint little village. Bring some cash. People put cheese, milk and sausage and stuff like that in their fridge and you just go in and leave some money and take what like. You can also take the Nepalbrücke over to Murren.

I’d spend a day or two in Lucern. It’s like staying in a freaking fairtail. Great history and sites. Also easy to take day trips from.

We did a day trip to Gruyere. That was a great excursion, would highly recommend.

Enjoy!

We did the same trip last year roughly the same time (June 6th). Probably one of my favorite trips of all time: Our view from the Hotel Staubbach:


Wife put the main logistics together; we didn't do a car-- she had a shuttle service take us from the Zurich airport to Lauterbrunnen (about a 2 hour drive, lots of winding mountain roads). While there we got along fine with the trains, buses, cable lifts etc. We were there for only 5 days, however-- not your 8 days. About the biggest extra thing we did was venture to Interlaken one day. The rest was all hikes, walks and train, bus and lift rides.

Things to do while there:

A day in Interlaken, just to check out the town and take the funicular incline railway up to Harder Klum for the views:


That day one of my daughters and I also went to see the ice caves of St. Beatus, just a short bus ride up Lake Thunnersee. Kinda cool:


Second the earlier posters suggestion of going to Trummelbach Falls. It's an easy walk through the valley and you can take the elevator to the top and work your way down:


Also, take trains up above Lauterbrunnen on the east side to the small villages of Wengen and Grindelwald, and from there you can take the train up to Kleine Schedegg for great views of Jungfraujoch and the Eiger:


From there you can take the train all the way to the "Top of The Alps" at Jungfraujoch, but man, that was pricey. I think it was well over $250 each.

We passed on that, and when we went above Lauterbrunnen on the west side and visited Murren, we took a lift gondola up to the top of Schilthorn, which was REALLY neat with great views:


Plus there is a mountaintop place there called Piz Gloria, where Blofeld's lair was in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". They have a free whole James Bond thing with a museum and such there:


You can combo the train, lift gondola rides and hikes to suit your fancy, and walk downhill or on easy to moderate difficulty trails all over the area.

And when you are done hiking, make sure to stop and have a refreshing dip at Lauterbrunnen's Schwimmbad, a public pool with a fantastic view:

I did the math on what it would cost to get a car vs. the Swiss travel pass vs the oberland/jung. pass. Since we were going to multiple towns, it was a lot cheaper to take trains everywhere, so we got the Swiss pass with the jungfraujoch pass at a discount.

It really depends on if you plan to drive or not on what you should get.

If you are going from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen, and not to any other towns, I’d take the train. There’s not a ton of driving in Lauterbrunnen as it’s just one road that goes through the town and to the lifts. And they have busses that run back and forth all day.

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Which pass did you buy for getting around ?

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Didn't buy a pass, we just bought tickets at the Laurerbrunnen train station and bus stops in Interlaken. It was a lot simpler in London afterwards when you tap your phone when you enter and leave a train station or bus.