Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

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whitneyc0319
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Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by whitneyc0319 »

I will be visiting Switzerland mid-to late September of this year and interested in doing a hike or two while there. I would love to be close enough to see Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, etc. but I won't have the ability to bring alot of gear with me that seems to be necessary for some of the higher peaks in the area. Does anyone have any suggestions of beautiful day hikes (doesn't have to be low altitude) that doesn't require much more than good hiking shoes, a day pack, water and snacks? I will be staying in Zurich, Montreaux, and Geneva. Thanks!
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dpage
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by dpage »

I spent time in Leysin which is a short train ride to Aigle and then a cog to Leysin. There's via ferrata and hiking.
http://www.leysin.ch/mobile/en/page.cfm ... kingleysin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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762x51NATO
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by 762x51NATO »

A few years ago, my wife and I took our honeymoon through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria by foot and rail. One of our stops was in Interlaken, from which we went on several day trips into the surrounding mountains. We did not summit any peaks in that area, but with Jungfrau, Eiger, Schilthorn, and others in the Bernese Oberland, the scenery is spectacular. Some of our hikes took us through the sort of pastoral settings you would associate with Switzerland. Interlaken isn't all that far from Zurich, and well worth the trip with excellent restaurants and hotels. A bit touristy, but for us that was okay because sometimes it is nice to be in a place where they are accustomed to accommodating tourists. You will be there during the off-season, which is almost always a plus. I hope you have a wonderful trip.
whitneyc0319
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by whitneyc0319 »

762x51NATO wrote:A few years ago, my wife and I took our honeymoon through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria by foot and rail. One of our stops was in Interlaken, from which we went on several day trips into the surrounding mountains. We did not summit any peaks in that area, but with Jungfrau, Eiger, Schilthorn, and others in the Bernese Oberland, the scenery is spectacular. Some of our hikes took us through the sort of pastoral settings you would associate with Switzerland. Interlaken isn't all that far from Zurich, and well worth the trip with excellent restaurants and hotels. A bit touristy, but for us that was okay because sometimes it is nice to be in a place where they are accustomed to accommodating tourists. You will be there during the off-season, which is almost always a plus. I hope you have a wonderful trip.
Awesome! Thanks for the advice!
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434stonemill
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by 434stonemill »

I would also recommend the Lauterbrunnen valley. It isn't that far from Zurich by train. The climb up the Schilthorn is like many of the Class 2 Colorado 14ers. It doesn't require any special equipment, a day pack and good shoes are fine, and the views from the top of the Eiger and Jungfrau are magnificent. There are many other hikes in the Interlocken/Lauterbrunnen area that would make great day hikes. I have done a few other hikes in that region as well as the Schilthorn.

You can check out my trip report of my hike up the Schilthorn a few years back here : http://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepor ... ki=Include

Note: This was also done in mid-September and that the weather can be just like Colorado. Nice in the valleys, with some snow at upper elevations.
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SkaredShtles
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by SkaredShtles »

I'm going to 3rd the recommendation for the Bernese Oberland. Just wow.
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by dr_j »

I spent a long weekend hiking around Zermatt, if you're looking for the ultimate views of the Matterhorn, this would be the place. It's a special and scenic train line running from Brig or Visp to Zermatt, the lodging is reasonably priced, and the scenery is fantastic. I think you can see most of the peaks the OP listed, and there is summer skiing if you're into that sort of thing as well, I ended up mixing one day of snowboarding with a couple days of hikes.

As I recall, the distances are listed in hours (Std.), and also vertical meters. The various huts are also pretty full-service, the Alps are pretty tamed in that sense.
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SharonH
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by SharonH »

I would also recommend the Lauterbrunnen Valley near Interlaken. We made many trips to the area while living in Germany, and traveled there from Colorado last September. Both sides of the valley offer amazing non technical hikes and if you want to maximize your time, you can ride the train/tram/lift to the top and hike down. My favorite place to stay in Lauterbrunnen is the Hotel Oberland (http://www.hoteloberland.ch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Interlaken is very touristy and soulless.
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The Eiger North Face from Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
The Eiger North Face from Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
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Room with a view in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Room with a view in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
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quattordesch
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by quattordesch »

Berner Oberland and Zermatt are both excellent suggestions. September is a great time with stable weather. Here are a few useful links for planing:

All(!) hiking trails on a topo map:
https://map.geo.admin.ch/mobile.html?X= ... wanderwege" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If they don't show, select "Geocatalog", "base information and planning", "population and economy", "hiking trails". You can zoom in and print the maps or save them as pdfs at any magnification you want. For free.

Trains (and other public transportation):
http://www.sbb.ch/home.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Trail markers show time rather than distance. I think it is based on 4.2km an hour with some correction for elevation gains or losses. Breaks are not included in the times.

If you want to stay in the mountains, staying at huts is an option. You usually have the option of with food (dinner and breakfast) or without. You can find all of them here:
http://www.sac-cas.ch/en/huts/search-a-hut.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

National weather site:
http://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/home.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have fun!
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RobE
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by RobE »

If you can, wait to see what the weather is like, then go to the most promising region:
  • Berner Oberland
  • Zermatt
  • Chamonix, France
    • 1 hour shuttle bus from Geneva
    • 2.5 hour incredibly scenic Mont Blanc Express train from Montreux through the Trient Valley, which itself has tons of hikes
  • Courmayeur, Italy
    • 1.5 hour shuttle bus from Geneva
whitneyc0319
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Re: Suggestions needed for hiking in Switzerland

Post by whitneyc0319 »

Thanks for all the suggestions and helpful info everyone!
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