Spent the last two weeks of August in Switzerland, with a particular focus on the Bernese Oberland where we spent 10 days. Wonderful place.

To people asking about the Bernese Oberland, the three main towns are Murren, Wengen and Grindelwald. Murren and Wengen are opposite sides of a high, steep and dramatic valley, with Murren being the highest and smallest town and Wengen a bit lower and a bit bigger. Both get plenty of day trippers and Murren is a bit quieter at night while Wengen has a bit more in the way of accommodation and dining options. Murren has closer access to better hiking trails in the high mountains while Wengen has easier/more direct access via cable cars and trains to peaks and higher grounds.

Grindelwald is the largest of the main towns and sits in the middle of a bowl-shaped valley rather than perched high up a mountainside. It is definitely more "mass touristy."

All three towns and their nearby sights can be visited from each other with ease as the transportation links (using trains, buses, cable cars) is super efficient and super timely. I would avoid staying in Grindelwald as the least attractive of the three towns. Wengen is probably the most conveniently located while Murren has the most dramatic mountain views.

Lucerne is a lovely small city but can be seen in an afternoon/one overnight stay. If you stay a second day, swimming in the lake is wonderful. Same can be said about Zurich. We had 1 1/2 days in Zurich at the onset of the trip and other than stocking up on some provisions for our trip to the Bernese Oberland, we spent the rest of the time in a semi-private lakeside swimming facility where we lounged, read, and swam, which was ideal for recovering from jet lag.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1 week in Glacier National Park earlier this month. Family of 4, kids 7 and 10. Spent about $10k as we used mostly in-park lodging. Flights and rental car were expensive. Absolutely loved it, the hiking and views were spectacular, and I would love to go back.

Please tell me more! I'm looking at booking this trip for next year and would love to hear lodging advice. I'm picky!

I enjoyed staying at the Village Inn at Apgar the most as it had the most space for our family and great views of Lake McDonald. The rooms at Many Glacier lodge were a lot more rustic with tiny showers, but the lodge itself is really cool, and convenient for the Grinnell Glacier hike. We also stayed a night in Waterton, which is very touristy.
Get started looking for cancellations now for in park lodging if you want to go next year.