Travel guide – bernese oberland
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Overview
The magnificent Bernese Oberland region, recognized for the impressive triple-peaks of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (the ogre, monk and maiden), is a major tourist area with resorts boasting world-class winter and summer activities. It also features one of the most popular tourist excursions in Switzerland, the breathtaking cog railway to the Jungfrau Plateau. From here, the highest station in the world, staggering views and ice caverns within the glacier can be enjoyed.
Bernese Oberland is the most magnificent of the alpine regions, a concentration of the very best of Swiss scenery, with towering snow-capped mountains, glaciers, pristine lakes and waterfalls, meadows of edelweiss, pastures echoing with the tinkle of cowbells, and typical wooden chalets with geranium-filled window boxes.
Gateway to the Bernese Oberland is the popular resort of Interlaken and the main transport hub of the region. An extensive network of roads, mountain railways, funiculars, cable cars and hiking trails link it to the other popular resorts in the area, including the scenic ski village of Wengen, and Grindelwald, the most established skiing and hiking centre in the region. Oberland’s most glamorous resort and the place for glittering socialites to be seen is the chic town of Gstaad, popular more for its high society than for its skiing.
Although intensely popular during the skiing and hiking seasons, the region is well equipped with a wide range of outdoor activities, from the slopes to scenic lake cruises, and accommodation ranging from fancy hotels to rustic lodges caters for all visitors. The transport network is efficient and extensive integrating easy travel with many panoramic views of the stunning scenery that makes the Bernese Oberland such a celebrated sightseeing area.
According to legend, Bern was named when its founder, Berchtold, was advised to go on a hunt and to name the town after the first beast caught. The bear has remained the symbol of the capital city ever since. One of the oldest and most charming cities in Europe, its old centre was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site for the preservation of its cobbled medieval street plan, with many ornate fountains, towers, a massive astronomical clock, and buildings much the same as they have been for the last 500 years. With its relaxed atmosphere, farmers markets and friendly people, it is easy to forget that this is the Swiss capital, an important city of politicians and international meetings. And with its interesting museums, theatres, long-standing monuments and landmarks Bern is a popular base from which to explore the mountains and lakes of the nearby Bernese Oberland.
Grindelwald is a picturesque traditional mountain settlement at the foot of the Eiger mountain surrounded by spectacular alpine landscapes. Popular as both a summer and winter destination, it offers miles of slopes and hiking trails across the Alps, and for non-skiers there are a huge variety of winter activities, from tobogganing to groomed winter hiking tracks. For skiers there are three distinct areas to choose from, with slopes for beginners, intermediates and the challenges of the Eiger glacier for the experienced, as well as lift links to Wengen and Mürren, making this one of the best resorts from which to explore the Jungfrau region.
Interlaken, meaning ‘between the lakes’, is the tourist capital of the Bernese Oberland. As a popular vacation spot it is superbly situated between the lakes of Thun and Brienz, offering a variety of water-based activities during summer, and access to an endless amount of winter sports in the surrounding mountains of the Bernese Alps and its valleys. Linked to numerous resorts and villages by a series of mountain railways and cablecars, it offers a myriad of slopes and trails in many different areas offering skiing, snowboarding and hiking, as well as connecting to the famous cog railway leading to the plateau of the Jungfrau mountain. During winter skiers can take advantage of the town’s low prices, avoiding the in-season costs of higher altitude nearby ski resorts, and together with its many fine hotels, nightlife and dining opportunities, numerous excursion possibilities and first class transport connections, Interlaken is an ideal all-round destination for winter and summer, for skiers and non-skiers alike.
Situated at the heart of one of the most scenic regions in Switzerland, Luzern sits at the tip of the oddly shaped Lake of Luzern and straddles the Reuss River, with superb mountain views, lake cruises and a picturesque old medieval town. Together with the many villages scattered around the lake, the medieval city guarded the main pass on the route between northern and southern Europe. The two surviving covered bridges are remains of its fortifications, most famously the wooden Chapel Bridge with its roof paintings. The Lion Monument, a moving sculpture hewn out of a cliff-face to commemorate the Swiss soldiers who died in the French Revolution, is another of the city’s well-known landmarks. The car-free medieval quarter with its painted facades, towers and squares; the charming quayside fruit and vegetable market, and the outstanding Transport Museum are just some of the reasons to visit Luzern, as well as it being an ideal base for excursions around the lake and into the beautiful surrounds.
Climate
The temperature is moderate with no extremes of hot and cold, so Switzerland can be visited at anytime of year. Summer is warm lasting from about June to September, and although good for outdoor activities it is also the most crowded time for a holiday. Ski resorts open in late November and remain so until the snow begins to melt in April.
Health
Swiss medical facilities and health care are among the best in the world, but very expensive and health insurance is recommended. Immunisation certificates are only required if the traveller has been in an infected area within two weeks prior to arrival in the country. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK and most EU countries, whose citizens are entitled to free emergency medical treatment on presentation of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Medical insurance is advised for other nationalities. A duck on Lake Geneva was confirmed to have died from the deadly strain of bird flu and tests are being carried out in other parts of the country on dead birds, but no human infections have been reported. The risk to travellers from bird flu is very low, but close contact with live birds should be avoided, and all poultry and egg dishes well cooked as a precaution.
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