Bernese Oberland day tours

I may be in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland in late April and would interested in doing several day tours in either the Lauterbrunnen/Schilthorn or Grindlewald areas. Can anyone recommend some specific tours? And a guide for a couple of those days? Thanks very much for any information.

Why just day tours? If you can swing it, the huts up there are wonderful. Even just for a night or two you could do some great tours out of the huts.

I agree with ccwaskier.

Most day tours are practical only if you take the train to Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe) which is pretty expensive (it is one of the top tourist attractions in Switzerland: Grindelwald-Jungfrajoch return ticket without discounts is CHF177 with SwissCard it is CHF133). 1 Swiss Franc is 1.13 USD today.

Staying at one of the huts will be cheaper and more enjoyable, especially in late April when early alpine starts are a necessity (the first train arrives at Jungfrajoch at 9AM).

Here are few photos from a tour of Bernese Oberland last year, about the same time, second half of Aprli:
www.flickr.com/photos/runningclouds/sets/72157633513102416/

My favourite tour was from Finsteraarhornütte to Grosses-Wannenhorn (512b) and back.

If I was going to go back I would do Finsteraarhorn (526a) again starting and finishing at Finsteraarhornütte.

If you do decide to do a day trip the two most popular options are:

• take train to Jungfrajoch - ski Jungfrau (481a, the last bit is not skiable) - ski back to Jungfrajoch - take train back to Grindelwald
• take train to Jungfrajoch - ski to Lourvihorn (477a) - ski Kranzbergfirn (477b) to Holandiahütte - ski to Fafleralp (472a) - take bus/train back to Grindelwald

But beware, when we were there the Jungfrau tour had about 70 people and they all start at the same time as they all arrive on the same train.
The numbers refer to the Swissskip map Jungfrau 264S.

Last year the only feasible skiing below 2000m at the end of April was on groomed ski runs. Also the lift skiing season is usually over by Easter, for April and May skiers move to higher grounds.

Hope this helps a bit.
Good luck!

The Swiss have great topo ski maps that work as a guidebook. The map 1:50000 Jungfrau 264S  has about 75 standard ski tours marked on it, and on the backside route grading up and down, and standard times for tour. also nearby hut info.  Omnimap in US may carry this, be sure to get the S (ski version).

a small section of the Arolla 283S map  www.flickr.com/photos/wotanofballard/12919752753/

which is the middle of the Haute Route.

excellent american guides that do a 6 days BO ski tour every year www.cosleyhouston.com/berner-tour.htm

das wetter can suck in the BO for extended periods. swiss snowpack is huge this year  www.slf.ch/schneeinfo/schneekarten/hsm/index_EN

which suggests that this spring will have fewer clear days that average, but ya never know.

Sorry, I mistakenly posted a link to a Table Mountain trip rather than the Bernese Oberland tour. The correct link is:
www.flickr.com/photos/runningclouds/sets/72157633513102416/

I have fixed it in my initial post above as well.