Family of Four-Grindelwald in hotel OR AirBnb in Lauterbrunnen?

we stayed in lauterbrunnen( near the falls) for 4 nights ( last week) the weather was great, but on sunday it closed in and rain. lucky we were moving on. but lauterbrunnen is a lovely but very small town, with limited options if the weather is not good. we drove around to grindelwald on one of our days at it was definitely a larger ( more commercial/touristy) town, but still with good views. it seemed to have more action activities closer by.
the area, as a whole, is somewhat difficult to get your head around, re what cable cars/trains access what walks and at what costs. so try and decide what activities you definitely want to do ( also consider the weather) as the costs of doing things can be very considerable.
I have to admit the costs prevented us from doing activities that we would have normally done ( in another country). also bear in mind some of the walks are quiet steep and long, so are your children prepared to walk that much? really??
the sign posts show how long it takes but not how steep or the distance you walk. take water/food and sun protection on the longer walks. we got sun burnt ( and are use to the sun)

hope this helps.

forgot to mention, if you are looking for a restaruant in lauterbrunnen ( that doesn't charge for a glass of tap water, with your meal- yes thats correct!!!) try the restaurant at the local caravan park ( camping jungfraujoch) at the end of the town, near the staubach falls. its popular so you may have to book.
hope this helps.

Lauterbrunnen is a more practical location to stay, as it's the transportation hub for the valley and therefore easy to get anywhere. From Lauterbrunnen you can access many locations using either trains or mountain lifts. There are numerous "beautiful walks" from the Mürren area and you can get there easily via the cable car to Grütschalp and BLM railway to Mürren.

Be sure to check the weather before travel to the Jungfraujoch, as that's an expensive trip and you won't see much if the top is shrouded in fog. You could also consider a trip to the Schilthorn, where the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was partially filmed.

All things being equal, I'd go for 3 nights in the area vs. 2 nights.
On the other hand, there are few more good hikes on the the Lauterbrunnen/Murren side.
In my opinion, there are 9 good hikes in the area, 5 on the Laut. side, 3 on the Grindelwald side, and the best smack in the middle. Also, if you have kids, don't forget the Rodelbahn/luge above Grindelwald, via Pfingstegg cable car.
4 around Murren (above Lauterbrunnen)
Funicular up Almendhubel, then right or left (2)
Murren to Sprutz Falls and Spielbodenalp
Grutschalp to Murren parallel to RR tracks
Murren hikes found here:
https://terrelledwards.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/hikingmap1-3-2.jpg
1 in Lauterbrunnen valley, Laut. to Trummelbach Falls

1 from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (best, save for nicest day, 1.5 hr walk)
3 above Grindelwald:
Schynige Platte to First, 6 hr hike
First to Bachalpsee, 2 hr hike
First to Grosse Scheidegg, then bus back down, 3 hrs.
Above 5 hike locations can be found on this map:
http://ontheworldmap.com/switzerland/ski/jungfrau/jungfrau-summer-map.jpg

If I may tack on to this question...we are staying two nights in Lauterbrunnen and plan to go up the Schilthorn. What is a suggested itinerary? I was planning to buy three passes from either Murren or Stechelberg, but not sure of what the difference is, other than it's a longer trip from Stechelberg...

Thanks

evartsfamily,

I haven't checked the details, but the trip to the Schilthorn will likely be a bit faster and perhaps cheaper by travelling via the BLM route. Here are the options.....

• BLM route - you'll first take the short cable car ride from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp, followed by the small BLM mountain railway to Mürren. When you arrive in Mürren, walk to the other end of town to connect with the Schilthornbahn cable car. Once you've boarded the Schilthornbahn, you'll first stop at Birg (where you'll change cars) and then take the final segment to the Schilthorn. It's a spectacular trip!
• Stechelberg route - you'll first take the Post Bus (bright yellow, you can't miss it) from Lauterbrunnen to the Schilthornbahn station in Stechelberg. Walk up the stairs and board the next car that's leaving. The first segment to Gimmelwald is steep and spectacular! When you arrive in Gimmelwald, you'll have to change cars and do the same in Mürren.

You'll need to specify which route you're using when you buy tickets. Tickets will include all modes of transport.

You could always travel up via one route and back via the other. You may want to look at the various Swiss passes, as they can save some money on the mountain lifts.

Lauterbrunnen > Grindlewald, in my opinion. While both are dominated by tourists, the latter is absolutely over-run with them. There's nothing remotely authentically Swiss about Grindlewald.