We will be based in Wilderswil for 3 nights in mid August and would like to visit Schilthorn in the morning and Murren and Gimmelwald on our way back to Stechelberg. Is this possible to stop for a short while to visit these villages and continue with the same ticket on the same day back to Stechelberg? Will the cable cars on the way back be so crowded that we could wait for hours to get onboard? or would we be better off to stop in Murren & Gimmelwald on the way up instead? Thank you in advance for your help.
Posted by
Wengen
2492 posts
You can make as many stopovers as you want, as long as you keep travelling in the same direction. A stop at Birg for example to do the cliff walk is a good idea as well. (If it is open, with the ongoing construction it may not be).
You could also travel up via Lauterbrunnen - Grütschalp and back via Stechelberg. So in Wilderwil buy a ticket Wilderwil - Lauterbrunnen - Mürren BLM - Shilthorn - Stechelberg - Lauterbrunnen - Wilderswil. (Yes, you can do this all on one ticket...)
There are sometimes queues at the cable cars, but rarely long waits.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you WengenK for the info. I was hoping that was the case. We would love to do some hikes but I will have to find some with minimal incline. My guy has bad knees (thanks to 4 knee surgery's in 2021) and says downhill is worst than up. But he is determined to not let it stop him. We will definitely visit Lauterbrennen and so the waterfalls.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
612 posts
I would agree on doing this route…
Wilderswil > Lauterbrunnen (Train) > Grutschalp (Cable car) > Murren (sit on the left side of the train for views) > walk through the village to Schilthornbahn > Schilthorn (Cable car) > Birg on the way down (optional Thrill Walk) > Murren (cable car) > Gimmelwald (cable car) > Stechelberg > Bus to Lauterbrunnen > Train to Wilderswil
There are lines at times but I can’t think of a time when it’s been so long that everyone didn’t fit into the cable car and I’ve been up to the Schilthorn atleast 25 times in July/August. You’ll be fine stopping wherever you’d like and then continuing on when you’re ready. There have been a few times at peak season when the cable car & train from Lauterbrunnen/Grutschalp/Murren has been so packed with people that not everyone got on. But the max you wait for the next one is 15 minutes.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
612 posts
A good “hike” with not much downhill is Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. It’s more of a walk than anything, but quite beautiful.
And if you want to add some hiking to your Schilthorn day, you could get out of the train at Winteregg and walk from there to Murren on an even gravel path.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4853 posts
definitely stop at Murren on the way back and wander. and make sure you get a picture with the cutout of George Lazenby at the top of the Schilthorn.