Hotel Schonegg or Hotel Silberhorn

I have stayed at the Hotel Schonegg twice, June 2022 and June 2024. I have also stayed down in Lauterbrunnen, but I prefer to be up in the mountains.

It’s easy to take the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. Then you just walk a few steps to the waiting train that will take you up to Wengen. But yes, you do have to manage your own luggage. There is no one to help with that.

I’ve been to all the places on your list. You might find my trip reports helpful:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-my-trip-report

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-june-2024-my-trip-report

This would be my order of priority: Mannlichen (playground for the kids and there will be cows up there in July), Murren to Gimmelwald, walk in Lauterbrunnen (You have to walk past Staubbach Falls to get away from the crowds. There is also a bus you could use part way to make things easier for your mom.), Allmendhubel (this might be a higher priority with kids because of the playground), boat ride lake Brienz (I love this, but with only 2 days I would focus on the mountains).

Have a great trip!!

Carrie - Thank you, so much, for your response! I thoroughly read your wonderful trip reports and it was exactly what I needed to make some decisions! I will go with Hotel Schonegg in Wengen based off of your descriptions regarding Lauterbrunnen/Murren/Wengen. I can't resist staying in one of the car free villages & it sounds like it is worth the extra effort from Lauterbrunnen. I am going to refer back to your listing of priorities but thinking something like:

Day 2: Travel from Lucern to Wengen (via Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen) on the panoramic train. My family loves train rides so this will be part of the fun! Check into hotel, explore town, go up to Mannlichen (is the Royal Walk worth it? too strenuous for my group?) & have dinner somewhere in Wengen.

Day 3: Early start to Murren & take cable car to Allmendhubel. Go back down to Murren and do hike to Gimemelwald (assuming the order makes the most sense). Visit either Lauterbrunnen Falls or do a boat ride on Lake Brienz if its not too late in the day. Is lake Brienz significantly more scenic than Lake Lucerne (we will have done a boat ride on day 1 there).

With regards to crowds, it sounds like it was hard to beat them even first thing in the morning? Do crowds thin out at all as the day goes on? We will have sunlight on our side in July, and wondered if going up to Mannlichen at say 5-6pm might make sense if it will be less crowded. Was thinking the same with Lauterbrunnen Falls.

Thank you again for your help - I loved seeing your photos, as well! I hope you are looking forward to Vienna & Prague & Ireland (three of my favorite places in Europe!).

Here are my random thoughts:

I think you will be very happy in Wengen. I forgot there’s a play area for kids right before you reach the Hotel Schonegg. To enter the hotel, when approaching the hotel, walk past the entrance with all the stairs, there is another entrance that will take you right into the reception area without all the stairs. Just past the hotel on the left is a small church with great views over Lauterbrunnen.

For the Mannlichen Royal Walk, you can always try it and turn back if you get tired like I do. :-) Walking uphill is the one time I notice the altitude. So, I prefer to walk downhill. This is my favorite video on Mannlichen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsp2XG8lPyw

There’s a restaurant up there. So, you could eat there if you like:

https://www.berghaus-maennlichen.ch/en/gastronomy

As you are taking a boat ride on Lake Lucerne, I would not prioritize a ride on Brienz. But, it might be a good option if you have a bad weather day in the mountains. And I’m wondering if the kids might prefer a boat ride on Lake Thun, with a view of several castles.

https://www.interlaken.ch/en/experiences/culture-customs/castles-on-lake-thun

You can’t go wrong with either lake. But again, if you have great weather, you will probably want to stay in the mountains. You can decide what to do when you are there. There is no need to purchase tickets in advance.

Be flexible with your plans. If you have a rainy day, walking down in Lauterbrunnen is a good option. You could also see Trummelbach Falls.

https://www.truemmelbachfaelle.ch/e/index.html

The best way to avoid crowds is to get out early. The cable cars and trains will be crowded throughout the day. There’s no way to avoid that. But once everyone is off, people seem to spread out and go in all directions. So, it won’t feel as crowded once you’re off the transportation.

Note that hiring a car will not make luggage handling easier. You still need to get on the train to Wengen, and from the car park to the train platforms is a lot longer than just changing between trains...