Itinerary Help! Murren, Lucerne

sarar,

To begin with, have you booked your hotel near Zürich airport? There's no need to stay near the airport, since it's only about 10 minutes by train to Zürich Hbf (main station). You could easily stay at a place such as Hotel Walhalla or others listed in the guidebook.

For your trip to Mürren, note that there are two ways to get there from Lauterbrunnen. Specify Mürren BLM when you buy your tickets. Are you clear on the route you'll be following?

Regarding the "open" night, I'd suggest spending that in Lucerne, as there's a lot to see there. It's a beautiful city and a good place to enjoy "good eats".

That's a LONG way to travel to only spend six days. Are you flying to / from the U.S. for this trip?

Good point! I thought maybe we were getting in too late to try to navigate anywhere. But Zürich Hbf is only 10 mins away, good call.

Thank you for the tips to spend the extra night in Lucerne and Specify Murren BLM for travel. I have not figured out all the routes yet. :)

This is an add-on trip after we spend time with family in Sweden, so no, we aren't flying from US, but we will be flying back to US on our way out. So we will hopefully be on the right time zone by then!! lol.

Also- I realize Murren and Bernese Oberland are kind of hit or miss as far as weather... but, so it goes, right!?

sarar,

If you need information on the way to reach Mürren via the BLM route, post another note. I've posted on that topic recently, but can't seem to find my previous replies.

Ken,
I'd love information on the way to reach Mürren via the BLM route! :) So sweet of you! I love how helpful people are on these forums... so awesome!

Cheers!

sarar,

Here's the route to follow......

• Buy tickets from Zürich to Mürren, specifying the BLM route (these will include all modes of transport).
• Travel by train from Zürich to Interlaken Ost (there are two stations in Interlaken, and as I recall that's the second stop).
• Transfer to the small Berner Oberland train for the short trip to Lauterbrunnen (about 20 minutes). Be sure to check the digital display on the side of the car to ensure that the car you've boarded is going to Lauterbrunnen and not Grindelwald (some of the trains split at Zweilütschinen). It's a very pleasant and scenic trip and you may want to have your Camera at hand.
• When you arrive at Lauterbrunnen, walk across the street to the Cable Car station (it will be clearly visible). Walk up the stairs and board the next Cable Car to Grütschalp. THIS is a video of the ride (MUTE the sound as it's rather annoying).
• When you get to the top, transfer to the small BLM mountain railway, which will be waiting to meet the Cable Car. HERE'S a short clip on the railway.
• Enjoy the ride to Mürren (about 20-25 minutes as I recall). You'll arrive at one end of the town (opposite end of town from the Schilthornbahn Cable Car). The train arrives one level below the street, so walk up the stairs and exit the station.
• You should be able to walk to your hotel. It only takes a few minutes to walk from one end of town to the other.

With typical Swiss efficiency, the process is very efficient and very easy.

You're the BOMB Ken! Thank you so much!!!

Awe, thank you Chris! :) I love how helpful people are... it gives me hope for humanity!! LOL.

Do you like to hike? I would spend the extra night at Murren! We spent 3 nights there and wished we had planned for more.

Oooh, thank you Chris for the hiking info! That'll be very helpful to have!

And Carol, thank you for your suggestion. I am more into hiking and my husband is more into being in cities/towns... so I'm trying to be fair! ;) The good news is I know we'll have a ball wherever we go!!!!!

We spend 2 nights in Luzern and 6 nights in Murren in July. Both are wonderful, but I must admit I fell in love with Murren. If you spend 2 nights in Luzern, however, the Mt. Regi trip we took there was wonderful - combining boat cruise to small villages along the lake, train ride to the top of Regi, a beautiful hike on top, and a gondola and cruise back. If you have good weather it would be a great last day and still leave time for touring the old part of town. Have a good trip!

Yes, that' what we call Ken on the Forum: he is THE BOMB.

8/29 Arriving at 9:50 PM - 1 night Zurich (stay down town & check out Chagall stained glass the following morning)
8/30 Train/Cable Car from Zurich to Murren - 2 nights Murren
9/1 Murren
9/2 Train/Cable Car from Murren to Lucerne - 1 night Lucerne
9/3 Train from Lucerne to Zurich Airport to catch flight at 11:55 AM

Given your flight time on the 3rd, I don't think logistically you could stay on in Murren an extra night.

Hi! I don't know where you are staying in Murren, but I would like to suggest Hotel Bellevue. We stayed there last September and had an absolutely marvelous time! The rooms are beyond comfy - with eiderdowns, down pillows, views that are unmatched, and the restaurant is awesome! There is no need to eat any where else! Breakfast is included with your room. It is remarkably easy to spend 3-4 days in the tiny village! Have fun!
PS- avoid the Zurich train station if at all possible! It is enormous!!!

I also would highly recommend Hotel Bellevue. That is where we stayed for the 6 nights we were in Murren. We loved it, and we also enjoyed the terrace restaurant as well

Only one addendum to Ken's wonderful detailed post about getting to Mürren:

If you don't want to take the stairs up from the Mürren arrival platform, walk along the platform in the opposite direction from the stairs, then turn right and go outside. This is a ramp up to town - very handy with luggage!