Lauterbrunnen area

I would spend at least one night in Murren in a hotel like the Alpina or one of the other hotels that are on the edge where you can get a room with a valley view which is simply fantastic. The view from a balcony looking straight down about 2000ft. is something you won't soon forget. Murren is a truly neat town to hike around. That being said, to see the rest of the area around the Lauterbrunnen valley the best thing to do is stay in the village of Lauterbrunnen where you have direct access to the Jungfraubahn, Tremmelbach Falls etc. It's also easy to get to Interlaken to take a hop-on-hop-off Lake steamer around Lake Brienz. Also look into the Ballenberg Open Air museum. The problem with Murren is that going to any place else always begins and ends with a tram ride down to the valley.

Just pick one place to stay in, they are all in the same general area. Moving to different places would be like going to London or Paris and booking different hotels in each neighborhood you visit; it's not practical. If you want a village that is a bit more central, go with Lauterburnnen. But anywhere you stay it's easy to get around via the different mountain trains and cable cars.

ryan,

I would also suggest picking one town for a "home base" and staying put there. Although it doesn't have the same views as Mürren, Lauterbrunnen is also a good choice as it's the transportation hub and therefore very convenient to get to both sides of the valley.

There are LOTS of "good hikes" in that area. I'd suggest packing along a copy of the Switzerland guidebook as there's an enormous amount of good information there. That will allow you to choose "must does" that fit your criteria.

I wasn't sure of your meaning with this, could you clarify....

"I think we want to take the train on day."

On the topic of saving money with Swiss passes, that can be a very complicated thing to determine. I'd suggest making a list of the trips you want to make in that area using local lifts and trains, and working out the difference in cost with or without a Pass. In addition to the Swiss Passes and Half Fare Card, you could also look at the Berner Oberland Pass or the Jungfrau VIP Pass.

Thanks for the info. So may passes to sort thru. Is it best to visit the tourist office and have them help pick the best fit?

You can visit the tourist office and they will sell you what's either on the push list or maybe what you and they decide may be best for you.

Or you can do some of the work by following links from here, using the resources of the tourbooks you have and asking lots of questions of the people here who have a deep knowledge of the area. However it suits you.

Just be aware where the tourist office people get the money to work and get their salaries comes from.

ryan,

You can buy some of the Swiss Passes on this website - http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes

Send a note to the Rail department and I'm sure they will be able to help you decide on the most appropriate options.

If your home base is in Muerren, you travel to the other side of the valley without luggage on your sightseeing days. If you move your home base, you move your luggage, too.

Your comparison between a Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half-Fare Card should consider your train travel to and from the Lauterbrunnen area. Both products do work well in the region and offer discounts from Muerren to Schilthorn and Wengen to Jungfraujoch.

• What have you decided or booked for trains on the rest of your trip? If coming from Munich, Swiss pass benefits kick in at the border crossing, or if you have already purchased a ticket to Zurich, then they start from Zurich. (Or if you bought a multi-country pass, then it can cover you to Interlaken and provide 25% discounts around the Lauterbrunnen area.)
• And what's your next Swiss border point or airport after that?
• Will all the travel in Switzerland fit into 4 consecutive days (one of the Swiss pass options)?

The point to point fare from Fussen, Germany to Lauterbrunnen area was what i was Originally thinking, we have not booked anything yet. I just briefly look at it. We plan on staying in Lauterbrunnen area for 4 nights, then we are taking the train to thru Milan stopping at florance or on to rome. We have not finished that plan for that section of the trip yet. The passes are a little tough to figure out. I was thinking a 4 country select pass. But i just have not been able to figure out if that is the best options. Swiss transportation seem to be the most expense. I was not sure if point to point in italy and germany was the cheeper option.

ryan,

Rail passes are rarely a good value for travel in Italy. Substantial savings are possible with pre-purchase of tickets for the fast trains (Freccia, InterCity) up to 120 days in advance. Note that the least expensive Super Economy tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, so choose carefully.

There are no price breaks for Regionale tickets, so those are best purchased at local stations in Italy (DON'T forget to validate Regionale tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines).