Lucerne or Mürren?

Do you want an urban or rural environment? Really, only you can answer this.
I would choose Mürren if your family enjoys outdoor activities, hiking.

but if you want to ride boats or hike around the lake villages more than go up into the mountains and hike at altitude, then Luzern might be better for you.

Sorry, we can't make that decision for you and yours.

I haven’t been to Lucerne (yet) but Murren is all Rick Steves says it is, and more. Possibly my favorite European spot I’ve visited so far. Heavenly!!!

You can ride the Swiss boats on either Lake Brienz or Lake Thun if you choose to stay in Murren. But if you’re in Murren I highly doubt you’ll want to leave just for a boat ride.

All four of you together should go on YouTube and watch the episode of Rick Steves Europe in which he is in Mürren & the Bernese Oberland. Watch the entire episode.

Then on YouTube, look for the episode in which Rick Steves focuses on what he calls great Swiss cities. He focuses on four of them including Luzern. I would watch that entire episode too because the other three cities are daytrips from Luzern.

Then make a decision among the four of you.

Following what Nigel said, do you want to be in the mountains and hike with altitude or do you want to be in Luzern and enjoy the city while also hiking around the lake and taking advantage of boat trips. You can also take trains and/or cable cars up to nearby mountains.

I have been to Mürren and was mesmerized by the stunning beauty. I will be going to Luzern in April for six days and can’t wait. In that trip, I plan to do a day trip to Mürren and the Bernese Oberland.

Yeah, its a tough choice. But it might matter where exactly you are coming from and going to after Switzerland, and how (car, train).

Traveling by train from Paris to Italy. I’ve mapped out a route/itinerary where we spend 3 nights in Mürren OR 3 nights in Lucerne. Both routes are very doable.

We’ve watched Rick’s great Swiss cities and Mürren/Alps episodes several times. I know my family will have a great time in either place so we just have to decide which one.

If this helps our trip looks like this:
Bruges, Belgium
Paris
Switzerland
Italy (Tuscany & Rome)
Greece (Athens & The Peloponnese)

I’ve been to both and for me it would be Murren. I just enjoy the spectacular view of the mountains from there. I’ve only been there late May early June when there was still snow on the mountain tops. Not sure if I would feel different about going in summer.

Luzern is an easy train ride from Zurich if you think you may end up there on a future trip..

Tough call so maybe put it up to a family vote?

Murren for sure, as long as the travel connections there aren't too crazy. It's amazing to just be surrounded by snowy peaks on all sides, amazing views literally everywhere.

Lucerne is a nice town but doesn't have that wow, mountains! factor. It also felt very full of tour groups.

Given your inclinations, I would also choose Mürren. Nothing like waking up and looking right out at the mountains. Fingers crossed on the weather.

We spent 3 nights in Lucerne, and we enjoyed exploring the city, and especially enjoyed a lake cruise on a paddlewheel steamer to Weggis for lunch.

We also spent two nights in Engelberg (1 hour from Lucerne), and went to the top of Mt. Titlis, which my family of five absolutely loved!! We all decided that if we get to return to Switzerland, we want more snowy mountaintop experiences, so we will head to Murren!

I have read so many wonderful things about the Berner Oberland, especially Murren and Wengen. I think between the setting, the ease of hiking, and the spectacular views that it would be an amazing place to stay for a few days.

I agree with the others - take a vote! I am sure there would be a lot to love about either stop. Your approach to decisions was similar to ours for a different trip - we watched the RS Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Madrid videos to let our Spanish learning sons pick which part of Spain to explore last summer.

One bit of food advice - we did go to the Coop stores a few times to pick up snacks and a couple of picnic lunches for our Swiss days. The restaurant menu prices really were as expensive as many say! We also chose hotels that provided hearty breakfasts with the cost of the room - that was a savings for our family as well.

Have a great trip!
Laurie

I have not been to Lucerne so it is difficult for me to say anything about this city. However, I have been to Murren and it was a wonderful experience. Murren is a small village in the Alps. Personally I think of the Alps when I think of Switzerland. There are several great trails. If you plan on doing a few days of hiking definitely go here. In the event of a rainy day, interlaken is a doable daytrip from Murren.

Simply because the rest of your trips includes large cities, take a mid-trip break away from the hustle/bustle and visit Mürren and the BO.

I have been to Lucerne several times and found it enjoyable, however, it is definitely a city. Not sure how excited a high schooler, and especially a middle schooler would be about the boat rides as they are pretty low key.

I have been to the Murren/Gimmelwald area probably 10 times or more and it definitely gets my vote. Lots of great hiking of varying degrees of difficulty and length, and the Alps are right there! It is my favorite place. I actually stay in Gimmelwald, but usually have to go to Murren for dinner as there isn't much available in Gimmelwald.

Definitely eat a good/big breakfast and get lunch supplies, drinks and snacks at the Coop store in Murren.

I like both places but they are very different. There is lots of choice in Lucern though. When we had a high schooler and a middle schooler a few years back as a family of four I found that you needed choice to keep people of different ages happy.

I have been to Lucern many times. I like staying at a hotel right on the river close to the bridge. You can walk across the street to the dock and take a paddle wheeler on the lake over to where the cog rail goes up the Rigi and get off at Kaltbad. They you hike on one of the prettiest hikes in the World to Rigi Kulm and then take the cog back down and return to Lucern on the boat. Just south of Lucern is the cog rail up Mt Pilatus. This used to be the steepest cog railway in the World and it goes up to the top of Pilatus where there is a hotel, restaurant, and some hiking. A lot of times there are hang gliders or para gliders going off the top of Pilatus.

The Interlaken area (Murren) has it's things to do too. A ride to the top of Junagfrau is fun. Going to Brienz to see all the woodcarvers is worth doing.

Bob

We went to both on our trip and -- hands down -- Murren would be my vote. The Berner Oberland has been one of our favorite spots in Europe overall. We aren't even hikers, but the scenery is beautiful and you can use the gondolas to get around everywhere. Our hotel in Murren had a panoramic view at 6k feet, where we'd relax with a glass of wine and just take it all in. It's a far different, unique experience. We had three nights in Lucerne and we thought it was one night too many (wound up going to Bern as a day trip). It's a nice city with the older European architecture/streets, but it wasn't as special to us as other places we've been to (maybe because we just felt like we were one of many tourists in such a tourist-heavy area?).

I've been to Lucerne once and to many places in the Berner Oberland. On one trip, we spent one night and a full day in Lucerne (boat trip on the lake, sightseeing in town, etc.) before leaving for Lauterbrunnen. Lucerne is great, but I'd spend multiple days in Murren and use it as a base for hiking and seeing other places in the Berner Oberland.

Murren for sure!! Absolutely magical!! Lucerne is nice but as others mentioned, quite crowded with tourists and does not have the "wow factor" that Murren and the BO has. I think your teenagers would find Murren much more interesting, especially if they like the outdoors. Take a break from the cities you are visiting , go for some hikes and breath in the fresh mountain air and soak up the stunning scenery.

Another vote for Mürren! Luzern is beautiful, but one full day is enough - beyond that you need day trips.