Muerren vs Wengen?

sara,

If you're planning on touring both sides of the valley, then staying in Lauterbrunnen is the most convenient option. As you mentioned, you'll have to park there anyway. There are a few larger hotels there that may be able to accommodate groups of eight, however I would strongly suggest getting a booking SOON. A couple of hotels you could look at are Hotel Oberland and Hotel Staubbach. You may have to get two rooms?

Sara,
I have stayed in Mürren 8 times and Wengen once. Both are wonderful but Mürren is the most spectacular. The last time I had a group of 9 and we stayed in Mürren at the Eiger guesthouse ( not Eiger hotel) in a combination of rooms. Small, relatively inexpensive, and super friendly. Spectacular views from front rooms. Also hotel Alpina has rooms virtually hanging on cliff.
There are a lot more rooms in Wengen and the Belvedere was upscale compared to Mürren hotels. Wengen is just not as quaint nor is the hiking directly from there as gorgeous. It has the cog railway and cable car to access fabulous walks. I personally think staying on the valley floor is a waste. The changing light, constantly changing clouds, and solitude up high is irreplaceable.
Meals are incredibly expensive anywhere in Switzerland, but especially here. Get food at COOP to help.
Count on at least one day being too rainy to do much on mountains. That is the day to do Lauterbrunnen valley. I've been to Europe many times and there are lots of places where once was enough. I go to Mürren every chance I get.
'Nuff said.'
Pirk

Put me in the "Mürren-is-nice-but-not-indispensible" group. I take a slightly different take from many on this website, in that although I think both villages are very nice, the point of visiting isn't for the villages themselves but for the easy access to the magnificence of the surrounding mountains. I would base my decision on which side of the valley interests you more- the Jungfrau, or Schilthorn. Both are primarily just places to sleep and eat before you head up into the mountains.

Thanks all! I'm leaning towards Meurren, but Tom - is there a side of the valley that you would recommend more than the other?

I've been to the area a couple of times, but my most extended stay was on a ski trip in the winter. If skiing was the consideration, then Grindewald wins, hand's down by a longshot, followed by Wengen with Mürren a distant third. I've only hiked in the region briefly, and during the worst time of year, so I'll let someone with more summer hiking experience chime in with a preference.

sara,

Which side of the valley to focus on will depend to some extent on your interests and your budget.

The Mürren side tends to be more "quaint" (not sure that's the right word?), informal and less expensive. It also offers wonderful hiking opportunities and one of the easiest is to take the Allmend-Hubel Funicular to the top and then walk back down through the alpine meadows. The most expensive site on that side of the valley is the trip to the Schilthorn and Piz Gloria, which was used in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. There's a revolving restaurant there where you can enjoy a fine meal while watching the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau glide past the window. You can also stop in the James Bond bar and have a "Martini shaken not stirred".

The Wengen side tends to be more "posh" with upscale and more expensive hotels. I haven't hiked in that area but it also has hiking opportunities although IMO they're not as scenic as on the other side of the valley. The most expensive site on that side of the valley is the trip to the Jungfraujoch to the highest rail station in Europe at the 10K foot elevation.

As I mentioned earlier, the most convenient location is Lauterbrunnen, as it's central to both sides of the valley. While Lauterbrunnen may not have the spectacular alpine views, I find that to be of limited value as I'm typically only in the hotel to eat, sleep and shower (and often when it's dark).

Sara - Hi.

Our party of four visited the Lauterbrunnen valley a couple of years ago. The views of the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau side of the valley is what made the Muerren side more interesting to us. Hiking down from Muerren gave us wonderful views of them. Having lunch at a picnic table outside in Gimmelwald with that view is certainly one of our best memories of the trip.

We stayed down in the valley and used the Stechelberg cable cars - one day to Muerren and one day all the way to the Schilthorn - they were quick and convenient.

The fact that the weather can change quickly makes the speed of ascent interesting - the day we 'cabled' up to the Schilthorn there were folks in our B&B that made the train trip up to the Jungfraujoch - but it takes a couple of hours for the trip (versus 30 minutes up to the Schilthorn) and when they arrived the weather had closed in on that side of the valley and they basically paid quite a bit of money to stare at the inside of a cloud :-)

I've been to this area more times than I can count. I've never stayed in the valley because - well, how can you pass up staying high up in an alpine car-less village??? I've stayed in Murren on all of my visits except one when we stayed in Wengen...and wished we had chosen Murren on that stay, too. 8 people - contact Denise at the Chalet Fontana in Murren. The chalet has several rooms and a couple of squeeky clean shared bathrooms. There is also an attached private apartment with a full kitchen and private bathroom. You just can't go wrong with Murren and especially the Chalet. The grocery store (Coop) is just across the street as is the ATM.

Grindelwald - tour bus central. It's a nice village with beautiful views and lots of tour buses with LOTS of tourists.

I have been three times with my kids and always stayed in Lauterbrunnen. I haved stayed at the Hotel Staubbach, the Hotel Oberland and in a private room at the hostel with bathroom on the hall. My reason for staying in Lauterbrunnen was that we had busy plans in the area on both sides. In three trips we have ridden to Stechelberg and hiked between Muerren and Gimmelwald, seen the Jungfraujoch and ridden the sommerrodelbahn near Grindelwald, and with my daughter we also did a boat ride out of Interlaken and went to the Ballenburg Open air museum. It was so easy to hop on a train in any direction from Lauterbrunnen. There is also a nice walking trail along the creek and we saw the biggest slugs I have ever seen. If you want to go up to the Jungfraujoch, earliest is best for the weather and the price, and early is VERY early. You can probably do it from Muerren too, but it would be even earlier.

Now, if I were going to be relaxing in the hotel enjoying the views, I would probably head up high to stay. You really can't go wrong if you are there in the valley or up on either side. It is a spectacularly beautiful area. Not sure how old your kids are, but mine were 11 and now that they are young adults they still all rate this as their favorite place in Europe.

Hey Sara,

I am adding my vote for Muerren. The views across the Lauterbrunnen valley are spectacular! As park5er mentioned, my hotel of choice in Muerren is the Hotel Alpina which has great balconies and a nice breakfast included. Really nice outdoor patio with a view right on the Eiger. The hotel has a couple of suites consisting of two double rooms connected by a bathroom (I think the rooms are reasonably priced; I don't know if there is a word for "cheap" in the Swiss vocabulary!). It is located near the rail station (cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp connecting to the small train to Muerren; a fairly quick trip.) The cable car station (up from Stechelberg) is located at the opposite end of town from the hotel if you wanted to go up to Schilthorn; Chalet Fontana is more centrally located in town. Check out the Alpina website for pics and more info; they respond quickly to emails if any questions (be sure to click on the small British flag to get an English translation of the site). Muerren also has a sports club with a swimming pool and a funky mini-golf course. As others have said, there is parking in Lauterbrunnen.

It sounds like you have relatively limited time so you need to use your mobility to take in more of the area. Stay in Lauterbrunnen, it has access to both Wengen, Murren and a whole lot more, and your hotel should have free parking. If you stay in Wengen or Murren you will have to park in a pay lot in either Lauterbrunnen or Stechelbeg. There is a lot to see in the area. You can do Murren as a stop on the aerial tram route to the Schilthorn. The problem with both Wengen and Murren is that while they are pretty towns in beautiful locations, once you are there, you are there and have to take a train or an aerial tram to see any place else. Think about taking a lake steamer around the BrienzerSee and fitting in the Ballenberg open air museum. Take a drive around to Lenk, one valley east of Lauterbrunnen, the scenery is just breathtaking. Take notes for your next time, you'll be back. Have fun.

The views from anywhere in the area will be spectacular, but the opportunity to stay up on the side of the mountain is one I highly recommend. I have only been once (3 nights) so I am speaking from less experience than others, but Murren was the most memorable destination I have ever been to. If you and your families enjoy hiking I can't think of a better place to be. There are many trail options going up the mountain for birds eye views or down into the valley floor from Murren. There are many great options for a place to stay. Everyone has their favorite is seems. We stayed at Hotel Alpina with a 3rd floor balcony overlooking (practically hanging over) the valley, and you could happily spend your entire trip on that balcony with the most incredible view of the big 3 mountains down to the valley floor below. The staff there was very nice and helpful with advice as well.
If you are looking for mobility to both sides of the mountain and maybe to Interlaken then Lauterbrunnen may be a good option, but for a few days Murren is my recommendation.