One day to see Murren and other area Swiss towns or to go to Jungfraujoch.

Skip the J. You'll spend 3 hours on a train to get to/from it when you could be on a hiking trail enjoying great views.

Hi Susan,

We stayed in Wengen. With one day, I'd say take the Mannlichen (sp?) cable car from Wengen and walk the path all the way to Kleine Scheidegg, where you'll stand facing the Eiger, Monch and Jungfraujoch peaks. Stunning.

Paul

Paul gives great advice.

we stayed in lauterbrunnen last week for 4 nights. which we really enjoyed. while we did not go to the jungfrajoch, for just about the whole time it was surrounded by some cloud, so its 'pot luck' , if you want to visit and be able to see much. the day we left the whole valley was closed in.
we walked around and through Murren ( great walks to do) and drove to Grindelwald. To be honest, both towns ( while having spectacular views and in a great location) are a means to an end. nothing special at all, unless you like looking at the usual range of tourist shops.( compared to other alpine towns in other areas). as a nice town to visit, we liked brienz ( by the lake)
hope this helps.

What towns do you recommend that are a must to see when in the area from Lucerne to Interlaken?

we drove that route the 'other' day and the main road consists of plenty of long tunnels at predominantly 80km speed limit. when you aren't in a tunnel the views of the lakes are very good, but you need time to really turn off the main road and drive into them, ( then find a parking space) as there are virtually no spots to pull over to take in the view.( we found that common in switzerland) suggest you look at google maps
the roads around lucerne consist of very long tunnels, (that skirt the town), a GPS is very handy.
lauterbrunnen ( although full of tourists) is a very nice town that seems to have resisted being 'built up' into tourist Disneyland.
hope this helps

Just an FYI, as a very broad generalization, the weather tends to be clearer in the mornings with clouds building in the afternoon to evening. If you are thinking of taking one of the lifts up (Schilthorn) check the webcams to see what it's like up top.

Susan,

Could you clarify - do you have only two days to see both Lucerne and the Lauterbrunnen Valley?

With such a very limited time, I'd suggest skipping the Jungfraujoch this time. That one sight would use the better part of a day, and it's a very expensive trip.

For the best "bang for the buck" in one day, you could travel to Lauterbrunnen and then have a look at Mürren and perhaps Gimmelwald (which has been featured in Rick's Switzerland shows). If you want a mountain excursion, take a trip from Mürren to the revolving restaurant on the Schilthorn and have a fine hot meal while watching the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau glide past the windows. It's somewhat of a famous location as the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed there a number of years ago. I believe the bar there still serves a "Martini shaken not stirred". The cable car trip to the Schilthorn is spectacular!

FYI, the trip to the Schilthorn is also a bit pricey, but not as bad as the Jungfraujoch.

The towns are not the reason to visit. They're places to base yourself while you explore the Alps.

Only budgeting one day is risky. You can easily lose an entire day to bad weather in the mountains.