Questions regarding Lauterbrunnen in July

1) Take the train. Trains run direct from Zürich airport. Lauterbrunnen is the end of the road. If you go anywhere else (Mürren and Schilthorn on one side of the valley, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg and Jungfrau on the other) it is trains or cable cars only. A car would sit in a (paid) car park most of the time.

2) For hotels (and other info) check on this website: https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/summer/

3) Depends where your hotel is. Most are near public transport, because that is how people travel; and Wengen and Mürren can only be reached by train.

4) Yes, transport everywhere. See this map of the area: http://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/assets/karte-und-partner/Regionalpass-Panoramakarte-2017.pdf
Red is railways, black cable cars and yellow bus routes.
Expensive, yes. Consider getting a Berner Oberland Pass to ease the pain. Details here: https://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en

Paul and Mary, great recommendations from Chris. We always get the regional pass to ease the pain of the cost of lifts / trains. I would also highly recommend you get the Rick Steves Switzerland book. He gives very detailed instructions on transportation and hikes in the area. The 9th edition will be out next week. I would also suggest you book your lodging as quickly as possible. We are staying at the Staubbach hotel in mid July. It was booked up several months ago for our dates in July.

There is a small CoOp grocery in Lauterbrunnen (and in most of the smaller towns).

YES, take a train! I stayed at a lovely Airbnb in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The bus(free) stop was right across the street. Since we had cooking facilities we saved some money by making most of our own meals. The AirBnB was nicer and cheaper than anything else I saw for lodging. Like the others suggested, look into the Berner Oberland Pass or the Swiss Travel Pass or the half price card. The bus which covers the valley floor would take you to the gondola to go to Gimmelwald, Murren and Schilthorn. The train station (the bus also stops right across the street) would take you to Wengen and other places. I know that people hike down to the valley from Murren. You also can use the gondola to go back down for an easy way to catch the awesome views. That whole area is absolutely stunning!

I agree with the others. I would stay up on the mountain in Wengen is my pick over Murren or Gimmelwald instead of Lauterbrunnen. Amazing views of the other side of the valley.
1. Use a train. It is convenient beyond belief.

2. We stayed at a single Air BNB in Wengen that was spacious, had a stove, oven and microwave. We would come home and walk outside every night and enjoy a glass of wine.

3. The hikes were easy enough for my 9 year old. My wife and I are two fan Americans who completed these hikes. We used hiking poles to help keep balance on the more difficult trails. For us a $10 pair worked as good as a $70 pair from REI. Mannlichen to Kleinne Sheidegg using a Gondola from Wengen and the North Face Trail from Allmendhuble (a funicular above Murren down to Murren. Easy paved path most of the way with stunning views. Lauterbrunnen if very flat with frequent busses
4. The lifts and cog railroad trains may be expensive but worth it!

5. Lauterbrunnen has a Coop grocery store beside the gondola and across the street from the train station. Murren has a smaller Coop, Wengen has a Coop and another store a few hundred feet away. We self catered most meals to save money. For lunch, most people stop at the grocery store on the way out of town on hikes and eat when they get hungry, .

We have been twice for 10 days total. If they have brought the cows up from the valley recently, then the Northface trail will be near impossible to hike. Knee deep mix of mud an cow poop. We had to turn around once we found it.

Enjoy, we are envious of your trip!

Wade

I know some of this will duplicate what others say, but that's ok, as it will just reinforce those viewpoints.
1. Take the train. It is simpler, less stressful, and you can't use the car around Lauterbrunnen anyway. Also, from Zurich, ask to be routed thru Lucerne. It is a more scenic route, and you might just want to get out at Lucerne (have to change trains anyway) and look around. (Lockers available if you want to wander the city.)

2.& 5. Look for an apartment with kitchen and save money that way. Try airbnb.com or vrbo.com or similar. It's getting late to get the best values, so book soon.

4 & 3. I've sent you a link to our dozen favorite hikes in the area, with pics and maps, and close to step by step instructions. After you've signed in to this forum, click on your name in the upper right of this page to read your forum mail. Others who want the same, just send me a private mail by clicking on my name.

How much time do you have? With a week, you might like to devote two nights to a stay at one of the mountain inns reached by hiking 1 - 2.5 hours up the valley beyond Stechelberg. They are listed here:

http://www.stechelberg.ch/en/accomodation-dining/mountain-hotels.html

Rick mentions one, Hotel Obersteinberg, but itis the farthest and the most simple ( no electricity, no hot water). Tschingelhorn generates their own electricity and Trachsellaunen, which is only an hour's walk from Stechelberg, must have regular electric connection. All three inns offer double rooms, with shared bathrooms in the hall.

You would want to store your luggage in the Lauterbrunnen train station and walk in with just a daypack with necessities.

There are also two mountain inns above Mürren, reached by walking uphill about 1.2 kilometers from town. Names are Pension Suppenalp and Berghaus Sonnenberg.

http://www.suppenalp.ch/pension_e.html

https://www.berghaus-sonnenberg.ch