Staying in Murren

Oh my, no idea where you got those numbers. It’s around $24 roundtrip to get from Mürren to Lauterbrunnen full fare, but if you’re going to be in Switzerland for atleast 6 days you should be getting the half fare card and/or a regional pass. If you get the HFC, it will make it around $12 roundtrip. If you get a pass, it will be “free”.

To advise on passes, we’d need to know your full itinerary from when you enter Switzerland to when you leave (bases & nights in each and where you’re entering/exiting).

And for future reference, use SBB.ch/en for info on transportation. Pricing defaults to half fare card pricing so you have to double those numbers to get full fare.

I suppose it depends what your travel goals are. For us, the purpose of going to Murren is to STAY up in the hills. Yes, if what you need is a base to see both the Murren and Wengen sides of the valley, you might be better off staying in Lauterbrunnen, though I personally find it dreary to be at the base, in the nearly constant shadows of the mountains of both sides.

If you do stay in Murren and go down to the valley often, two options to reduce your costs are (a) the Swiss Half Fare Card (which might or might not pay off, depending on how much you plan to use it); and (b) at least once, just WALK down to Stechelberg. Takes about two hours but its a reasonable grade and an enjoyable experience.

Thank you so much for the reply and what a relief!
Our (very light and open to suggestions for fun things to explore) itinerary is:

9/18 train Stuttgart to Lucerne

9/18-9/21 Explore Lucerne

9/21-9/24 Stay in Murren at the Hotel Eiger (we want to explore and do some moderate hiking)

9/24 Train to Munich

Luzern is SO SPECIAL……you will love that city….go online and watch the videos posted on YOU TUBE by the ALPINS IN THE ALPS……they have great suggestions for things to do in Luzern…..Pilatus, the breakfast place where you can sit in swings at your table and the DELICIOUS cheese pies!

Don't know how you define a "moderate" hike, but I am a reasonably fit 60 year old and one of the thrills of my travels was hiking down from Birg to Murren. First take the Schilthornbahn to the top for the view and breakfast. Take the Schilthornbahn down one stop to Birg. Get out and hike down from there. Route:

• Birg station
• Grauseeli (alpine lake)
• Wasenegg (along the spine of a ridge, with views to both sides)
• Bryndli (walk to top of spire with 360 views; sign the guestbook to prove you were there)
• Spielbodenalp (refreshment hut, for lunch)
• Sprutz waterfall (you can actually walk BEHIND the waterfall)
• Murren

Get a good trail map once in the region. For now, here is a summary: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/switzerland/bern/birg-bryndli-murren

Thank you all for your comments! I would also like to eat cheese fondue in either Luzern or Murren somewhere. Can anyone tell me if that is a reasonable request and if you have recommendations?

The hike from Birg to Murren that darrenblois suggested is amazing, but I wouldn't categorize it as moderate by typical standards, as it's a lot of downhill and as of 2024 a lot of the scree between Grauseeli and Wasenegg Ridge has continued to degrade, so you have to do some climbing to make it across. I wouldn't do it without hiking poles, good shoes, very good stability, good knees and a partner. My husband & I do it atleast a couple times a year living in Murren and it's a favorite, but not one I recommend to tourists unless they are experienced hikers. We had to help some day trippers back up to Birg who showed up for the hike with sandals, sundresses, a purse, a dog & no hiking poles.

You should get the Half Fare Card (120 chf) to get 50% off everything you do in Switzerland, including once you're over the border on the way from Stuttgart and until you hit the border on the way to Munich.

I wouldn't do it without hiking poles, good shoes, very good stability, good knees and a partner.

We didn't have poles; I find them a nuisance, but some like them and they couldn't hurt. The rest of the recommendations are correct, particularly good hiking boots. Although I found the "downhill / hard on the knees" worse on the easy trail from Gimmelwald down to Stechelberg than I did on the Birg down the Murren hike.

I would also like to eat cheese fondue in either Luzern or Murren

There is fondue in Murren, we had it; I just can't remember where. I personally find cheese fondue too heavy, and frankly, kind of boring (just cheese and bread?). As an option, give raclette a try - meat (I chose rabbit), potatoes and veggies under shredded cheese, then stuck in a table top oven to cook at your table. A fantastic treat.

darrenblois -- Did you do this hike in the last year? We do it every year multiple times and this last summer there were multiple rock slides that made it worse than in years past. Hiking poles are certainly a personal preference, but I wouldn't send someone out on that particular trail without poles unless they had done a significant amount of mountain hiking. My poles saved me from multiple pretty big slides last summer on the hike from Birg to Murren.

Enjoy a delicious cheese pie at CHAS BARMETTLER……you buy them right off the machine that bakes them….very inexpensive and so delicious and warm……downtown Luzern….also the breakfast you cannot miss in Luzern is at TWO HANDS RESTAURANT…….food is so good and if you are lucky you might be able to get a window table with the swings to enjoy as your seat…….we LOVE Luzern…..we stayed at HOTEL DES ALPES, right on the river with a balcony and it was delightful to people watch looking out over the Chapel Bridge every day…….we tried fondue and felt it was very pricey and overrated…..the cheese pies are so much better….have a dinner meal at HOTEL BALANCES, overlooking the river on a balcony in their dining room…..so so special. There is a very special chocolate shop where all of the chocolate is made by the owner who greets you and sells it to you….au Cachet……wonderful! Take a boat ride one day just to see Luzern from the water….such a great city. We were there last September and it was SO CROWDED at First and Grindelwald on the weekend……we stayed in Wengen at Hotel Falken but would not again because it desperately needs an update though our location to see the alps every morning from our window was terrific.