Wengen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen?

I would recommend you stay in Murren. As you like alternate forms of transport, Murren can be reached either via Lauterbrunnen - cable car (used to be funicular) - Grutschalp - narrow gauge railway along the crest of the ridge - Murren; OR Lauterbrunnen - drive or bus - Stechelberg - Schilthornbahn cable car via Gimmelwald - Murren.

Some like Wengen. I've never been, but can't imagine the view being better than Murren. Murren looks east toward a sunlit Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Wengen is north of those mountains, either in the shade of them, or looking at them in silhouette.

Murren's other advantage over Wengen is it is a stop on the Schilthornbahn to the top of the Schilthorn. Wengen has a cable car to Mannlichen, but its 7,687 feet is dwarfed by Schilthorn's 9,740.

Gimmelwald barely qualifies as a village. It is a few farmhouses. No true hotels or restaurants. There used to be a popular hostel there but the owner died a few years ago; not sure if its still in business. Nice to walk through, but I wouldn't stay there.

Lauterbrunnen is, as you say, dark and gloomy, perpetually in the shadows of the behemoth mountains around it. There are really nice waterfalls. You will pass through Lauterbrunnen on your way to any of the other options, and seeing it that way is good enough for most.

Murren hits the sweet spot of ease of access, view, and tourist services like hotels and restaurants.

We did 4 nights in Murren and we loved it there. Lauterbrunnen is nice, but it's on the valley floor and any traffic in the area is right there. You traveled so far, just go a little further and you are up in an alpine village!! Murren is car free and has lovely views of snow capped mountains right outside your window. Easy access to cable car, funicular and train. Plenty of easy to moderate trails. Gimmelwald is just a quick downhill hike away. Also easy to get over to Wengen and explore that side of the valley. I can definitely recommend Murren....

We have stayed in Lauterbrunnen every year in late Sept to mid-Oct since 2015 (well, not 2020) and we stayed there once at New Years. Sure it was dark in the winter, but dark and dreary is autumn? No more so than anywhere if it is overcast and raining.

We stay there because it is so handy to both sides of the valley and the choice to go up at Wengen or to Mürren based on your whims. It is also an easy arrival from Interlaken, which is neccessary as there is only one way into the valley and that is through Lauterbrunnen.

So if you want to explore the many transportation options as well as access various easier hikes, there is no more efficient location. Gimmelwald is, by the way, super tiny with few options for lodging or eating. Pass through, walk around (there is a nice walk down from Mürren), but don’t sleep there.

Do you want to stay on the side of a mountain with no vehicular traffic or do you want to stay on the floor of the valley? Mürren is absolutely spectacular so I know that’s where I would stay.

My favorite is wengen, but you can’t go wrong with any of the ones you mentioned. They are all so close that it's super easy to get around.

Cannot go wrong with any of these places…..our preference is to always stay in Lauterbrunnen to be near the train to take us wherever we want to go…..we have been 3 times and one stay was in Wengen…..had a room with no view and paid a lot for it…..we love the convenience of Lauterbrunnen and the restaurants there……Hotel Schilthorn for a wonderful valley view and restaurant along with Oberland Restaurant….we caught the Lauterbrunnen train and spent a day at Hotel Geissbach …..a must….catch the boat in Interlaken and enjoy a lovely day seeing the falls and a pleasurable hike back to the train station to take you home

What time of year do you plan to be in Switzerland?

We are planning a trip for early June.

Lauterbrunnen is obviously the most central place to be located. While it is true both Wengen and Murren have great mountain views, there is a cost and time to commute around the Berner Oberland from each. We all have our favorites, but in the end, you won't be disappointed no matter where you stay. Visit Wengen and Murren and decide for your next trip where you would like to stay longer. I would agree with all the others, Gimmelwald isn't central to explore the BO and there is little available there. Since you only have 4 nights, I wouldn't put it on a must see list. There is so much more to see and do elsewhere in the BO.

We just spent five nights in Lauterbrunnen and thought it was the perfect location.

—One day we strolled the valley floor
—one day we did the cable car/train to Murren, then cable car back down to Stechelberg and bus to Lauterbrunnen
— One day train to Wengen and Klein Scheidegg and Grimmelwald
—one day train to Schynige Platte

So you can see there’s a variety of things to do from Lauterbrunnen. And we never felt that it was dark and dreary.

Hi Lisa, I have been to all the locales you mention- Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Gimmelwald and Murren. The views of the mountain faces of the Eiger, Munch and Jungfrau from Murren are breathtaking and that makes Murren #1 in my book. To get between Lauterbrunnen and Murren takes just 20 minutes. Other than that, and a little more transit cost— there’s no reason not to stay in Murren. If you’re concerned about costs ( and who’s not when going to Switzerland) the local Muerren tourist office posts accommodations directly rented out by the owners of cabins and apartments on its website, and there are some bargains to be had when compared to hotel rates. With a kitchen in your holiday rental and the Co-op grocery store right in Murren, you can save a lot of Swiss francs this way. The website is www.Muerren.ch Select “Essen & Ubernachten” (eating and overnighting) and then select “Ferienwohnungen.” (holiday apartments)
Have fun in Switzerland!

We have stayed in Lauterbrunnen with the RS tour, and we stayed in Wengen when we returned to the area during an independent trip. We prefer Wengen to Lauterbrunnen and had a breathtaking view from our room’s balcony - even our bed had that spectacular view!

Most of your time will be spent out on the mountains, anyway, so there’s really not a bad option.

Go to Ricks MNT travel and watch last nights Hiking in the Alps - he talks about all your questions

These numbers may be somewhat off but they are approximately what I recall from last year.

Interlaken - you pay about $100 a night, but you have to take a 20 minute train to Lauterbrunen that costs about $6 each way.

Lauterbrunene - you might pay $200 a night. From there you change to cog train to make the loop through Murren, Kleine Shindig, and Grimmelwald - which might take 90 min to an hour. It actually took me most of the day with two stops on the way. Or you take the cable car up to the other side with Wengen.

If you stay in any Murren, Kleine Sheindigg or Grindelwald, you have to wait for another train to get you to the next place. With Wengen you can take a cable car down almost instantly. I am not sure of the prices but probably $250.

I think it might be most economical to stay in Interlaken, and more generally convenient to stay in Lauterbrunen.