Where to stay in Berner Oberland

Cross Interlaken off the list. Not in the mountains, just close to them. Gimmelwald is just a tiny village outside of Muerren that Rick seems to like. That leaves Muerren. Wengen would be an alternative on the other side of the valley.

I agree - don't stay in interlaken! Murren and Wengen will both give you the experience of staying in a car free high mountain village. Gimmlewald is VERY small, but again gives you a different sort of experience. You could also consider staying in Lauterbrunnen right in the valley floor with easy access to both sides of the valley.

You can see some fares on our map and coverage notes at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes. These are sourced from www.sbb.ch, which requires two steps to actually view each price (because the first rate you see is normally the price with a Half-Fare Card). Rick's guidebook also includes many prices, for instance on p. 129 and in other text.

Are you considering a Eurail Select pass for all three countries? If so, then it covers trains to Interlaken and gives you a 25% discount on local transport up the valley and mountains from there. I wouldn't buy an additional, overlapping pass for Switzerland.

Without another pass, I'm a fan of the 4-day consecutive Swiss Travel Pass, for a lot of pre-paid convenience. But you'll be traveling over a window of 6 days. In that case, a one-month Half-Fare Card is a good value, smaller investment, allowing you half off all transport tickets that you buy.

Interlaken is NOT in the alps. Interlaken is NOTHING like Wengen or Murren or Gimmelwald all of which ARE in the alps. For some strange reason some people stay in Interlaken and do little trips up into the alpine villages - which I cannot fathom. Please STAY in those beautiful villages when you visit the area because there's no place like the alpine villages. Don't know why people would just visit the idyllic paradises for only a few hours and then trek back down into the souvenir shops and McDonalds of Interlaken.

I agree with the others to forget Interlaken and stay somewhere in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Mürren is a big favourite of many, however I prefer to stay in Lauterbrunnen as it's the transportation hub for the valley so easy access to both sides. If you don't mind a "quieter" setting then Gimmelwald is certainly an option.

I'm not sure what the weather will be like in May, but that's a concern regardless of where you stay. Hopefully the farmers have finished spreading their "aromatic" fertilizer by then.

We stayed in Lauterbrunnen last September and enjoyed the options it provided. Murren (which we walked through) also looked like a good base; I would not stay in Gimmelwald -- way too small for my taste. It's easy to walk through if you want to "experience" it.

We leave in the morning after a five night stay in Wengen. First time in Switzerland and we thoroughly enjoyed Wengen. Great hiking trails, and you are surrounded by mountains. One day we hiked from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, and then took the gondola up to Murren. We all agreed we liked Wengen better than the others. We also took the train to Interlaken and didn't much care for that. Got great use out of the half fare card.

We've stayed in Murren twice and absolutely love it. Our favorite of them all. We like being up, in the Alps... not on the valley floor in Lauterbrunnen.

Wengen and Murren are both great options. I prefer Murren because there are fewer tourists and I love hiking up toward the Shilthorn, but Wengen has more shops and food options and is equally beautiful. I would also recommend visiting the town of Thun which is across the lake from Interlaken. Interlaken is way too touristy, but Thun has a beautiful old city feel and castle. We usually stay in Thun and then do day trips to Murren, Kleine Schiedegg (just up from Wengen) and even the Niederhorn which is quite interesting because it gives you a panoramic view of the mountains from across the Lake of Thun. Hang gliders often take off from the Niederhorn which is always fun to watch. On your way down, you can rent scooters at the half-way station and scoot the rest of the way down the Niederhorn - great fun for all ages! Enjoy!

OK, so good ideas above, Having stayed in Gimmelwald twice and thoroughly enjoyed it, if a tiny village as to people, and services, doesn't dissuade you, it's another (super) option.

If possible I'd like to add on to this question. We will be traveling here in late September 2017, I have been looking for accommodations and haven't had much luck finding a place that is below 200-250/night for the 2 of us. Usually I like to stay in a rental apartment, bed and breakfast (husband wants a bathroom in the room though), or other less touristy option. We are leaning toward the Lauterbrunnen Village so we can explore both sides of the valley easily and would like a little more 'going on'. Does anyone have specific locations they can recommend? At this point I'm open to anything, other towns in the area and regular hotels etc. Charm, restaurant (or prepared meals included), and views get points but with our budget I will settle for charm.

I've checked a lot of American and some Swiss rental websites that come up on Google...
Thanks!

Katharine,

I can't think of ANY "big" hotels in Lauterbrunnen. We've stayed at the Staubbach Hotel twice times and really enjoyed it each time! It's probably one of the largest hotels in Lauterbrunnen, but is family run, has character and a small hotel feel. They also serve a wonderful breakfast! I think their most expensive rooms are 180 SF / night.

Katharine, Have you checked RS guidebook? He has many good recs for Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen...

We have stayed in this apartment https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1207898#photos twice. Wonderful location.

Hi! We're about to head to Murren for 5 nights in July, and lots of people on this site recommended Chalet Fontana. We have rented the apartment, as we are a family of 4, but I think the owner has doubles. Deb (I'm pretty sure that's her name!) has been very helpful so far. I'll be able to comment more after our trip but from the photos, it looks beautiful! Good luck deciding!

Hello,
Why not go to the Hotel Rosenlaui ? It is hidden away, surrounded by mountains and rushing water, and a great place for hikes out and up if you wish. You access it from Meiringen or from Grindelwald by Post Auto (post bus). It is a hotel in the middle of just mountains. You eat there, meals (brkfst and dinner) included, as there is nothing else around. Check it out, a great place to kick back.

We've stayed in Gimmelwald twice for several days. It just depends what you are looking for. Murren is very small, quaint, many lodging opportunities, restaurants, etc. A beautiful place that is still small, but lots of amenities.

Gimmelwald is about two streets long, not many places to stay, one restaurant, and one hostel were you can eat, at least the last time we were there. But, we also buy eggs, cheese, milk, sausage etc. from the neighbors. Even got warm milk just after milking! There is no store. So, that gives you an idea of the differences. Murren is a short hike or gondola ride away. We love Gimmelwald because it is so small and quiet.

Just views everywhere no matter where you stay...except for Interlaken, if you enjoy a view of a lake but not alps! Don't do that!!