Berner Oberland -- Mürren in November, is it worth it?

Adam, you are correct that the photos of Muerren look beautiful. Muerren is everything that you would want to see in an authentic Swiss village. It's located at 5,200' and is really quite small. No tourist cars permitted. What you are experiencing in October is "shoulder season". This is the period of time that many places close down to transition between the seasons. For October, they are transitioning from summer to winter skiing. In April, its the reverse. In October, you could expect early snow. If all of that doesn't scare you off, you should book the opportunity. Yes, it will be quiet but you can head off to other areas during the day. Just dress appropriately. If you want to stay at a lower altitude, check out Lauterbrunnen below. It's in the valley. I suggest the Hotel Silberhorn. They close briefly for shoulder season but it's about 400' from the train station. Check out their schedules online. www.silberhorn.com Really comfortable. We've stayed there and really enjoyed our stay and the very nice restaurant.

I would stay elsewhere in November. By that time, the snow pack should have started to accumulate, but the mountain won't be ready for the winter sports season. And November is usually a pretty overcast month. More often that not, you won't even be able to see the mountain scenery. You really won't be able to do anything except walk around a mostly deserted town. The selection of restaurants will also be quite limited, if any even remain open. I know many of the posters here recoil at the thought of staying in Interlaken, but if you must stay in the Berner Oberland region in November, this is probably your best option.

November may be fine, but may not also. I would recommend staying in Stechelberg - on the valley floor - and bus transportation is very easy there or going up to either Muerren side of the valley or Wengen on the opposite side. A fantastic apartment to stay would be one owned by Nelly Beer-von Allmen in Stechelberg. The apartment has all the necessities - kitchen, living/dining room, bedroom and toilet with shower. It is off the main road so very quiet as it is along a rushing river. Nelly's phone number is +41 033/855 3930. Her rates are probably the lowest in the Lauterbrunne Valley at about 65CHF per night. Rick at one time recommended Nelly's, but because she only has two apartments it probably became almost impossible to stay there. We have stayed there almost every summer for the past 20 plus years. We will be there soon for two weeks - can't wait.

I agree with the three previous answers. We were there for five days last week, experiencing everything from glorious summer days to total fog where you wouldn't know you were facing mountains. On Friday the hotel turned on the heat. Furthermore, in non-winter sports season, this is hiking country up on the mountain requiring your best REI. If you go, you should have your high tops and poles along with waterproof jackets. With a few excetions, most of the Americans who were not prepared for hiking were limited to the village or taking the lifts to the tops of the Schilthorn or Jungfrau, which is okay for a day or two but not much more even in good summer weather. If you are in the valley you can catch trains and lifts up if you have a clear day. You can also do the hikes to the falls if you are in the valley.