Day Trip from Murren to Lucerne

I stayed in Lauterbrunnen for 6 nights last August and absolutely loved it. I also visited Lucerne, Murren, Bern, and other places, using Lauterbrunnen as my base. Bern is slightly more than an hour away from Lauterbrunnen by train, including the change of trains in Interlaken (I only had a few minutes between trains but your kids are old enough to hustle). Lucerne is about 2 hours away from Lauterbrunnen. Switzerland is amazingly beautiful and I think your length of stay in Lauterbrunnen or Murren is just perfect. You'll have a great trip!

Yes, we did the same thing last summer. We based in Lauterbrunnen for 6 days and took a day trip to Luzern. Is very easy on the train, takes 2 1/2 hours from Lauterbrunnen. You take the local train from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken Ost then there is a direct train to Luzern, departs every hour. Sometimes you need to hustle to make a quick connection, but we successfully did this and I was travelling with a 5 year old and 2 year old. My advice is to let the weather plan your day for you. If you wake up and it is clear and sunny, go up. Take the trains and lifts way up to Jungfrau or Schilthorn. If it is a rainy day, go down. Take the train to Luzern or Bern for a day trip.

I agree with Mike about allowing flexibility for the weather. The first full day in Lauterbrunnen, it was showery and cloudy. I walked around Interlaken and especially enjoyed the Harder Kulm funicular which goes up the mountain right across the river from the Interlaken Ost station. This is not mentioned in Rick Steves' book. There is a restaurant near the top of the funicular with great views of both lakes and the Jungfrau. The second day, it was much better and that was when I took the Jungfraujoch train ride. I took the train up to Wengen, then the gondola up to Mannlichen, then enjoyed a 70-minute walk to Kleine Scheidegg where I caught the train to the top of the Jungfrau then rode the train all the way back to Lauterbrunnen. Also went to Trummelbach Falls which was well worth it. Third day was crystal clear skies so that was when I went on a 2 1/2 hour train ride to Zermatt and went up the gondola to Kleine Matterhorn. I also went to Bern that day for a few hours. Fourth full day had good weather so that was when I hiked from Schynige Platte to First. That 6-hour hike has to be 15 miles but worth it for me not so sure about a 10-year-old wanting to do that. Last full day in Lauterbrunnen, I slowed down. I took the funicular to Grutschalp and transferred to the train to Murren. From there, I saw that the Schilthorn was covered in clouds, so I didn't go. I took the gondolas down to Gimmelwald and then Stechelberg. I thought going down that last gondola ride was AWESOME! It leaves every 5 minutes, so if there's a lot of people getting on in front of you, let them go and wait for the next gondola so you can stand at the window in front. You won't forget it, and neither will your kids!

Thank you both so much for the response and the detailed information! I so appreciate it! We are decided on Lauterbrunnen for sure now and will plan to just guage the weather every day. Again, thank you!