Hotel Stay in Murren, Switzerland

The number 1 rated place to stay according to www.tripadvisor.com as well as my family - is the Chalet Fontana. It's a wonderfully simple, clean, friendly place to stay. Denise Fussell is the owner and she can be reached at chaletfontana@muerren.ch as there is no website.

There are plenty of pictures and high recommendations on tripadvisor. It's also very cheap and includes breakfast.

I can't remember the name of the one Rick's book rec there but it was great. We had a balcony looking right into the Jungfrau and the breakfasts were supberb.

You'll love Murren!

We loved Hotel Eiger, which is in RS guide. Our room had a balcony which was wonderful, and the room itself was the nicest we've ever stayed in. Spotlessly clean, down comforters, great beds, great bathroom, and a really good restaurant w/a great breakfast buffet. Suzanne at reception was incredibly nice and helpful. We loved this hotel!!

Hello Tim, Don and Susan!
Sincere thanks for the input on hotels!
Looks like one could spend a week easily in Murren BUT do you think two nights stay will be enough to hit the highlights? Once again thanks! Ed Yager

Really, when you think about it, 2 nights = 1 full free day to sightsee. If you plan to do the Jungfrau trip then that alone will easily encompass 1/2 or 3/4 of your sightseeing day. At the minimum I would allow for 3 nights. There's just so much eye-popping scenery like you've never ever seen anywhere else.

Just one note- when are you going? Avoid the shoulder seasons in Murren because almost no businesses remain open, hotels and restaurants included. Other than that, have a great time.

Murren is an absolutely beautiful place to stay. However, unless you plan to vegitate, 2 nights is not enough in my opinion. The Berner Oberland is all about going up the sides of the valleys, visiting the Jungfrau and/or Shilthorn and hiking. The views and vistas are spectacular everywhere. Going to the Jungfrau will take most of one day. 2 hrs up and 2 hrs back plus about 2-3 hours on top. Hikes are 45 minutes to several hours. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen for 3 nights and should have spent another 1-2.

Hotel Jungfrau is fantastic --- wonderful views, rooms, and food. As mentioned by someone else, many places are closed during the shoulder seasons.

Thanks Tom and Audrey! By the way what is shoulder season? Ed

The fall shoulder season begins Oct 1. and lasts until the ski season starts up around the middle of December. Spring shoulder lasts from March until June. Shoulder season is the time period when high-season ends(summer) and the low-season begins(winter).

Hi Ed, This is Susan from the previous post...I agree w/others, 2 nights is not enough time at all. I would say 4 nights is minimum. There is so much there, hiking/walking was amazing! I think back to our hike there almost everyday, it was magical. We spent a day just walking all over. We also spent a day going to the Jungfraujoch and hated it, absolutely hated it. Plus it cost about $300 for the 2 of us. The Schilthorn was more enjoyable. We also rented bikes in Murren and rode down to Lauterbrunnen. Also, my son did hang gliding with a guide and it was GREAT, an experience of a lifetime. Not scary at all, and very safe (relatively speaking). So I would say 4 nights is optimum, but not less than 3 for sure. Enjoy!

Susan,
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
Especially about the Jungfru, I have read where it takes awhile to get there but I didn't realize the cost per person. I will plan on the Shilthorn. Once again thanks for your kindness! Ed Yager

Ed, did you mention if you will have a Swiss Pass? With the SP a rountrip ticket from Wengen to Jungfrau in 2nd class is about 60 USD because the SP gets you all the way to Wengen for free then 1/2 price for the continuing journey onto the Jungfrau. Also if you have a SP and any kids < 16 years old traveling with you they will be 100% free all way to the Jungfrau and back.

Lastly, Every person has different opinions which is entirely OK. But don't let the negative comments of 1 person discourage you from the trip to the Jungfrau. The Schilthorn is nice and scenic and it is also 1/2 price with a SP. But there is a substantial difference between the 2 places with the Jungfrau being absolutely amazing.

Ed, I just reconciled our bank statements from our trip. The retail cost of a trip to the top of the Jungfraujoch was $134 each. We have 30-day 1/2 price tickets (99 CSF each) so they were 1/2 price. It does take 2 hours to get up and 2 hours to get down. BIG NOTE: you change trains 1/2 way up in Kleine Sheidegg, a beautiful station. Not beautiful are "RESERVED" signs on multiple trains on this second leg for tour groups. Limited space for others. We barely squeezed on. Others were left waiting for the next train which also had reserved signs on it. We ran into this. They don't tell you this at the bottom. We did enjoy the Jungfraujoch much better than the Shilthorn. But, it's only opinion.

Tim and Larry,
Thanks for the detail information on cost, time and protocol of queuing for the ride down! I always have the luck of being in the line that does not move, i.e. the grocery store or the interstate toll gate! I would be the guy left at the top hahaha! This Travelers' helpline has a lot of kind people taking their time to advise others is great! Thanks again Ed Yager