I have been recommended to stay in Lauterbrunnen over Interlaken but are nervouse about the season. We will be in the area mid November but have read several hotels, restaurants and shops are closed during that time in Lauterbrunnen. We will be staying two nights and planning on going to the top of the alps. Where do you recommend staying, Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen?
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
No question in my mind, Lauterbrunnen. Try Hotel Staubbach, it is 4 blocks from rail station. I was in berner oberland in July 2009 and I think it is the best place to stay to enjoy the beauty of the alps.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Gimmelwald, Murren, Grindelwald, etc, will all be ghost-towns at that time of year, but Lauterbrunnen should be OK. Some of the restaurants and hotels might be closed, but Lauterbrunnen doesn't go into complete hibernation in the shoulder seasons, like the mountain towns.
Posted by
York, PA
300 posts
If you're going up the Jungfraujoch, Wengen would be a better choice than Murren, and certainly better than Interlaken. Not sure about what's open in Wengen that time of year but it's on the train line up to Kleine Scheidegg so you could sleep in 15 more minutes or something.
Posted by
grand blanc
119 posts
you will be unhappy staying in Interlaken- period. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen this summer- it was ok but if we go again would definitely stay in either murren or Grindelwald . My main complaint abt Lauterbrunnen was the late night road noise.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9100 posts
Off season Interlaken is the way to go. A lot more dining choices in the evening, hotel prices will much cheaper as well. There will still be some hotels open in Lauterbrunnen, but about half of them will be closed until the ski season starts up
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen is open year round. We stayed there for six nights in late May and loved it. Our balconey had a perfect view of the Jungfrau. In November they will most likely have log fires going. Noise would definitely not be an issue at this hotel--you might hear sheep from a nearby little pasture.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Give me a ghost town Muerren or Wengen or Lauterbrunnen ANY DAY over Interlaken :-)
If I really want to visit Interlaken then I'll just jump on the train for the 20 minute ride into Interlaken Ost.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16338 posts
What no one has mentioned yet is that Lauterbrunnen is at the base of a 3000 foot wall of rock, and can be heavily shaded (cold and dark) in the winter. It is a lovely place in summer, but I know a lot of experienced travelers to this region who recommend against it in the winter.
Grindelwald is in a much sunnier location, and while I don't recommend it in the summer due to traffic and tour buses, that shouldn't be a problem in winter. Most hotels in the town offer lovely views of the Eiger or Wetterhorn or other mountains above the valley.