Lauterbrunnen to Schilthorn

Your description is correct. And, it's not complicated at all. It just seems so. You don't even need to take the short train to Muerren. It's a nice 15-minute walk. Walk to the far end of Muerren to the cable station and up you go. For a second way, you can take the post bus from the same location in Lauterbrunnen to the cable station in Stechelberg. Up you go to Gimmelwald. Walk a few feet in the cable station and off you go to Muerren. Walk a few feet in the cable station and up you go to the Schilthorn. You'll enjoy the whole thing.

Thanks, Larry.
We don't like complicated! You cleared up a lot of questions.

Great. For a bit of fun, here's a link to a picture of the main street in Muerren. http://gyazo.com/16dfecdae90e3d6565e2989f363546a6

The Shilthorn cable car runs from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald to Murren to Berg to the Schilthorn and it is just a couple steps at each change or you can stop and take another tram as you wish. It is easy to take the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. Actually we have done both ways and it is a tough call. The cable car to Grutschalp and the train to Murren are timed to each other and the train ride is great if you sit on the valley side of the train. After you walk through Murren, the Schilthorn cable car runs frequently enough that there is no problem there. Besides there is nothing wrong about spending some time in Murren. That being said, when you pull out of the Stechelberg base station and watch the whole Lauterbrunnen valley fall away from you it is just awesome. The first time we went from Srtechelberg we had to wait fot the next trip and had look at the cable we would be hanging from. Five seconds out of the base station I forgot about hanging from a cable and just stared out the window. One solution would be to go up via Stechelberg and down via Grutschalp. Everything in the Lauterbrunnen valley is geared towards tourism and they do things well with typical Swiss precision. Any connection you miss will not cost you more than a half hour and you can spend it just looking around at the fantastic scenery. Lunch at the revolving restaurant on top of the Schilthorn takes about an hour and gives time for one full revolution. The price is a bit higher than down in the valley but the setting is worth it and you have to eat somewhere. Don't forget to take a jacket, even in July it is in the 40s at the Schilthorn. I would also recommend taking the trip during the week, not on the week end when there are a lot more people people. You are going to my favorite place in the world, have a good time.

Gary, I agree with Irv in the previous reply. It would be a nice contrast to travel to the Schilthorn via Stechelberg, and then return via Grütschalp. The trip to the Schilthorn is a bit expensive, however as I recall the first trip in the morning is discounted. Some Passes will also provide a discount. Happy travels!

I like to recommend the reverse loop: up to Grutschalp via cable car from Lauterbrunnen, then short train ride to Mürren, walk thru town to the Schilthorn cable car, and go up. Coming down, stay on past Mürren to Gimmelwald. The ride down from Gimmelwald is very dramatic when you swing out over several thousand feet of air below you, and descend alongside the cliff. At Stechelberg you just walk from the cable car to the bus to return to Lauterbrunnen. Or walk; it is a pleasant walk mostly along the river.

Chris, Thanks for the picture and there will be some neck ache. The highest point in my state is 100 meters!

Gary, "I would like to come back with some questions on rail passes." I'll also be spending about 5 days in Lauterbrunnen later this year, and also looking at the question of Railpasses. It's NOT easy to determine which of them are most cost effective! I've formatted an Excel spreadsheet and trying to analyze the costs, but it's somewhat complicated. I tend to work on it for awhile until I get frustrated (and cross-eyed), and then "shelve it" for a few days. Which other places in that area are you planning to visit? That will have a bearing on which Passes (if any) to use. Cheers!

Thanks for all the replies. We are not leaving for a while so this gives a lot to digest before we depart. We spent a lot of time yesterday on this topic and are convinced we are doing it...and it is on the expensive side. As we get more definite plans for our 5 days in Lauterbrunnen, I would like to come back with some questions on rail passes.
Thanks again!

Nice responses to the question, I just want to clarify one point and that is the walk from Grutshalp to Murren is longer then 15 minutes, its actually a little more then an hour or so. Just wanted to throw that in there. Otherwise I think the loop is a good idea, go up one way and down another. Also, the walk from Murren down to Gimmelwald is a nice half hour walk and then you could stop at the Mountain Hostel for a beer or Pizza! Happy travels!

Does anyone know an approximate cost of this outing- coming back to Gimmenwald/Stechelberg and bus back to Lauterbrunnen?

Gary, You can get information on the Cable Car trips on this website: www.schilthorn.ch/en/timetable-tariffs/

Thanks, Ken, This is how I read this :
If my wife and I get on in Murren, our cost would be 74.00 CHF per person round trip. Am I close?