I have read some posts about this area, and a girlfriend of mine stayed in Lauterbrunner and loved it. Murren seems to be popular with those of you on here. Since I haven't a clue about either, I thought I would ask you/
Plus, what hotel should I stay at?
Thanks
Betsy
Lauterbrunnen is at the bottom of the valley. The train tracks from Interlaken Ost end there. It's centrally located for travel up to the alpine towns and villages on either side of the valley. You can drive into and park in Lauterbrunnen.
Murren is smaller and more scenic. For me, it's everything you would want to see in a Swiss alpine village. At 5,300', the views of the Jungfrau across the valley and the Schilthorn up behind you are stunning. No tourist cars permitted. You can only get there by gondola, gondola/cog train or by hiking.
If you like quiet, peaceful places surrounded by nature and hiking trails, then you want Murren (or Gimmelwald).
Lauterbrunnen is better situated if you plan on doing all of the touristy things like going up to the Jungfraujoch, to the top of the Schilthorn, etc.
I am in Lauterbrunnen right now. it is a base area for the berner oberland area. the views are beautiful and there is alot to do. stay at Valley hostel for low cost s. very clean and central, private rooms avail Hotel Staubbach is also nice but costs more. murren is higher up, quaint and more folksy. either location you cannot go wrong.
We just got back from Europe :(
and loved this area. We choose Lauterbrunnen because we had a car, and you cannot take a car to Murren. We loved the Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen, we also liked the Oberland Hotel for dinner, both had great service.
Happy Planning!
If you choose Muerren here are some possible places to stay:
Chalet Fontana www.chaletfontana.ch
Hotel Blumental
Hotel Alpenruh
Just look on Tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g188084-Murren_Jungfrau_Region_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps-Hotels.html
We loved Murren and the Chalet Fontana in Murren. We were looking for an authentic Swiss Village experience, and I feel like we got it. Tons of hiking options, and amazing scenery. I can't imagine that people staying on the valley floor don't look up the mountains and wish they were staying in one of the little villages higher up.
Jodi, you are exactly correct. But think about those people who stay in Interlaken because they "thought" Interlaken was in the Alps???
Betsy, Steven parenthetically mentioned Gimmelwald. While Murren is more quaint that Lauterbrunnen, it is still a Swiss village oriented toward tourism. Gimmelwald, on the other hand, is an agricultural village. The lodging options are Walter's Mittaghorn Hotel, the Mountain Hostel, and Esther's B&B. This is in contrast to Murren which has a number of hotels. If you want a truly authentic Swiss village, Gimmelwald comes closer than any other. There's a reason why Rick Steves regards it so highly. If you want to do hiking, there are trails immediately accessible from either Gimmelwald or Murren. On the other hand, you'd have to take a public conveyance to get to hiking trails from Lauterbrunnen. On the other hand, Lauterbrunnen is more centrally located with easy access to Murren, Wengen, and elsewhere via bus, cog train, and cable car. My personal preference would be for Gimmelwald or Murren over Lauterbrunnen.
Thank you to all of you who answered my post. You have all been VERY helpful. I can't wait to go.
