Stay in Wengen or Interlaken or...?

Wengen, not Interlaken. Are you speaking of skydiving (from an airplane) or paragliding (from a cliff)? If paragliding, the company that does that is in Grindelwald: http://www.paragliding-jungfrau.ch/ They have tandem jumps from sevaral spots around Grindelwald, and also from Mürren, above Lauterbrunnen. No need to stay in Interlaken to do this activity. Interlaken is an old resort town on the lakes; lots of big fancy hotels and yes, more choice of pubs and restaurants, but Wengen has enough to keep you busy for 2 or 3 nights. Or try Grindelwald, which has a bit of traffic but is in a very scenic valley surrounded by towering peaks. It might be a good compromise as it is very lively and has some interesting restaurants. But it can be full of tour buses. Great hiking from either Wengen or Grindelwald. They are on either side of the divide (Kleine Scheidegg) on the way to the Jungfraujoch, so access is easy from either one. You can hike up as far as KS, and perhaps beyond that to a place called Eiger gletscher, but beyone that there is no trail or way to hike. the train actually tunnels through the Eiger for the last 40 minutes of the journey. Other things to do at Grindelwad: rent Trottibikes for a downhill run on trails. try the first Flyer (zipline). Over by Mürren there is a Klettersteig (via ferrata) secured climbing path that might be fun In the "unique experience" category, I would put hiking up to a rustic mountain inn to spend the night. something like this one, perched on the top of a peak: http://www.berghotel-faulhorn.ch/

Hi Kristen, I'd say Wengen, no contest. If I had to choose just one place to stay in all of Switzerland, it would be Wengen. First, it's IN the Alps. Second, it's right on the train line to the Jungfraujoch. Lastly, the scenery is maginificent. We stayed 4 nights and never wanted to leave. It's all that and more. Paul

We like staying in Murren, which also has great hiking. But of the two you mention, I'd pick Wengen. My son did paragliding from Murren and loved it.

Wengen betw your choices.& closer to Jungfrau (only if day is clear) For Me I prefer Murren.

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the insight I think you've sold us on Wengen! Quick question though, everyone keeps mentioning doing Jungfrau ONLY if it is a clear day... since we're only there for a few days is it not worth it at all to go up if it is cloudy/rainy even just a bit? Understand the views will be spectacular on a clear day but are they completely lost if cloudy at all/not worth it unless you can see perfectly? Again thank you!

Getting to the top of Jungfrau, and a lesser extent Schiltorn , is time consuming and expensive. So for most people to justify the time and money the weather should be perfect. On a clear day both peaks are world-class attractions, on a cloudy day....mostly pointless:) Having said that in addition to the observation deck at the peak, the Jungfrau also has glacier attractions. You can take an elevator down to the glacier and walk around a bit, and then take the elevator down even further and walk inside the glacier where a pretty ice gallery has been carved out. The Glacier is is nice in any weather, so if you really want to visit on a rainy day that element might be worth it to you.

Kristen, when it's cloudy in the mountains, you are generally IN the clouds, so the top of the Jungfrau would be completely foggy. Sure, if the clouds are very high and you can see all the peaks around you, then all is not lost. But that's not usually the way it is. There are video monitors at various places (ie the train stations) in the area. You can just look at that before going up. If it's a sea of white, then obviously, it's not worth it.

Yeah, but you don't have a "few" days. It would be fantastic if you did. This place would be right up your street. The reason skydiving leaves from Interlaken is that that's where the airport is. You need an airport to take off from. The villages up in the mountains, for obvious reasons, don't have a place to take off from unless you basejump. The problem is you're in one of the most beautiful places and you only have two days - one for the Jungfraujoch - and one to do all the other things. Other things to do in the area: Train to Meiringen and climb the waterfall where Holmes and Moriarity battled... Steam ship on Brienzersee and climb its waterfall and hike the trails Hiking in the high alps... Rick's book has several good hikes ... people here will tell you of lots other.... Lola suggested the Trotti... good fun You could easily use up a long week. BTW, we have found that if there is mid level fog, the view from the summit of Jungfraujoch is magnificent, especially if you have spent an hour or so watching it come in.

Your stay in Switzerland is a bit brief given what you wish to do while you are there. Since you plan on visiting the Jungfraujoch, Wengen should be preferred as it's on the same tracks going up. Interlaken is almost an hour away from Wengen. Here are some notes about going up to the Jungfraujoch. From Wengen, it's 90 minutes up and 90 minutes back down. The fare is 153CHF for the round trip from Wengen. Expect to be up there a couple of hours. There's a lot to see and do. It does get cloudy up there. In many hotels, you can see the live camera on the TV or the front desk can get the weather for you. The Swiss have a 1/2-fare card. It costs 110CHF and you get 50% off of the fares of the trains, buses and boats. The trip up to the Jungfraujoch will cover about 70% of the cost of the 1/2-fare card.