Hi,
We are a young couple planning our first trip to Europe this August. We will be staying in Switzerland for around 5 days.
I would really appreciate if somebody could share the pros and cons of staying in Lauterbrunnen vs. Murren
Also, I have the recommendation of Hotel Staubachh in Lauterbrunnen and Hotel Alpina in Murren. Please let me know if you know any other good inexpensive hotel.
Thanks,
Meetu
Read my post regarding our 8+ Switzerland vacation. I'd prefer staying In Interlaken and take the train up to Lauterbrunnen then onward to places like Murren, Wengen, Grindelwald, Gimmelwald and the rest. Each day take the 1 hour train ride form Interlaken up to Lauterbrunnen then plot your daily hikes/sight seeing spots from there.
I think this question has been asked and answered on many different occasions. The Lauterbrunnen Valley sits between the mountain villages of Muerren and Gimmelwald on one side and Wengen on the other side.
It's all a tremendously beautiful area. Obviously if you stay in Muerren you will be able to see a greater distance...you're on a mountain. If you stay in the valley your views are confied to the surrounding mountain sides - althought still quite beautiful!
When in Muerren stay at the Chalet Fontana if possible. It's dirt cheap, squeeky clean, and Denise Fussell is one of the nicest and most helpful people you will ever meet. The Chalet does not have a website but you can reach Denise via email at chaletfontana@muerren.ch
There are plenty of reviews and pictures of the Chalet Fontana at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g188084-d199023-Reviews-Chalet_Fontana-Murren_Bernese_Oberland_Swiss_Alps.html
You will be pleased staying in either village.
I agree that you will be pleased at staying in either. We stayed at the Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen. It's about 500 feet from the train station. Request to stay in the annex. It's fairly new. Interlaken Ost (east) is 20 minutes away and not 1 hour. Murren is absolutely beautiful but you get there by gondola. The www.sbb.ch webiste shows a train schedule to the Murren BLM from Lauterbrunnen and I saw signs in Murren to the train station but I read somewhere that the train may no longer be there. Don't know. What seems important is how much of the Berner Oberland to you want see or hike. If you want to see a lot of both sides of the valley, you may want to stay in Lauterbrunnen. Simply faster access and probably less train and gondola money. You can still do this from Murren except that it will cost you more time and a bit more money. But, it's really pretty up there. The Fontana and Eiger seem to be the two most highly rated hotels.
Hi,
You can't go wrong in either. Actually, anywhere in the Berner Oberland. We stayed in Wengen and absolutely loved it. The scenery in the BO is amazing!
Paul
My daughter and I stayed at Hotel Alpina several years ago. It was right around the corner from the train station and we were lucky to get a room. Our room had an absolutely breathtaking view of Lauterbrunnen mountain. The room was very clean and comfortable--we loved it. I would definitely stay there again. The town of Murren is very quaint and peaceful. Fun to walk around in the evening and very convenient to all the sites in the area. During our stay in August there was a traditional folklore show going on. Enjoy.
Thanks everybody for replying!
I am late to this but was 'there' last week!
Lauterbrunnen is an ordinary (if there is such a thing in that part of the world) town. Murren is unique, but a little difficult to get to as it requires a bus and a cable car or a cable car and a train. Wengen is a little easier to get to and from as it is accessible by train, it is bigger than Murren, also has stunning views, and like Murren is traffic free.
We stayed in Wengen and went everywhere from there (including Bern) on day trips.
Why is it necessary to take a bus to get to Muerren? Yes, I know there is a bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg Gondola to Muerren. But is the other gondola from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp to Muerren inoperable?
No, the cablecar up from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp is operating just fine. He said it takes a "bus and cablecar OR a cablecar and a train" to get there. Which is true.
I thought Wengen was pretty neat too. Didn't stay there but would have if I knew then what I know now. The thing about Wengern is you're in the middle of many great hiking trails. I saw where this winter they're having a world class skiing event too. The train ride up to it is fantastic. Just hope for sunny weather.
We stayed at the Hotel Berghaus in Wengen and LOVED it! It was a great central location for hiking, and we went all over on the trams/gondolas/trains. Frankly, you can't go wrong at Lauterbrunnen, Murren or Wengen.
We have stayed in Murren twice and loved it. This year we will be staying in Lauterbrunnen at the Hotel Staubach. The only negative with Murren was the time it took to get to other areas. We still loved it but were not able to get the timeshare we usually stay in. We will be able to go all over the area with the great local trains. We leave on Monday! Can't wait.
