Where to sleep in the Berner Oberland

Sally, My suggestion would be Lauterbrunnen, as it's a transportation hub and a great home base for exploring both sides of the valley. From there you can easily reach Gimmelwald, Mürren or the Schilthorn on one side of the valley or Wengen, Grindelwald or the Jungfraujoch on the other side of the valley. It's also only a 20 minute ride to Interlaken from there. There will be a cost anytime you want to travel in that area, however that can be minimized with one of the Swiss Passes. Which Pass to buy will depend on your specific sightseeing plans, so there's no way I can suggest which one would be best. You'll have to do some "number crunching" on that. Trips to the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch will be the most expensive, while other trips are priced more reasonably. Happy travels!

With a Swiss Pass travels in Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and all the way up to Murren will be free. Travels from Lauterbrunnen up the other side to Wengen will be free. From Wengen -> Kleine Scheddig discounted 25%. Kleine Scheddig -> Jungfrau no discount. From Murren -> Schilthorn there is also a discount but don't know exactly. It's easy enough to look on the Schilthorn website. Even without a Swiss Pass the full fare from Lauterbrunnen -> Murren is 10.80 Chf and Lauterbrunnen -> Wengen is 6.60 Chf which are not bank breaking amounts. These fares can be seen on www.sbb.ch/en

We've been to the Berner Oberland twice and stayed in Murren both times. We loved being 5000' up and literally surrounded by the Alps. The views from Murren are indescribable... just mind-blowing. I wouldn't be happy going all that way and staying in a hotel on the valley floor and having to look up at the Alps. I want to be in them and surrounded by them the whole time I'm there. Murren is a mostly car-free, charming town. We stayed at the Hotel Eiger and had a balcony which we loved, but it's pricey... there are many good hotels in Murren that are less expensive.

Lauterbrunnen is a great place to stay if you want easy access to both sides of the valley. We've stayed at the Hotel Silberhorn but there is also the Hotel Staubbach. The Hotel Silberhorn is a bit nicer and a bit more pricey. For great views, Muerren would be the better place to stay. If you do not intend to go up to either of the mountain tops (Jungfrau and Schilthorn), you may not need any kind of Swiss pass or card unless you have a lot more train travel in Switzerland that you have not identified. The round trip fare from Lauterbrunnen to the Jungfraujoch is about $180. It's about $105 for the round trip up to the Schilthorn. If you intend to go to either of these mountain tops, a Swiss pass or card of some type would be beneficial. The Swiss 1/2 fare card costs 120CHF and is good for 30 days. You get a 50% discount on Swiss trains, buses, boats, etc. For example, if you go up to the Jungfraujoch, your fare would be about $90. The savings pays for 75% of the 1/2 fare card.

I'd sleep in the mountains, not the valley. There are lodgings up there for most tastes, from Murren to Wengen to Gimmelwald for instance, and it's just spectacular. Your transportation cost will be the similar even without a pass, except for days that you do not plan to ascend from the valley at all. That's because while it's farther from Gimmelwald to Mannlichen than from Lauterbrunnen, it's closer to the Schilthorn and all evens out.

I agree with everyone so far! I stayed last year in Interlaken at the hostel and traveled back and forth. We should have stayed in Lauderbrunnen. The price was better in Interlaken but so crowded with people, a smaller city. Once up in the mountains, its a different story. The crowds disappear. However, it did NOT take long to get to the mountains from the valley in Interlaken. While we enjoyed our stay at the hostel, I would have have splurged and slept "up there". We DID save money in Interlaken by buying our own groceries there...not sure if you can do that after leaving the valley. Thats where all our souvenier dollars went...the food and train rides but oh so worth it. If I go back to Europe, it would be the simplicity and beauty and ease of travel in Switzerland!!!hands down!

Not sure if you can buy groceries up there in the mountains??? Sure you can. There's a Coop in Murren, another in Wengen and a 3rd in Lauterbrunnen. Don't know why people have such misconceptions about these things. Going up to these little Swiss Villages is NOT roughing it out in a tent in the wilderness. No indeed, there is life and civilization and grocery stores and laundry facilities and everything else you could possibly need (except a McDonalds thank heavens). Saved money by staying in Interlaken hostel and buying your own groceries??? You could have done the same thing in the mountain villages AND had those breath taking views right at your front door.

Because nobody ever mentions it, I'll give a shout out to the town in the Berner Oberland that usually gets ignored on this website, which I actually prefer- Grindelwald. Advantages- two grocery stores, plenty of restaurants, more lodging options, accessible by car (for some, that might be a disadvantage), easy access to two different hiking areas (Männlichen/Kleine Scheidig and First), and amazing views of the awesome north face of the Eiger (in the summer, you can watch the climbers ascend the challenging course). Disadvantage, you're not nearly as high in the mountains as in Wengen or Mürren, but you're at a higher elevation than Lauterbrunnen.

My husband and I went last year and stayed in Wengen. We chose it because of price and easy access to the train.

We have stayed in Wengen three times and loved it. Lauterbrunnen and Murren are also good choices but we like being higher up. Interlaken and Grindenwald are lacking in charm. It is true that Switzerland is quite expensive but we found that shopping for lunch supplies in COOP was a way to cut costs-works well for those who plan to take a picnic along on hikes. We took advantage of the half board offered at dinner at our hotel (Alpenrose)-the owner is a chef and dinners and breakfasts were great. Hope you have a fabulous trip-Swiss Alps do not disappoint.

I have stayed in Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and loved both of them. Grindelwald we had a view of the monk,Junfrau and Eiger. Lauterbrunnen we had a waterfall view. I prefer Grindelwald for the view. We will stay in Murren in Sept 2014.

We stayed a fe years ago in Interlaken and then spent a few nights in Gimmelwald sleeping in the straw with our kids which was very fun and not at all what you think. Great breakfasts and showers are a must. This year we are staying at the Kinderstag International Scout Center. We are ascouting family and our boys are looking forward to the activities available to them. You do not have to be a scout but it is a benefit because it makes it cheaper. We have found ways to make Switzerland more reasonable. We have been able to get dorm rooms with 4 beds which is what we need very inexpensively. We also eat lunch from a Coop or Migros store buying incredible cheese, meats, yogurts, fresh fruit and veggies and bread. We sometimes have the same thing for dinner that evening.

Wow... I needed advice and y'all did not disappoint! Thanks for the input everyone. We decided to book a room at Hotel Bellevue in Murren. We decided that if we're going to stay in Switzlerland, we're going to stay in the mountains! I think it will definitely be more expensive, but well worth it. Meanwhile we'll be checking out the co-op and picnicing for lunch to save a few bucks! Thanks again! Sally