Nancy45

Read descriptions for both and am torn. Any opinions? Will have car and travelling in summer. Thanks.

Patrick

Gimmelwald is a little row of houses, barns, and a store. It is hardly a village. Picturesque maybe (we knocked on a house door with a sign to buy cheese and they took us to their barn down the street and sold us the most wonderful cheese we ever ate (maybe).
Stay in Grindelwald where they won't die of boredom 15 minutes after arrival.

Ronda

With teens - Grindelwald. Lots more to do, more choices of restaurants, easy train connection. You do know that you can drive to Grindelwald but must take a tram to Gimmelwald? So Grindelwald will be more convenient with your car. You can always visit the Murren, Gimmelwald area on a day trip if you would like to see it.

Cicerone

I saw your other post. If you want to be at the bottom of the valley looking up, go to Grindelwald. However, if you want to BE up in the mountains with great valley views of the waterfalls, etc, and the mountains, then pick Wengen, with Murren a close second. Murren is smaller and not on the train line up to the Jungfrau, which is why I would put it second. A second reason to stay up in the mountains is that walks from Wengen/Murren will be flat or downhill (and some uphill if you want), as opposed to Grindelwald where your choices are flat or uphill. There is a very nice easy walk down from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen and you can continue the walk along the valley floor as far as the tram to Gimmelwald if you want. There are some parachute gliding places along the valley floor in Lauterbrunnen as well if you have the courage to watch your kids do it. . .

It is very easy to park in the covered parking lot in Lauterbrunnen and take either the train up to Wengen or the funicular to Murren. (You also have to pay to park in Grindlewald, so no advantage there, even your hotel in Grindelwald will charge you for parking if they have it.)

(I agree with the other poster that Gimmelwald is a little too quiet.)

CarolJean

Nancy
Just to reinforce what the others have said, DEFINITELY NOT GIMMELWALD. Have a great trip. It is a magical place. CJ

Nancy45

Thanks for your help. I'm thinking now of maybe staying in Lauterbrunnen where it will be better for a car. We thought it would be better to have a car for the flexibility with teenagers. We won't have a car in London or Paris and I think they'd like a change of transportation.

julie_Colorado

I agonized over this decision last year (who knows why ...).. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen - and we were so very happy we did. We visited each of the places mentioned and found Lauterbrunnen to be very central yet lovely. The villages (Gimmelwald, Murren, Wengen) are small and more remote. I live in the mountains - and personally liked the feeling of the valley looking up at the mountains and waterfalls. But at the end of the day, you just can not go wrong.

Ronda

Murren is really very quite. It does have a recreational center with a swimming pool but there won't be much for the kids to do in the evening. There is a "hotel" (I don't know if it is a hotel or family hostel) that is right on the edge, and has, I believe, volley ball courts for it's guests.

We totally loved Murren. It IS beautiful but transportation takes a little more time. Wengen is larger with more hotels.

brookwood

Gimmelwald? Why would you even consider it, for any reason. I know, Rick Steves wrote about it. So I repeat, why would you even consider it?

Of the towns in the area, Grindelwald is by far the largest and most active.
Interlaken is not that far away, just a few miles north with frequent trains until about midnight.

Wengen and Mürren are small. I walked through ALL of Mürren last summer and outside of the hotels, there is not much there. Wengen is small, but has a few facilities.

I think the major entertainment in Gimmelwald is watching the cable lift go up and down. Second would be milking the cows. That can be very entertaining if you are watching people who don't know how!!!