ledhead

Hi everyone. We are taking a trip to Munich, Venice and France in July 2012. We are thinking of adding Switzerland for a couple of days to our itinerary as we may be passing by there on the train. We are avid readers of Rick Steves and also of Samantha Brown travels. Rick Steves seems to like Lauterbrunnen and not Interlaken and Brown seems to like basing yourself in Interlaken. We would like to experience the tour to the Jungfrau but beyond that we are not hikers - would just like to experience some beautiful scenery and good swiss restaurants for a couple of days. Can anyone tell me if Lauterbrunnen is anywhere near Interlaken and, is one better then the other for staying at? Would appreciate it!

azzure

Interlaken is the "big city", with department stores and supermarkets, and Lauterbrunnen is the cute village. They are close to one another...I would say about a half-hour's drive? My choice would be Lauterbrunnen. Spectacular scenery.

kwren

I've stayed in both and much much prefer Lauterbrunnen. Even though it's in the valley, the feel is that you are in the alps, especially since you could get a hotel overlooking the mountains. Interlaken was nice enough but very touristy and didn't give us the scenery and feel of being in the alps. Much better to get into the scenic part, although, you could even get a bit more scenic by passing through Lauterbrunnen to Wengen which is higher up, or going to Grindelwald. We really enjoyed Lauterbrunnen though and stayed in the chalet at Hotel Silberhorn and overlooked the mountain across the valley. We sat on our balcony every night and watched the trains zigzag their way up the side. So quiet and relaxing.

Lauterbrunnen is just a little ways past Interlaken - maybe 1/2 hour - so it won't make a big difference in your traveling. You would change trains in Interlaken, but the train to Lauterbrunnen will be waiting just across the platform so it's very easy. If you are in Lauterbrunnen, it will also be a bit of a shorter ride to get to the Jungfrau.

P_Peppington

Not to be an evil shrew, but if you are an avid reader of guidebooks on the Bernese Oberland, then you should know that Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen are indeed near each other. A simple Google search would confirm that.

However, since I have been posting here in Fodorville for over 10 years, I will play along at the game.

Interlaken in the "main town" of the BO. Lauterbrunnen is only 20 minutes by train from Interlaken Ost Station.

Interlaken has more to offer in amenities than Lauterbrunnen. There are more hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants, shops, etc. in Interlaken.

Interlaken is not a bad place to stay, but it is not as quiet as Lauterbrunnen, nor does it offer the dramatic views that you would see in Lauterbrunnen.

I am not a fan of staying in Lauterbrunnen. I ALWAYS will stay in Wengen. Wengen is CAR FREE and has stunning, even life-changing views.

If you do decide to say in Interlaken, the best hotels are the Beau Rivage and the Vicoria. However, there is a charming hotel right on the river (where you would get the tour boat of the Brienzersee) called the Hotel au Lac. You could walk right across the road and be at Interlaken Ost in 3 minutes.

You have to decide what you want. If you just want to visit the Jungfrau then it really doesn't matter where you stay as long as you are a short train journey from Kleine Scheidegg.

Tschuss,
Pippy aka Thingorjus

ledhead

Thanks everyone! I think we will stay in Lauterbrunnen. Yes P. Peppington I am an avid reader of guide books. However having been to London, Paris, Triberg (Black Forest) and Florence, I never paid too much attention to Switzerland and do not have a book on it, and now that we are going back again I thought it would be nice to check it out. Thanks again!

kwren

Good choice...have a great time!!!