Lauterbrunnen vs Wengen

Hi TravMimi,

First let me acknowledge that Lauterbrunnen has its legion of fans, and rightly so.

However, I've never been able to get off the train to explore the town -- because I never like the looks of the cliffs that overhang it. Lots of folks don't even see those cliffs, and others think that the cliffs add a certain charm. Well, you'll probably be one of those! But if I were staying there, I would have been angry if I hadn't known about the cliffs.

Some facts about these two places:

Lauterbrunnen 796m, pop 2,663

Wengen 1274m pop 1,050

Lauterbrunnen is only 17 minutes more convenient, twice a day (that's the time it takes to travel from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen). But staying in Wengen will give you hours and hours of pleasure as your balcony sits over the valley and you look over to the mountains.

And the great thing is, I'm sure you'll have a great time, whichever one you choose!

s

I've never been in Wengen, so I can only be of limited help if any, so I'm only here to say that while I very much enjoyed Lauterbrunnen and its soaring cliffs and waterfalls, I also really enjoyed Speiz, since I like lake views. Depending on your day trip itineraries, you might want to check it out as a town and for its transportation options. Can't advise about bells in the night!

Another Wengen fan. It is a small village in heavenly surroundings, but in all fainess, I have never even walked around in Lauterbrunnen. As far as window shopping in Wengen, there is virtually none. There is a couple of shops, a bakery, and a COOP.

Thanks for your replies. We are three groups of slightly crazy adults on a 5 day adventure trip - Murren via ferrata, canyoning, paragliding, canyon jumping, and perhaps skydiving. Our daily guides will pick us up at Lauterbrunnen train station, so we have to stay in either Lauterbrunnen or Wengen. I do love the cliffs, but also looking for that mini "passeggiata" type evening atmosphere. Just wondering which village would be the best bet for that.

Hi

I'm interested in this as well.. hmmm.. no window shopping whatsoever, in Wengen? If we stayed here, it would likely be the base for dinner every night and the morning's strolling too.

How are the Wengen restaurants/cafes? I like the idea of the passeggiata atmosphere in the evening. Sorry to hijack your thread TravMimi, this is a great question.

No problem flygirl. We have everything planned except our base village, so it's just a small specific question. I certainly can live without my beloved passeggiate, but I think I will get lots of info here to help me decide so I can book a hotel. Have a great trip flygirl.
Scatcat - That is what I'm starting to see. Thanks

Hi again,

I have to admit that I don't think there is much of that at either place. In my experience, folks are pretty tired at the end of a day of hiking or skiing, and they have a cozy dinner and then a drink. It's not at all unusual for hotel bars to fill up with folks recounting their day's exploits, folks make friends and compete for the day's best story, and then off to bed.

The closest thing I can think of is in Grindelwald, where there are some cafes with outdoor seating that line the main street. However, what you'll be looking at is a paasseggiata of CARS, yuck. And in July there will be tour busses.

Maybe someone can confirm that Lauterbrunnen does have something like that --

Now, in Montreux, there is that, with a passion. Take a seat at a lakeside cafe and watch the world stroll by. Alas, wrong part of the country!

s

swandave - Love your first paragraph, because on this trip that is probably what we will end up doing most nights. We will be up in Grindelwald for a day, so maybe I can peek in a few windows before zip-lining! We are also stopping off in beautiful Montreux for a day to see a dear friend at the festival. I'll try to get my window shopping out of the way there. Might add a day there.

I have stayed in Wengen & Lauterbrunnen. While the views from Wengen were great, both my husband & I liked Lauterbrunnen better. We stayed at the Hotel Stubbach with a great view of Stubbach Falls and the surrounding valley. Met people in the bars & restaurants that we talked to in the evening. Lauterbrunnen gave us easy access for transportation to the valley and the mountains.

The church bells in Lauterbrunnen stopped about 10P and started back up in the morning.

Hope this helps.

BarbAnn - Thank you so much. Reviews for the Staubbach are very good, but a few did mention bells. If they do stop at 10pm that would be fine. I'm bringing my Switzerland/Austria earplugs in any case. I would like something with a good view of the falls. I think I've settled on Lauterbrunnen, so now I need to find a good hotel - clean, quiet, and with a good hot shower.

I would not hesitate to stay at the Stubbach again. We had a room on the third (top) floor with a corner balcony looking at the falls. We watched the train coming and going from Wegen from our balcony. The front desk gals were so nice. Told us how to walk up to the falls for a spectular view of the valley. We watched the cows (with bells) being brought from the barn to the pastures every morning and taken back in the late afternoon. It was a "Heidi" moment for me!

Yes, you do have to watch out for those cow bells too.

I have stayed in Murren, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. I love all three although wengen gets the most tourists because of the train to Jungfraujoch. I prefer Murren because it is quieter then Wengen and looks across at the regions highest peaks. Lauterbrunnen has less of a lightlife if you want to call it that. I agree that Grindelwald sounds more like what you are looking for. Great setting but too touristy for me.

I do like the cow bells. I don't know what the cows think about them, but cows do tend to know enough to turn the bells off at night.
BarbAnn - Staubbach is still in the running. I like the idea of watching the trains, and I do like the fact that it's also at the river. Right now it's between the Staubbach, and the Oberland.

I've stayed in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Murren, Grindelwald and Interlaken. Of these, I'd not stay in Grindelwald or Interlaken again, but the others are fair game.

It took me awhile to choose to stay in Lauterbrunnen - the deciding factor on that particular trip was a great deal on a seven day apartment rental with views of the Stubbach Falls from the window AND because it's so easy to get anywhere from Lauterbrunnen.

I find the sheer cliffs absolutely gorgeous and captivating.

The shopping street in Lauterbrunnen (such that it is) isn't as impressive as the one in Wengen, but having said that, there's not much shopping in either. They both offer a handful of cafes, but most are attached to hotels. I can think of of only 2-3 cafe's in either town with terraces for alfresco dining.

Both have churches which spring to life in the early am, but they're generally not a problem in the evenings.

TravMini -

You might want to take a look at the Oberland's apartments, since you're staying for five days:

http://www.hoteloberland.ch/main.php?id=home&lang=en

Melnq8 - That looks great. We are 3 groups traveling together, and one group will certainly be interested in that. If there's an apartment available that would sew it up for the Oberland.

TravMimi -

Here's the apartment we stayed in, but I believe there's a seven night minimum.

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p95287

More options on this site, some do rent by the night:

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/lauterbrunnen/s/778/fa/find.squery

Melnq8 - That first one is gorgeous! Sadly it's booked the week we are there. I sent the websites to our friends to consider. I have booked apartments before for less than 7 nights even though it's their minimum. It often comes out the same or even less than a hotel. Thank you