Murren/Wengen in 3 days?

Old Apr 15th, 2014, 10:44 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Murren/Wengen in 3 days?

Hello! My father and I will have a short stop in Switzerland while traveling this summer - 4 nights (with the last night spent in Zurich for a flight the following morning). We want to spend all of our time in the Alps. My father would most like to go up to Schilthorn (Piz Gloria) and also the train to Jungfrau. We'd also like to fit in a short, fairly easy hike - considering either the North Face trail or the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg walk.

I think we've decided to stay in Murren (Hotel Alpina or Alpenruh?) to be close to Schilthorn… but we're torn on whether to stay there all three nights or move to Wengen for the last night in order to shorten the trip back from Jungfrau. Any thoughts for us? We were thinking it would save us the travel time back to Murren on our last full day if we took our bags with us that morning and dropped them at a hotel near the train station in Wengen on our way up to Jungfrau. Is this a good idea? Or too much moving around? The following night we will need to be back in Zurich for a flight the next morning. But we will have the day to spend in the area.

In addition, does anyone know which rail pass would be the best fit for what we'd like to do? Zurich airport to Murren to Wengen then back to Zurich - also Jungfrau and Schilthorn trips.

We appreciate your help!!!
broadway79 is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2014, 11:04 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Which railpass? Not the Swiss Pass as you are not traveling enough to warrant it - investigate the Jungfraubahn Pass or Berner Oberland Pass but it all depends on how much you will do - if doing both Schilthorn and Jungfraubahn I figured once that those two trips would make the Jungfraubahn Pass pay off and then you could use it to go between Interlaken and Wengen, Murren, etc.

I would base all 4 days in Wengen or uyou'll waste a lot of time relocating. Murren is isolated and so in Wengen - they key calling cards for many but Wengen is only 20 minutes by train from Lauterbrunnen - Murren about twice that as it involves two conveyances - a calbe car up to Grutschalp and then a train to Murren.

For lots of great info on Swiss trains and the Jungfrau Region in particular check out these superb IMO sites: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeuropetravel.com. Buy either the Jungfraubahn Pass, which I think is your best bet probably, or Berner Oberland Pass, a more wide-ranging pass but not as many benefits I think for things you are doing - buy them locally at any area train station.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2014, 12:20 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wengen is not that far from Murren - you take the cable car down to Lauterbrunnen quickly and then up to Murren and the Schilthorn - staying in one base will save time and perhaps money as at times multi-day stays are more readily accepted by hotels than just one night stays.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2014, 12:27 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Oops I meant take the train down in 20 minutes not cable car!
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2014, 02:49 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree with staying in Wengen instead of Murren. Murren is a bit off the beaten path. It will take you additional time to get anywhere you want to go and with three days, your time is precious.

You should plan to visit Jungfrau on the first clear day you have. It might be day one, two or three. You never know. That is the most weather-dependent activity. If it is clear when you get up, head on up the mountain, it might be clouded over the next. The Jungfrau is a stunning day trip. Just breathtaking.

By staying in Wengen you are also close to the cable car ride to Mannlichen for the hike to KS which I highly recommend. Very easy, leisurely walk. Grab some lunch at the grocery store in Wengen, throw on your day pack and have lunch on the trail.

Once at KS you can take the train back to Wengen or head down to Grindelwald for a bit. You can take the cable car buckets up and back to First. From Grindelwald you can take the train to Lauterbrunnen and then back up to Wengen, making a loop. It's a lovely ride.

I also recommend the falls in Lauterbrunnen, they are spectacular. It is fun to watch the para gliders from the Murren overlook. The views of the Lauterbrunnen valley are spectacular.

It is a gorgeous area. One of my favorite in all of Europe. You will love it!
michele_d is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2014, 03:52 PM
  #6  
kja
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"It is fun to watch the para gliders from the Murren overlook."

It's even more fun to be one of the paragliders!
kja is offline  
Old Apr 16th, 2014, 10:44 AM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for all the helpful info and links! Really appreciate!! It sounds like Wengen may be a better choice for us. Murren was attractive for the views and for the Schilthorn trek and Northface trail, but you're right, our time will be limited. If it's important for my father to do Schilthorn in addition to Jungfrau - I'm assuming this is also weather dependent? Is it best to go up early in the morning? My concern is if we are staying in Wengen, we won't be able to make it up in the early a.m. to Schilthorn. This is why I had considered splitting our nights between Murren and Wengen. Any other thoughts?
broadway79 is offline  
Old Apr 16th, 2014, 12:06 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wengen is only an hour from the Schilthorn base cable in Murren.

and why early morning? It could be cloudy in morning but clear in afternoon and Schilthorn IME does not suffer from huge crowds as the congested Jungfrau does.
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 16th, 2014, 12:39 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I have never stayed in Wengen but I have stayed in Murren and after 3 days I came to the conclusion that I would have preferred a different location. Murren is a perfectly nice town, but in traveling through the Alps, I learned I preferred the valleys, which are full of charm and life, to the more austere peaks.

I don't think staying in Murren is critical to having an optimal experience of Piz Gloria. FWIW, I visited Piz Gloria between 1pm and 3pm and it was fine. You will need to watch the weather forecasts wherever you stay, either with your own internet connection or with the help of your hotel desk and/or fellow tourists.
sandralist is offline  
Old Apr 17th, 2014, 11:08 AM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks again to all of you for your input! So helpful! it's good to know that the Schilthorn excursion doesn't necessarily have to be done in the early morning. i thought i had read that somewhere. Thanks for clarifying!
broadway79 is offline  
Old Apr 17th, 2014, 11:44 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
It may well have been th4e Jungfraujoch excursion that says to get an early start - huge crowds can form in afternoon - trains can be full and even SRO!

But Schlthorn like sandralist says not so much. Relatively fe folks doing the Jungfraujoch, which gets all the ink as well as the many Asians it seems, have even heard of Piz Gloria!
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 06:51 AM
  #12  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
After looking at the recommended links for train passes and tickets (helpful-thank you!), it seems for our itinerary that a 4-day regional Berner Oberland pass provides (although not much) the best discount. Here is our tentative itinerary -

Day 1 - arrive Zurich airport - train to Wengen (3 nights)
Day 2 - Jungfrau excursion
Day 3 - Schilthorn excursion, Murren and Gimmelwald (possibly Northface Trail)
Day 4 - Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg walk, possibly Lauterbrunnen if time; leave BO and travel back to Zurich to spend the night near the train station
Day 5 - train to Zurich airport in the early morning


Does anyone disagree with the 4-day BO regional rail pass being the best option? Am I missing anything?

Also, I noticed the BO Pass is only valid for travel from Lucerne. We will be arriving to Zurich airport and returning to Zurich HB and then the airport again. Is it best to purchase a full price ticket from Zurich airport to Lucerne (where the Regional BO pass kicks in)? Or should we add some other pass to cover the trip from the Zurich airport to Lucerne and Lucerne back to Zurich?

Thanks in advance!!!
broadway79 is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 07:58 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
For our week long visit to Lauterbrunnen in 2009 we found the BO pass to be the best for our needs. I did a spreadsheet with four options and monetarily it was the best choice for us at the time.

The Mannlichen-KS hike only takes a couple hours so you should have time for the waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen. You catch the bus to the falls directly across the street from the Lauterbrunnen train station. Ask at the train station office for the exact location in case it has changed again. Pay a couple bucks on the bus and it drops you a couple blocks from the falls. You walk through a beautiful meadow surrounded by the mountains to the falls. You then take a funicular to the top of the falls. A small walk later takes you to the very top. It is an exceptional experience. I would allow 2-3 hours for the falls, including the bus ride to and from.

Have a great time!
michele_d is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 09:11 AM
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
thanks, michele_d! the waterfalls sound like fun! do you know if there is any place we might be able to store our luggage at the lauterbrunnen station while we do this? depending on weather, we are thinking of visiting the falls on our way back from wengen to zurich.
broadway79 is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 10:19 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Like all stations in Switzerland - at least busy ones Lauterbrunnen's has luggage lockers - but at times I have seen them full - depending on how busy the town is. There is probably also a manual left-luggage depot that would always take things - check www.sbb.ch - Swiss Federal Railways web site for info locker info - though the Lauterbrunnen stations is not a SBB station so not sure it will be detailed.

Check Berner Oberland Bahn (sp?) web site for station info.

http://www.bahnfreunde-brienz.ch/jun...erland-bahnen/
PalenQ is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 10:40 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
ttt
kawh is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 04:36 PM
  #17  
kja
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 23,101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
When I was there last year, the Lauterbrunnen train station did have a manned luggage desk, but it's hours are short, so pay attention!

I must admit being a bit confused by michele_d's post, as there are a LOT of spectacular waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. At first I thought the description was of the Staubbach Falls, which are a short walk (15 minutes?) from the Lauterbrunnen train station at the far end of Lauterbrunnen. One can take the cable car to Grutschalp (also marked for Murren; the base of the cable car is adjacent to the Lauterbrunnen train station) and then walk toward Murren to see the stream that becomes Staubbach Falls. If you do that, you might consider continuing your walk to Winteregg and then taking the train on to Murren or back to Grutschalp. It's a lovely and very easy walk, but you really don't get to see the waterfalls from this path, as you are walking along the plateau above them -- instead, you have jaw-dropping views of glorious Alps.

I also wondered whether michele_d might have meant the fascinating Trummelbach Falls, which are inside a mountain and are also well worth visiting. That's a longer, very pleasant walk through the Lauterbrunnen Valley (and past several other wonderful waterfalls) or a bus ride from the train station. That's probably not the one being described, as it is hard to imagine one not mentioning that it is inside the mountain....

Maybe the reference was to yet another waterfall?
kja is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 05:31 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sorry, Trummelbach Falls is the one I was referring to. The other ones are outside and are beautiful too, but Trummelbach Falls was very interesting and dramatic.
michele_d is offline  
Old May 1st, 2014, 02:11 PM
  #19  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 65
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for clarifying about the falls! We will look into the luggage desk option at the train station since our bags will probably be too large to fit in a locker. Where might we find the hours of operation? I looked on www.sbb.ch under the Lauterbrunnen station and it lists "baggage" as 07:00 to 19:00, but kja, you mentioned noticing the hours were short. So maybe these hours listed refer to a different service? Anyone know?
broadway79 is offline  
Old May 1st, 2014, 02:58 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The Lauterbrunnen station is very tiny so I imagine the baggage hours of 7-19 are correct. The station hours are 6 am-19:30 so the baggage hours are just a bit shorter. Like I said, you can throw a rock and hit the other side of of the station it is so small.
michele_d is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -