Grindelwald is from the point of view nature(mountains) the most beautiful place in the world. See www.grindelwald.com
Any questions on it, I will be happy to answer

A rivalry of natural beauty: I prefer Gimmelwald.

http://www.gimmelwald.com/

The pictures on the Grindelwald.com site are lovely. I'd like to read information on the site but don't know German. I couldn't find an option for English. Am I missing it?

Yes you are missing it. Simply "hit" the "E" in the upper part of the screen as this switches the site to the English version. Mike

Thanks!

I agree with Edward! Gimmewald is a little slice of heaven. We planned on staying 1 night and then heading towards the lake region of Geneva. We awoke every morning surrounded by beauty and could not bring ourselves to leave until 5 nights later!

I have never been to Gimmelwald, but if it is less developed commercially than Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, it gets my vote hands down. J.

Gimmelwald is definitely less developed than Grindlewald. I like visiting Grindlewald, but I prefer to stay in Gimmelwald because of that. It has a year-round population of about 150 -- if that. Any sort of major development in Gimmelwald is forbidden because the place is an avalanch zone. It's rustic, a little poor, but it is so authentically Swiss. I have nothing against more resortish places like Grindlewald, but if I have a chance to stay in a place like Gimmelwald instead, I'll pick that every time.

About the only disadvantage is that it has no food store of its own, so you have to go to Murren to stock up before a hike. That's a small price to pay, though.

Edward, since you mention Murren, how would you compare it to the other villages from the point of view of aesthetics and commercialization?

Gimmelwald, Murren, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and Grindlewald are the only towns I have visited in that area -- and then only for 1 day in the region. I return this May for about a week. But from what I saw then (1992) and what I have read now, Gimmelwald is probably the least commercialized in the area. Lauterbrunnen seemed to incorporate their commercialization pretty well; very pleasant.

JMJ, Murren is a small town. It has a post office, several small stores and bars and several different choices for accomodations. The population is about 500.

As with Gimmelwald, there is no traffic in Murren.

Gimmelwald has only one restaurant which is attached to a small chalet hotel.

The hike up to Murren takes about 20-30 minutes.

For my money right now the Lauterbrunnen Valley may be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Visiting the cemetary in early morning was one of the most touching experiences I have had. We loved the waterfalls and the residential streets are something else. This summer we've booked a week in Muerren, only walked through it once, but the view from above is fantastic. No one so far has mentioned Wengen, on the ledge opposite Muerren. It should not be overlooked. My My what difficult choices there are in this world.

Corgwyn, you've got that right. Thanks for your comments. J.