My husband and I will have 2 days in July to spend in the B.O. area. I was leaning more towards Grindelwald instead of Interlaken. I like more of the mountain feel but am wondering if it would be really quite at night. What are these towns like in summer? Has anyone stayed at the Hotel Bodmi in Grindelwald? What about Wengen?
Thanks for any help!

Hi,
We've stayed in Wengen and absolutely loved it there. We stayed at the Hotel Eiger. This was in Oct. The village was quiet at night but pretty busy during the day. I don't know what July would be like. I do know that the views from Wengen and from our room balcony were gorgeous!
www.eiger-wengen.ch

Paul

Wengen is located on the flank of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, several hundred feet higher than the floor of the valley.

It is reached only by trail from Lauterbrunnen (the village) and by rail from Lauterbrunnen.

Wengen itself is mostly a hotel collection with a few supporting shops.

There is a cable lift a short distance north from the train station where one can ride to the top of the ridge, known as the Männlichen.

Gasoline engine cars are not allowed in Wengen. There are some electric carts, but I have yet to see a gasoline powered vehicle.

I think you can select your hotel in Wengen by price. The standards for Swiss hotels is quite high so that I think the discussion is more one of the desired level of luxury.

I think a very good day trip would be to take the cable lift up to the Männlichen and then walk down the trail to Kleine Scheidegg. If the day is nice, there is a restaurant before you descend to the train station that has an outstanding view of the north face of the Eiger and of the Jungfrau.

If you want the high priced excursion, ride up to the Jungfraujoch, but ONLY if the day is clear. Very clear!!

By in large if you want activity, Grindelwald is your place. If you want serenity, I think Wengen would come closer to filling the bill.

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Hi sienalucca,

One thing to remember about Grindelwald -- because it allows cars, that's where the big tour busses go to unload their passengers. I had forgotten about this until one summer, visiting with my mother, when I got to see it in person, bus after bus after bus unloading 45 pax each to wander and stumble along that little street in Grindelwald. I almost cried.

Mom and I went for lunch in Wengen, and it was almost deserted. Very peaceful & beautiful.

Try out Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen, where I stayed for the second time last Jan.

Good luck!

s

Swandav's observations about Grindelwald are equal to mine. Buses bring in the hoards as do the trains.

There are many hotels and vacation apartments in Grindelwald with sidewalks so crowded that I have at times been forced to walk in the street.

On the other hand, you have a wide choice of places to go and shops to look into.

When I first visited the Berner Oberland in 1998 I considered four places: Grindelwald, Mürren, Wengen, and Lauterbrunnen. For reasons that are now dimly recalled, I selected an apartment in Lauterbrunnen.

That proved to be a good choice because Lauterbrunnen is a transportation hub with buses, trains, and the new cable connection to Grutschalp where one changes to the little train for Mürren.

Personally, if I were going for 2 or 3 days, I would look for accommodations in either Wengen or Mürren.

Tour buses are not a factor in either Wengen or Mürren because they cannot get there. As a result, you can walk around without concern for any gasoline powered vehicles.

To be quite honest about it, I am not sure how much of a "mountain feel" you will get in Grindelwald. Yes, from some places around the town you can get views of the Eiger to the south and the high ridges to the north. But along the main street, the view is blocked most of the time by hotels and other high buildings.

There are also several excellent mountain excursions available from Grindelwald. The gondola ride from Grindelwald to the station known as First is quite spectacular.

There is also a bus to Grosse Scheidegg which leads to a mountain pass from which you can wander across the alpine meadows. Also, a long gondola goes from the station known as Grindelwald Grund to the crest of the Männlichen. (That ridge rises gently from Grindelwald, but from Wengen it seemingly goes straight up.)

Mürren is positioned farther "in valley" than Wengen. (to borrow an English version of the German term "taleinwärts" - valley inward).

From Mürren you can get terrific views of the Jungfrau, the Breithorn (must be a lot of those around), and some other high peaks of the main range. Also, from Mürren you can go higher, particularly if you want to ride to the top of the Schilthorn for some excellent views on a clear day.

I think the choice is difficult and developing a preference of one over the other would take more than one visit.

On the other hand, all 4 locations - Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Mürren, and Grindelwald have their strengths and weaknesses. For me the crowds of Grindelwald are a weakness. The easy in and easy out of Lauterbrunnen is good for us because we come and go every day.

So my suggestion is to review your options and select the one that you feel offers what you want. None of them are losers I might add nor is one clearly superior to the other without a specific list of critera against which to judge.

Darn Bob and Swandav, you all just shot down my Grindlewald arguments. LOL

No, I think Murren and Wengen are excellent choices for a homebase in this area, but I just prefer Grindlewald because of the more activity in the evenings. I thought the views from where I syayed were very good when I sat out on the balcony in the evening hoisting a bottle of delicious beer.

Where are the pro Grindlewald folks? LOL

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We stayed in Wengen at the Caprice and it was heaven. Someday, I will go back. Click on my screen name and you should find more info on my times there. Enjoy! It will be an amazing trip.

I think Bob made a good point when he said that a preference is made after several visits to either one of these villages and towns.

I have no arguments that during the day, the tour busses roll in there bringing hordes of people with them. Yes, that can be annoying and I can see where some might be bothered by that.

What was it that Rick Steeves said? "Those big shiny busses"

But at some point in your Berner Oberland holiday, you will encounter big crowds, particularly during the summer months. This area is a popular area and for good reason!

The only place I never stayed in was Lauterbrunnen. I know a couple that I used to e-mail who rented an apartmnent in the Lauterbrunnen area. They really enjoyed that Lauterbrunnen area. I think they stayed somewhere close to Stechleberg as I recall.

Some enjoy the lake villages which are a little out of the way for mountain outdoor activity.

It all comes down to preference.

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April Wine: Shot down

Ok, now I am really confused. A big thank you for all your thoughts. One item I did not mention was that we will have a car and I know one or two of the towns are car-free. I'm not thrilled at a lot of tour buses, but if they head out by evening, that's ok.
We'd like alittle bit of nightlife. Has anyone heard of Hotel Bodmi in Grindelwald? It has received decent reviews on Tripadvisor.

sienalucca -

Murren and Wengen are car free and pretty much nightlife free as well.

If you're looking for nightlife, you'll have more luck in Grindelwald and Interlaken and cars aren't a problem in either place.