Hiking base: Murren or Kandersteg
 

I'm planning a trip to Switzerland next summer (end of June) and I've reserved an apartment in Kandersteg for a week. After reading the postings, I'm wondering if I should switch to Murren as a base. We love to hike - stayed in the Hasliberg region last time. We walked through Murren on our last trip and I thought it was lovely - anyone have a strong opinion on Kandersteg vs Murren?

I think it's quite clear that there is a whole ton more (and better, arguably) hiking both at Muerren and Grindelwald as well. Hiking aside, we find the Jungfru region far, far more interesting than Kandersteg. <BR> <BR>That said, there's pretty good hiking around Kandersteg. If the principal purpose of your trip is hiking you'll find more than enough to do, and you'll find most of it pretty enjoyable. Not as excellent, perhaps, as some of the trips out of Muerren and Grindelwald, but pretty darned good. <BR> <BR>If you won't be hiking every day, though, Muerren is a much better choice because of the variety of other things to do than hiking. Many are more or less accessible from Kandersteg ... via Spiez, vie Interlaken West, then ... But better variety in the Jungfrau region by far. <BR> <BR>Ed <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com

Jane, <BR> <BR>the Jungfrau region is certainly more spectacular, but in my opinion Kandersteg isn't a bad choice either. As Ed pointed out there are enough hikes around Kandersteg ( e.g., Oeschinensee, Gemmipass ) for more than one week. Thanks to the good rail and bus connections you have easy access to other interesting hiking regions as well ( e.g., Adelboden or the completely unspoiled Loetschental valley ). If the weather is lesss than perfect you can go to Bern or to the lake Thun area ( see the castles in Spiez, Thun, Oberhof, or Hueningen ). Even daytrips to the Berner Oberland or to Zermatt are possible. <BR> <BR>Hope that helps. <BR> <BR>Regards, Jochen