Interlaken ro Grindelwald?
 

Hello,

We will be in Switzerland for 5 days in late June and intend to spend 3-4 days in the Bernese Oberland and 1-2 days in Luzern.

I have seen many posts on here about Wengen, Grindelwald, Murren and Interlaken and am wondering where the best place is to stay. We would like to stay in one place as a base and do day trips--hiking, sightseeing, etc. We will not have a car and plan to take the train everywhere.

Any thoughts on what is the most convenient place to stay?

Also, should we spend all 5 days in the Bernese Oberland, or are 3-4 enough?

Thank you!!!

Hi klm_sgr,

Of course, no one but you know where YOUR best place will be. But, to augment what you've already read, here are some impressions --

Muerren's funicular is closed until December, so it will be pretty inconvenient to get up and down from there.

Wengen is car-free, with awesome views.

Grindelwald is larger than Wengen, and it does allow cars.

Interlaken is a bustling place, a transport hub with souvenir shops, hotels, and restaurants. The mountains will be about 30 minutes away.

Is your only criterion a "convenient place to stay"? Interlaken will be most convenient for excursions, but convenience for your hikes depends on which hikes you'll do.

s

Hi,
This is only my opinion...Wengen. The views are fantastic and the village is quiet in the evening (we were there in early Oct. and stayed at Hotel Eiger). We walked a "road" leading south from the train station for about a mile or so, found a bench overlooking the falls on the other side of the valley and watched the sun set. Amazing!

paul

Hey Folks,

Swanday, I read with interest that the Muerren funnicular is closed until December, especially since I've reserved rooms there in July!!! Could you please tell me where I can find more information on that. I should probably reconsider staying in Wengen. Many thanks.

Skiobox

Note that trains from Interlaken-Ost to Grindelwald and to Lauterbrunnen start out as the same train but soon split with one half going up to the Grindelwald Valley and the other half to Lauterbrunnen Valley (for Wengen and Murren too) - when boarding be sure to note the placard on the outside of the car to see which town it's going to!

Hi skiobox,

Actually, I learned about the closure from posters here.

But if you go to the Schilthorn site (www.schilthorn.ch), there is this little message:

Schedule Lauterbrunnen - Stechelberg Postauto
(Interruption BLM - funiculair 24th April to December 06)

There's also a banner news line at the www.muerren.ch website.

So, yes, I think I would re-think the base village and stay in Wengen --

Good luck!

s

Skiobox---you will still be able to get to Mürren in July; you will just have to take the longer route through Stechelberg (by postbus from Lauterbrunnen), and then the cable car (the Schilthornbahn) up from there.

klm_sgr,

as for the best base for hiking, I would suggest that either Grindelwald or Wengen would be fine. Both have good access to wonderful hiking trails---many lists of which have been posted elsewhere here. Grindelwald would have better access to other areas, such as the lakes, if you plan to visit there too.

Both villages have plenty of tourist accomodations from which to choose. Grindelwald is in the valley, with views up to peaks and glaciers. It is crowded with tourists and tour busses. Wengen is high on a bench above the Lauterbrunnen valley, with views across the valley and up to the peaks. As there are no cars there, it is quieter and more peaceful than Grindelwald.

Thanks swanday and enzian...We (husband and two boys) were going to use Muerren as our base while exploring area, but now the inaccessibility seems to be a problem. Would you recommend Wengen or Lauterbrunnen or even Grindelwald? If so, I would greatly appreciate any recommendations on where to stay. We tend to like smaller, B&B kind of places. Again, thanks so very much.

For skiobox again,

I really liked the Alpenrose in Wengen -- small place, mom & pop type atmosphere. It's a three star with views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

s

For skiobox,

For you, assuming you originally chose Mürren for its situation (car-free village perched high above the valley), I too would recommend Wengen. Just be sure to get the "family card" so your boys are free on the trains and lifts (assuming they are 16 or under).

Hey, it's not like Mürren is cut off from the world! Before, you had to take the funicular to Grütschalp and a train to Mürren from there; now you have to take the post bus to Stechelberg and a cable car from there. The travel time and the frequency are still more or less the same...