lauterbrunnen lodging, down to 2 choices

Old Mar 30th, 2015, 10:55 AM
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lauterbrunnen lodging, down to 2 choices

We are 2 retired couples, early-mid 60's, staying in Lauterbrunnen for 6 days the last week of September. Have narrowed down to 2 choices....one is the Chalet Jasmin...30 min walk from Lauterbrunnen, toward Trimmelbach Falls. The other is a chalet on the outskirts of Lauterbrunnen, short walk to train station, pubs, restaurants. Both have great views, it doesn't sound like we can go wrong with either....Would appreciate any info on Chalet Jasmin. Have read a lot of great posts on the area. Thanks!
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 11:55 AM
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Have you considered Wengen - more a den of older folk than youthful-oriented Lauterbrunnen - home to a Contiki City - Wengen IMO has much better views because it is on top of the cliffs that form the deep Lauterbrunnen gorge - views from Lauterbrunnen are much more limited though still scintillating, especially at the end of the gorge - Wengen is just a 20-minute or so train ride from Lauterbrunnen and has restaurants, cafes, pubs, too though with a different type crowd.

Wells sorry to not answer your question but just posed a thought you may not have considered?

30 min walk out of Lauterbrunnen means a 30-minute walf from most any store, pub or restaurant which IME all seem to be in the town itself - lots of cows out there perhaps - though it don't seem to be a 30-minute walk - seems shorter in my memory (which means it could be longer, sic!)
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 12:48 PM
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Thanks Palen...Yes, I had considered Wengen, but Lauterbrunnen looked a bit easier for a base...we have a car, and may also visit Grindelwald, Lucern, Thun...and of course Wengen and Murren. Also, we may be leaving really early from Lauterbrunnen to catch our 3 30 afternoon flight from Munich...it looks like just under a 5 hr drive from Lauterbrunnen to Munich International. For our 6 days, would it be more economical to get one of the transportation passes....swiss pass, Jungfrau pass?? Thanks!
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 12:51 PM
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Ok understandable - look for a hotel with parking or pay a lot perhaps - Only a Jungfraubahn Pass would be viable if just sticking to the Jungfrau area - even with a car I'd take the gondola up to Wengen - take the famous Ridge Walk to Kleine Scheidegg then train down to Grindewald for the rest of the day though there is not much per se to do there and train from there back to Lauterbrunnen - Grindelwald restricts cars to parking lots at the entrance to town and you may again pas a bit to park it for the day and again there is not much in Grindelwald itself and all the rest of things to do is off-limits to cars.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 01:46 PM
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I love taking the gondola from Lauterbrunnen up to Grutschalp and then a few-mile sweet walk along the cliff edge - well at a safe distance or take the train up top to Murren - again cities have hotels and restaurants but not much else in this area - use it as a hopping on the long aerial cableway to The Schilthorn/Piz Gloria - Piz Gloria being the revolivng restaurant featured in James Bond's On Her Majesty's Secret Service - just when it was being built - the heliocopter pad in the movie is now an observation platform that seems to be out in the middle of nothing but remote peaks.

Take the able back down to Murren and onto Gimmelwald, famous Gimmelwald a lost in time and out in the middle of nowhere old farming village - look around and take cable that plunges back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley floor at Stechleberg - at the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and walk a flat kew miles along a gurgling brook to Lauterbrunnen or take the postal bus - all would be included on a Jungfrau Bahn Pass - for lots on trains and cableways in this area check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com - all have lots on the area as well as transports info.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 01:50 PM
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We've stayed at the Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen - older style hotel but with fabulous views down the valley and the waterfalls. The Hotel Oberland is our recommendation for dinner.
We took the little yellow train to Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg, and returned via Grindelwald.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 03:33 PM
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Oh this is great Palen, thanks so much for the info, and I will check out those websites. I take it that the trip from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald and train back to Lauterbrunnen would be a full day? Also, someone mentioned an especially beautiful hike in Grindelwald?
Thanks Marg, I did check out the hotel staubbach and it looked great, but we decided on one of the 2 places in my orig post.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 06:08 PM
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Please provide the links to the places you are considering.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 07:39 PM
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Yes, train to Wengen, cablecar to Mannlichen, hike to KS, train to Grindelwald, train to Lauterbrunnen would eat up most of a day. Visit the COOP grocery in Lauterbrunnen or Wengen and pick up some lunch items. Have a picnic on the Ridge Walk...nothing screams "You are in Switzerland" quite like the mountain views and cowbells clanging in the distance.
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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 07:53 PM
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The train from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald does not take a full day. Please.

And it is Trummelbach Falls.

There will be no Contiki Crowd in Lauterbrunnen at the end of September. That is DAFT.

In fact, nobody will be in Lauterbrunnen then because that is OFF SEASON.

Bring coats.

The Hotel Staubach is a very nice hotel in Lauterbrunnen.

The hotel we always stay at in Wengen is CLOSED by September 20.


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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 07:56 PM
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Also, Gimmelwald is as boring as watching paint dry. There is no reason to visit.


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Old Mar 30th, 2015, 10:31 PM
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>

Mine too! Love their food!

Lauterbrunnen makes a great base.

"den of older folks"...hilarious.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 05:25 AM
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http://www.ultimate-ski.com/ski-reso...staurants.aspx

Well this report on Wengen's nightlife says a lot - 'not nearly as active as other places - read this and then you will know what I mean - I did not mean that there are NO pubs just that things are a lot lower key - read it please.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 05:29 AM
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You are here Home Ski ResortsSwitzerlandBernese OberlandWengenBars & Restaurants
Wengen Bars & Restaurants Apres ski in Wengen is relatively quiet and takes place mostly in half a dozen of bars and hotel lounge bars. It’s definitely not a place for dancing in ski-boots or partying hard and late. Wengen has around 20 restaurants mostly in hotels and serving a wide range of cuisine from seasonal Swiss specialities to international gourmet dishes.
- See more at: http://www.ultimate-ski.com/ski-reso....mC8Id8HE.dpuf

this site vigorously disagrees with you swandav and supports exactly my take - read it - I could not get the link above to open so re-printed it here.

"Relatively quiet and a half-dozen pubs" - yup sounds like a big party town to me - again read what folks really in the know know!

families and older folk will love Wengen - younger - 20s type will probably be bored stiff - teh average one.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 05:36 AM
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Lauterbrunnen has disco pubs - does Wengen - Grindelwald has live rock music - does Wengen?

The same site I quote from above about Wengen's relatively quiet apres-ski things says this about Grindelwald:

Grindelwald Bars & Restaurants
Of the three main Jungfrau region villages, Grindelwald has the most bars, restaurants and nightlife ski by a long shot. This should be your base if apres ski and nightlife are important to you."

convinced that Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen have more active apres-ski things than Wengen - again I quote: GRINDELWALD HAS THE MOST BARS, RESTAURANTS AND NIGHTLIFE SKI BY A LONG SHOT"

Please do your own research so you do not give misleading info about Engen hopping as much as those other two places and that has always been my message - older folks seeking calm will find it more in Wengen than the other two and vice versa.

I'll take this site's take over yours, pardon me for doing so.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 07:02 AM
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<The train from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald does not take a full day. Please.>

Please yourself. Read the comment in the context that it was written. OP was asking if the entire activity of the train rides, cablecars and hike from Mannlichen to KS and a visit to Grindelwald would take up the better part of a day. And I agree, that yes, it would. The train by itself would not, but ALL the activities would.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 10:43 AM
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The train from Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald does not take a full day. Please.>

but the train Wengen-Kl Scheidegg-Jungfraujoch-Kl Scheiedegg-Grindelwald could take much of a day, depending how long you stay at the summit of the Jungfraujoch - the must trip for many coming to this area.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 12:09 PM
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Thank you all for the advice...For my interests, and convenience for a transportation base, and wallet, Lauterbrunnen sounds like what I'm looking for. Thanks Michele, re a full day, that's exactly what I was asking. You spared me from suggesting that pepper take some valium. And pepper, I've heard countless descriptions of Gimmelwald similar to how Palen described it...it may not be of interest to you, but I look forward to stopping there.
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 12:43 PM
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I stayed twice in Gimmelwald overnight and yes that is a neat experience but only for one night each time (was researching it for an article I wrote) and never again - I am a city person but for one night - wow so many stars I'd never seen.

a unique experience no longer available I believe is to 'sleep in the Straw' as I did once - in a cow barn during the summer when the bovines were up in dem hills and another time in the funky local youth hostel. But a place that I will come back thru but now I like Interlaken as my favorite base in the area - having stayed several times in Grindelwald and Laterbrunnen - and for a first visit I would efinitely stay up in dem hills, eyeball to eyeball with the soaring peaks - one day whilst camping in Grindelwald there was a huge thunder storm - they say that happens about once a day in summer in those climes and man the water shooting off the sheer face of cliffs thousands of feet high was something to behold.

First timers by all means stay in the hills not Interlaken, as charming as that city is (if one gets off the main drag).

You need only look around to get the feeling or better yet have lunch or tea or a beer or whatever in the local hotel/resataurant. Gimmelwald is a very very different place that's for sure - am sure there are many of these isolated towns but Gimmelwald is not really isolated as with the cableway we get the rare chance to see such a place.

BTW Rick Steves did not invent or put Gimmelwald on the map (nor the Cinque Terre)!
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Old Mar 31st, 2015, 02:20 PM
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Very nice Palen, thanks. Even though I'm leaning toward Lauterbrunnen, I haven't ruled out Wengen..my only thought was Lauterbrunnen might be a more convenient transportation base. We are 2 couples, and found a 3 bedrm/2 bath apt for about $90/per nite per couple, and with great reviews. This will be our last stop on a 3 week trip, we'll be coming from the Bavarian Alps and the Austrian Alps.
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