tanayabardhan

Hi everyone,

I will be visiting the BO area over this Christmas and plan to stay at Murren as I hear it has a quaint old charm and feel to it although it is a bit difficult to commute from.
I shall be arriving at Geneva airport and will take the train to Interlaken Ost. However, after this point how do i reach Murren?? I understand that this involves a cable car lift as well .. Where can I buy these tickets ? Do they have to be purchased in advance?? Also if I purchase the Swiss card or half fare card, do I get the discount right from the airport to Murren or only from Airport to Interlaken?
If anyone could provide information about the journey to and from Murren, it would be greatly appreciated.
If I stay at Murren, it will probably be at the Alpenruh - how far is this from Murren BLM (the train station) as all the major trains to Jungfraujoch etc are from this station ??
Also I plan to do the snow walks/sledging activities in the Murren area. How and where can I buy these tickets?

Thanks in advance

pookymimi

We did the same two weeks ago.

We took the train in Interlaken Ost to Lauterbraunen and then we took the bus from the station to Stechelberg. Once then we took the cable car to Grimmelwald and once there we jump on the next cable car on the right that goes to Murren next stop.
We bought the tickets right there.

BillJ

We did BO several years ago, and stayed at Muerren. Of all our years of travel, it is always placed among the top 5 of places we have been or stayed. We also stayed at the Alpenruh. It was fantastic. Every room looks out on the valley and across to the sheer cliffs.
The hotel is at "the other end" of Muerren from where the cog train delivers you. We were there in summer a driving rainstorm. After getting off the train, I went across the street to the Hotel Eiger and begged them to call the Alpenruh for a car. They didn't like it very much, but a waitress called for me (I slipped her 5 Euro), and a few minutes later a car came. If the weather is ok, the walk is ok. It's pretty flat, on pavement, maybe about a 1/4 mile.
We travelling by car, but you have to get from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. According to this website;http://www.muerren.ch/start-e.htm
there is a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. We drove from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and parked the car there. The Lauterbrunnen train takes you up so far from there, then you switch to yet another train, a cogwheel train for the rest of the way.
The Alpenruh is at the end of Muerren's only street, about a 100 yards from the gondola up to the Shilthorn.
As you can tell, it is a bit complicated to get there. There were a lot of people there midday, but mornings and evenings, when the day crowds were gone, it was delightful. The Shilthorn is a good ski run I am told, and is famous for a James Bond type ski race every year. One of the James Bond movies was filmed there, with an action scene having one and all being chased down the mountain by the bad guys. The race now apparently has no rules. You start up at the top, and the first one down wins. No gates. No rules. At least that's how I remember the story told to me. Like I say I was there in the summer, and from the looks of the mountain, while a decent skier, I would not be a participant.
As I recall, the train system in the BO area is not part of the Swiss rail pass, but multi train/multi day tickets are available. There is a 50% discount on the Shilthorn gondola if you go up before a certain hour, can't remember exactly which time.

tanayabardhan

Thank you Pookymimi and BillJ for your prompt response. It seems complicated to get to Murren and I am having second thoughts about whether it is a good decision to have chosen Murren.
I just checked at www.rail.ch and apparently there is a route from Interlaken Ost right up to Murren BLM which involves about 4 changes and all of it via train, so I am guessing it must be BillJ's route..

Also will anyone be able to advise me whether December is a good time to be visiting. We want to see lots and lots of snow

Another question that comes to mind is -- While taking the train to Jungfraujoch, can we stop at Kleine Scheidegg for the while and then maybe take the next train all the way up or is my ticket valid for only the particular timings printed on it? And is it a good idea to buy the Jungfraujoch tickets in advance or should I get them when I am there??

pookymimi

I didn't find it complicated one bit, but that is because we'd been traveling all over for almost 7 weeks....
It's pretty simple, just it would take you about 1.5 hrs to get there. I believe the train route is longer than the one we did, train/gondola.

I don't know about December and I wouldn't buy tickets to Jungfraujoch in advance as we couldn't go 2 weeks ago because it was cold, cold and close, so I would buy them same day depending on weather.

FlyFish

It's really quite straightforward to get to Muerren. If you're taking the train (Berner Oberland Bahn - "BOB"), it leaves from the Interlaken Ost station. Be sure to get in one of the cars labeled "Lauterbrunnen" on a small placard by the door - the train will split at Zweiluetschinen, with the other cars going to Grindelwald. When you get to the end of the line at Lauterbrunnen simply walk across the street to the tram, which replaced the old funicular a few years ago. It's a short trip up to the top of the cliff, where there will be a narrow-gauge train waiting to take you into Muerren. There is no train that will take you all the way into Muerren from Interlaken - you must take one of the two trams up the cliff (the other one being at Stechelberg, a bit further up the valley, and reachable by bus as an earlier poster mentioned. The cogwheel train mentioned earlier goes from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, on the other side of the valley from Muerren, then to Kleine Scheidegg and eventually (changing at KS) to Grindelwald.

I agree absolutely that you shouldn't buy tickets for the Jungfraujoch until you see if the weather is clear. Except for a couple of viewpoints cut into the mountain, and at the top, you'll be in a tunnel the entire time - so if things are socked in there's really nothing to see.

I've skied in the Jungfrau area several times, and December will be a bit iffy for snow - there certainly should be some at the higher elevations, but I'd never book a ski trip at that time and wouldn't expect to see snow in the valleys. BTW, I've skied that run from the top of the Schilthorn, back in the day when they let it get really bumped up. Got down in one piece, but I can't say I was comfortable on it. The James Bond movie is "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and it's well worth seeing before your trip, as is Clint Eastwood's "The Eiger Sanction" which was filmed on location and has good scenes of Kleine Scheidegg.

tanayabardhan

@pookymimi : That sounds like a good tip, to see the weather and then buy the Jungfraujoch tickets, esp since they are quite pricey.

@Flyfish : I have never ski-ed before. In fact I have never seen lots of snow before So this will be the very first time hopefully. If there is more snow in January, I don't mind going around then either. I just hope I manage to find some gentle slopes

Also I was wondering if it would be a good idea to buy the BO regional pass which will give me free transportation almost everywhere in the area till KS and Schilthorn and its 50% for the rest of the way.

FlyFish

Snow depth is quite variable year-to-year, so it's all about the probabilities - in typical years, there will be more snow in January than in December, still more in February, and usually even more in early March. If you're going primarily, or even in part, for the skiing then January will be a more snow-sure month than December. We like to go in late Feb/early Mar because the snow is better, days longer, and temperatures better suited for lingering with a beer at the restaurants on the slopes.

As a never-ever, you'll initially be confined to the lower nursery slopes, so it's more important for you to have good snow depths on the lower runs than it is for advanced skiers who can handle the upper slopes. It helps that Muerren is at a higher altitude than the other bases in the area (Wengen, about a thousand feet lower - and Grindelwald, another thousand feet below that) because the slopes right around town will be more likely to have skiable snow early in the season. Consider taking a lesson right from the start to shorten the learning process - you'll enjoy skiing much more if you do.

I'm afraid I can't help much with the BO regional pass. We've only ever been there for the skiing and so purchase a Jungfrau-area lift pass, which includes all the trains and trams in the area (even back to Interlaken) and also provides a discount on Jungfraujoch tickets.

The Ski Club of Great Britain web site is a great resource for ski trip planning - you can access much of their information free and, if you join the Club, there's much more available. Highly recommended. www.skiclub.co.uk