Murren or Wengen?
Mar 30th, 2011, 08:44 AM
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Murren or Wengen?
I am going to the Lauterbrunnen area for 3 days this June and I'm having a hard time deciding if I will stay in Murren or Wengen. I have never been to either. I want to see some the waterfalls (which seem to be accessed only from Lauterbrunnen...), but I also want to hike the BEST trails in the area as well as go paragliding. With that being my plans, which of the two cities would best suit me? I realize they are close together, but I want to spend as little time as possible on the trains. Also, which trails are the best in that region for a 1/2 day hike or less? ANY tips would be appreciated! Thanks!
Mar 30th, 2011, 09:25 AM
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As I wrote on your other thread if you do not want to be on trains only when absolutely necessary do NOT base in Murren as at times it will take you up to an hour each way to get there from Lautrbrunnen, which you must traverse to get to any other place in the Jungfrau Region just about. Wengen is only a few-minute train trip from Lauterbrunnen.
For lots on Swiss trains, lake boats (do not neglect going down to Interlaken and taking a lake boat ride on one of the lakes that bookend Interlaken - a really sweet thing to do IMO, especially on a nice sunny day!) - check out these sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com (check this one for lots on Gimmelwald, near Murren).
And I have copied a reply I just made on a different thread that could be pertinent to your question - if not basing in Murren be sure to do the Lauterbrunnen-Murren (Schilthorn) Gimmelwald-Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen loop!
How about Murren for a day to walk around a mountain village. Any other options?
PalenQ on Mar 30, 11 at 11:45am Murren is a great destination for a tremendous, the most tremendous in the Jungfrau Region IMO, excursion - from Lauterbrunnen (direct train from Interlaken; train from Grindelwald with just one change) you take the new thrilling aerial cable car up to Grutschalp, a few thousand feet above Lauterbrunnen and on the edge of the cliff - then a neat tiny electric train scoots you right near the cliff edge to Murren, once an outpost of Brits and now a quiet (car-less) village with fab views across the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley to the ice-girdled Jungfrau Massif in all its glory.
From Murren you can catch what has been called the longest aerial cableway in the Alps - from Murren to Piz Gloria and the Schilthorn - an icy outpost whose revolving restaurant was built to be a prop in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Service, which was in part shot here.
Anyway the Schilthorn is in the middle of nowhere with great 360 degree views that extend down to Interlaken, sedged between its two lakes that bookend it, and for miles over the jagged icy spine of Switzerland.
The revolving restaurant is still there.
Then return to Murren and keep on going on the aerial cableway down to Gimmelwald, a lost in time and in the middle of nowhere farming hamlet with a simply surrelaistic subline serene setting with the Jungfrau Massif again in clear view across the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Then an even more thrilling IMO aerial cableway plungs you like a falling airplace back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg, where postal buses take you the few miles back to Lauterbrunnen.
All in all IMO the finest excursion in all the of Jungfrau Region. And if you have a Swiss Pass all the transports are covered 100% except the Murren to Schilthorn portion which is 50% discounted. Folks with flexipasses will find this a great day to use one of the 100% covered flexible travel days.
For lots on Swiss trains, lake boats (do not neglect going down to Interlaken and taking a lake boat ride on one of the lakes that bookend Interlaken - a really sweet thing to do IMO, especially on a nice sunny day!) - check out these sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com (check this one for lots on Gimmelwald, near Murren).
And I have copied a reply I just made on a different thread that could be pertinent to your question - if not basing in Murren be sure to do the Lauterbrunnen-Murren (Schilthorn) Gimmelwald-Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen loop!
How about Murren for a day to walk around a mountain village. Any other options?
PalenQ on Mar 30, 11 at 11:45am Murren is a great destination for a tremendous, the most tremendous in the Jungfrau Region IMO, excursion - from Lauterbrunnen (direct train from Interlaken; train from Grindelwald with just one change) you take the new thrilling aerial cable car up to Grutschalp, a few thousand feet above Lauterbrunnen and on the edge of the cliff - then a neat tiny electric train scoots you right near the cliff edge to Murren, once an outpost of Brits and now a quiet (car-less) village with fab views across the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley to the ice-girdled Jungfrau Massif in all its glory.
From Murren you can catch what has been called the longest aerial cableway in the Alps - from Murren to Piz Gloria and the Schilthorn - an icy outpost whose revolving restaurant was built to be a prop in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Service, which was in part shot here.
Anyway the Schilthorn is in the middle of nowhere with great 360 degree views that extend down to Interlaken, sedged between its two lakes that bookend it, and for miles over the jagged icy spine of Switzerland.
The revolving restaurant is still there.
Then return to Murren and keep on going on the aerial cableway down to Gimmelwald, a lost in time and in the middle of nowhere farming hamlet with a simply surrelaistic subline serene setting with the Jungfrau Massif again in clear view across the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Then an even more thrilling IMO aerial cableway plungs you like a falling airplace back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg, where postal buses take you the few miles back to Lauterbrunnen.
All in all IMO the finest excursion in all the of Jungfrau Region. And if you have a Swiss Pass all the transports are covered 100% except the Murren to Schilthorn portion which is 50% discounted. Folks with flexipasses will find this a great day to use one of the 100% covered flexible travel days.
Mar 30th, 2011, 09:25 AM
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As I wrote on your other thread if you do not want to be on trains only when absolutely necessary do NOT base in Murren as at times it will take you up to an hour each way to get there from Lautrbrunnen, which you must traverse to get to any other place in the Jungfrau Region just about. Wengen is only a few-minute train trip from Lauterbrunnen.
For lots on Swiss trains, lake boats (do not neglect going down to Interlaken and taking a lake boat ride on one of the lakes that bookend Interlaken - a really sweet thing to do IMO, especially on a nice sunny day!) - check out these sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com (check this one for lots on Gimmelwald, near Murren).
And I have copied a reply I just made on a different thread that could be pertinent to your question - if not basing in Murren be sure to do the Lauterbrunnen-Murren (Schilthorn) Gimmelwald-Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen loop!
How about Murren for a day to walk around a mountain village. Any other options?
PalenQ on Mar 30, 11 at 11:45am Murren is a great destination for a tremendous, the most tremendous in the Jungfrau Region IMO, excursion - from Lauterbrunnen (direct train from Interlaken; train from Grindelwald with just one change) you take the new thrilling aerial cable car up to Grutschalp, a few thousand feet above Lauterbrunnen and on the edge of the cliff - then a neat tiny electric train scoots you right near the cliff edge to Murren, once an outpost of Brits and now a quiet (car-less) village with fab views across the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley to the ice-girdled Jungfrau Massif in all its glory.
From Murren you can catch what has been called the longest aerial cableway in the Alps - from Murren to Piz Gloria and the Schilthorn - an icy outpost whose revolving restaurant was built to be a prop in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Service, which was in part shot here.
Anyway the Schilthorn is in the middle of nowhere with great 360 degree views that extend down to Interlaken, sedged between its two lakes that bookend it, and for miles over the jagged icy spine of Switzerland.
The revolving restaurant is still there.
Then return to Murren and keep on going on the aerial cableway down to Gimmelwald, a lost in time and in the middle of nowhere farming hamlet with a simply surrelaistic subline serene setting with the Jungfrau Massif again in clear view across the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Then an even more thrilling IMO aerial cableway plungs you like a falling airplace back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg, where postal buses take you the few miles back to Lauterbrunnen.
All in all IMO the finest excursion in all the of Jungfrau Region. And if you have a Swiss Pass all the transports are covered 100% except the Murren to Schilthorn portion which is 50% discounted. Folks with flexipasses will find this a great day to use one of the 100% covered flexible travel days.
For lots on Swiss trains, lake boats (do not neglect going down to Interlaken and taking a lake boat ride on one of the lakes that bookend Interlaken - a really sweet thing to do IMO, especially on a nice sunny day!) - check out these sites - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com (check this one for lots on Gimmelwald, near Murren).
And I have copied a reply I just made on a different thread that could be pertinent to your question - if not basing in Murren be sure to do the Lauterbrunnen-Murren (Schilthorn) Gimmelwald-Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen loop!
How about Murren for a day to walk around a mountain village. Any other options?
PalenQ on Mar 30, 11 at 11:45am Murren is a great destination for a tremendous, the most tremendous in the Jungfrau Region IMO, excursion - from Lauterbrunnen (direct train from Interlaken; train from Grindelwald with just one change) you take the new thrilling aerial cable car up to Grutschalp, a few thousand feet above Lauterbrunnen and on the edge of the cliff - then a neat tiny electric train scoots you right near the cliff edge to Murren, once an outpost of Brits and now a quiet (car-less) village with fab views across the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley to the ice-girdled Jungfrau Massif in all its glory.
From Murren you can catch what has been called the longest aerial cableway in the Alps - from Murren to Piz Gloria and the Schilthorn - an icy outpost whose revolving restaurant was built to be a prop in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Service, which was in part shot here.
Anyway the Schilthorn is in the middle of nowhere with great 360 degree views that extend down to Interlaken, sedged between its two lakes that bookend it, and for miles over the jagged icy spine of Switzerland.
The revolving restaurant is still there.
Then return to Murren and keep on going on the aerial cableway down to Gimmelwald, a lost in time and in the middle of nowhere farming hamlet with a simply surrelaistic subline serene setting with the Jungfrau Massif again in clear view across the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Then an even more thrilling IMO aerial cableway plungs you like a falling airplace back down to the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg, where postal buses take you the few miles back to Lauterbrunnen.
All in all IMO the finest excursion in all the of Jungfrau Region. And if you have a Swiss Pass all the transports are covered 100% except the Murren to Schilthorn portion which is 50% discounted. Folks with flexipasses will find this a great day to use one of the 100% covered flexible travel days.
Mar 30th, 2011, 10:23 AM
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Every hotel and accommodation I have been in in the Jungfrau Region will have a complementary copy of Jungfrau Magazine and it contains a great relief map of the whole region with footpaths clearly indicated and rated with three degrees of difficulty from easy to strenuous - plus you can see the drops and inclines - and IMO constant braking required going down a steep trail can be as fatiguing as climbing!
Mar 30th, 2011, 01:05 PM
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thanks for thanks - from Wengen you can access the most famous stroll in the whole Jungfrau Region - an easy fairly flat few-mile stroll from Mannlichen (accessible by chair lift from Wengen or a steep- STEEP - hiking path and then follow this wide well-maintained path to Kleine Scheidegg - the walk is so easy baby strollers can do it but is remarkable because you get tremendous views from Mannlichen over Interlaken and its bookending lakes so so very far below and on the trail to Kl. Scheidegg nifty views of both the Grindelwald amphitheater and the deep Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Mar 31st, 2011, 07:20 AM
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another neat hike involving Wengen that I have taken goes from Kleine Scheidegg down to Wengen - this is a broad gently descending trail that even mountain bikes traverse - it takes a few hours and you have scintillating views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley far below the whole way - you could for a great day of hiking do Wengen to Mannlichen - Mannlichen to Kl Scheidegg and then down to Wengen.
At Kl Scheidegg you could also hop the train to the Jungfraujoch station - the highest train station in the Alps as part of this day - I walked down to Wengen after returning from Jungfraujoch - saving some money because if I had taken the train even with a Swiss Pass I'd have had to pay 50% of the Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen fare (up to Wengen from Interlaken a Swiss Pass covers trains 100%).
At Kl Scheidegg you could also hop the train to the Jungfraujoch station - the highest train station in the Alps as part of this day - I walked down to Wengen after returning from Jungfraujoch - saving some money because if I had taken the train even with a Swiss Pass I'd have had to pay 50% of the Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen fare (up to Wengen from Interlaken a Swiss Pass covers trains 100%).
Mar 31st, 2011, 09:29 AM
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Both of your ideas sound fantastic! (Wengen>Mannlichen>K.S. and the most recent idea). My wife and now plan to do only one hike from Wengen, so which of the two ideas you mentioned do you recommend most? We want to venture to Murren for a one of the three days we are there and take the hike you mentioned in an earlier post. Thanks again, you have been MOST helpful!
Mar 31st, 2011, 11:42 AM
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Well the hike from Wengen up to the Mannlichen is steep - very steep - but it depends on how easy or difficult you want the hike. I'd take the lift to Mannlichen then do the easy easy walk to Kl Scheidegg (and this is the most popular and famous walk in the Jungfrau Region) and if not tired then do the more gently descending wide track hike down back down to Wengen.
Which one if only one - then I'd say the Mannlichen to Kl Schiedegg hike and then either go up to Jungfraujoch on train from there or take train back down to Wengen.
Mannlichen is a fabled viewpoint - I'd say the most celebrated viewpoint in the Jungfrau Region so do not miss that in any case - just a quick chairlift up there from Wengen.
With either one you cannot go wrong! and these are both easy hikes where no special shoes other than atheltic shoes are needed.
For solitutde the Kl Scheidegg to Wengen hike will see few other hikes compared to the rather busy Mannlichen to Kl Schiedegg hike (which of course can be done in reverse as well - say you take the train to the Jungfraujoch and then come back to Kl Scheidegg and waltz over to Mannlichen, taking the cablecar back down to Wengen.
Which one if only one - then I'd say the Mannlichen to Kl Schiedegg hike and then either go up to Jungfraujoch on train from there or take train back down to Wengen.
Mannlichen is a fabled viewpoint - I'd say the most celebrated viewpoint in the Jungfrau Region so do not miss that in any case - just a quick chairlift up there from Wengen.
With either one you cannot go wrong! and these are both easy hikes where no special shoes other than atheltic shoes are needed.
For solitutde the Kl Scheidegg to Wengen hike will see few other hikes compared to the rather busy Mannlichen to Kl Schiedegg hike (which of course can be done in reverse as well - say you take the train to the Jungfraujoch and then come back to Kl Scheidegg and waltz over to Mannlichen, taking the cablecar back down to Wengen.
Apr 1st, 2011, 09:09 AM
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Other nice hikes... If you do the Murren Loop then instead of riding the cable car from Murren down to Gimmelwald (do not miss spending at least a few minutes in this totally unique place! Perhaps have a drink or meal at the local guesthouse/hotel) you can take an easy walk of at most a few miles downhill - gently downhill to Gimmelwald, again with sweeping views over the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
An nice way to incorporate an easy walk over a paved footpath into this tremendous excursion.
An nice way to incorporate an easy walk over a paved footpath into this tremendous excursion.
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