Murren or Wengen?
 

I would be interested in hearing from those of you who have visited both locations. According to Rick Steves' guidebook, Murren offers more hiking opportunities (though I would want easy, non-strenuous, shorter hikes). After looking at many posts on this board, Wengen seems a favorite. I'm looking for breathtaking scenary, peaceful surroundings, and relief from the stress of high school teaching (so maybe the place that draws fewer kids??).

There are good train connections throughout the Jungfrau region, so you could stay at one and easily visit the other. Wengen is a little more centrally located, so that would be my choice between the two.

Thanks, Heimdall! The photos Fun4all4 provided of Wengen are just spectacular.

I booked myself into Murren for 4 nights and ended up decamping early to a lower altitude (Spiez) so I could have more variety in my choices for what to do each day, using the train. I've never been to Wengen but apart from Interlaken, there wasn't anyplace in that area I saw that was not spectacular in and of itself, whether it be the valley floors, the mid-range or the high peaks.

Hi S,

This question has been asked many, many times before. Simply put your question in the seach box and read forever.

Both are gems - but Murren too isolated to explore the Jungfrau region easily and less expensively - that Murren has better hiking is a bunch of bull tweed to me - no one can say it has better hiking than the Wengen area. Wengen is very quiet - too quiet for me so i base in Interlaken but seems just what you're looking for.

hi susan,

There are many schools of thought on this and you can read other opinions by searching. Obviously, we chose Wengen so will give you our opinion and you can make the best choice for your interests and style.

Wengen is a bit larger than Murren. We considered Murren, but decided on an area with slightly more size. Also, right now one of the main routes up to Murren (the one connecting Lauterbrunnen up to Grutschalp which then connects on to Murren) is closed. I'm not sure when it reopens but it does make access to Murren a little more challenging, but not impossible. Just go on to Stechelberg and take the cable up to Gimmelwald and then to Murren.

One of the reasons I loved Wengen as opposed to some of the places in the valley was that it is car free so very peaceful. However, while not hard to connect to other things, it is a bit more "out of the way," which was a plus for us but not for others.

Lauterbrunnen is in the valley and charming with easy access. It is a bit busier than Wengen or Murren but not really busy like Interlaken. Going through Interlaken, I thought it looked fine, but is more of a gateway city. Very convenient if you want lots of day trips in different directions, but not as charming as being right up in the mountains.

As for hiking, there were plenty of hiking options out of Wengen, plus you could easily head to the Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen or Murren areas for other hikes.

I hope that helps. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have. The area is so beautiful that you can't go wrong. And, it is so well-served by excellent transportation that moving around is easy.

Thanks for all your interesting viewpoints. I will look for previous threads on the topic, as well. Fun4all4, thank you for taking the time to explain why you chose Wengen. The Alpenrose looks like a good hotel choice, as well.

Susan

This thread is probably done, but I thought I could "feel your pain" because I travel to ease the stress of teaching too (10 year olds). DH and I had a great time in the Lauterbrunnen Valley with breathtaking scenery from our balcony at the VERY budget conscious Staubbach Hotel. We were there on our own, but there was a Rick Steves group staying there. We hiked to Murren and Wengen, ate lunch, shopped...etc. Murren is beautiful, but isolated. It's the quietest at night and there were absolutely no children in site when we were there several years ago in August. There were quite a few families in Wengen, but mostly because of the quaint, little row of shops. All three were hike accessible and had views to die for of the waterfalls and mt. peaks. You won't have any problems staying at the Alpenrose, go ahead. Grindelwald and Interlaken will be the most touristy, crawling with kids too when we were there. We had lunch and made a quick exit back to our hotel area where it is car free after a certain point!

Thanks, Susan. I appreciate your comments. Yes, travel is a great elixer for relieving teacher tension.