I have been reading all the posts here comparing Murren, Wengen and Grindelwald. Everyone seems to rave about Murren, but some friends told me that Grindelwald is better in terms of transportation in/out of the town. <BR><BR>Their comment was that Murren is more isolated, the last transport is around 9pm, and if weather is poor, the transport does not run. Therefore, they suggested staying in Grindelwald.<BR><BR>Any truth, additional advise you can give on the subject? We are going to be there the end of August. <BR><BR>Thank you

We actually stayed in Lauterbrunnen. We visited Grindenwald on this trip, but found it to be MUCH too touristy. We loved Lautterbrunnen, staying in the Hotel Staubbach. Easy rides to get to Grindenwald, Murren, Wengen. You might consider this!

I have been in Lauterbrunnen over the years for a period of several weeks, and I think I know a little about the transportation system.<BR><BR>Private cars do not drive to either Wengen or M&uuml;rren. Both are served by public transportation from Lauterbrunnen.<BR><BR>Grindelwald can be reached by highway, and private cars are allowed over all of the village as far as I know. the same is true of Lauterbrunnen.<BR><BR>If you are limited to the train, you can get to just about all of those villages until midnight during the summer.<BR><BR>M&uuml;rren can be reached from Lauterbrunnen until 23:35 (nearly midnight). A bus runs from the train station in Lauterbrunnen to the Luftseilbahn in Stechelberg.<BR>The bus leaves Lauterbrunnen at 23:05 and the cable car (Luftseilbahn) arrives in M&uuml;rren at 23:35. <BR><BR>The last train out of Interlaken Ost that you can take to make the last connection is 22:35. The trip obviously takes 1 hour.<BR>The last train for Wengen leaves Interlaken Ost at 23:38 and gets into Wengen about 15 minutes after midnight.<BR>That is also the last train for Grindelwald out of Interlaken Ost as well. <BR><BR>If the wind is blowing hard, there is a chance that the Luftseilbahn cannot run. It is a big car suspended on a heavy cable, and it is susceptible to the wind. But, chances of a hard thunderstorm at night are relatively low, and that end of the valley is relatively sheltered.<BR><BR>If you are going to M&uuml;rren with the idea of going in and out frequently, I wonder why you have not chosen another destination. <BR><BR>

Thanks Scott and Bob:<BR><BR>To clarify, I wasn't thinking about using Murren as a base for traveling in/out extensively. I simply meant if we wanted to go to Wengen or Grindelwald for the day, or some other neighboring village, I didn't want to get stuck with no-way to get back to Murren. <BR><BR>The way my friends had described it, it sounded like Murren was much more susceptible to shut downs that you described. <BR><BR>Thanks for taking the time to respond to my posting.<BR><BR>

Linda, I feel the urge to comment further on the transportation situation.<BR><BR>There are two routes to M&uuml;rren from Lauterbrunnen. One way is to take the bus to Stechelberg and than take the Luftseilbahn (literally air, cable, way). The other way is take the Drahtseilbahn from Lauterbrunnen up to Grutschalp and then take the little train to M&uuml;rren. The Drahtseilbahn is a cable pulled car that runs on rails.<BR>It operates until 9 PM in August.<BR><BR>The station is just up the hill from the train station. It is quite close.<BR><BR>It would take a ferocious storm to shut<BR>that vehicle down. I don't think it will happen in the summer. <BR><BR>The other problem arises in making the connection from Grindelwald back to Lauterbrunnen. The last train that makes a good connection leaves Grindelwald at 18:20 <BR>After that, you have a long wait at Zweil&uuml;tschinen for the train to Lauterbrunnen. As a result, the trip takes over an hour.<BR><BR>If you go to Grindelwald during the day, you can get back easily to M&uuml;rren if you leave at 18:20 (6:20 in the afternoon).<BR>You would get back to M&uuml;rren in time for dinner.<BR><BR>I agree that Grindelwald is touristy.<BR>I stay in Lauterbrunnen because it is not as overtrodden with tourists, and it is smaller. However, the streets can be crowded during the day.<BR><BR>Let me say a couple words about the train system.<BR>The main line from Interlaken Ost follows a single track to a village called Zweil&uuml;tschinen (where the two branches of the L&uuml;tschinen Rivers meet).<BR>There the track divides. The south branch goes to Lauterbrunnen; the east branch goes to Grindelwald.<BR>If you wait until after 16:20 to take the train back to Lauterbrunnen, the schedule is not in your favor. You have to wait at Zweil&uuml;tschinen for the train to Lauterbrunnen for about an hour. There is not much of a place there to wait. So you just stand around twiddling your thumbs. I would be tempted to start walking because it is not that far, and a good walker could beat the train!<BR>

Thanks again Bob! <BR><BR>I will look into hotels in Lauterbrunnen, and Murren. There have been lots of posts about this subject, so I will review everyone's comments.<BR><BR>Have a great day!<BR><BR>

OOPS. The train time from Grindelwald for the last quick connection back to Lauterbrunnen is 18:20 or 6:20 PM.<BR>I put the wrong time in up above.<BR><BR>Here is my take on the hotel selection.<BR>If I were going to be there 2 or 3 days and wanted to view the mountains from the best place, I would select M&uuml;rren.<BR><BR>I stay for a whole week, and go somewhere from my base everyday. Therefore, I selected Lauterbrunnen because of the easy in, easy out, central location. <BR><BR>On the other hand, I think M&uuml;rren has a great location. The Jungfrau and the M&ouml;nch are in full view, as are some of the other peaks of the range.<BR><BR>I always visit M&uuml;rren during my time there because the view is so good.<BR>One of my favorite walks is the trail from the station at Grutschalp to M&uuml;rren. It is a fairly flat route for the mountains and the main range of the Berner Oberland is in front of your the whole way. I cannot think of a more pleasant stroll to take in the summer.<BR>

<BR>I hate to add another layer of considerations at this late date, but you might want to reconsider Wengen. <BR><BR>If you do decide that Muerren is a bit too remote for you, the logical compromise would be Wengen, not Grindelwald. Wengen is slightly more remote than Grindelwald and is also car-free. To me, the escalation in tourism & traffic goes from Muerren to Wengen to Grindelwald (sorry; I've never stopped in Lauterbrunnen so can't offer an opinion).<BR><BR>If you want to check the time schedules and play with these connections for yourself, go to www.rail.ch.<BR><BR>Best of luck!<BR>s <BR>

Linda, we stayed in Murren this past July and loved it. Didn't find transportation a problem because we enjoyed the ride up and down.<BR><BR>In deciding where to stay, ask yourself the following: If I went to Yosemite would I:<BR><BR>a) Stay outside the valley because I like to drive my car and want convenience and lots of people and restaurants? (then stay in Grindlewald)<BR>b) Stay in the valley itself and ride the tram around? (then stay in Lauterbrunnen) or<BR>c) Camp out up in the mountains with fewer people and really experience the mountains? (then stay in Wengen or Murren).<BR><BR>Now, where we stayed in Murren was definitely not camping but you get the idea. Go to the library or bookstore and look at Rick Steves Germany, Austria, and Switzerland book. He has a great map in there showing the transportation options in the Berner Oberland. <BR><BR>What month are you going?<BR> <BR>Ronda<BR><BR>PS There is a reason Murren is billed as the most romantic spot in the Berner Oberland.

Hello Bob, FYI, I am looking at a train schedule I picked up in July entitled Jungfraubahnen Timetable. It shows that the last train from Lauterbrunnen to Murren via Grutschalp and Winteregg leaves at 9 p.m. from June 16 through October 6 (not August). After October 6 the last train is at 8 p.m.

Thanks everyone for your advise. We are leaving in about a week, so I am pressed to make reservations.<BR><BR>Sounds like Murren has reasonable connections. It was my first choice for a location, but then our friends scared us a bit....so glad this forum exists for the questioning traveler!<BR><BR>