We're planning to spend 3-5 nights in the BO area in late June/early July. If the weather is good, we will probably spend most days hiking in the mountains but also want to explore Interlaken and the lakes. We're trying to decide between staying in Wengen and Interlaken. Wengen sounds more scenic and convenient for hiking, but we're concerned it might be a little boring and will not have too many choices for good dinners in the evening. Interlaken sounds like it will have much more to do and might have more comfortable weather in the evenings? but would mean spending a lot more time on trains getting up into hiking areas.

Any advice would be much appreciated, as well as any recommendations on nice hotels.

BTW, we're also planning to spend a few days in Zermatt, in case that would change anyone's advice...we're not sure how it will compare to Wengen or Interlaken.

Thanks much

Stay in Lauterbrunnen, where you'll have the best of both. Easy train connections to anywhere in the BO, gorgeous scenery and great starting points for walks.

And Lauterbrunnen and Wengen will also be less expensive than Interlaken. Murren and Gimmelwald are also excellent choices for a home base for a hiking-filled itinerary in that region.

Don't worry about dining options. All the small towns mentioned will have plenty of good options to choose from, and if you really want to have dinner one night in Interlaken it's a quick train ride away.

Consider buying the Half Fare Card once you get to Switzerland. For 99 SF it gets you 1/2 off all trains and lifts in the country for a month, even private trains and lifts. A Berner Oberland Pass is about 220 SF for a week's worth of free second class travel anywhere in the BO except the Schilthorn lift and the Jungfraujoch (gives you 50% discount on those). You could zip between Interlaken, Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald, and Lauterbrunnen free of charge!

Wengen is perched up on a high shelf of the lauterbrunnen Valley. It is in a spectacular location.

I normally go to Lauterbrunnen because I stay a week at the time, and I have found a good apartment. But, I always go to Wengen for the views.

I am yet to see the logic in Gimmelwald. I walk though it on my way elsewhere.
There is not much there. I will admit that the places to stay are cheaper.

Grindelwald has the most night activity, but it is also the most crowded of the various places in the Berner Oberland region.

Bob, aside from the views, of course, my preference for Gimmelwald is due almost entirely to the fact that it's not a resort and that most people do just walk through it, paying it no mind. The locals who live there make most of their living doing something other than tourism, so I get the sense that I'm meeting more genuine Swiss than I might find elsewhere. What I see in the locals there doesn't seem to be simply a show for visitors, the way it appears in Interlaken or Grindlewald.

Gimmelwald is certainly rustic. I find that a plus, but others consider it a minus. One definite drawback for me is that there's no food store in town, so you have to go at least to Murren to stock up for a hike.

Gimmelwald definitely has cheap lodging! The Mountain Hostel has beds for under $20 a night! B&Bs for about $40. You can even sleep in a barn during the summer. I think I also prefer Gimmelwald because it gives me a respite from tourists who need so much pampering.

And of course Gimmelwald is a great starting point for a lot of hiking on the Schilthorn side of the valley. But I think you're right that Lauterbrunnen is an ideal combination of centrality, convienence and size.

You really can't go wrong with any of these choices. If night life is your thing, then Interlaken or Grindelwald's for you. Lauterbrunnen is incredibly beautiful, bot overcrowded or overcommercialized, and convenient to scads of places. Wengen and Muerren are fairly small villages but with a surprisingly rich and vaired shopping and eating/drinking venue. Gimmelwald is what others say it is, but if you like total peace and quiet, including a chance to sleep in the hay, try it. Eating choices are somewhat limited though.

Stay in Wengen. The location is spectacular, the views breathtaking and I agree with the other posters that there is a big variety for dining. It is true that the transportation to/from Wengen is a bit inconvenient with the train changes, but these train rides are part of the fun for me.

Interlaken is really busy and crowded, noisy and IMO it doesn't offer a similar mountain experience like Wengen.

I liked the four star hotel Regina in Wengen. The rooms to the south offer gorgeous views, the service and food are excellent.

Other options are the three star hotels Belvedere and Bellevue, recommended by other posters here on Fodors.