Grindelwald vs Lauterbrunnen, where to stay?
Anthony from Australia is planning a family trip to the Swiss Alps next July with his wife, three adult children, and his wife's sister. He is considering staying in either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald and wants advice on which town has better views and more dining options.
- Grindelwald has better views of the mountains and more restaurant options than Lauterbrunnen.
- Lauterbrunnen offers stunning views of waterfalls and the valley but can feel gloomy in bad weather.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is recommended as it allows free travel in the Jungfrau region, covering areas like Grindelwald and Wengen.
AI-generated summary-
Hi. We are travelling to the Swiss Alps next July and are not sure where to stay. I will be travelling with my wife, My 3 adult children and my wife’s sister. I was originally thinking of staying in Lauterbrunnen, but on some further research, noticed Grindlewald might have more restaurant/ bar options. Is this the case ? Also which town has better views. I see that Lauterbrunnen is in a valley with waterfalls around it, but do you still get great views of the alps ? Is Grindlewald surrounded by the Alps ?
Anthony- Australia
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Hi Anthony and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
Both towns are in the Alps and are surrounded by mountains. Some tourists prefer Lauterbrunnen as it is a bit more in the centre regarding day trips. I, personally prefer Grindelwald as I think it has better views.
Some tourists stay in Wengen or in Mürren.
I think that any of these towns will be great and you’ll enjoy the Swiss Alps. 🙂
You can find accommodation here:
- Mürren: http://www.myswissalps.com/murren/hotels
- Wengen: http://www.myswissalps.com/wengen/hotels
- Grindelwald: http://www.myswissalps.com/grindelwald/hotels
- Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen/hotels
I hope this helps,
Ildiko
Lauterbrunnen is indeed in a valley and has great views of the water falls and the valley”
Grindlewald has much better views of the mountains and many more options for restaurants and bars.
Wengen (IMHO) has the best views of all but not nearly as many options for restaurants and bars.
Hi. Thanks for that information. We will be coming from Basel and probably getting a Swiss Travel Pass so will we be able to store our luggage in compartments on the train or do we hold them next to us on our seats or the aisle ?
There are different train types: in some cases you can store luggage above your head on a shelf, in other cases you can put the bad between the seats. Sometimes you can store them at the beginning or end of a coach.
In general, you are not allowed to put luggage on the seats.
Learn more about how to transport your luggage on Swiss trains: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/luggage
Ildiko
Hi. As we will be travelling through other areas of Europe, we are thinking of getting a Eurail pass. Are these passes valid throughout Switzerland and the Swiss Alps ?
Hi Azurzolo1!
The Eurail Global Pass offers discounts on most regular train, bus and boat routes. Its coverage for mountain routes isn’t as good as that of most Swiss rail passes though. This especially goes for the Jungfrau region you want to visit: all routes south of Interlaken are discounted by 25%. The Swiss Travel Pass on the other hand allows free traveling in this area up to Grindelwald/Wengen/Mürren. Mountain routes are mostly discounted by 50%, the only exception being the Jungfraujoch at a 25% discount.
You can compare validity details here:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass/validity
- https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/validity
This page may help you find the pass that suits your travel plans best: https://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.
Not necessarily the case in July when the sun is high in the sky, but Lauterbrunnen can be ‘dingy’ morning and evening and in bad weather as it is in a deep valley. In my opinion Grindelwald, Wengen or Murren are better as they are all perched up on Alps (in case you didn’t know and ‘Alp’ is the open area of grassland between hills and mountains., not the mountains themselves).
You can also stay in Interlaken or Unterseen, or a village along the shores of the lakes (Thunersee and Brienzersee) and jump off for all the area’s attractions from a central point.
We quite enjoyed our time in Mürren! Great views and nice hiking!
Actually…. Stunning Views!
Nice pics!!
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