Hiking from Grütschalp to Mürren – is the view better walking down?
A traveler named Suemartha is planning a trip from Wengen to Schilthorn in mid September. They want to know if the views while hiking up from Murren to Grutschalp are as good as hiking down to Murren. Suemartha is considering taking the cable car down from Grutschalp to reach the top earlier and is looking for the best plan to make the most of their trip.
- Hiking from Murren to Grutschalp offers some nice views, but the scenery is directly in front when going downhill from Grutschalp to Murren.
- To get to Schilthorn earlier, consider taking the bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg instead of hiking.
- With the Swiss Travel Pass, you can ride the cable car to Grutschalp for free, avoiding ticket lines.
AI-generated summary-
I am planning to go from Wengen to Schilthorn in mid September. I plan to take the train to Lauterbrunnen, cable car to Grutschalp and hike down to Murren to ride the gondola up to Schilthorn. We plan to leave Wengen on the 8:12 train, which puts us at the top of Schilthorn around noon. I keep hearing that we need to be at the top fairly early in the morning, so I am thinking we should take the cable car down from Grutschalp to Murren to get to the top earlier, and then on the way back do the hike from Murren to Grutschalp. My question is if the views are as good walking up from Murren to Grutschalp as walking down to Murren. All I have read about is how beautiful it is going down to Murren from Grutschalp. Any thoughts on this or if there is a better plan? Thank you!
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Hi Suemartha,
The trail from Grütschalp to Mürren is in fact slightly uphill. You can find a short description of the trail here: https://www.myswissalps.com/blog/hike-grutschalp-murren/
The views are nice from either direction but walking downhill from Mürren to Grütschalp would be easier.
Perhaps you were considering doing the loop or circular trail? From Lauterbrunnen, take the Grütschalp cableway and change to the train to Mürren. Walk through the village to the Schilthorn cable car station at the other end, then take the cable car down to Stechelberg. Or from Mürren you can hike down to Gimmelwald, then take the cable car down to Stechelberg. From Stechelberg, take a bus back to Lauterbrunnen train station.
You can find further info here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/lauterbrunnen-murren/
Regards,
Anna
Hello Suemartha,
There seems to be a wee bit of confusion that I am reading here. There is no cable car that goes from Grutschalp to Winteregg. Once at the top of Grutschalp from Lauterbrunnen, one can walk/hike to Murren OR take the train to Murren. The two ways basically parallel each other in a meandering sort of way. Both will take you through Winteregg, which is basically about halfway to Murren. As mentioned by Anna, at Winteregg, you can hop on the train for the rest of the trip into Murren if you want to. The hike/walk from Grutschalp does have some uphill spots, but nothing difficult to navigate. The only difference between hiking to Murren from Grutschalp, or the reverse, is that going from Grutschalp to Murren, the scenery is directly in front of you the whole time. Going the reverse direction, you will be craning your neck to see the mountains. Not the worst thing in the world, but that’s the only difference. I hiked to Murren 6 years ago and took the train a year ago (Both times Grutschalp-Murren), and while it was quicker, there were only two carriages, and it was crazy crowded. Once you get to Murren, it’s about a ten minute walk to the other end of the village to the Schilthorn valley station. The hike itself takes between an hour and an hour and a half, depending on photo stops and such, again, with Winteregg being about halfway. It may probably be quicker to go from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, bus to Stechelberg, and cable cars up to Murren and up to Schilthorn from there If you want to get there earlier than if you did do the hike from the other direction. Either way that you do it, it will be a beautiful, scenic experience.
If you have the Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/ ) , the cable car up to Grutschalp is free, and you need not wait on line to purchase tickets. Just show the attendant at the ticket station, and you’ll go right through. Same with the Stechelberg valley station, should you go that route, but you may need to get a card to swipe that will get you through the gate. That may entail waiting on line, though.
I hope this may help you in your decision-making in some way. Have a great trip.
Regards,
Danielsan
Having just returned from staying Wengen 4 days & Murren 8, this would be my suggestion. It will get you up to Schilthorn earlier & save your hiking for later in day. Train Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, bus from Lauterbrunnen up the valley to Stechelberg, gondolas Stechelberg-Gimmelwald-Murren-Birg-Schilthorn. Come back down gondola Schilthorn-Birg-Murren, explore Murren to other end of town to train station, then either walk down to Gruschalp or train to Grutschalp, gondola down to Lauterbrunnen. We hiked down from Murren to Gruschalp and the views were spectacular, no neck craning.
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