[philipd]

3 March 2018 at 15:20:32 #814594

Hi:

I have firmed up my itinerary and now decided to make a base for 7 days in one city and then travel from the base to different cities and attractions.My choice for making base is: Brienz, or Wengen,or Lauterbrunnen. Can you please advise plus and minus points for each location. Our priority is only central location, close to train station and scenic surroundings. If feasible you can also suggest Apartment/chalet for 7 days in each city.

I appreciate your help.

Philip

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[rockoyster]

4 March 2018 at 0:11:27 #877606

Hi Philip.

I’d rank them 1 Wengen, 2 Lauterbrunnen and a VERY distant 3rd Brienz.

Forum contributor, Kim, wrote in a recent post “Lauterbrunnen is a very small village down deep in the valley with imposing cliffs above. Therefore it doesn’t get as much daylight as the villages up the mountains do. There is quite a bit of car and bus traffic through the little village and limited selections of restaurants and food stores. During the high summer seasons (July and August) there is a “college student backpacking around Europe” vibe. There is not much there in the way of sightseeing/views, other than the glorious walk down the valley floor (which can also easily be done from Wengen or Mürren). The positives are that there is a fairly major train station there (although Wengen and Mürren are only 15 and 18 mins, respectively, up the mountainsides) and lodging is less expensive (there’s a reason).

Getting up into a car-free village gives one a much more “old Switzerland” feel. You can’t go wrong with either Mürren or Wengen. We prefer Wengen because we like the views better from there (jaw-dropping), it is slightly larger therefore has more amenities (food stores, restaurants, shopping), is easier to get in and out of so is better as a base, and we think it has more of the quintessential Swiss mountain village “vibe” than does Mürren.”

You can also read her definitive guide at http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim.

[Arno]

4 March 2018 at 12:01:25 #877607

Hi Philip,

Those towns are very different but each has their cons and pros. Brienz is not in the Jungfrau region, but close enough for day trips. It’s on the lake and on the train line from Interlaken to Lucerne (Golden Pass), allowing to explore a larger region. I spent about 1.5 week their once and liked it a lot. The lake view was a big plus. Lauterbrunnen and Wengen are in the Jungfrau region, with Lauterbrunnen in the valley as you can read in the above post, and Wengen is on the mountain. I guess you can say that Lauterbrunnen is more central, but Wengen has the better views and more of an alpine feeling to it.

If you want our suggestions for an apartment then please decide on the town first, and let us know your budget.