[Removed user]

1 March 2017 at 16:45:18 #810935

My husband and I are planning a trip to the Jungfrau region in September and want to stay in one village for 5-6 days as a homebase and do easy-moderate day hiking and visit the high peaks via cog rail. We like the idea of a small village that is car free but want one that has enough options for dining. We are looking at Murren. What can others tell me if that is a good place for a base? Also, any recommendations on hotels/apartments? Moderate budget. If Murren is not a recommended homebase, which other villages are good for that? Many thanks!

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[Removed user]

1 March 2017 at 17:12:12 #859514

Hi mjdkb1 and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Mürren and Wengen are two good options for small and charming, car-free, towns. There will be some options for dining certainly in the summer season -things will start to slow down there by mid-September.

A little larger and busier town nearby would be Grindelwald (can be a little busy with tourists) but services will be better and it isn’t as busy as the “major town” of the area: Interlaken.

I think Grindelwald would be a good middle ground between a proper town like Interlaken and the car-free towns of Mürren and Wengen. Be sure to check out the links above as they will give you a good idea of the town and good places to stay there as well.

Regards,
Lucas

[kim11]

2 March 2017 at 17:51:52 #859515

Wengen will have plenty of choices in September, hotels and restaurants don’t start closing down until the very end of the month (only a couple) or into October. We find it a perfect choice for the area, combining a good selection of lodging, restaurants, shopping, etc yet still within a gorgeous car-free village up in the mountains. We have found September to be the perfect time to visit. Usually the weather is the best of the year and the summer crowds have gone home. Train service in and out of the village is prompt and efficient making Wengen an ideal base.

Moderately priced (well, by Swiss standards) hotels in Wengen include Berghaus, Edelweiss, Bären. There are others, suggest you read reviews and see what suits. There are lots of apartment rentals. Suggest you rent through an agent (pricing is about the same as direct with owner) so there is staff in the village that can immediately handle any issues that arise. Look at the following websites:

http://www.swissmaidservices.com

http://www.alpineholidayservices.ch

http://www.interhome.com/switzerland/bernese-oberland/wengen/

For much more information about the area please have a look at the links Lucas suggests and also

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

[Removed user]

2 March 2017 at 18:57:53 #859516

Thanks, Kim.

i did read the article you put together with information in Wengen. It’s really helpful! I, too, live in a California wine country.

What is it about Murren that you feel makes it less of a choice than Wengen? I do like the idea of a fairly small village and not too touristy or crowded.

thanks, again.

[kim11]

3 March 2017 at 20:13:44 #859517

The short answer is that you can’t go wrong with either base. You will not have crowds in September

Here are my personal opinions on them, including a Lauterbrunnen base:

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.

[Removed user]

3 March 2017 at 20:29:14 #859518

This is SUPER helpful, Kim! Thanks so much.