Switzerland’s narrow Lauterbrunnen Valley is flanked by steep mountains, making it feel more like a deep, tree-speckled canyon. Glacier water in the mountains Located at the foot of the Schilthorn, Mürren is considered one of the most beautiful mountain villages in Switzerland.
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Mürren is an alpine village in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. Here you will find travel recommendations for couples, off the beaten path ideas, city guides and travel inspirations. This is Paulmarina, a space dedicated to European and Asian travel destinations. The village has over 2000 tourist beds but only about 400 inhabitants. Mürren is more like a typical Swiss village, Wengen reminds me of an upscale hideout. The establishments in Mürren that take credit cards usually accept Visa and Master Card only.
- Located by the gondola that whisks visitors up the mountain, Hotel Alpenruh is the ultimate ski-friendly hotel.
- Lauterbrunnen provides train connections to Wengen and to Interlaken, and from there to the rest of Switzerland.
- On our day of departure, we were able to squeeze in the panoramic Wasenegg Ridge Trail, starting at the Birg cableway station.
- Within the village there is a large sports center with a 25m swimming pool, sports hall, fitness room, café, information centre and other facilities.
- Side streets on the slopes below and above the town complement the village.
- That said, the property’s expansive terrace has sweeping vistas and is ideal for lunch on a summer day.
Restaurants
The charm of Mürren and the Bernese mountains is spell binding. The mountain train is a scenic, relaxing ride up tot Mürren. The Schilthorn Mürren station is located at the south end of the village. The ride from Stechelberg to Mürren takes about 10 minutes with the cable car, and you have to change cable car in Gimmelwald. Stechelberg is the small village located at the base of the Schwarzmönch mountain. You have two options to get to Mürren, and those are the two only options to access the village up on the mountain.
The path twists down tussock slopes, high above Schilttal valley. Tracing the lakeshore, the path crosses Schiltbach, the stream that flows from Grauseeli down Schilttal valley. Navigate around the rocky slopes of Birg and then follow the road (ski slope) downhill to the signed junction at Seewilfura (2598 m). Enjoy the viewing platform and then exit the station. Purchase a one-way ticket to Birg, the middle station between Mürren and Schilthorn. Wasenegg is the mountain ridge that rises between Schilttal Valley and Sefinental Valley.
The main travel routes to and from Mürren
Travel by rail up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe, at 11,332 feet above sea level. That said, the property’s expansive terrace has sweeping vistas and is ideal for lunch on a summer day. When it first opened in 1874, countrymen called this grand hotel “Switzerland’s first palace.” Reopened in vegas casino December 2024 after a long closure, Mürren Palace recalls those days again.
Or from the south, via the Grimsel Pass (summer only) or the Simplon Pass and the Lötschberg car-transport train to Interlaken. Located by the gondola that whisks visitors up the mountain, Hotel Alpenruh is the ultimate ski-friendly hotel. Although Mürren hosted the first FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, the global event outgrew the small village, so skiing here today remains less crowded than at many alpine resorts. Partway up one of these lofty peaks, above a sheer rock face, lies Mürren, a historic mountain village you can only reach by train or via the world’s steepest gondola. There is an additional cable car that runs directly from Mürren to Stechelberg, but this is provided solely for the movement of freight and used for public transportation only in times of repair of the regular cable car. In 1924, the Kandahar Ski Club was set up by Sir Arnold Lunn (whose statue stands outside the rail station) and eight other British skiers.
Find excursions and day trips in Mürren
You can’t hike up from the valley, which is Stechelberg, but you can hike from Lautersbrunnen/Grütschalp to Mürren. Mürren is a small village located in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. With tips to get there, things to do and hotel recommendations. Use appropriate gear, and book a tour with a mountain guide if you’re not experienced. It’s a 3-hour mountain climbing route along cables and ladders attached to the rock walls.
Beyond the presence of cars, it was the disruptive construction noise that marred our visit. In reality, Mürren was teeming with cars and trucks, largely due to the many construction sites around town. If you decide to stay overnight in Mürren, I only recommend staying in a hotel with a restaurant. Much of what has been written about Mürren doesn’t accurately capture the essence of visiting this touristic village. And thanks to its seamless transit connection to Lauterbrunnen village, Mürren is easy to get to.
Free with the Swiss Travel Pass in the Bernese Oberland
“It’s really impressive because you have 10 different waterfalls that go inside the mountain,” says Bichsel. “But since Mürren was too small for future world cup races, Lunn decided to promote the Inferno as a race for amateurs,” explains travel writer Adam Ruck. Visit in January for the Inferno, “the longest downhill race in the world.” British skier Sir Arnold Lunn founded the Kandahar Ski Club in Mürren and oversaw the first FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The service remains as warm and friendly as ever, while the timber-rich decor and photographs of old Mürren evoke a modern ski lodge. “You can ski-in, ski-out in all of Mürren because we have snow-covered streets until the end of February,” says Samuel Bichsel, general manager of the Hotel Mürren Palace. She has written for USA Today, Emerging Markets, Jornal do Brasil, and several other publications.
All year, gondolas whisk you up to the Schilthorn station, which is topped by a revolving restaurant where you can have breakfast in the sky, surrounded by 200 mountain peaks. In summer, hiking paths traverse flower-bedecked meadows and wend through quiet forests of fir and spruce. The car-free lanes also mean you can slide or snowshoe right up to your hotel. Across the slender valley from Mürren, the iconic mountain trio of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau stand watch over the town.
The village is situated on a rocky mountain plateau. It’s about 1650 meters above sea level, facing the well-known Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. In summer, the via ferrata route from Mürren to the nearby village Gimmelwald attracts tourists. And you can travel to Grindelwald, where two more ski areas are available. The ski areas of Wengen-Männlichen, on the other side of the valley, are within reach too. Directly from town, you can start hiking on winter trails.
As an American traveling in Switzerland, I don’t necessarily need an American-cultural experience. For example, there are signs instructing tourists to abstain from asking for takeaway coffee cups when drinking inside cafés. Throughout the village, there are numerous signs relating to decorum and etiquette.
- I travel to hike, and I hope to inspire your next adventure.
- The village of Mürren is located on the way up to the Schilthorn peak, the so-called Pitz Gloria.
- Mürren is a small village located in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.
- Mürren is special because it is a car-free village up in the Swiss alps, promoting sustainable travel.
- “It’s really impressive because you have 10 different waterfalls that go inside the mountain,” says Bichsel.
Outdoor activities directly from town
While Mürren has fewer crowds in spring and fall, note that most hotels and restaurants close for a few weeks after Easter and again in October and November. You also have more hours to sit outside and simply admire the mountain views late into the evening. Now, I love the summer … the mix of seasons is the coolest thing about it,” says Bichsel. “Winter used to be my favorite season because I love to ski. The ski season in Mürren starts in December and was still going strong when I visited in April, but you should arrive by March to ensure adequate snow coverage. And when you get to the Sphinx Observatory, you can walk to the Mönchsjochhütte, a mountain cabin,” says Eva Leenders, receptionist at the Hotel Alpenruh.
Winter sports
Within the village there is a large sports center with a 25m swimming pool, sports hall, fitness room, café, information centre and other facilities. There is also off-piste skiing, but guiding is often needed and should be used. Mürren is situated in the canton of Bern, in the district of Interlaken-Oberhasli and belongs to the municipality of Lauterbrunnen, together with the villages of Wengen, Isenfluh, Gimmelwald and Stechelberg. This, the world’s senior challenge cup for downhill ski-racing, was presented by Lord Roberts, who won the Battle of Kandahar in the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
Well-geared to tourists
I travel to hike, and I hope to inspire your next adventure. The following year, I created this blog to help like-minded travelers experience new and exciting ways to travel authentically. I’m a spirited traveler on a quest to hike in the most picturesque alpine and coastal destinations across Europe. The Speilbodenalp restaurant is open from June to September on Saturdays and Sundays during the day. A mountain pasture fence runs along the ridge.
In the ski area, there are a total of 52 kilometres (32 mi) of ski runs with 14 ski lifts (six cable cars, seven chair lifts, three railways, and two drag lifts). The Mürren station for these cable cars is approximately 800 metres (2600 ft) south-west of the railway station at the other end of Mürren. Mürren station is the terminus of the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren, which consists of a cable car and a connecting narrow gauge railway and connects Mürren to Lauterbrunnen railway station. The village features a view of the three towering mountains Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. Schilthorn, crowned by the cable car station, is visible directly ahead. Mürren is marketed as an idyllic car-free mountain village.
Review Sites for Restaurants, Bars, and Food Trucks
Some restaurants and hotels in Mürren are closed too. The hotels in Mürren provide a free Guest Card when you check in. Lauterbrunnen provides train connections to Wengen and to Interlaken, and from there to the rest of Switzerland. You can also take the train or cableway down to Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg. A walk along the main street between both stations takes just 15 minutes.
