Visiting Mürren, Switzerland – One of the Best Places in the Alps

When looking for the best places in the alps, you must ask yourself what kind of experience you want. Do you want classic Switzerland as you always envisioned it?

I wanted one of the best places in the Alps. I wanted classic Switzerland, and while it was the most expensive place I visited during my first fully solo trip to Europe, I loved every minute of visiting Mürren, and just like that, it became one of my favorite places that I’ve been.

Initially, I wanted to go to Bern as I had read so much about the city. Well, apparently, so did everyone else because a week prior to my arrival in-country, EVERYTHING budget cost level and quite a bit above was booked solid.

I was completely flabbergasted!

Apart from expensive, high-end hotels, I couldn’t find a place that had even a single night available. I hoped something might open up (LOL), so I waited and checked daily. I was so determined that I even called every hostel in the city, and I hate talking on the phone. Of course, none of this worked.

Travel Tip: if something is fully booked this close to arrival, don’t wait on it hoping people will cancel. Move on. The odds of snagging a cancellation like this are low. I obviously learned this the hard way.

So now I started to panic… just kidding. I never panic over stuff like this. Instead, I got out my phone and started researching different locations.

My plan for Bern had been to book a few day trips that would take me down into the heart of the Swiss Alps. At this point, a logic bomb hit me. I should stay right in the middle of the Alps! Hey yo, Captain Obvious. Why didn’t I think of this before?

Well, actually, I did. Yes, I know I’ve said numerous times how flexible I like to be in changing my plans on a dime, but at times, when I get certain things in my head, I almost feel obligated to do them.

Usually, this turns into pure stubbornness and determination on my part, and the harder it becomes to make it work, the more I’ll push back to make it happen.

Bern, while not quite there, was close to one of these situations.

So, where did I end up? In Mürren!

Naturally, I googled “best places in the alps,”  and after a bit of searching, it came down to two tiny villages, Mürren and Gimmelwald.

I chose Mürren for two highly scientific reasons. It’s higher up in the mountains, and I read an article that said it was slightly larger and offered a small chance of some nightlife. However, there was none. The village was a ghost town after sundown. Now, as you may or may not have noticed, I’m not big on repeats, but I would still go there all over again, nightlife or not.

Mürren is a traditional (in almost every sense of the word) Walser mountain village in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland. This village is everything you would imagine if someone told you that you were going to stay in the Swiss highlands.

Fun fact, in 1911, author J. R. R. Tolkien hiked from Interlaken to the Lauterbrunnen valley below Mürren. The picturesque valley then became the real-world basis for Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. Mr. Tolkien, you couldn’t have made a better choice.

What to do:

Now I talk about Mürren here, but with the convenience of the Swiss transit system and the cable cars you can enjoy these activities from any of the villages in the area, such as Gimmelwald or Stechelberg.

Hiking

If you’re in Mürren, you probably have at least some interest in the scenery, so you better strap on those hiking boots. Mürren is one of the best places in the Alps for hiking. You can even make a case for it being the best.

Don’t have hiking boots? Don’t worry. You can rent them and anything else you may need in town.

Then pick up a paper map of the hiking trails from just about anywhere or head to Mürren’s official tourism website for a look at their maps, and you’re good to go. There is also a winter version of this map should you fancy some snowshoeing.

The Schilthorn

The Schilthorn is a 9,744-foot (2,970 meters) mountain in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland that sits above the village of Mürren. Overlooking the valley of Lauterbrunnen, it’s the highest peak in the range north of the Sefinenfurgge Pass.

Here, the summit treats you to panoramic views of the Titlis, Jungfrau, Mönch, Eiger, and Jura mountains up to the Vosges Mountains, as well as of the famous Black Forest. Mont Blanc is also just visible. A neat little gimmick that can be found at the top of the mountain is a telescope that labels every mountain for you as you look through it.

You do run the risk of being fogged out at the summit, but since tourism is the area’s bread and butter, the weather conditions are monitored very closely. You can find a live video stream from the top HERE.

The summit also plays host to the revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria.

Are you a James Bond fan? Regardless, be ready for a full serving of Bond. This restaurant was featured in the 1963 James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” where it serves as the mountain-top hideout of the classic Bond villain Blofeld.

James Bond, Star of the Alps!

Now believe me when I say this… James Bond is everywhere. On the cable car ride up you’ll hear the Bond theme song and then will see numerous graphics and pictures as you exit.

On one floor, you’ll find a James Bond exhibition called Bond World, containing memorabilia and behind-the-scenes film clips from the making of the movie.

Outside, there’s the 007 Walk of Fame. On this walk, there are plaques with photos of the cast members, a short paragraph about their involvement, and a handprint plaque made by said actor.

Just for the record, my hands are bigger than James Bond’s.

Back up top now, on an observation deck, there’s a long metal tube with rifling inside where you can take a classic bond gun barrel photo. Even the free Wi-Fi in the cable car station is named 007.

Birg

Birg is an 8783 foot (2677 meter) peak that the cable car stops and changes at on the way up to the Schilthorn. Your ticket doesn’t require you to go straight to the top, so feel free to stop here and have a look around. While not as high as the Schilthorn, the views it affords are still outstanding.

You’ll find a bistro inside, a snack stand, and two attractions named the Skyline Walk and the Thrill Walk. Why they split the naming in two, I don’t know, as they seemed to be one and the same to me.

These walks take you around the sheer rock face and feature glass-bottom floors, fenced-in slacklines, and fence tunnels. Fair warning, if you’re afraid of heights or suffer from vertigo, this may not be for you.

While I walked around I came across several petrified people, faces glued to the wall and inching their way around. There was one group where the older brother was afraid, and his smaller, younger sibling, tasting blood in the water, was doing his best to scare him. It was working!

Skyline Snow Park

This park leaves nothing to be desired for skiers and snowboarders.

Here, beginners can build their skills on easy roller jumps, while the more advanced riders are treated to all kinds of rails and jumps.

In the past, there was also the Iglu-Dorf, or The Igloo Village, which was an Igloo bar and restaurant that is accessible on foot via the Birg cable car station. Unfortunately, this seems to have been relocated to a different mountain, but keep your eyes peeled, and maybe it will return in the future.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Like the outdoors, but aren’t visiting during the spring or summer? Trade those hiking boots for ski boots. Mürren is one of the best places in the Alps for skiing. It wasn’t the season while I was in Mürren, but had it been, I definitely would have rented myself a snowboard.

The area boasts an impressive 32 miles (52 km) of runs with 14 lifts of various types. Backcountry and Heli-Skiing skiing are also possible, but a guide service should absolutely be utilized for safety purposes.

There are also several accommodations such as Pension-Restaurant Sonnenberg (where I stayed), where you can ski in and out. Ski and snowboard rentals are available in the village.

The Inferno Races

Are you in Switzerland to ski at one of the best places in the alps?

Well, maybe you’d like to watch, or even test yourself in Mürren’s internationally famous Inferno Race.

The Inferno Race, at 9.25 miles (14.9 km), is the largest and longest amateur skiing race in the world. Since this race is so popular and well suited to all-around skiers, you’re required to register early if you want a chance to enter.

The race happens in January, but registration closes in September of the previous year.

Unfortunately, just registering in time won’t guarantee you a spot. Due to its popularity, entry has been limited to 1850 skiers, and with well over 2000 applications, a lottery system is used to determine who gets a spot. The only lottery exemption is if you had medaled in any of the three previous years.

Have some fast friends? Register as a team. Once the snow settles, the Sir Arnold Lunn Cup is awarded for best team performance in downhill. A decent skier can finish the race in forty-five minutes, but the winner finishes in less than fifteen. The entry fee for the downhill is CHF 70.00 per person.

Paragliding

I wanted to paraglide so bad. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the deepest valleys in the alpine world, with snow caps, glaciers, and waterfalls in every direction. It’s beautiful.

I made a reservation, left a deposit, and got ready the next morning. Then, thanks to my hotel’s “taxi,” I missed my appointment. This still bothers me.

Provided you make it to your scheduled appointment, you’ll meet at the cable car and ride up to Birg, where after your briefing, you will take a tandem flight and join the others you have no doubt been watching sail through the air.

There are different operators in the area but expect to spend around CHF 180 for the shorter flight of 15-20 minutes or CHF 250 for the longer 30-40 minutes of airtime. These are the rates for Airtime Paragliding.

Trümmelbach Falls

Do you like waterfalls? Lauterbrunnen Valley is home to an incredible 72 waterfalls. Even its name, Lauter Brunnen, means “many fountains.” But if you’ve seen one waterfall there, you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong. The Trümmelbach Falls are actually a set of ten glacier-fed waterfalls INSIDE the mountain.

This famous waterfall has cut a gorge so narrow that it appears to be falling inside the mountain. You access the falls via a series of staircases, paths that were carved right into the mountain, and an elevator.

It can be found near Lauterbrunnen at the bottom of the valley. It’s a full-blown tourist attraction at one of the best places in the alps, so expect crowds. I recommend getting there early. Then, when you’re done, you can stop at the café near the entrance for a quick bite.

The Mürren via ferrata

Probably one of the most thrilling things to do in Switzerland is climbing a via ferrata, and the Mürren via ferrata is world-class.

A via ferrata is a climbing route that employs steel cables, rungs, or ladders, fixed to the rock to which the climbers affix a harness with leashes, which allows them to secure themselves to the metal fixture and limit any falls.

The Mürren via ferrata is 2.2km long (1.4 miles) and takes around three hours to descend from Mürren to Gimmelwald. Its difficulty is rated as K3 on the German via ferrata scale, which roughly translates to “difficult.”

Unfortunately, it was closed while I was there, but this is a can’t miss for the adventure seeker when it opens back up. It’s also one of the main reasons why I’ll eventually be returning to Mürren.

The Mürren via ferrata is open from June 1st through October 31st from 9 AM – 6 PM. It is free, but guides and donations are highly recommended.

Getting There

Getting to Mürren is simple. Unless you fancy a long, steep hike (which is possible) with all your bags, you get to the village in one of two ways.

Upon arrival, I took the train from Interlaken (the station is called Interlaken Ost) to Lauterbrunnen. From there, you can either head up or continue through the valley by bus.

The first way up is from Lauterbrunnen via cable car and a narrow-gauge electric railway which will drop you at one end of Mürren. The other is via cablecar that will take you up from Stechelberg at the opposite end of the Lauterbrunnen valley to Gimmelwald. You then change cable cars to continue up to Mürren. I did both.

The Swiss Travel Pass will cover all your rail and cable car travel in Switzerland! I purchased one and highly recommend it.

Later while leaving I took the cable car down to Gimmelwald, briefly walked around the even smaller village, shopped in what the sign claimed to be Europe’s first “Honesty Shop” (an unstaffed convenience store), and then got back on a cable car and took it the rest of the way down to Stechelberg.

Both methods are incredibly easy and next to impossible to mess up. I know this may look confusing on paper, but once it’s physically in front of you, it’s very straightforward.

Switzerland has one of the best (and cleanest) transit systems that I’ve seen.

Plus, you’ll have plenty of day-tripping tourists all going to the same place and asking, “Is this the way to Mürren?” so if you’re concerned, you can just follow the crowd. There really isn’t anywhere else to go in that direction.

Where To Stay

Even though Mürren has a full-time population of only 450, it still has far more places to stay than you would expect. Something to the tune of 2,000+ hotel beds. I remember recording an Instagram story, wondering what everyone in town does for a living other than cut grass because “everyone can’t work in tourism.”

Well, it seems they actually can because when you’re one of the best places in the Alps, everyone wants to visit. So don’t worry, finding a place to stay is super easy.

I stayed in Pension-Restaurant Sonnenberg, and I really did love this place like a hotel in its own right. The view was breathtaking, everything extremely clean, and it was as peaceful as can be. But it wasn’t designed for the solo traveler who doesn’t want to be completely alone, plus the staff was nosy and a bit conniving.

If you’re alone and looking for fellow travelers, you might want to look elsewhere!

Rooms are overpriced when compared to a normal hostel. The cost is CHF 49 for a bed in a fourteen-person mixed dorm that is essentially a mattress on the floor. A “budget” single room will run you CHF 60, and the price jumps by 100 and up from there.

Communicating with staff was difficult at times as the caretaker didn’t speak a word of English and the owner’s was limited, at best. The owner’s son spoke English, but he wasn’t normally around.

The free breakfast was what they called a “traditional Swiss breakfast,” which consisted of cold salami, dry cheese, white bread, and a gigantic bowl of yogurt, which they, for some reason, expected you to eat off of a plate?

I got a kick out of that. Never has asking for a bowl been so complicated.

If you don’t want to stay in Mürren, Gimmelwald has a hostel where you can stay. Just remember that this is a much smaller village, and should you need or want to do anything, you’ll be making ample use of the cable car.

Get that Swiss Travel Pass!

As I said, this is a good hotel if you’re looking to be alone.

I was the only person staying here other than the caretaker. Even the family who owned it didn’t seem to be there at night. I had a 14-bed dorm all to myself, so if you like solitude, this isn’t an entirely bad prospect.

Unfortunately, this can also cause issues. I got back one night well after dark and was completely locked out.

How do you lock your only guest out of a hotel?

I was pretty irritated. There weren’t any lights on inside or out. Luckily they returned about 30 minutes later, but let me tell you, this high up in the Alps, it can get very cold at night.

I did mention nosy.

After finally getting inside, I ordered dinner. I’m not entirely sure of what was said, but the caretaker was definitely talking about me on the phone for an extended period. I took four years of German in school, and while it’s not the same as what they speak in this part of Switzerland, I was able to pick up enough words to discern that I was the topic of conversation.

This might be a minor gripe for most people, but given what I do for a living, it drives me nuts.

This brings me to my third issue with the hotel, the location. Most likely, this is the reason why I was alone there.

It’s a double-edged sword. On the one side, it has an absolutely breathtaking view. On the other? There the heck is it?

Where the heck is this place?

Based on the booking information you would never guess that you were so far outside of town. I remember walking around town trying to find it with my GPS when I finally gave up and called them. The owner laughed when I said I couldn’t find it. He sent a truck to get me and bring me up the side of the mountain.

I was injured with an infected big toe at this point, so it took me about 40-45 minutes to walk there uphill from town and 25+ minutes to get down.

With a gradient of 10-20 degrees, carrying luggage up the crushed stone can be dangerous.

The walk down is quite treacherous at times since most of the road is loose crushed stone with a very steep grade.

I pretty much needed crutches at this point and couldn’t hike, which was one of my main reasons for coming to Mürren, so fearing that I was going to ruin the rest of my trip with this up and down, I showed them my toe and asked if I could check out early.

Much to my relief, they recognized it was infected and agreed.

Here was my other problem with the staff.

When I was all packed up with my bag on my back and ready to go, they charged me for the normally free “taxi” (his personal vehicle) down to town.

How much did he charge me for a taxi? It was $3 less than the cost of a room for the night. Oh, gee… thanks for letting me check out a day early.

I had already been checked out at this point, so I couldn’t have stayed the extra night and taken the free taxi unless I repurchased another night.

When I questioned him on the disappearance of the free taxi, the owner responded by giving me a sinister old guy/Jabba the Hutt heh heh heh heh heh heh laugh and grin while rubbing his fingers together and making the money signal. I kid you not.

Back on this trip, I packed way too heavy, and short of dragging my bag on the ground behind me, I knew that I wasn’t going to make it down that steep, rocky hill in less than three hours and with a possible rolled ankle without getting a ride. So, I relented and paid him. /grumble

He then asked if it was okay if I waited 15 minutes for them to eat their breakfast real fast. I agreed. It took them over an hour and caused me to miss my paragliding reservation. Perfect.

Sorry for the complaining, but every time I’ve told people not to stay there, they’ve wanted to know why.

I would like to go back to Mürren as it really is one of the best places in the Alps. But if I do, I will stay someplace else.

So, my unfortunate lodging aside, what do you think about Mürren? Is this someplace you’d like to visit? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to like and share!

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