Mürren

Mürren is a mountain village in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, with a resident population of 155 (2015) but hundreds of seasonal workers and 2000 hotel guests. It grew with the tourist industry since the 1890s, when the railway and cable car meant you could ski downhill without first hiking up the mountain. There is no road access, so it's a charming traffic-free village.

Get in

For inter-city routes, travel via Interlaken, which has trains every 30 min from Bern.

Change at Interlaken Ost for the BOB train – the Berner Oberland-Bahn. Don't get off at Interlaken West, which is the town centre.

You need to be in the front portion of the BOB train. This runs every 30 min and takes 20 min via Wilderswil and Zweilütschinen (where the rear portion divides for Grindelwald) to Lauterbrunnen. There you take the cable-car up the cliffs to Grütschalp: the last ascent is at 20:30. A train then runs along the ledge via Winteregg to Mürren - sit on the left for spectacular views. Eurail passes get you a 25% discount on the BOB and WAB trains (serving Wengen) but are not in themselves valid for travel beyond Interlaken. A Swiss Travel Pass is valid to Lauterbrunnen, Mürren and Grindelwald and gets you 50% discount on the WAB trains.

🌍 Mürren railway station is north end of the village.

You can also take the Postbus from Lauterbrunnen further up the valley to Stechelberg. This is the foot of the Schilthornbahn cable car, which ascends via Gimmelwald to Mürren, Birg and Schilthorn. The last lift all the way up is at 16:00, but it plies between Stechelberg and Mürren until midnight. The cable car is closed each year for maintenance around the last week in April and for three weeks from mid-Nov.

🌍 Schilthornbahn cable-car station is south end of the village. A new cable-car is under construction, bypassing Gimmelwald, and due to open in 2025. Expect some noise, mud and disruption while the work is under way.

Cars are not permitted in Mürren, you have to park at Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg, see there for details.

Get around

Everything within the village is accessible on foot - it's level going. Mürren is free from private vehicles. Hotels have electric carts and may offer to pick up luggage from the stations. Just check what they're charging for a load that you've already lugged free to your home airport then four trains and a cable-car to get here.

See and do
  • Skiing season is from mid-Dec to mid-April: the lifts run for a couple of weekends before main season, then daily. It gets a bit scratchy by late March. The lift pass suitable for most skiers is the Mürren-Schilthorn pass. It covers all the ski-lifts this side of the valley, and all public transport as far down as Lauterbrunnen. In 2021/22 an adult pass is Fr. 69 for one day, for six is Fr. 314. The Wengen-Grindelwald-First area is a separate pass, or you can buy a Jungfrau Pass for the combined areas. No pass is valid above Eigergletscher on the train up to Jungfraujoch, but you can buy an add-on ticket for Fr. 49 return.
  • Sportzentrum is on Höhematte, 100 m south of the railway station. It has a pool, spa and fitness centre but is best known for the open-air ice rink, open Dec to mid-March daily 10:00-19:00. Your accommodation may give you a pass or discount for the facilities.
  • 🌍 Allmendelhubel (1932 m) is the hill just west of the village, a 30 min hike or take the funicular (which is closed for maintenance April to mid-June and mid-Oct to mid-Dec). The tree line on this side of the valley is about 1800 m so the views really open out. This area has easy skiing so classes are often held here. There's a restaurant at the top.
  • Maulerhubel (1930 m) the next hill north has more easy slopes. It can also be reached by chairlift from Winteregg, the intermediate station on the railway between Mürren and Grütschalp.
  • 🌍 Schiltgrat (2145 m) has the widest range of skiing, with blue, red and black runs. See Gimmelwald for the five-hour hike to the summit of Schilthorn: the trail from Mürren joins at Gimmeln and flanks Schiltgrat towards Birg.
  • 🌍 Birg (2684 m) is an intermediate summit and cable-car station towards Schilthorn, reached by an ear-popping ascent. "Thrill walk" outside is a wire catwalk on the cliff face, suitable for older children.
  • 🌍 Schilthorn (2970 m) is reached via Birg. The ski area in the basin below has intermediate and advanced runs. The piste beyond is the hairy-scary "Gunbarrel" but this is often closed by avalanche danger, so you return to Birg for the cable-car down. Atop the Schilthorn is the wondrously kitsch Piz Gloria revolving restaurant, film location for the 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service. They've bigged-up this connection as "Bond World", with tourist-trappy helicopter arrivals, Bond-brunches and so on; you really ought to be in a tux or a beehive-hairdo.
  • Inferno is a 16 km ski race held in mid-Jan, from the Schilthorn down the Gunbarrel to Winteregg and Lauterbrunnen. One upper section, the Kandahar run, also gave its name to a race, but nowadays races and sports promotions of that name are found in several places, though not in Kandahar.
  • 🌍 Gimmelwald is a picture-perfect hamlet perched on the cliff edge. It's 30 min walk down the lane, with steeper paths short-cutting the hairpins, and served by the Schilthornbahn cable-car.
  • Via Ferrata or Klettersteig descends from Mürren to Gimmelwald. It's open daily June-Oct; novice users must have a guide and be secured to the safety cables. You edge along cliff faces and the "Nepal Bridge" with the wind rushing beneath your boots, and breathtaking views of your mobile phone turning over and over as it freefalls towards the valley floor.
  • 🌍 Eiger (3967 m / 13,015 ft), 🌍 Mönch (4110 m / 13,480 ft) and 🌍 Jungfrau (4158 m / 13,642 ft) are the magnificent peaks across the valley east. Head to Kleine Scheidegg for a close-up view.

Buy
  • Co-op supermarket is central, by the Blumenthal and Regina hotels. It's open daily 08:00-18:00
  • Intersport (Stäger-Sport) is the winter sports chain, at three locations: by the Schilthornbahn, at Chalet Enzian mid-town, and at Alpines Sportzentrum near the railway station. They're open Dec-March daily 09:00-18:00.

Eat
  • Stägerstübli, Bir Schiir 1039 (town centre), ☏ +41 33 855 1316. Th-M 11:00-23:30. Great traditional Swiss food in a charming setting. (updated Mar 2022)
  • Tham serves Chinese food at Rouft 1067A, open daily 12:00-21:00.
  • Eiger and Bellevue hotel restaurants in town get good reviews. Mountain restaurants such as Allmendhubel and Piz Gloria close at 17:00.

Drink
  • Gondelbar at Grueben 1051 is open daily 13:00-23:00.

Sleep

Connect

As of March 2022, Mürren has 4G from all Swiss carriers. 5G is approaching up the valley but has not yet reached the village.

Go next
  • Lauterbrunnen nowadays feels like just a transport hub, but in early summer spectacular waterfalls hurtle into the valley. Staubbach Falls are south edge of the town, Trümmelbach Falls are inside the mountain 2 km north of Stechelberg cable-car station.
  • Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg are the resorts above the east side of the valley. Come this way for the dizzy heights of Jungfraujoch, with views over Aletsch Glacier.
  • Interlaken has lakeland scenery.
  • Bern is an easy day-trip, if your mountain activities are closed down by the weather.


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