How to visit Murren and Grimmelwald - must do in Switzerland!

Have you heard of the Swiss towns Murren and Grimmelwald? They are 2 must visit towns just above Lauterbrunnen! If you are in the Lauterbrunnen area or planning to visit make sure to keep some time aside for a visit to Murren and Grimmelwald, Switzerland. You may not have heard of them but they are so charming that you will really regret it if you don’t.

This blog was in collaboration with Switzerland Tourism and Swiss Travel System. All opinions are our own, we are excited to show you this incredible country!

Location

Murren and Grimmelwald in Switzerland are both located in the mountains above Lauterbrunnen, at the foot of the Schilthorn peak. They are accessed by gondolas/cable cars that will take you right up into the mountains and are a beautiful way to see the valley as well.

To get there you would first drive or take the train to Lauterbrunnen and then take the gondola up. Lauterbrunnen is an easy 30 minute train from Interlaken or 3 hours from Zurich. The public transport is excellent in Switzerland, we used trains to get between all destinations. We travelled with a Swiss Travel Pass making transport a breeze! Basically you purchase the Swiss Travel Pass for the number of days required and then use it for all train and buses. You don’t buy another tickets, just show your Siss Travel Pass if asked and make sure you are in the correct class. It could not be easier!

How to visit Murren and Grimmelwald, Switzerland

You need to take the gondola up from Lauterbrunnen as Murren and Grindlewald are in the mountains above Lauterbrunnen.

You will find the gondolas at either end of the main Lauterbrunnen street. the first is right near the main entrance, where the buses stop and up from the train station. The second is at the far end, you can hop on a bus to get there or walk. It takes about 40 minutes approximately to walk there. It is incredibly scenic but depends if you are in a rush to get up there. We have done both the walk and the bus. I really love walking but you will want to take your time and enjoy it.

If visiting on a day trip it is best to do it in a loop. Choose to start at one end of Lauterbrunnen and come down on the other. Many people start at the first Lauterbrunnen cable car but we decided to take the bus out to the second location and go in reverse so we had more of the area to ourselves.

The cable cars up to Murren and Grimmelwald are also included in the Swiss Travel Pass so we were easily able to access the whole area!

Where to stay in Murren and Grimmelwald:

Budget: Sportchalet Mürren, Hotel Alpina. Grimmelwald –Mountain Hostel Gimmelwald

Midrange: Eiger Guesthouse. Grimmelwald – Berghaus Männlichen

Luxe: Hotel Edelweiss Superior

What to do in Grimmelwald, Switzerland

The gondola will stop first at Grimmelwald, get off here and head up hill. Grimmelwald is such a tiny, pretty town. It is incredibly quant and mostly made up of little chalets, farms and a few stores. Turn left from the gondola exit and make sure to visit:

Farms

Stop off along the walk and watch the cute farms. You will see lots of sweet animals, goats, horses and cows. There are dairy farms with cheese and milk for sale. It is just idyllic.

The Honesty Shop

There is a little store tucked into Grimmelwald which is based on the honesty box mentality. You will sometimes see someone inside organising things but on the whole it is empty. You choose your items and pay the honesty box. It is incredibly charming.

Viewpoint

The viewpoint is up at the top of the path. It shows the mountains in front and is a really beautiful spot. Although it was really cloudy and snowy when we visited but the biggest mountain was still visible. It is a beautiful spot and we can’t wait to come back in the summer to see it green and lush!

You can continue to walk along here or head back to the gondola to go up to Murren.

Viewpoint at Grimmelwald, how to visit Grimmelwald

What to do in Murren, Switzerland

Murren is slightly larger than Grimmelwald. It is a great place to wander through. It is Featured in a James Bond film and the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant contains the Bond World 007 exhibit and has views of Mont Blanc.

We arrived on the gondola and planned to walk through the village to leave by the little train to take the gondola down arriving at the start of Lauterbrunnen. Mürren station is the end of the line for the Bergbahn Lauterbrunnen-Mürren, which consists of a cable car and a connecting narrow gauge railway connecting Mürren to Lauterbrunnen. The railway is really scenic as well.

Snow sports

Murren is the perfect place to base yourself to go skiing or snowboarding. The ski lifts are in the centre of town and there are loads of hotels, cafes and restaurants. there is also a little COOP supermarket if you like to self cater or want snacks on your day trip.

Retro signage

I loved finding all the old signage for Murren. They are so cool and are visible throughout the town.

Hiking

In summer you will find loads of hiking trails, we can’t wait to come back to check these out. It was snowy when we were there and would be perfect for snow sports but not great for hiking. We will definitely return to do some summer hikes here!

Murren is one the prettiest Swiss mountain villages

Return to Lauterbrunnen.

Once you have explored the charming Swiss villages of Murren and Grimmelwald, taken pictures of the cute houses and filled your bottle at the traditional Swiss water fountain head over to the train to go back down to Lauterbrunnen.