The Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the most beautiful places on earth – reportedly the inspiration for Tolkien’s Land of the Elves. Waterfalls and mountains galore. A must-do on any tour of Switzerland. Lauterbrunnen (town) itself is extremely touristy, however – don’t stay there for the night.

Given a typical 2-3 day visit on a bigger tour of Switzerland, I’d choose a single hotel and take advantage of the trains and trams/gondolas to visit the top sites.

To make sense of the terrain, keep in mind that there are actually three distinct areas (as defined by the ski areas, or in the summer, hiking areas with trams and connecting trains).

• Grindelwald-Wengen (the largest, spanning from Grindelwald to Wengen with Kleine Scheidegg and the Jungfrau in the middle)
• Grindelwald-First (opposite side of Grindelwald, a very nice hiking area)
• Mürren-Schilthorn (which is quite distinct and covers a large ski area and the famous Piz Gloria)

On the more expensive side of things, Hotel Jungfrau in Wengernalp would be our first choice, or the Aspen in Grindelwald. Next tier down on the pricing scale, Hotel Bellevue des Alpes or Hotel Eiger in Mürren would be good choices. For an easy, family friendly experience, check out our hotel recommendations for Wengen or Mürren. And for budget, try the hostels and/or the rather nice campground on the outskirts of Lauterbrunnen.

Lauterbrunnen

***Lauterbrunnen & Trummelbache Falls walk. Taking a walk from the town to the falls – and the tour behind the falls – is very pleasant. Not particularly rigorous and packed with photo opps.

Grindelwald

I have mixed feelings about Grindelwald. The mountain scenery is very impressive, and it’s quite easy to get to on public transportation. It’s also very designed for tourism at scale and has a crowded, transactional feel that I don’t love. It’s not a great location for skiing convenience (most hotels would require a bus ride to the lifts). There is easy access to good hiking, but remember that the hiking season is short (June – September).

You can have a far better winter holiday in Grindelwald if you get out of town – staying at the Aspen made a big difference over previous trips. It’s ski-in, ski-out, and you feel firmly out of the chaos of the town itself.

Food & Hotels

Hotels are uncomfortably expensive in Grindelwald. If you’re looking for a bargain, this is not the place to stay. It’s also an area where casual dining can be difficult – book early. I’d also avoid staying on the main drag – it’s busy without having a lot of personality.

• ***The Aspen: a game changer for us (see note above). While not “super fancy,” this is a well designed, well managed four star on the more premium end of the spectrum. On the negative side – some rooms are quite small, and the lounge area is a little bland. On the positive – ski-in, ski-out, food is very good, service is excellent. Feels quite remote from the bustle of Grindelwald (in a good way). Spa is big (sauna, various showers, relaxation areas), and the slope-side hot tub is wonderful.
• **Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof Grindelwald: staff is nice, food is better than expected, rooms are big, spa is acceptable if a little small, good location. I don’t love places that are this big (probably 100 rooms), but they are working hard to make it feel intimate. As a historic hotel, this is worth it if you can get a room in the $400 range, but otherwise stay somewhere else.
• **Stallbeizli Heubode is a newer, slope side restaurant near the Aspen. The menu is limited, but the view is epic and the building is very cute, modern interpretation of a classic farm building. Good place for a cocktail or a light lunch.
• Hotel Bodmi was cute from the outside, and has goats! https://das-bodmi.ch.
• Hotel Gletscherblick looks like a more budget option with history – we walked by and loved the location (amazing view).
• Hotel Glacier is newer, polished, out of town but looks nice – https://www.hotel-glacier.ch/

The Grindelwald-Wengen Ski Area
(around the Jungfrau)

To access the towns on the hill, you’ll take a pretty cog railway, or approach by tram from Grindelwald, stopping either in Wengen (for a town experience), Wengernalp (for a premium getaway experience), or at historic, rather busy Kleine Scheidegg. Reserve parking in advance at the Lauterbrunnen garage – it does book out. 

The ski area has beautiful views of the Eiger and the Jungfrau. Okay groomers early in the morning on Männlicchen (get up early if you take the tram from Wengen) which gets the sun first. Excellent off-piste. The caliber of skier is high, even though there are some tourists. Runs quite crowded. Not huge, but has enough to keep you entertained.

Most of our favorite places to eat are within the hotels noted below. **Skibar Läger is an easy option for a break or a cocktail on the piste.

Conde Nast on the area (Dec 2023)

Hotels

Our first choice was ***Hotel Bellevue des Alpes – it’s straight out of a Wes Anderson movie. Literally on the edge of the Eiger, the historic place to watch climbers (“the vulture hotel”). Requires a (beautiful) train ride to access Kleine Scheidegg. The station is a bit busy, but from inside the hotel you’re in a perfect vintage environment. Food is excellent. Decor is pure 1950s. Beds uncomfortable, but worth it anyway. Room 48 is worth asking for, larger than most, top floor, corner view and a balcony. 

Our new favorite is the equally historic ***Hotel Jungfrau in Wengernalp – a very scenic and isolated spot. It’s more expensive than the Hotel Bellevue, but it’s also much nicer – there’s a small spa, it’s family run, the rooms are gorgeous. Mid day in the winter, lunch on the patio is a beautiful sunny spot (reserve well in advance). Food is very good, menus change every day.

Wengen

Wengen is a nice little town with great views. It runs a bit sleepy – a place where you come with your family, and stay in the chalet your grandfather built. It has its own personality, and doesn’t feel particularly Swiss, perhaps owing to the British, and later American roots.

British tourists started ski-clubs in the area in the early 20th century, following the lead of nearby Mürren. The first ski race was held in 1921 with the British downhill – the first with downhill races as opposed to Nordic races, which were held in other Swiss resorts. During this period the first slalom race was held in Wengen – together these events are considered the birth of modern ski racing and Alpine skiing.

Enter the Americans – from August 1944 to the end of World War II, Wengen served as a sort of open-air internment camp for allied prisoners, mostly US bomber crews. From what you normally read, this was generally considered a delightful experience and inspired an ongoing loyalty to the area.

Food is rather limited, mostly hotel dining, and we were advised “this is not a gourmet town.” **Ristorante Da Sina gets the most recommendations – it’s cheerfully decorated in classic Italian style, with a long pizza and pasta menu. Pizza was good and we generally enjoyed it, though with a large group the pacing of delivery was challenging, with plates delivered over a course of a full hour.

We stayed at the **Beausite Park Hotel & Spa, which we really liked. It’s an older property, but it’s well cared for, and the very well-trained staff clearly care. Spa is very acceptable (two saunas, relaxation areas, hammam), pool area has nice views. Dinner was very good, and they have reasonably priced menus for repeat visitors. Breakfast was excellent, everything you could want (and then a few more options). Good location with easy slope access. Note that the “forest view” rooms have less of a view.

There’s a longish list of hotels that look okay: Maya Caprice Boutique Hotel & Spa, Hotel Falken, Hotel Schönegg, Hotel Bellevue.

There’s also a list of hotels we’ve ruled out: Hotel Victoria-Lauberhorn (trying to cater to families, but too run down for our appetite), Alpenruhe (cute, no spa), Braunbär Hotel & Spa (don’t love the location).

Mürren

Mürren is a small car-free Swiss mountain village at the foot of the Schilthorn peak. Reached by tram from Stechelberg, or a tram + train from Lauterbrunnen, it hangs on the edge of a very steep mountain with a stunning view of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. It is also one of the most popular tourist spots in Switzerland and can get very crowded.

We’ve made two mid-March visits (2021, 2024). The first, mid-Covid, gave us the place almost to ourselves. The second was fairly crowded, with foreign groups wandering about in large clusters. Our third trip, January 2026, was largely empty again, and my favorite of our visits. There’s been more renovation and investment into the town and it’s progressively getting more attractive, without losing its funky small town feel. A major construction project, replacing segments of the Stechelberg tram with a higher speed, steeper, higher capacity series of lines, is now complete. 

Our impression is that the bulk of the visitors come for the town and the views, with a visit to *Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant at the top of the Schilthorn. This was a principal filming location for the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, in which James Bond (George Lazenby) made his escape from the headquarters of Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Overall it’s not a particularly impressive building, and I wouldn’t eat here, but it’s still worth getting up to the top for the sweeping views.

For skiers, it’s great. Amazing views, longer season than most, fun historic runs to try. Not crowded, generally, with a local crowd and fair number of British visitors. Great on-piste, would be great off-piste. Very steep, very fast. In 1928, the Inferno Race was set up, and continues to this day. It’s the longest (15.8 km, 9.8 mi) and largest amateur ski race in the world with a limit of 1800 participants. 

Perhaps counter to expectations, Murren is not particularly fancy. It’s more of a ‘hiker and climber’ functional scene, with a lot of aging two and three star hotels. Most don’t have spas, and should issue you a Murren guest card, which includes a small discount to the sports complex. **Alpines Sportzentrum Mürren ran 33 CHF (with the discount) for a two hour visit. It’s newer and actually rather nice, with a gym, indoor and outdoor pools, two saunas, and a hammam. We had some minor hiccups around reservations (they didn’t want to take them, but we ended up having to wait to get in).

Hotels and Dining in Town

• **Hotel Alpenruh was fine – highly convenient location right next to the tram, friendly staff, big rooms that leaned functional over stylish, and plenty of rooms facing the valley view. The restaurant has gigantic portions, and if the choices are not exactly unique, you certainly don’t go away hungry. A little expensive for what it is.
• Drei Berge Hotel is a hard one to judge at the moment. The reviews are really all over the place, and after a lot of fanfare for their opening, it’s not entirely clear if it has failed already. It’s closed as of Jan 2026. On an earlier visit we had a drink on the sunny terrace (pleasant), and wandered through the public areas, which are trying very hard to be hip. I think they’re catering to a party crowd, and charging more than they should (pricing closer to the Hotel Eiger than the Alpenruh).
• The **Hotel Eiger is right across from the train station. It’s very good, fancy in a slightly dated way, three saunas, a pool, lots of places to hang out. Restaurants are dated and overpriced. Views are amazing, and the room size is generous. 
• **Hotel Edelweiss Superior is in the same price range as the Alpenruh (300-400 CHF), and has a decidedly bland exterior, but the facility has been modernized, and the nicer rooms (the “premium” rooms) have floor-to-ceiling windows and nicer amenities. Definitely a step up; I’d recommend. The restaurant is actually quite good, best meal we’ve had in Mürren, a big and diverse menu. They plan more renovations to update more rooms in Feb 2026. Lobby and common spaces leave something to be desired, not the most welcoming.
• *Restaurant Stägerstübli is an unassuming place, nice service. Swiss standards, unfortunately not executed very well.
• Hotel Mürren Palace has reopened after a long period of closure. We’re on the fence about it and haven’t stayed yet – the overall vibe is more hostel than hotel. But it does have a spa.

On Piste

• **Pension Suppenalp is a good on-piste option for lunch – hearty fare, in a historic building. You can also stay here, but it’s fairly rustic, a hostel with shared bathrooms.
• **Restaurant Allmendhubel is right at the top of the funicular. It’s popular with families, but that aside it seems like the preferred spot for locals. There’s a dining area and a smaller bar on the uphill side. There’s a huge playground outside.
• See notes above for *Piz Gloria, which is a skip for the moment (revisit post 2026 when the renovations are complete).
• **Schilthornhütte is our normal mid-morning break spot. Great views, if a bit exposed and cold.
• **Schiltgrathüsi is a tiny hut with food that looks reasonably good. Very casual, can be a refuge on windy days, or a nice sunny break spot for a drink.
• *Restaurant Winteregg did not appeal to us. Cafeteria, very kid-centric.

Stechelberg

Stechelberg isn’t so much a destination, as the end of the road. It’s a jumping off point to many summer hikes, and has pretty views.