starwalker

i’d recommend this place, but with reservations. the main things about Grindelwald is that it’s big, lots of shops, lots of restaurants and accomodations. but that’s also its problem: you get busloads of tourists being dropped off all day long, so it’s not exactly the charming, quiet, Alpine experience people look for when staying in the Jungfrau region. the views from Grindelwald is also rather mediocre; it’s located on the valley floor, so you mostly get to see the sides of mountains (though not to the extent of being overshadowed by cliffs as you’d get in Lauterbrunnen). the funny thing is that Grindelwald heavily advertises its views of the Eiger northface, even though you can get completely unobstructed views of Eiger, Monch, AND Jungfrau from Murren, and Wengen also gets better views of Eiger and Monch. Grindelwald’s main attractions include First (pronounced “fear-st”); summertime Trottibike from Bort is deliriously fun, and wintertime you can sled or ski. the other Alpine excursions would be Jungfraujoch and Mannlichen, though both sites are actually closer/quicker if you start from Wengen. Grindelwald is a fine place to stay, pretty convenient (though it takes longer to reach Interlaken Ost from Grindelwald compared to towns in the Lauterbrunnen Valley side), and a vastly better choice than staying in Interlaken. however, given the option, you’d be better off staying in Wengen or Murren — much more quaint, better views, and faster access to the other towns in the area.

places like Murren and Wengen are much nicer places to stay than Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen (or even worse, Interlaken) when visiting the Jungfrau region; the views are incredible, the towns are more charming, and they are smaller and offer the “mountain experience.” one thing that Murren has over Wengen (which is bigger and more chic) is that you have direct, unobstructed views of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau at all times. sledding in the winter can be done from Allmendhubel (easy runs, but amazingly scenic) or Murren to Gimmelwald; Gimmeln is an option, though i was told you’d have to walk up (ie, no cable cars). hiking from Grutschalp to Murren is breathtaking, about 1.5hrs of meandering through the forest with fantastic views of the snow-covered Alps; during the wintertime, with snow on the ground, you can also sled part of the way.

Wengen is breathtakingly beautiful, located deep in the Jungfrau region. views include the eternally white Breithorn in the backdrop of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. you can see the Eiger from Wengen, and possibly Monch depending on where you are (Jungfrau is hidden from view). because of its location above the Valley floor, it gets a lot of direct sun even in the winter (whereas most of Switzerland tends to be shrouded in cloud during this time of year). i stayed a week in december 2006, and it was an absolute “Winter Wonderland”… freshly fallen snow on trees, majestic white-capped peaks, children with toboggans, and wooden chalets like gingerbread houses. lots of winter hiking can be done (e.g., Monchblick, Staubbachbankli, Hunnenfluh). sledding (or “sledging” as they say here) in the Alps is a blast, runs include Wengernalp above Wengen, Mannlichen to Holenstein (7km of steep hills and hairpin turns), First in Grindelwald, and Murren.