Wengen, Mürren or Lauterbrunnen: where to stay in the valley

Wengen or Mürren, or the valley floor at Lauterbrunnen: the three places sit within 6 km of each other, share one ski pass and one railway hub, and still give you three different holidays. Wengen is a car-free terrace at 1,274 m on the east side of the Lauterbrunnen valley, 12 minutes by train above Lauterbrunnen. Mürren is a car-free village at 1,638 m on the west side, reached by cable car and train. Lauterbrunnen is the village at 795 m on the valley floor where the road ends and the car park is. This guide gives a verdict for each type of trip first, then the numbers: travel times, ski terrain, summer walks, day trips and parking.

The short answer for each type of trip

Skiers who want the most pistes from the door should stay in Wengen. The Wengernalpbahn and the Männlichen cable car both leave from the village and open onto the Grindelwald-Wengen area, 103 km of pistes, the largest of the three areas in the Jungfrau Ski Region. Skiers who want the steepest terrain and a quieter, higher village should stay in Mürren, where the Mürren-Schilthorn area has 51 km of pistes and the highest lifts in the Bernese Oberland.

Families with beginners do well in either upper village. Wengen has the Männlichen children's area at 2,232 m and an artificial ice rink in the village; Mürren has a ski-school area in the village, a children's piste on the Allmendhubel and its own ice rink. Anyone arriving late by car, staying one night, or planning day trips in every direction should consider Lauterbrunnen, with the car park, the direct train from Interlaken and the valley buses. For Grindelwald against Wengen, see our post on the best base in the Jungfrau Region.

The three villages in numbers

• Wengen: 1,274 m, car-free, east side of the valley. Interlaken Ost to Wengen 37 to 44 minutes with one change in Lauterbrunnen; Lauterbrunnen to Wengen 12 minutes on the Wengernalpbahn.
• Mürren: 1,638 m, car-free, west side of the valley. Interlaken Ost to Mürren about 51 minutes. From Lauterbrunnen 20 minutes via the Grütschalp cable car and the Mürren train, or 30 minutes via the bus to Stechelberg and the cable car.
• Lauterbrunnen: 795 m, cars allowed, valley floor. About 20 minutes from Interlaken Ost with no change. The multi-storey car park at the station has 974 spaces and costs about CHF 18 per day, about CHF 31 for 2 days and about CHF 92 for 7 days.

All prices and times here are approximate and given as a guide. Jungfrau Railways sets its own parking fees and timetables and adjusts them from season to season, so check the current details on jungfrau.ch before you go.

Getting there from Interlaken Ost

Every route starts on the same blue and yellow train from platform 2A at Interlaken Ost. Sit in the front section, because the rear carriages split off at Zweilütschinen for Grindelwald. Lauterbrunnen is the end of the line, about 20 minutes later. For Wengen, cross to the yellow and green Wengernalpbahn and ride 12 minutes up the hillside. For Mürren, take the cable car to Grütschalp and the train along the ridge, 20 minutes in all, or the bus to Stechelberg and the cable car via Gimmelwald, about 30 minutes. Drivers park in Lauterbrunnen and continue by rail. Our post on how to get to Wengen covers the Wengen route and luggage options in detail.

Skiing: two sides of one valley

Wengen and Mürren face each other across the valley and ski different mountains. From Wengen, the pistes run down the Lauberhorn, Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen slopes to the village and over to Grindelwald. From Mürren, the lifts climb through Birg to the Schilthorn at 2,970 m, with the Direttissima at 88 percent gradient, the steepest marked run in the Jungfrau Region. One Jungfrau Ski Region pass covers both sides plus Grindelwald-First, 211 km in total, from about CHF 79 a day. In winter 2026/27 Grindelwald-Wengen runs from 21 November 2026 to 25 April 2027 and Mürren-Schilthorn from 21 November 2026 to 2 May 2027. Changing sides means going down to Lauterbrunnen and up again, so most guests pick one side. More on the Wengen side in our guide to skiing in Wengen. Lauterbrunnen has no lift of its own, 12 minutes from the Wengen lifts and 20 from Mürren, but it has a cross-country trail of about 16 km. Pass prices here are approximate and given as a guide. Jungfrau Railways sets its own fares and season dates and adjusts them from season to season, so check the current details on jungfrau.ch before you go.

The Lauberhorn and the Inferno

Each upper village has a race. Wengen hosts the International Lauberhorn Races, run since 1930; the 97th edition is on 15 to 17 January 2027, with tickets on sale from 2 November 2026. Once the race weekend is over, the original downhill course is open to anyone with a ski pass. Mürren hosts the Inferno, an amateur downhill first run in 1928; the 83rd edition is on 20 to 23 January 2027. The course runs from the Schilthorn at 2,970 m to Lauterbrunnen at 800 m, 14.9 km and 2,170 m of descent, in under 15 minutes for the winners.

Summer walks from each village

From Wengen, the cable car reaches Männlichen directly from the village. The Panorama trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is 4.3 km, about 1 hour 10 minutes, with 151 m of descent and no climb, and the train brings you back to Wengen. From Mürren, the Allmendhubel funicular climbs to 1,907 m for the high trails and the flower park, and the ridge walk to Grütschalp follows the Mürren train line with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau opposite. From Lauterbrunnen, the flat valley path to Stechelberg takes about 2 hours, suits pushchairs, and passes the Staubbach Falls, 297 m high, on the way to the Trümmelbach Falls, where 10 glacier waterfalls run inside the mountain at up to 20,000 litres per second, open April to November, no children under 4.

Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn from each base

Wengen is on the Jungfraujoch line. The Wengernalpbahn takes about half an hour to Kleine Scheidegg and the Jungfrau Railway about 45 minutes from there, so allow about 90 minutes each way with the change. From Lauterbrunnen the train to Kleine Scheidegg takes 42 minutes, so about 1 hour 35 to the top. From Mürren add 20 minutes down to Lauterbrunnen and a second change, about 2 hours. Ski pass holders can add the winter Jungfraujoch Top Ticket for about CHF 63. Details are in our post on Jungfraujoch from Wengen. The Schilthorn works the other way round. From Mürren the cable car climbs through Birg at 2,677 m, where the Thrill Walk hangs on the rock face, to Piz Gloria at 2,970 m. From Lauterbrunnen take the bus to Stechelberg and the cableway to Mürren, the steepest in the world at 159.4 percent; from Wengen allow about 1 hour 30 each way.

Sun, crowds and luggage

Wengen sits on a sheltered terrace facing south-west and keeps its afternoon sun in winter. Lauterbrunnen lies in a trough valley between rock walls several hundred metres high, and the floor loses the sun early on winter afternoons. Lauterbrunnen also carries the day-trip traffic: every visitor to Wengen, Mürren, Jungfraujoch and the Schilthorn passes through its station and car park, so the village is busiest from mid-morning to late afternoon. The two upper villages empty when the last day visitors go down, and evenings are quiet in both. On luggage, the Wengen Shuttle takes trolleys on board on busy days, the car park is linked to the Wengen platform by lift and a covered passage, and Mürren has a village transport service for bags.

Where the Victoria Lauberhorn sits

The Victoria Lauberhorn is about 1 minute on foot from Wengen station and next to the lifts, with 120 rooms and a renovated wellness area of about 1,000 m2 with indoor pool, outdoor whirlpool, sauna and steam room. Wengen is car-free, so park at the Lauterbrunnen station garage and take the train up, 12 to 14 minutes. The hotel is open all year, so the same base works for the Lauberhorn week in January and the Panorama trail in July. More on arrival and parking in the Wengen FAQ. Come and compare the two sides of the valley with us at the Victoria Lauberhorn in Wengen.

Victoria Lauberhorn, Wengen, a Faern Collection Hotel.

Hero image: Copyright © Jungfrau Region Tourismus AG