Mürren in 7 days

A car-free village on a cliff ledge 800 metres above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, facing the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, with the Schilthorn above and the best hiking in the Bernese Oberland on your doorstep. Best time to visit: Mid-June to September for hiking, late January to March for skiing. Daily budget (budget traveller): CHF 120 to CHF 400.

Arrive via Grütschalp, settle into Mürren

Morning: Train from Zurich or Geneva to Interlaken Ost, then the regional train to Lauterbrunnen (22 minutes, at :04 and :34 past the hour). Pick up picnic supplies at the supermarket by the station.

Afternoon: Cable car to Grütschalp, then the BLM train along the cliff edge to Mürren (about 21 minutes in total). Sit on the left heading up for the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Check in and walk the village end to end.

Evening: Watch the sunset light on the Jungfrau from the cliff path by the church. Pizza or fondue at the Eiger Guesthouse by the station, then a drink at its bar.

Schilthorn, Piz Gloria and the Birg Thrill Walk

Morning: Check the summit webcam, and if it's clear, take one of the first cable cars from Mürren via Birg to the Schilthorn (CHF 91.40 return, CHF 45.70 with Half Fare or Swiss Travel Pass). Coffee or the Schilthorn brunch in the revolving Piz Gloria, then Bond World.

Afternoon: Stop at Birg on the way down for the Thrill Walk and the Skyline Walk. Back in Mürren, rest on a terrace, or walk part of the trail towards Rotstockhütte if your legs are fresh.

Evening: Traditional Swiss dinner at the Stägerstübli on the main street (usually closed Tuesday and Wednesday, so check). Try veal in cream sauce with rösti.

Allmendhubel and the Northface Trail

Morning: Funicular to Allmendhubel (runs every 20 minutes in season, from about CHF 16 return). Start the signed Northface Trail early, about three hours, with boards explaining the great climbs on the Eiger and its neighbours.

Afternoon: Picnic on the trail, then finish back in Mürren. If the funicular is closed, walk up via the Chänelegg Trail (about 1 hour 30) instead.

Evening: Self-cater with cheese and bread from the shop, or eat at the Hotel Alpenruh restaurant by the Schilthornbahn station.

Via ferrata to Gimmelwald

Morning: Hire a harness, helmet and via ferrata set at Intersport Mürren (about CHF 30) or book a guided group (from CHF 179, starting around 9:10am). Climb the 2.2 km route down the cliff to Gimmelwald, crossing the 80-metre suspension bridge. Allow 3 to 4 hours, and only go in dry, settled weather.

Afternoon: Explore Gimmelwald, buy cheese from an honesty-box stand, then walk into the Sefinental for its waterfall, about an hour each way.

Evening: Drink on the Mountain Hostel terrace in Gimmelwald with other hikers, then ride the cable car back up to Mürren. Check the last departure first.

Trümmelbach Falls and the valley floor

Morning: Cable car down to Stechelberg, then bus 141 to Trümmelbach Falls. Be at the gate for 9am opening (8:30am in July and August), because summer queues can reach 90 minutes. Entry is CHF 18 and the tunnel lift is included.

Afternoon: Walk the flat valley path to Lauterbrunnen, about 45 minutes to an hour, ending at the free Staubbach Falls. Lunch in Lauterbrunnen.

Evening: Back up via Grütschalp. Easy dinner at Hotel Eiger's Eiger Stubli, or a takeaway pizza on a bench facing the mountains.

Wengen, Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg

Morning: Down to Lauterbrunnen, then the train to Wengen (11 minutes). Take the Wengen to Männlichen cable car (summer season only, check dates) and walk the short Royal Walk at the top.

Afternoon: Walk the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg panorama trail, about 1 hour 30 and mostly downhill, facing the Eiger North Face. Train down from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen and Lauterbrunnen.

Evening: Return to Mürren. Last fondue dinner, at Hotel Eiger, which serves several varieties.

Grütschalp Mountain View Trail, depart

Morning: Leave your bags at your hotel. Ride the train to Grütschalp and walk the easy Mountain View Trail back to Mürren, about 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30, through meadows above the cliffs.

Afternoon: Collect your bags and take the train and cable car down to Lauterbrunnen for your onward connection. Allow about 3 to 3.5 hours to Zurich Airport.

Evening: Head to Zurich or Bern, or stay a night in Interlaken if you have an early flight.

What to eat in Mürren

Cheese fondue: a pot of melted Swiss cheese and white wine shared with bread cubes. Many places serve a one-person portion, and the Stägerstübli and Hotel Eiger are the village favourites
Rösti: crisp fried grated potato, often topped with a fried egg, cheese or ham. It's the classic hiker's lunch in mountain restaurants
Älplermagronen: Alpine herdsman's macaroni with potatoes, cheese, cream and fried onions, served with apple sauce on the side
Raclette: melted cheese scraped onto boiled potatoes with pickled onions and gherkins, often on the menu in winter
Alpkäse: hard mountain cheese made on the summer pastures, sold at Gimmelwald farm stands and perfect for a picnic
Meringues with double cream: a Bernese Oberland classic of crisp meringue shells with thick Swiss cream, found on hotel dessert menus
Schilthorn brunch: a buffet breakfast in the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant, sold as a combined ticket with the cable car if you start early

Hidden gems

Gimmelwald's honesty-box farm stands, where you take a wedge of local Alpkäse or a sausage from the fridge and drop your francs in the tin
The Chänelegg Trail, a quieter walk of about 1 hour 30 from Mürren via Chänelegg up to Allmendhubel, with no funicular ticket needed
The Allmendhubel flower trail, an easy loop past more than 150 species of mountain flowers, including gentians, alpine roses and edelweiss, at its best from late June to July
The walk from Gimmelwald into the Sefinental, a forested side valley with a roaring waterfall and almost no day trippers
Berghotel Obersteinberg, a simple summer-only mountain inn above Stechelberg that you can only reach on foot, known for candlelit evenings and a view of the Breithorn glaciers
The Rotstockhütte mountain hut below the Schilthorn, a good lunch stop on the long trails between Gimmelwald, Spielbodenalp and Birg

Getting around

Mürren is car-free, so you walk everywhere in the village, and end to end takes about 15 minutes. There are two routes up from the valley. From Lauterbrunnen station, a cable car rises to Grütschalp in about 4 minutes, then the narrow-gauge BLM mountain train runs along the cliff edge via Winteregg to Mürren, about 21 minutes in total. Or take PostBus 141 from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg (14 minutes), then the steep Schilthornbahn cableway up to Mürren. Gimmelwald has a cable car stop between Mürren and Stechelberg. Above the village, the Allmendhubel funicular runs every 20 minutes in season, and the Schilthornbahn continues via Birg to the Schilthorn summit. The Swiss Travel Pass covers travel up to Mürren and gives 50% off the Schilthorn. The Swiss Half Fare Card halves most fares, and the Berner Oberland Pass includes the Schilthorn. Both valley routes and the Allmendhubel funicular close for maintenance for a few weeks in spring and autumn, so check the Schilthornbahn and Jungfrau Railways timetables before you travel.

Safety

Mürren is extremely safe, and crime against visitors is rare. You can walk around at night and leave a daypack on a café chair without much worry. The mountains are the real risk. Summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms, so start long hikes early and get off exposed ridges when the clouds build. Trails above 2,000 metres can hold snow until July. Wear proper hiking shoes, carry a rain shell and a warm layer even on hot days, and tell your hostel or hotel where you're going. The via ferrata is suitable for beginners, but only with a harness, helmet and via ferrata set, and not in wet weather or when a storm is coming. Never go near unfenced cliff edges in the village for photos. The sun is strong at altitude, so use sunscreen and sunglasses. In winter, stay on marked pistes and winter trails because of avalanche risk. The emergency number is 112 (144 for an ambulance), and Rega air rescue is 1414. Make sure your travel insurance covers mountain rescue and helicopter evacuation.

More 7-day guides

Mürren in 3 days | Mürren in 5 days | Full Mürren guide