Bernese Oberland - Lauterbrunnen, Mürren & Grindelwald

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It's our second day in Interlaken and our plan is to cover few areas of Bernese Oberland.

Also known as Bernese Alps or Bernese Highlands, this region is situated in central of Switzerland which cover areas such as Jungfraujoch, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Gimmelwald and Grindelwald. One of the most popular things to do in Bernese Oberland is a trip up to Jungfraujoch, Top of The Europe. But because I've been there 12 years ago (click here for my very old post), my husband and I decided to skip this. Hence, we decided to pick and cover few places that I've never been before like Lauterbrunnen, Mürren and Grindelwald.

#1: The whole highlight of Bernese Oberland/Alps/Highlands 

We began our trip by heading to Mürren first. However, there is no direct connection from Interlaken to Mürren and it requires to depart from Lauterbrunnen Valley. In order to reach there, we have two options since we're staying in Interlaken West:

1) Take train to Interlaken Ost from Interlaken West and from there, you can directly reach Lauterbrunnen, or 

2) Take bus 105 to Wilderswil, alight and then, continue by taking train to Lauterbrunnen (we opted for this).

#2: While waiting for bus 105 to Wilderswil

MÜRREN
Mürren is a car-free area and can be reached by train or cableway only. Right after we have arrived at Lauterbrunnen station, we took the cableway up to Grütschalp. Then, we changed to the narrow gauge train to "Mürren BLM", the train station in the north of the village. The whole journey is covered under Swiss Travel Pass.   

#3: Lauterbrunnen-Mürren Mountain Railway 

Not sure is it due to we're too early or probably because of the weather, it was too cloudy and we're unable to sight any spectacular backdrop of the snow-capped mountain which it's famous for. We spotted quite a number of classic resorts here but not sure why (again), the entire village seems to be so quiet and hardly spot anyone here. 

#4: Mürren village 

#5: Authentic Swiss mountain village with timber decked resorts 

#6: Leisurely walking around the village of Mürren - So quiet, so peaceful and calm. 

#7

If you are big fan of James Bond films, you can continue your journey to Schilthorn Piz Gloria where one of the movies "On Her Majesties Secret Service" was shot here. However because it wasn't covered under Swiss Travel Pass, we tend to skip this. Perhaps, next time.

LAUTERBRUNNEN

Due to the adverse weather where it was overly cloudy and because none of the shops were opened, we made up our mind to leave this mountain village of Mürren earlier. We took the cableway heading back to Lauterbrunnen Valley again. Can't believe after 14 years, I'm back to this stunning village again.  

 

#8: The scenery all over the Lauterbrunnen Valley is simply awe-inspiring. 

Apparently, there are over 70 waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley with spectacular backdrop views of the Alps mountain region. But of course, the one not to be missed will be the signature Staubbach Falls with a height of 297 metres from a hanging valley.

#9: View of Lauterbrunnen village with waterfall 

#10: Lauterbrunnen for the second time. First time with my unimates, and now back with my 💗

#11: Old church surrounded by soaring alps and gorgeous waterfalls

Lauterbrunnen is also one of the popular spots for tandem paragliding but since we did it before in Interlaken, so we skip this. Luckily, we made a choice to do it a day earlier when the weather was perfectly fine, unlike today where it was cloudy. 

GRINDELWALD 

Lastly, we proceeded to Grindelwald for our final Bernese Oberland adventures. The top attraction here is the First Submit where you can reach via gondola. The route from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald is covered under Swiss Travel Pass, but not for Grindelwald-First. However, you can get a 50% off when showing a valid Swiss Travel Pass. 

#12: Grindelwald is well-known for its North Face of Eiger, a monumental wall of rock that inspires and intimidates in equal measure.  

#13: Grindelwald-First where you can reach via gondola

Another reason why Grindelwald tend to be so popular lately is again, due to K-drama "Crash Landing On You". Unfortunately, we decided to skip this one. 

#14: Credit to KKday

 

#15: Hotels in Grindelwald overlooking magnificent mountains

#16: Grindelwald Station 

Frankly speaking, it's impossible to cover Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Gimmelwald and even Jungfraujoch in a day. Hence, it's wise to spend at least two days if you are planning to visit these places. If I had the chance to return here again, probably I will choose to stay in Lauterbrunnen for at least two nights (crossed fingers). Not just being the most picturesque towns in Bernese Oberland, but also because Lauterbrunnen is the strategically situated along the main transportation network of trains and cable cars. 

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