An Unbelievable Journey from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren on the Mountain View Trail

Lauterbrunnen to Mürren

You can follow along with our walk using the interactive map above

What if I told you that there was a place in the Berner Oberland’s World-Famous Jungfrau Region where you could really escape the crowds? A place where the views are unbelievable, the cows are prolific, and the people are nowhere to be found, even on a weekend in the middle of summer. Would you believe me?

I wouldn’t fault you for doubting me… The crowds making their way to Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen each day give the impression that every corner of the Jungfrau must be crawling, but it really isn’t that hard to find a bit of peace and solitude. Head more than a kilometer down most trails and things get much quieter but the wonderfully accessible Mountain View Trail between Grütschalp and Mürren is liable to be positively empty in comparison.

Our route this week takes advantage of cable cars and trains (all included on the Swiss Travel Pass and GA) to whisk you to and from the ends of this magnificent trail. While the elevation gain is not completely insignificant (about 550 m or 1800 ft), it’s also not that challenging of a walk, perfect for a day trip, and much, much cheaper than a journey to Jungfraujoch.

Thanks for joining us!

Up to Grütschalp

Following the same route as our visit to the Lauterbrunnen Valley and Männlichen, we head up from Interlaken Ost train station via the Berner Oberland Bahn to Lauterbrunnen station. This week, we take advantage of the tunnel beneath the train station (or a short walk up the stairs and across the street) to bring us straight into the Lauterbrunnen-Mürren Bergbahn Station.

From 1891 until 2006, this station served a particularly terrifying funicular which crossed an active landslide on its way to Grütschalp. Over the course of the funicular’s existence, a staggering 3 meters (or 15 ft) of down slope ground motion was recorded.

Unsurprisingly, the ongoing disturbance of the line required endless and costly track repairs. Eventually the line generated significant enough safety concerns that the federal department of transportation issued a closure by mid-2006.

In the meantime, the railway began planning an alternative. By early 2006, the funicular was replaced with a (much safer) high-capacity aerial cableway. This giant 100-person gondola relies on several towers (founded in stable rock) along the route of the old funicular and never finds itself very high off the ground (good news for those with a fear of heights).

A small section of track beneath the valley station of the cable way stands testament to the funicular’s 115 years of service but, otherwise, there is not much evidence left of the former route.

The unquestionably stunning 4-minute journey from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp is liable to be crowded. Most visitors will transfer to the rail line at Grütschalp but worry not, our walk skips the line and leaves the crowd behind, beginning just above the station.

Views from the Gondola to Grütschalp

Looking up at Jungfrau from Grütschalp

The Mountain View Trail

Several paths leave from the restaurant just above Grütschalp station in the direction of Mürren. Your primary options are to parallel the train line to Winteregg then on to Mürren more or less hugging and contouring the topography or, for a bit of extra effort, head up slope to Bletschenalp via the Mountain View Trail.

We consider a bit of sweat a small price to pay for epic mountain views, so our walk breaks off just beyond Grütschalp and follows the Mountain View Trail. If you aren’t feeling much up to the elevation gain, you can always head straight ahead, the walk along the rail line is still very nice.

The Mountain View Trail starts with a steep switch backing section through the forest which eventually gives way to open pasture and, as the name implies, the first of many magnificent mountain views. As you continue down the trail, the elevation gain evens out and the views only seem to improve the further you walk.

Views from the Mountain View Trail

Of the 70 or so people we shared the cable car with on the way up to Grütschalp, about 7 opted to walk to Mürren. Of that, 3 of us chose the Mountain View trail. A few minutes after leaving Grütschalp, Corinne and I had the rest of the trail almost completely to ourselves.

The sweeping views and cows grazing in the steep meadows ringing their bells created a peaceful atmosphere about as Swiss as I think you can possibly find in the Jungfrau region.

Just outside Allmendhubel, or Allmend hill, you enter into Mürren’s ski area and pass under a couple of ski lifts before dropping down into a valley and making one last push to get up onto the ridge at Allmendhubel.

Around this point, we re-encountered humanity owing to the funicular between Allmendhubel and Mürren. While not strictly necessary to head to the end of the ridge (where you will find the funicular station), there is a cool looking playground, an alpine garden, and a stunning panorama that we think are worthwhile checking out, if only to rest on the bench for a bit to catch your breath.

Cows grazing in the pastures along the Mountain View Trail

Wildflowers all around Allmendhubel

From Allmendhubel, you have the option to take the funicular back down to Mürren (for a fee with the Swiss Travel Pass or GA) or continue on the trail for free. After peeking at the Edelweiss in the alpine garden, we decided to save our coins for a drink at our next stop, the Hotel Restaurant Sonnenberg.

The Path of the Schilthornbahn

From Allmendhubel, we curve gently downhill though pastures to Sonnenberg, a small summer-only alpine hamlet in the shadow of Bietenhorn and Birg, a craggy peak on the way up to Schilthorn.

The Hotel Restaurant Sonnenberg, at the center of this collection of houses and barns, offers a nice terrace with stunning views of Jungfrau massif. After a drink and a snack at the restaurant, we continued down the trail towards Mürren and the towers of the famous Schilthornbahn.

Looking down on Sonnenberg from above

Hotel Restaurant Sonnenberg outside of Mürren

A 1958 call to increase tourism to Mürren was met with several proposals including the Schilthornbahn, a four leg gondola route from the bottom of the Lauterbrunnen Valley at Stechelberg all the way up to the peak of Schilthorn at 2,970 m (9,700 ft) above sea level.

Eventually the Schilthorn plan beat out other proposals including a plan to further develop Allmendhubel and construction began in 1963. Only two years later, the first three legs, from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald, Gimmelwald to Mürren, and Mürren to Birg where complete.

View of Birg station from outside Sonnenberg

Construction of the fourth and final section from Birg to the summit of Schilthorn was complete in 1967 but, with money running short, the mountain top station was really just a shell of a building with no real amenities. Fortuitously timing in the following year would change the Schilthornbahn forever.

James Bond and the Berner Oberland

In 1968, the producers of the James Bond film ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ were on the look out for a mountain peak to take the place of the 3000 m Piz Gloria from Ian Flemmings novel of the same name.

The producers sent German national Hubert Fröhlich on a European search for the filming location which led him to Berner Oberland and eventually to the Jungfrau Region. While in Gridelwald, Fröhlich stumbled upon a postcard of the newly completed Schilthornbahn and was star struck.

The next day Fröhlich traveled to Mürren to scope out the site and successfully pitched the location to his employers at Eon Productions. Eventually the production company struck a simple deal with the Schilthornbahn. In exchange for the rights to film in 1968 and 1969, the production company would permanently expand the summit station and pay for all transportation and operating costs during that time.

To this day, the revolving restaurant at the Schilthorn Summit is called ‘Piz Gloria’ in honor of the station’s starring role in the film. Since 2013, an interactive James Bond exhibit has been open at the mountain station and tells the story of the film and its star, Schilthorn (if you ask me George Lazenby’s one night stand as James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service left something to be desired).

The Completion of Our Journey in Mürren

As we mentioned in our visit to Stechelberg a while back, a new Schilthorn cable car is currently under construction, set to open in the coming years. This multi-million dollar project will expedite the journey to Schilthorn by connecting Mürren directly with the valley bottom (currently, you have to change gondolas at a redirect at Gimmelwald). On our latest visit, we passed straight through some of the staging for the construction on our way from Sonnenberg to Mürren. Quite a scene with temporary cable ways and heavy equipment.

After heading down a steep but beautifully forested path we finally emerge in the small town of Mürren.

Mürren is a bit touristy owing to its connections with the Schilthornbahn and the Lauterbrunnen-Mürren Bahn. That said, where Wegen, the lauded tourist accommodation on the other side of the valley provides exceptional views but little in the way of mountain charm, Mürren offers both in spades.

Walking into the town of Mürren

Walking down the main street of Mürren

The town is packed with historic chalets and its position on the edge of valley creates an awesome infinty pool effect. If I was looking for accommodation in the Jungfrau region, forget Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. Mürren would be near the top of my list.

To get back to Lauterbrunnen, you have a few of options. You can take the Schilthornbahn down to Gimmelwald and on to Stechelberg then catch a bus back to Lauterbrunnen or you can walk through town to the Mürren station of the isolated Lauterbrunnen-Mürren Bergbahn and catch a 15-minute trip back to Grütschalp though Winteregg before heading back down the cable car we took on the way up.

Both routes are fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass and GA Pass. In the past, I would have recommended taking the train as the 1960’s rolling stock was like taking a trip back in time but, due to the cost of ongoing maintenance and new disability laws, the line is currently replacing the old trains with modern equivalents (by way of a hair-raising overland truck journey up winding forest roads). For a little while you may still be able to catch one of the old trains, but they are expected to be fully replaced by the end of 2024.

If you are considering staying in Mürren, the hiking is really endless. There are trails going in almost every direction and we can’t wait to come back and explore.

We hope you enjoyed our visit to Mürren. If you did, check out the other articles in our Discovering Bern series and stay tuned for additional articles on our Swiss travels every week!

Until next time, gute Reise, and feel free to leave a comment on one of our social media platforms!