Perched halfway up the mountainside of the steep Lauterbrunnen valley, in Switzerland’s Jungfrau area, the famous ‘village on the wall’ resort of Mürren definitely has one of Europe’s more spectacular settings. While the mighty Schilthorn looms above it, the view across the valley of the Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger is as fine a sight as the Alps can offer.
The traffic-free, picture-perfect village has more beds for visitors than it has population and offers a superb base for a dozen or more fantastic hikes exploring the landscape that inspired Tolkein, including some challenging high-mountain tours and a thrilling via ferrata route.
And when you want to wind down, don’t miss the Alpine Spa at the newly renovated Mürren Alpine Sports Centre.
The hikes - three to try:
Mürren – Allmendhubel Flower Trail
Distance: 2.2km
Difficulty: Easy
A flower tour for the whole family, through a valley to Blumental (known as flower valley) and on to Allmendhubel. On this adventure trail, you can discover over 150 different mountain flower species such as gentian, alpine rose and edelweiss.
North Face Trail: meet the local mountains
Distance: 7.4km
Difficulty: Easy
A gentle introduction to the mountains around Mürren, beginning and ending at the Schilthornbahn station in Mürren. Along the route, 12 information boards give you lots of interesting facts about the history of the area. Great tackled either on foot or by MTB.
Allmendhubel and on to Grauseeli
Distance: 11km
Difficulty: Medium
This hike starts in Mürren and goes first up to the local peak, the Allmendhubel, and includes a steep, rocky section to the Schilthorn hut – a stretch that forms part of the famous Inferno descent in winter and part of the Inferno triathlon in summer.
The Via Ferrata
Mürren - Gimmelwald
Distance: 2.2km
Difficulty: moderate
An adrenalin kick of a day out! Usually, via ferratas lead upwards but here it’s all downhill! The way leads from Mürren steeply down towards Gimmelwald.
The route includes a narrow metal walkway across a precipitous drop as well as steep rocky terrain but the path is fully secured. Parts of the way are steep or vertical but are made safer by ladders or metal rungs. Even in the easier parts of the route, climbers are assisted by cables.
The via ferrata usually takes about three hours, and is open from mid-June to the end of October, with two guided tours daily.
Sensational Schilthorn
After a smooth cable-car ride to the top, the most impressive 360° panorama-experience in the Alps awaits you at the 2,970m summit of the Schilthorn! Enjoy breath-taking views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau and more than 200 other mountain peaks in the world’s first revolving mountain restaurant Piz Gloria. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Mont Blanc massif in France and Germany’s Black Forest.
The unique Bond World 007 is an interactive experience on the summit, based on the Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, filmed here 50 years ago in 1969. The tour allows visitors to immerse themselves in the movie with soundbites playing throughou, discover film-related details and trivia, catch a glimpse of the original screenplay and try out their own James Bond skills.
Meanwhile, at the mid-station Birg, you’ll find two fanatastic walkways – the Skyline Walk, which takes you out over the vertical abyss, with dizzying views into the void; and the Thrill Walk, a 200-metre-long steel walkway clinging to the rockface.
