This Swiss Village Can Only be Reached by Train or the World's Steepest Gondola—and It's Home to Stunning Waterfalls and a 360-degree Rotating Mountaintop Restaurant

Travel + Leisure

19-05-2025

Check into the Hotel Mürren Palace, where European elites once danced in the ballroom.
Savor a mountaintop brunch at the rotating Piz Gloria restaurant, which offers 360-degree mountain views.
Ski at the birthplace of downhill and slalom racing.
Walk the Flower Trail to admire more than 150 different alpine blooms.
Ride the world's steepest cable car, where the trip down is even more thrilling than the ascent.
Switzerland's narrow Lauterbrunnen Valley is flanked by steep mountains, making it feel more like a deep, tree-speckled canyon. Partway up one of these lofty peaks, above a sheer rock face, lies Mürren, a historic mountain village you can only reach by train or via the world's steepest gondola.
Cars aren't permitted in Mürren, where the air is as clean as the surroundings are breathtaking. 'We are sitting on a gemstone here,' Constanze Trommer, owner of Café Liv, the town's morning hub, ​​tells Travel + Leisure . 'Nature-wise, you have everything you need. You have mountains, you have forests, you have water all around.' On the latter, Trommer is referring to the valley's many lakes and waterfalls, including Switzerland's highest, the 1,370-foot-tall Mürrenbach Falls.
Across the slender valley from Mürren, the iconic mountain trio of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau stand watch over the town. Although Mürren hosted the first FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, the global event outgrew the small village, so skiing here today remains less crowded than at many alpine resorts. The car-free lanes also mean you can slide or snowshoe right up to your hotel. 'You can ski-in, ski-out in all of Mürren because we have snow-covered streets until the end of February,' says Samuel Bichsel, general manager of the Hotel Mürren Palace.
In summer, hiking paths traverse flower-bedecked meadows and wend through quiet forests of fir and spruce. All year, gondolas whisk you up to the Schilthorn station, which is topped by a revolving restaurant where you can have breakfast in the sky, surrounded by 200 mountain peaks. A guest suite in Hotel Eiger Mürren.
Hotel Eiger Mürren is operated by the same family who built it in 1892, a year after the railway opened to offer an alternative to arriving on foot. The service remains as warm and friendly as ever, while the timber-rich decor and photographs of old Mürren evoke a modern ski lodge. Book a mountain-facing room for an unforgettable view.
When it first opened in 1874, countrymen called this grand hotel 'Switzerland's first palace.' Reopened in December 2024 after a long closure, Mürren Palace recalls those days again. The onetime ballroom is now a breakfast hall with belle époque vibes, and the refurbished guest rooms feature parquet floors, colorful furnishings, and beautiful views.
Hotel Edelweiss Mürren is a classic Swiss hotel: impeccably clean, with a healthy breakfast buffet, and dominated by white and wood. The white walls and cozy bedding are accented by knotty-pine ceilings and bed frames. Since the Edelweiss rests just above the Mürren cliff, you'll awaken to the Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau triumvirate, delighting you even before you have that tasty breakfast.
Located by the gondola that whisks visitors up the mountain, Hotel Alpenruh is the ultimate ski-friendly hotel. That said, the property's expansive terrace has sweeping vistas and is ideal for lunch on a summer day. Inside, welcoming guest rooms come with a petite balcony or rustic cowhide rugs. Cows grazing in front of Trummelbach Falls.
Evgeniya Vlasova/Travel + Leisure
Visit in January for the Inferno, 'the longest downhill race in the world.' British skier Sir Arnold Lunn founded the Kandahar Ski Club in Mürren and oversaw the first FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. 'But since Mürren was too small [for future world cup races], Lunn decided to promote the Inferno as a race for amateurs,' explains travel writer Adam Ruck. Snow permitting, the Inferno runs for 9.25 miles; if you want to sign up, the 1,850 spots fill up by September.
Stroll the well-tended Flower Trail, reached via the Allmendhubel funicular. 'All the flowers are growing in June, July, and August. The altitude makes it last,' says Trommer. 'You have many flowers, like edelweiss, johanniskraut (a.k.a. St. John's wort), and blue gentian.'
Brave the Mürren-Gimmelwald via ferrata, open from mid-June to October. 'It's special because it's the only via ferrata that goes downward, not up … There's also a huge suspension bridge,' says Bichsel. The dizzying, 1.4-mile descent on ladders, a cliff-hugging platform, and a wiggly bridge takes about three hours. If you book a guide, you can add a zip line to your downhill adventure.
In 30 minutes, the Stechelberg gondola and bus connection take you to this geologic wonder. 'It's really impressive because you have 10 different waterfalls that go inside the mountain,' says Bichsel. With all that water—up to 5,000 gallons per second—Bichsel says, 'It's quite loud.' Given the noise level, children under four aren't allowed.
Travel by rail up to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe, at 11,332 feet above sea level. 'Going by train through the actual mountain is quite impressive. And when you get to the Sphinx Observatory, you can walk to the Mönchsjochhütte, a mountain cabin,' says Eva Leenders, receptionist at the Hotel Alpenruh. Leenders cautions that, with the altitude, the walk can take over an hour.
Breakfast at the restaurant in Hotel Eiger Mürren.
'If you're looking for a traditional Swiss mountain village place, that would be Restaurant Stägerstübli,' says Leenders. 'The chef is very good at all the meat-related dishes, and, of course, they also have fondue.' Located in a 1901 building, Stägerstübli also serves excellent rösti , grated hash-brown-style potatoes served with cheese or a fried egg—a hearty way to refuel after a day in the snow.
For an elegant dinner, book a table by the window at the restaurant in Hotel Eiger Mürren, where dishes highlight local ingredients like Vaud province cheese and soup made with Lauterbrunnen Valley pumpkins. The rich, meat-forward menu also has some lighter options like vegetarian curry. The Eiger's Tächi Bar is Mürren's best place for an after-dinner digestif.
Trommer recommends the dining room at Hotel Regina Mürren for its decor, food, and service. 'It's a historical building,' says Trommer. 'They have excellent food and an excellent team. The dinner menu changes daily, with a vegetarian and meat option. It's very fresh, very seasonal—that's their model.'
The Schilthorn gondola whizzes you up to this revolving restaurant, which served as the villain's lair in the 1969 James Bond classic 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service.' 'If you would like to have a spectacular breakfast, this will be a good one,' says Leenders. 'It takes 45 minutes to turn 360 degrees. You see the whole mountain range. On a good day, you can even see Mont Blanc.' Choose from the extensive breakfast or lunch buffet, or order a la carte.
Gondelbar means gondola bar, and this cozy watering hole just above the Hotel Jungfrau is literally an old gondola converted into a bar. Bichsel recommends warming up with his favorite post-ski elixir: 'I like the Münzen Zwetschge—mint tea with schnapps.'
For a cozy pre-dinner drink and nibble—what Swiss Germans call an apéro —Trommer recommends Alti Metzg. It's a gourmet deli with a cozy cellar where you can share a bottle of wine and a plate of locally sourced bread and charcuterie. 'They close at 7 p.m., so it's perfect for before dinner,' Trommer adds. A tennis court in Murren overlooking the Swiss Alps.
Michela Sieman/Travel + Leisure
The ski season in Mürren starts in December and was still going strong when I visited in April, but you should arrive by March to ensure adequate snow coverage. Although many Mürren residents first come for the winter, they fall in love with the summer. 'Winter used to be my favorite season because I love to ski. Now, I love the summer … the mix of seasons is the coolest thing about it,' says Bichsel.
Between late May and September, you can go hiking, mountain biking, and even paragliding. You also have more hours to sit outside and simply admire the mountain views late into the evening. While Mürren has fewer crowds in spring and fall, note that most hotels and restaurants close for a few weeks after Easter and again in October and November. A passenger taking photos from the Jungfrau train.Getting to Mürren is part of the fun. Arrive by train into the town of Lauterbrunnen in the valley of the same name. From there, you can take the Grütschalpbahn gondola and transfer to a train to Mürren. For more of a thrill, choose option two: Take a bus from Lauterbrunnen to the Stechelberg gondola, which travels nearly straight up for four minutes before arriving in Mürren. If you have a car, you can park in Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg.