Like a medieval aerie, the village of Mürren perches on a sunny plateau at 1,650 metres (5,413 feet) in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland.
Whether sightseeing or skiing, you’re cradled by mountains and flying through them — including famous 4,000-metre (13,123 feet) peaks like the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. While such an incomparable vista makes it one of the Alps’ most beautiful ski resorts, Mürren is as redolent with human history as geologic, figuring as prominently in early British-led climbing and skiing tourism as it does in modern pop culture as the location for both a Bond film and the planet’s craziest amateur ski race.
Guided by some of the Alps’ most imposing peaks, Mürren is a unique mountain town where old, Walser-style wood chalets compete for space with opulent Victorian and Belle Epoque architecture and the occasional edifice of 1960s weirdness. Accessed only by tram and rail, all conveyance in town is via horse-drawn sled or small electric vehicle. While Mürren’s majestic views never get old, the skiing might. With 16 lifts and a relatively small ski area, we recommend buying a lift pass that includes neighbouring Wengen and Grindelwald.
Sleep
In the spacious lounge of the historic, four-star Hotel Eiger, the eponymous peak stampedes at you through floor-to-ceiling windows, while at Hotel Regina (erected in 1895 as the Pension Beau-Site with 21 rooms), each room boasts its view of the famed massif. Indeed, most hotels have Eiger and non-Eiger views (and pricing), including superb, family-run, three-star Hotel Jungfrau. Most intriguing is the boutique Drei Berge Hotel, built in 1907 and recently purchased by French Moroccan fashion mogul Ramdame Touhami, who crafted a colourful, eye-popping interior straight out of a Wes Anderson film.
Other Stuff
The Inferno is the oldest and largest amateur downhill race globally and was inaugurated by Sir Arnold Lunn’s Kandahar Ski Club in 1928. From the Schilthorn, the course drops 2,174 vertical metres (7,132 feet) and 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) to Lauterbrunnen. Initially, participants climbed from Mürren on skis and spent the night in a hut, then climbed three more hours in the morning to the start gate. The first winner took an hour and 45 minutes to reach the valley; today’s fastest skiers take less than 15 minutes. With one of 1,900 participants leaving the start gate every 12 seconds, the race is pure madness — and occasional carnage. The 81st edition of the Inferno takes place January 22-25th 2025.
Aficionados of curling will be stoked to find one of the best — and most scenic — outdoor curling rinks on the planet at the Mürren Recreational Centre.
To the Eiger’s right, lean the Mönch and Jungfrau, a mountainous thumb and forefinger pinching the start of Europe’s longest glacier, the Aletsch. You can reach the glacier’s lofty overlook via the Jungfraubahn — a rail engineering marvel that spirals up through the inside of the Eiger with a stop to look out over the main wall where climbers are often spotted.
Don’t Miss
Sir Arnold Lunn thoroughly entrenched Mürren in British ski culture, and it was a natural choice for the climactic scene of the James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” To this day, Bond mania reigns atop the Schilthorn, where you’ll find a dedicated Bond cinema, Walk-of-Fame and Spy World, a free-admission museum opened for the film’s 50th anniversary in 2019.
Just the Facts
The Mürren-Schilthorn watersport area rises from 1,650 metres (5,414 feet) to almost 3,000 metres (9,842 feet), guaranteeing a snow-sure upper section through the end of April. From Mürren, a tram will first deliver you to Birg, then another to Schilthorn. Annoyingly, the trams run on a set schedule instead of continuously. On the other hand, the rest of the mountain is uncrowded, with no lift lines.
→ Skiable area: ~54 km of piste in 26 trails
→ Parks: 1 terrain park
→ Longest run: 15 km (Schilthorn to Lauterbrunnen)
→ Terrain mix (beginner/intermediate/advanced): 32%/45%/23%
→ Lifts: 16
→ Average annual snowfall: 7-12 m
→ Vertical : 1,370 m (to Mürren); 2,174 m (to Lauterbrunnen); top elevation 2,970 m
Getting there: The train from Zurich Airport takes 3.5 hours and travels through Interlaken; the bus takes four hours. Regardless of your chosen transportation method, the route involves a tram lift from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp, then a short train that disgorges passengers at Mürren’s cliff-hugging rail station.
