Lodging

Price ranges noted for each hotel are high season (February) per person based on double occupancy with half board (breakfast and dinner): €€€—€125+; €€—€75–€124; €—less than €75.

GRINDELWALD

Grindelwald has 49 hotels, and 45 of them are owned and managed by families. Many of the hotels are 100 years old, and most are smaller than 100 beds.

Grand Regina Alpine Wellfit Hotel (033-854-8600, fax 033-854-8688; €€€; photo right) Grindelwald’s only five-star hotel, with excellent location by the Jungfrau cog railway station is as luxurious as it gets in this town. Jacket and tie worn in the can-dlelit dining rooms. Old-World elegance. Has a new wellness center.

Hotel Schweizerhof (033-853-2202, fax 033-853-2004; €€€) A chalet-style hotel with downtown location near the Jungfrau cog railway station.

Sunstar Hotel and Sunstar-Adler (033-854-7777, fax 033-854-7770; €€–€€€) This is a modern hotel across from the Grindelwald-First lifts. One side faces First; the other side faces the Eiger and Kleine Scheidegg.

Hotel Spinne (033-854-8888; fax 033-854-8889; €€).

Derby Bahnhof Hotel (033-854-5461; fax 033-854-2426; €€) Hotel with an excellent location handy to the Jungfrau cog railway station.

These hotels (with 25 or fewer rooms) are recommended—Bodmi (033-853-1220, fax 033-853-1353; €€€), Caprice (033-854-3818, fax 033-8543819; €€), Fiescherblick (033-854-5353, fax 033-854-5350; €–€€), Glacier (033-853-1004, fax 033-853-5004; €–€€), and Alpenhof (033-853-5270, fax 033-853-1915; €€–€€€).

The following Garni or B&Bs are also recommended—Grindelwalderhof (033-854-4010, fax 033-854-4019; €€–€€€), Cabana (033-854-5070, fax 033-854-5077; €–€€), Hotel Bernerhof (853-1021, fax 853-4646; €€) and Bellevue Garni (tel/fax 033-853-1234; €) in the middle of town—ask for a room with bath.

WENGEN

Beausite Park Hotel (033-856-5161, fax 033-855-3010; €€€; photo left) This is now the most elegant and upscale hotel in Wengen. It has indoor pool and sauna. It overlooks the wide-open beginner slopes and is near the Männlichen cable car. With good snow, you can ski right back to the front door.

Hotel Silberhorn (033-855-5131, fax 033-855-5132; €€–€€€) One of the first hotels in Wengen, directly across the street from the station. Recent renovations have all rooms with light pine furniture, sauna and whirlpool. Known for healthy servings at the dinner table, you can choose from four different dining rooms.

Wengener Hof (033-856-6969, fax 033-856-6970; €€) Popular with ski racers, particularly during Lauberhorn race week, but a bit out of the center of town.

Hotel Eiger (033-856-0505, fax 033-856-0506; €€) By the station, this is a locals’ place too, not as Alpine-looking on the inside as it seems from the outside.

Hotel Berghaus (033-855-2151, fax 033-855-3820; €€) A very pleasant hotel next to the Beausite Park and the Männlichen lift. All rooms have TV.

Alpenrose (033-855-3216, fax 033-855-1518; €€) Noted for its setting and traditional meals.

Hotel Hirschen (033-855-1544, fax 033-855-3044; €–€€) This is a charming mountain inn with one of the best kitchens in Wengen. The rooms are small, but each has a modern shower and toilet squeezed in.

Ski Chalets: available through Crystal and Ingham/Bladon. Click here for more information on ski chalets.

Staying on the mountain above Grindelwald and Wengen
Scheidegg Hotel (033-855-1212; fax 033-8551294; €€+) is a bit worn, but for overall experience, the finest lodging in the area for the skier; overlooks Kleine Scheidegg station in the shadow of the Eiger. Thirty minutes by train into the mountains from Grindelwald. Reserve well ahead. BARGAIN NOTE: Skiers looking for very basic accommodation can stay in a dorm above Scheidegg train station, Silvi’s Mountain Lodge, for €20 per person €25 with breakfast or €36 with half-board. Rooms are €35 with breakfast and €47 with half-board.

Hotel Jungfrau (033-855-1622, fax 033-855-3069; €€€) sits at 6,234 feet altitude, in Wengeneralb, with wonderful views of the Jungfrau. Reached by the cog railway, the hotel only has 22 rooms. Skiers can stop here for lunch, but dinner is only for residents.

Mürren
Hotel Eiger (033-856-5454, fax 033-856-5456; €€; photo right) This is the class act in Mürren as far as hotels go. The owner is delightful and the perfect hostess. This hotel can stand as a definition of excellent service. The restau-rant is one of the best in town, and the bar is a gathering spot for locals.

Hotel Alpenruh (033-856-8800, fax 033-856-8888; €€€) As close to the lifts as you can get. This is a restored chalet with great views and exceptional decor in the old Swiss style. The restaurant presents Mürren’s best nouvelle cuisine.

Jungfrau (033-855-4545, fax 033-855-4549; €€€) This hotel looks absolutely Gothic, with spires and peaked roof, but you step through the door into a time warp—everything is so modern, guests at first may have trouble finding the elevator button. Right in the center of town, near the sports center with its indoor pool.

Hotel Blumental (033-855-1826, fax 033-855-3686; €€) A three-star hotel not far from the center of the small town.

Hotel Alpina (033-855-1361, fax 033-855-1049; €–€€) Good hotel with family discounts. Excellent view and a quiet setting, but a long walk from the lifts.

Hotel Alpenblick (033-855-1327, fax 033-855-1391; €) Small hotel with great views, two minutes from the cog-train station but a long way to the Schilthorn lifts.

For unusual places to stay higher up on the mountain, Mürren has two guest houses in the middle of the slopes that get rave reviews from those who know them. These are the Pension Flora-Suppenalp (033-855-1726; €) and the Pension Sonnenberg (033-855-1127; €). Neither has private baths. They have only a hand-ful of rooms, but both have dormitory space and are filled with atmosphere.

Eiger Guesthouse (033-856-5460; fax 033-856-5461) Swiss-Scottish run, cozy and relaxed hotel near the BLM Train Station with splendid view of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Offers comfortable budget accommodation, restaurant, bar and gameroom.

Lauterbrunnen
Hotel Silberhorn (033-856-2210, fax 033-855-4213; €; photo left) Ten minutes’ walk from the cog trains to Kleine Scheidegg and Mürren. Great views.

Hotel Schützen (033-855-3025, fax 033-855-2950; €) Comfort-able and only eight minutes’ walk from the cog train.

Staying in Interlaken
Interlaken has begun to emerge as a hotel center for skiers planning to ski the Jungfrau area. It is only a 45-minute bus ride from the lower lift stations and as a relatively large city it has nightlife and good dining. Two reasons for staying in Interlaken may be persuasive for some visitors.

First: Interlaken hotels and ski packages are much less expensive than those of Wengen, Mürren and Grindelwald. In general, Interlaken menu prices are about one-quarter less than Grindelwald’s. (Piz Paz is a satisfying Italian restaurant, in the medium price zone. At Yelp Beers & Comics on Centralstrasse, 400 brands of beers are available.) Second: If you are traveling with a non-skier, Interlaken has more to offer than the liveliest Jungfrau resort, Grindelwald, and is in a perfect position for day trips to many Swiss cities such as Bern, Lucerne, Zürich and even Zermatt.

If neither of these considerations applies, then head into the mountains. If you are a real skier, this city is probably too far from the mountains to keep you happy. If you’re shar-ing a vacation with a non-skier, it’s perfect.

Apartments, condominiums, flats
There are many apartments and chalets for rent in the Jungfrau region. The local tourist offices have prices and locations, and will assist in booking.

A typical apartment in Grindelwald, Wengen or Mürren with one bedroom for two, living room (with sleeping space for two more people), kitchen and all utensils costs about €800 a week in high season; €600 in midseason. The only extra is tax.