Muerren and the Schilthorn

Muerren is located on the western side above the Lauterbrunnen valley. Here is a good map: http://www.muerren.ch/wanderplan/index_e.html. There is endless hiking from Muerren and it is the perfect place to make an early morning trip to the top of the Schilthorn mountain. This is a 10,000 foot mountain was featured in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service as part of the opening of the cable car and revolving restaurant to the top of the mountain. It also has the best view of the mountains in the Bernese Oberland. I love how the Swiss just build cable cars to the top of mountains so I don't have to hike up there to get the view. We took the cable car up early in the morning and then hiked back down to Muerren.

View of the Eiger and Monch from our bedroom window

Muerren also has the Allmendhubelbahn funicular that goes up a smaller mountain above Muerren and is another great jumping off point for hikes.

The Allmendhubelbahn and Birg station

The company that operates the Schilthorn area attractions really plays up the James Bond thing. The cable car played the James Bond theme music. It was kind of weird. The section between Muerren and Birg station was the scariest part of the ride up. The last hundred feet into Birg station is up a sheer cliff. It was a little unnerving. 

Looking down on Muerren as we enter Birg station

Birg station 

The view was pretty good, but there were some high clouds. We could see Thun at the top of the Thunersee and Zurich and probably into Germany.

View of Thun from the top of the Schilthorn

The best thing was being able to see Mont Blanc in France. It was pretty far off in the distance, but we could definitely see it.

The white mountain in the background is Mont Blanc in France.

Best family photo from the trip

It was about 32˚F at the top this early in the morning so we got some coffee and hot chocolate in the revolving restaurant to help warm up. It takes about 45 minutes to go the 360˚.

Having some hot chocolate and coffee in the revolving restaurant

We decided it would be totally amazing the hike down from the top. Fortunately, Inga was asleep for the worst part of the descent. The first stretch down is just a scree field and this terrifying ridge. Sam kept stopping to take pictures, which really annoyed me because I just wanted to get down to the better part of the trail. In the winter, people ski down from the top.

No Bond girls on this trail!

Hiking down from the Schilthorn crossing the worst part of the ridge line

We promised Inga we'd take her to a new playground so we were hiking down to the top of the Allmendhubelbahn. That took us passed the Schilthornhutte, which is a mountain restaurant and hostel. We had packed lunches so we just got beers and enjoyed the view from their patio. It was a pretty epic view.

View of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau from the Schilthornhutte patio

From the Schilthornhutte, it was a very steep descent to the Allmendhubel. We were following the Inferno ski run, which is an amateur ski race from the top of the Schilthorn to Muerren. It was not the best route down to Muerren, but we had promised Inga a different playground. We played at the Allmendhubel playground next to the top of the funicular and restaurant. We took the funicular down so we would have time to go to the pool. Muerren has a modern sports complex with indoor swimming pool.

The Blummental below Birg station

We rented a 2 bedroom apartment at the bed and breakfast, Chalet Fontana. It was a true 2 bedroom with full, eat-in kitchen, and bathroom. The apartment could sleep up to six people! We loved staying there because we were able to cook dinner and save a lot of money because eating out in Switzerland is really expensive. It was also nice having a second bedroom for Inga. If we ever go back to Muerren, I would stay at this B&B again.

Our adorable B&B in Muerren, Chalet Fontana

There is really a lot of hiking to do on this side of the Lauterbrunnen valley and I wish we had had more time to explore. We were doing the highlights tour and I really can't complain about the epic views we had all day long of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau.