Where to Stay in Murren

Murren is a relatively undeveloped resort which still feels like a village. It’s car-free too, and the sense of profound tranquility you can find here – combined with the stupendous views – has an almost healing effect. To feel the benefit, you need to stay here, not just pay it a one-day visit, so don’t be suckered into booking a (cheaper) hotel elsewhere in the area. For once, it’s a false economy.

Hotel Eiger is a traditional Swiss four-star with great views and service. Set just above the railway station, so you don’t have to lug your luggage far – this is a friendly, old-fashioned spot (most hotels seem to be like that here). They won’t win any awards for their decor, but their sense of hospitality is highly developed, and what with the stunning views from the bedrooms it’s a good base for a long weekend. The Eiger’s got its own pool, too, and a second restaurant, the Eiger Stubli, which is better than the one in which hotel guests usually eat. We’d recommend booking in here on a bed-and-breakfast-basis, and eating in the Stubli each night.

Hotel Regina is a big, cheap, echoey hotel-cum-hostel with bags of a character and a laid-back style.  We wish there were more places like the Regina in the mountains. It’s one of those rare beasts – an old hotel that’s shaken off its pretensions of grandeur, and is living happily in the present as a simple, funky and – above all – a cheap base for Murren addicts. Windows are big, ceilings high, and parquet floors creak with every footstep – and the simplicity of the place means it’s easy to keep clean, too.

Hotel Blumental is five minutes’ walk from the railway station and 100m from the cable-car in the village centre. It has a restaurant and a bar with live music. Hotel Edelweiss has some pleasant apartments – modern with lots of pale coloured wood. They are in the ski school building and overlook the children’s nursery area, so handy for families.