Mürren – snowshoe tour in the Bernese Oberland

Since I recently gossiped a little bit about Grindelwald, I would now like to introduce you to a great alternative. Instead of crowding into the crowded train to Grindelwald in Lauterbrunnen (I’m exaggerating a bit here), we take the cable car up to Grütschalp on a sunny Saturday morning. Up here we change to the narrow-gauge railway, which takes us through a freshly snow-covered winter wonderland with a panoramic view of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Start of the snowshoe hike in Mürren

Armed with snowshoes, we want to make Mürren unsafe. I now dare to say that Mürren is the unspoiled sister of Wengen. The tranquil and car-free mountain village is idyllically situated on a sunny plateau high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the middle of the highest ski area in the Bernese Oberland – the highest point is the Schilthorn at almost 3,000 m above sea level.

This spectacular journey alone (GA travelcard valid, without GA travelcard round trip 21.60 CHF) is worth a trip to Mürren. Once at the top, we fortify ourselves with coffee and croissants just opposite the train station. This is followed by the sporting part. Strap snowshoes to your feet and off you go.

At first, the path leads slightly uphill through the fir forest. Thanks to fresh snow, everything is beautifully powdered white. Perfect conditions! At the Mittelberg we enjoy the first warm rays of sunshine, which make the snow crystals glitter in all colors. Up to this point, we made no progress on the pre-tracked path. From here on, no one has fought their way through the fresh powder snow before us. We orient ourselves by the pink poles and set our snowshoes step by step into the virgin white splendour.

We don’t meet anyone on the way, even on the ski slopes it is unusually quiet despite the inferno race. I don’t know if this is the rule or just an exception. Maybe everyone in the “lowlands” has simply lost the desire for the snow due to the mild temperatures. But hey! Look! That’s how great it looks in the mountains!

After another climb through the fir forest, we reach the highest point of the trail. The panorama from the Chänelegg is gigantic. Lauberhorn, Eiger North Face, Mönch, Jungfrau… There is no better place for a short breather and a sip of tea from the thermos.

The descent in the direction of Mürren leads on a short section over the ski slope. Otherwise, the path is unproblematic. Since the whole route is only about 4 kilometers long, we make a detour to the center of Mürren and marvel at the pretty chalets.

We make a short stop at the Hotel Regina. The hotel has been hosting guests for over 100 years. Lovers of historic hotels will appreciate the bohemian atmosphere and original architectural details. As a tip: If you want to spend your holidays like “the good old days”, the Regina is the right place for you. Here you will find a successful mix of simplicity and the charm of a bygone era. Most of the rooms do not have a shower/toilet. For this purpose, there are communal showers and toilets on the floors.

Actually, the Regina doesn’t have a public restaurant either (with the exception of the bar in the evening). But if you ask nicely (and this is now my ultimate insider tip), then you get, for example, a homemade orange-ginger punch, delicious apple pie and a cozy seat on the sun terrace with a view of the mountains.

A Saturday program, like out of a picture book, isn’t it?

The map of our snowshoe tour in the Bernese Oberland

The map shows our route. It took us just under 1.5 hours to cover the distance. Details about this snowshoe tour can be found here: Chänelegg Trail. For more snowshoe tour inspiration, I recommend the website Globaltrail.ch. Here you will find an overview of all marked snowshoe trails in Switzerland – including map and route description.