Murren via Cable & Rail

After dinner at the Hotel Silberhorn we went exploring in the Lauterbrunnen valley.  The gondola next to our hotel looked inviting and would afford us an opportunity to gain some altitude and possibly give us a nice vantage point of the entire valley.  We had previously purchased passes for all the transportation in the valley so this was a great way to go exploring.

The Hotel Silberhorn from the Gondola

An overview of the Lauterbrunnen Valley from the Gondola

The Gondola can transport 100 people up the mountain to Grutschalp in 4 minutes but in the evening and definitely off season, our car was empty. On the way up the mountain from the Gondola we could seem some of the remnants of the supports and rails from the Funicular that used to service this route, transporting people and supplies up to Murren.  There is very limited road access to Murren  In 1995 the Gondola became operational, replacing the old funicular.

Gondola Operator

At the Gondola station at the top in Grütschalp, narrow gauge electric motor coaches of the Bergbahn are waiting at the top to take passengers to the little village of Murren. In 1893 a horse drawn light railway took tourists to the Grand Hotel Spa in Murren.  This was the start of tourism in the area and was later replaced in 1912 by the motor coaches that serve the railway today.  Views across the valley give spectacular view of the Alps from the cliffs above Lauterbrunnen.

The little electric narrow gauge coaches twist and turn along the cliffs

Spectacular views of the Alps are visible from the little train

Winding around another curve on the way to Murren

The end of the line in Murren