Mürren: a Stunning Village Accessible By Cable Car

Throughout history, this medieval village has remained relatively secluded, cut off from the outside world. But now the world's steepest cable car takes travelers to the village of 430 people.

For most of Murren's history, residents drove their mules three hours downhill to gather needed supplies in the valley and then climbed back up. Then in 1891, a narrow-gauge railroad was opened, connecting Murren with the neighboring mountain village of Grutschalp and a cable car that went up to Lauterbrunnen. In 1965, a single-track cable car was opened to take residents down to another village, Gimmelwald, above the valley.

This formerly secluded village of 430 people, located at an altitude of 1,638 meters in the Bernese Oberland, is now directly connected to the outside world and the valley below. This was made possible by the opening of the world's steepest cable car.

After arriving at the "Stechelberg" parking lot, tourists can immediately ascend from the valley floor in a glass cabin from where they can admire the fairytale houses below, surrounded by rocky mountains and snow-covered pine trees. The climb up the vertical Murrenfluch cliff is so smooth that it is almost impossible to notice the 159.4% gradient (the previous steepest cable car in the world, the Loen elevator in Norway, rises at 133%) until your ears pop.

Situated on a natural terrace at the foot of the Schilthorn peak (2970 meters) overlooking the Lauterbrunnen valley, Murren is a 13th-century village with traditional stone and wooden cottages that looks as if it is pressed against the edge of a cliff. Because of its unique position, engineers have never been able to connect it to the outside world by highway.

"Many people may find the cable car ride to school unusual, but for me it was a daily ritual," says Murren native Michael Abeglen. "Most everyday necessities and services are available in Murren, but every time we need a doctor, hairdresser or dentist, we have to go down to the valley where many of us have our cars parked."

Abegglen says the village's few year-round residents have long relied on each other. "When you grow up here like I did, you know almost everybody, and it's a tight-knit community here," Abegglen adds. "Some guests are like locals, they come back to Murren every year."

Staying at the Hotel Alpenruh, tourists can enjoy a breathtaking 360-degree view of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks from the balcony. Several streets in Murren are lined with cozy inns, rustic restaurants serving Alpine cheeses and smoked sausages, bars for an evening aperitif, and quaint souvenir stores selling postcards, fine Swiss chocolate, cuckoo clocks and cow bells.

One of Murren's main attractions is the Murren Palace Hotel, built in 1874 and nicknamed the "first palace of Switzerland" for having hosted famous skiers and Hollywood actors such as Rita Hayworth. Its elegant and grand ballroom served as a meeting place for high society as early as the 20th century.

Despite its modest size, Murren is a major winter sports center. This former settlement of the Walzer family was transformed in the late 1800s when British skiers discovered the village and fell in love with its scenery and slopes.

"My great-grandfather Henry Lunn first came to Murren in the 1890s and was blown away by its breathtaking beauty," says Bernard Lunn, a convinced skier and villager. "He soon started bringing British tourists here so they could see the magnificent 'triumvirate' of peaks Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Later my mountaineering grandfather Arnold Lunn and his wife Mabel came to live here, and in 1922 Arnold founded the world's first slalom ski race. Mabel and a group of British women also founded the Women's Ski Club here."

The arrival of Arnold Lunn also paved the way for the establishment of the Kandahar Ski Club in 1924 and the opening of the country's first ski school in Murren in 1930. A year later, in February 1931, the first World Alpine Ski Championships started in this tiny town.

After almost a century, 54 kilometers of new pistes have already been built in the surrounding mountains, connected by cable cars, funiculars and chairlifts. When snow permits, you can ski the 16 kilometers from the top of the Schilthorn to the valley floor in Lauterbrunnen.

"Coffee at the summit and downhill skiing with family and friends is how I like to spend my winter days in Murren," says Alan Ramsay, a sociable Scotsman who has called the village home for more than 25 years and helps organize the International Inferno, the world's largest amateur ski race held annually in the town (January 21-24, 2026).

But locals say there's more to Murren than just skiing. From June through September, the area becomes a popular spot for paragliding, offering spectacular bird's-eye views of cliffs, turquoise lakes and more than 70 cascading waterfalls. Tourists can also stroll along flower-strewn trails and meadows dotted with grazing sheep.

"The mountains are an ever-changing canvas," says Belinda Buhler, an avid runner who has lived in Murren all her life. "In the winter, they are dressed in a beautiful white coat. In summer, the mood changes depending on whether the days are hot, rainy or foggy. However, when the winter gradually fades away, you can already smell the fragrance of spring. As soon as the ground begins to warm up, you see the early summer flowers, and soon there are meadows full of flowers."

Buhler's top tip for those visiting outside of ski season: "Get out into nature, on the trails. You don't have to walk far, but once you are on the trails, you are alone and can experience the silence and beauty. The air is so clean and clear. I grew up in Murren, but I always call myself a local hiker because I still try to stop and take pictures while walking. What I feel, see and hear on the trails in Murren is beyond description!""

Bernard's wife, Julia Lunn, who takes families and women on hikes in Murren, adds: "People don't come here for shopping or sightseeing, but to experience life by skiing, snowshoeing, hiking or simple pleasures like taking in unrivaled views in solitude and taking a dip in streams or the crystal clear Grauseli Lake."

"When I grew up in Murren as a child, I didn't realize how lucky I was because I took it all for granted," Buhler says. "As a teenager, I even thought the village was too small and confining. However, after I traveled a bit and returned to Murren, I fell in love with it again, especially the sense of freedom it gave me. Today, I am often at a loss for words when I wake up here, and I find it hard to describe Murren because no words can capture its beauty. It is a place that must be lived and felt."