Where to stay in Switzerland
with four people.
One base, the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with cable cars doing the traveling instead of a rental car. What we actually filter for: a self-catering apartment and a regional travel pass.
The valley floor, not a different town each night.
One base for the whole trip. Cable cars reach Murren, Grindelwald and Wengen directly, so there is no need to change hotels to see the rest of the region.
Cable cars and a regional travel pass cover the valley more easily than mountain roads with kids in the back seat.
A kitchen, and the right travel pass.
A self-catering apartment with a real kitchen meaningfully offsets Switzerland's high dining costs, more than it does almost anywhere else on our site. Before booking, confirm the regional travel pass actually covers the specific cable cars on your list; passes vary by scope, and it is worth checking once rather than discovering a gap at the ticket window. Either way, Switzerland runs on the higher end of our published cost ranges; a self-catering base makes it manageable, not cheap.
What families ask us.
Where should a family base itself in Switzerland?
The Lauterbrunnen Valley, one base for the whole trip. Cable cars reach Murren, Grindelwald and Wengen from the valley floor, so there is no need to change hotels to see different parts of the region.
Do we need a rental car in the Lauterbrunnen Valley?
No, and we would actively skip one. Cable cars and a regional travel pass cover the valley and its surrounding villages more easily than driving mountain roads with kids.
What should we filter for beyond the neighborhood?
A self-catering apartment with a kitchen, which meaningfully offsets Switzerland's high dining costs, and confirm the regional travel pass covers the specific cable cars on your list before booking.
Is Switzerland lodging expensive either way?
Yes, it runs on the higher end of our published cost ranges regardless of where you stay. A self-catering apartment does not make Switzerland cheap, it just makes it more manageable.