Murren

Murren sits at about sixteen hundred and fifty metres on a shelf on the western wall of the Lauterbrunnen valley, with the ground dropping away in front of it and the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau standing directly opposite - which is why a village of a few hundred people has been a resort since the nineteenth century. No road reaches it. Its place in sporting history is specific: Arnold Lunn, based here, set the first modern slalom race in 1922 and Murren became the birthplace of competitive downhill and slalom skiing as codified events; the Inferno, run from the Schilthorn since 1928, is the largest amateur downhill race in the world. The Schilthorn cable car climbs from the village to a revolving restaurant used as a Bond location.

What you actually see

• The Jungfrau trio opposite - Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau straight across the valley.
• No cars anywhere - reached only by railway and cable car.
• Where slalom was codified - Arnold Lunn's first modern race in 1922.
• The Inferno - the amateur downhill from the Schilthorn since 1928.

When to go

June to September, or the ski season. Two days.

Honest expectations

Everything arrives by lift, which shapes prices and hours. The village is tiny, with limited shops. Lifts stop in the evening and between seasons. Cloud in the valley can hide the famous view for days.

Nearby

Gimmelwald is below on the same terrace; Wengen faces it across the valley.