Things to do in Lauterbrunnen
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lauterbrunnen
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Waterfall peak flow from snowmelt, with full falls on both walls, flowers in the meadows and high trails opening.
Main hiking window from mid June to mid September, all lifts running and Trümmelbach on extended July and August hours.
Late summer trickle risk in dry years, when Staubbach and the Mürrenbach can shrink to veils by mid August.
Shoulder closures bite from mid October, Trümmelbach shuts at the start of November, and many hotels close until mid December.
Ski season above Wengen and Mürren from mid December to early April, peaking at Christmas, New Year and February.
Spring shoulder from mid April to mid May, with skiing ended, some lifts in maintenance and falls building toward peak.
What's on
- Lauberhorn World Cup Races Usually mid January
World Cup Super-G, downhill and slalom in Wengen drawing about 30,000 spectators to the car free village.
- International Inferno Race late January
The world's largest amateur downhill ski race, from the Schilthorn area down toward Mürren.
- Jungfrau Marathon September
A mountain marathon from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg passing through Lauterbrunnen and Wengen.
Best things to do in Lauterbrunnen
Staubbachfall
A 297 metre free falling waterfall beside the village, best in spring snowmelt and floodlit on summer nights.
Trümmelbachfälle
Ten glacier waterfalls thunder inside the mountain, reached by a tunnel lift, galleries and wet stairs.
Mürrenbachfall
At 417 metres it is cited as Switzerland's highest waterfall, dropping beside the Stechelberg cable car.
Talmuseum Lauterbrunnen
The small valley museum on Lauterbrunnen's farming, climbing and tourism history in an old village house.
Gimmelwald
A tiny car free farming village above the valley, reached by cable car, with cheese, chalets and big views.
Thrill Walk
A railed cliff path at Birg with glass sections and a crawl tunnel, hanging high above the valley floor.
Allmendhubel
Mürren's flower hill, reached by funicular, with a flower trail, playground and a three peak terrace view.
Bond World
The small James Bond exhibition at Piz Gloria, where On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed in 1969.
Where to stay in Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen village
connections, value and first nights
The transport hub with every train, bus and cable car in the valley, the Coop and the falls on one street.
Wengen
sun, views and a full resort base
A car free sunny terrace village with the best hotel and restaurant choice, reached by cog railway in 14 minutes.
Mürren
hiking, the Schilthorn and quiet
A higher, quieter car free ledge with the biggest peak views, where every excursion starts with a lift.
Gimmelwald
solitude and walking
A tiny farming village with a hostel and guesthouses, no shop and total quiet after the last cable car.
Think twice about
- Interlaken as a base for this valley
A busy transport town between two lakes, not an alpine village. Basing there adds a daily commute and loses the valley's quiet mornings and evenings.
- Gimmelwald for travellers who need dining and late transport
Almost no dining, no shop and an early last cable car. Wonderful for solitude, a poor base if you want restaurant choice or evenings out.
Best restaurants in Lauterbrunnen
Restaurant Weidstübli
The village's first choice dinner, a timbered room for fondue, raclette, rösti and steaks by the campsite.
Restaurant Steinbock
The village value workhorse opposite the Mürrenbahn, with thin crust pizzas, pasta, raclette and fondue.
Flavours
The village daytime café for coffee, brunch plates and cakes a few minutes from Lauterbrunnen station.
Horner Pub
The valley's one true pub, with beer, simple food and the BASE jumping community's photos on its walls.
Restaurant Stägerstübli
Mürren's traditional dining room for Swiss classics, the independent local feeling dinner in the village.
Tham Restaurant
A Chinese Singaporean restaurant in car free Mürren, the beloved cure for a week of fondue fatigue.
Ristorante Da Sina
Wengen's most booked Italian, with crisp based pizzas, generous pastas and a tiramisu people return for.
Chez Meyer's
The valley's splurge table at Hotel Regina, a short seasonal fine dining menu served a few nights a week.
Outdoor things to do in Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen Valley Trail
The flat valley floor walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg past meadows, the river and a chain of falls.
Schilthorn - Piz Gloria
A 2,970 metre summit with a revolving restaurant and one frame holding the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
Northface Trail
A meadow loop from Allmendhubel past farms and info boards, with famous north faces filling the view.
Panorama Trail
The easy ridge walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, facing the Eiger north face for its whole length.
Grütschalp to Mürren Panorama Trail
A nearly flat panorama walk from Grütschalp to Mürren along the cliff edge above the Lauterbrunnen valley.
Via Ferrata Mürren-Gimmelwald
A protected cliff route from Mürren down to Gimmelwald with ladders, a Nepal bridge and huge exposure.
Airtime Paragliding
Tandem paragliding from Mürren, launching above the cliffs and landing at Stechelberg in the valley.
Jungfraujoch
Europe's highest station at 3,454 metres, reached by cog railway via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg.
Best hotels in Lauterbrunnen
Hotel Silberhorn
The default valley floor hotel near the station, with a good restaurant and balconies facing Staubbachfall.
Hotel Staubbach
A historic 1890 B and B hotel whose south facing balconies frame the valley and Staubbachfall together.
Valley Hostel
The valley's beloved budget base, with dorms, private rooms, a kitchen and laundry near the station.
Camping Jungfrau
A year round holiday park under Staubbachfall, with pitches plus heated bungalows that have kitchens.
Beausite Park Hotel Wengen
Wengen's full service park hotel with spa and pools, and terraces over the Jungfrau and the valley.
Maya Caprice Boutique Hotel & Spa
A boutique chalet hotel by Wengen station, with big soft bedded rooms and an outdoor spa facing the peaks.
Hotel Regina
Wengen's grande dame hotel, with old world character, a celebrated terrace and the village's best kitchen.
Hotel Eiger
Mürren's flagship four star by the station, with a pool, sauna and balconies facing three famous peaks.
Is Lauterbrunnen expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CHF 90 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CHF 220 a person |
| Splurge | CHF 520 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Schilthorn - Piz Gloria: a few days ahead
- Via Ferrata Mürren-Gimmelwald: a few days ahead
- Airtime Paragliding: a few days ahead
- Jungfraujoch: a few days ahead
- Restaurant Weidstübli: a few days ahead
- Restaurant Stägerstübli: a few days ahead
- Ristorante Da Sina: a few days ahead
- Chez Meyer's: a few days ahead
- Book valley accommodation months ahead for July, August and the ski weeks, as bed stock is small.
- Reserve Jungfraujoch seats days ahead in summer, as the CHF 10 seat reservation is mandatory in season.
- Reserve dinner at Weidstübli, Da Sina and Chez Meyer's in season, as walk ins are turned away.
- Book paragliding with free cancellation early in the stay so weather can move the flight.
Is Lauterbrunnen safe?
- Wear grippy shoes at Staubbach and inside Trümmelbach, where galleries are wet, steep and slippery.
- Take Jungfraujoch altitude at 3,454 metres slowly, especially with children, and watch ridge weather changes.
- Emergency numbers are 112 generally, 144 for medical and 1414 for Rega air rescue.
- BASE jumping is legal and visible here under association rules, but it carries a documented fatality toll in this valley and is not a visitor activity.
Lauterbrunnen travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The village street is overwhelmed between about 10am and 4pm in summer, so walk the valley floor early or late.
- Never pay Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch prices without checking the summit webcams that morning.
- The 72 waterfalls are a snowmelt spectacle, and in a dry late August several famous falls shrink to veils.
- No pass covers Trümmelbach entry, which is paid at the gate with no discounts.
Getting around Lauterbrunnen: public transport and more
- Trains run from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen in about 20 minutes, and Wengen and Mürren are car free with no road access.
- From Lauterbrunnen, the cog railway serves Wengen, the cable car and BLM train serve Mürren, and PostBus 141 runs up the valley to Stechelberg.
- Drivers park in Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg, and both car parks fill by mid morning on fine summer days.
- A Swiss Travel Pass cuts the Schilthorn journey to CHF 45.70, while a Half Fare Card halves Jungfraujoch, where the Travel Pass gives only 25 percent off.
Who Lauterbrunnen suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
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