Lauterbrunnen Valley from Männlichen

Lauterbrunnen is a small village in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland nestled between the towering walls of a sheer-sided valley that is famed for its waterfalls.

Get in

• By narrow-gauge train from Interlaken Ost station. Eurail and Inter-Rail pass holders should be aware that these passes are not valid for this journey. Holders of Swiss Pass travel free.
• Bike up from Interlaken (See the Do section below)
• A 1 parking house is right at beginning of the village, however the smaller 2 Kirchenparkplatz is much nearer the waterfalls.

Get around

Lauterbrunnen is a very small village and easy to get around by walking.

See

The village itself is not overly interesting or pleasant (due to infrastructure from transport connections, car parking, and a surprisingly busy road which tend to be hidden in the usual well framed photos that you see). However it is the gateway to many fantastic sights and other places.

• 1 Staubbach Falls. Can be seen from the centre of town. Getting to the waterfall is only a 5 minute walk from the station. During summer months you can follow a path up to a tunnel that leads behind the waterfall (be careful as it may be slippery inside). (updated Nov 2017)
• 2 Trümmelbach Falls (3 km past Lauterbrunnen.). Open April-November.. Ride the lift up, then follow the signs into the cliffside to the series of powerful waterfalls. Be warned that the glacial meltwater means that even on a hot summer day it will be chilly inside. Getting there is an easy and beautiful 20-30 minute walk from Lauterbrunnen, which also passes by the Staubbach falls and lets you take in the size of the valley walls. Otherwise there is car parking and the bus from Lauterbrunnen stops there. Fr. 12 (US dollars, Pounds, and Euros accepted).. (updated Nov 2017)

One of the water falls in Trümmelbach Falls

Do

The Lauterbrunnen area is famous for mountainbiking. Rent a bike in Interlaken (for example, there's a rental store at the West station) and ride to the end of the valley to a place called Stechelberg. For Fr. 20 take your bike in the gondola up to Mürren. From Mürren follow the red bike trail signs to Winteregg. Its an easy trail for everybody, not much uphill. From Winteregg enjoy a fast downhill to Isenfluh or back to Lauterbrunnen. This tour can also easily be started in Interlaken: it's only 45 minutes more biking and the round trip from Interlaken takes 3 to 5 hours. Get your great quality bike maps and all information at rental places in Interlaken.

• . Hike up to Wengwald by walking up the trail starting beside the townhall. Cross the river and follow the signs to Wengen until you see a sign pointing towards Wengwald. Hike up this way until you get great views of the Lauterbrunnen valley. Takes only 1.5-2 hours if going slowly. 

Eat

A series of cafes and hotel/restaurants line the main street. There is also a small Coop supermarket near the station

• 1 Hotel Oberland, Fuhren, ☏ +41 33 855 12 41. Hotel Oberland has great food at reasonable prices for Switzerland. Try the Rosti, a traditionally Swiss dish. (updated Jul 2016)

Sleep

• 1 Valley Hostel, ☏ +41 33 855 20 08, fax: +41 33 855 20 08, info@valleyhostel.ch. Cheap, homely and the hosts are sound. Set in the heart of the Valley, just up the road from the train station and minutes from Staubbach Falls. Dorm: Fr. 25 (bargain). 
• 2 Camping Jungfrau Lauterbrunnen, ☏ +41 33 856 20 10, info@camping-jungfrau.ch. 
• 3 Hotel Crystal, ☏ +41 33 856 90 90, info@crystal-lauterbrunnen.ch. 

Go next

Cities close by include:

• Murren
• Gimmelwald and Grindelwald
• Wengen
• Interlaken