Lauterbrunnen Valley Travel Guide

Lauterbrunnen Valley

Information

Lauterbrunnen valley is located in one of the most impressive landscapes of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Bern, between gigantic rock faces and mountain peaks. With its 77 waterfalls, Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the biggest nature conservation areas in Switzerland. The valley consists of six villages of rare beauty, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Stechelberg, Gimmelwald, Mürren and Isenfluh. Most of the villages are accessible only by cable car or through hiking paths.

After visited almost every part of Switzerland for more than once, we think that the Lauterbrunnen valley is one of the most impressive places, if not the most impressive place all over Switzerland and of course Europe. If you have ever wondered how the closest place to paradise look like, then definitely Lauterbrunnen Valley is the perfect example and the place that you have to visit at least once in your life! The scenery all over the valley is simply breathtaking and of course it can not be described in words or photos. Below we will refer to the most beautiful villages in this dreamy place and how to spend your time when you find yourself there.

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What To See...

Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen is the bigger village in the valley and of course the most famous. It has only 2,350 inhabitants and has 77 waterfalls! Staubach falls and Trummelbach falls are the most famous ones and of course if you have plenty of time, they surely deserve a visit. Lauterbrunnen is so beautiful that we suggest you to walk every corner of the village, because every step offers you a different point of view but the beauty of this village remains everywhere the same. In this village there is no specific attractions that you have to visit, just walk around, take as many photos as you can and admire the greatness of nature!

Gimmelwald

And God created Gimmelwald! This is the first thing that we thought when we saw Gimmelwald for the very first time. Immediatelly we felt an unbeliavable feeling when we walked just a few meters away from the cable car station. Gimmelwald is for sure on our top 3 places we have ever visited until now and probably for the rest of our life. The tranquility we felt in this village, in the two times we have visited it until today, is a feeling that we will never forget! Especially the second time we visited it and we were lucky to stay for two nights, it was simply a once in a lifetime shocking experience! Absolute silence, we were alone with a bottle of wine, enjoying the magical scenery, with the mountaintops of the Swiss alps just in front of us!

Mürren

Mürren is a beautiful and quite touristic village that you definitely don’t have to miss. The main street of the village has many shops, mainly selling equipment for skiing and winter clothes. Here you will also find many restaurants as well as a supermarket. From Mürren you can visit the amazing Allmendhubel with its characteristic little train. The Allmendhubel is an incredible viewpoint at 1,932 meters high, where you will find a playground and a restaurant with breathtaking views of the alps. The ticket costs 14 Swiss francs per person roundtrip.

Wengen

We would say that Wengen is the less beautiful village of four, but you should definitely visit it because it will offer you the best view you can see in the Lauterbrunnen valley. A few meters from the center of the village, there is the evangelical church of Wengen, from which you will see a picture that really resembles a painting from the most beautiful place of the world! We do not need to describe more, as the pictures speak for themselves …

Nearby Excursions

This particular part of Switzerland is really a magical place. Apart from the four awesome villages we mentioned above, there are incredible places within a very close distance that really deserve to be visited. An excellent choice is, of course the fairytale village Grindelwald, which is just a 20 minute drive from Lauterbrunnen, and we have referred with more details to it here.

Interlaken is also a good choice, though for sure it is not as beautiful as Grindelwald, it is definitely worth a visit if you are here. Interlaken is a 15 minute drive from Lauterbrunnen.

Two unbelievable experiences, that will cost you a bit more, are the excursions to two of the highest peaks of Switzerland, the imposing Jungfrau and Schilthorn. The train ride from Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen to the Jungfrau peak (3,466 m) is one of the most beautiful train trips you can do in your life, with some truly incredible pictures in front of your eyes. The only negative on this magical trip, is the extremely high ticket price that costs 163 Swiss Francs per person roundtrip.

The Schilthorn peak (2970 m) is just as impressive as Jungfrau and is definitely an incredible experience too, a bit more economical than the previous one, as it is costs 105 francs per person roundtrip, with the cable car from Stechelberg.

What To Eat

In the Lauterbrunnen valley villages, you will find many expensive restaurants, especially in Wengen and Mürren, where most of them are located. In these restaurants you can taste classic swiss dishes, such as Fondue, Rosti and Raclette. Prices are obviously very high, and for a dinner, don’t expect to pay less than 100 swiss francs under any circumstances. Because our budget was limited, combined with the very expensive accommodation prices, we preferred to prepare our own meals in the shared kitchen, that our room had and so we saved enough money.

In the village of Gimmelwald, we had a very unique experience, in some houses which selling local products such as cheese, honey, etc. These house-shops, sell their products without any employee in them! Just open the door, come inside the producer’s home, open the fridge, get what you want, and simply pay the price that it is written on. In the particular house that we visited, the owner was lying down on his couch, watching television, without even being disturbed or interested by our presence! A truly incredible story, which for someone who is living in a big city like us, sounds just crazy, but it is indicative of the level that this country has and the mindset of people.

How to move

Moving around Lauterbrunnen and across the valley is relatively easy, as your options are very limited. In Lauterbrunnen you will not need any means of transport, because the village is quite small. The other villages of the valley (Mürren, Gimmelwald) are only accessible by cable car from Stechelberg, which is only 5 km away from Lauterbrunnen and Wengen is accessible by train from the Lauterbrunnen central station. Of course, for lovers of hiking, there is also the option to walk to all the villages through some amazing trails. The ticket for the cable car from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald costs 6 euros per person roundtrip and for Mürren 11euros per person. The train to Wengen from Lauterbrunnen costs 14 euros roundtrip. The nearest airport from Lauterbrunnen is Zurich airport and is 145 km, approximately 2 hours by car.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Lauterbrunnen and generally in the 6 villages of the valley, is very expensive, as we talk about Switzerland and one of the most touristic and beautiful parts of the country. The cheaper option you can find in the valley, is an excellent hostel in Gimmelwald (Mountain Hostel Gimmelwald), which apparently does not have the comforts of a regular hotel, but its location and everything it offers for its price, is a great value for money, especially if you want to keep your travel cost low. The prices for a double room in a normal hotel around the valley, range from 150-300 swiss francs, depending on the type of accommodation and location. The choice is yours and you can make your reservation through Booking.com

Booking.com