Lauterbrunnen Valley: The Short List
View of Wengen from our Airbnb.
Wengen: A breathtaking town that sits directly on the side of the glacial valley, essentially halfway up a mountain. It offers an amazing perspective of the Jungfrau mountain and the glacial valley below. Features a lovely downtown and it is a great place to wander around the streets.
At the summit of Männlichen.
Männlichen: A mountain peak with beautiful views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley and surrounding areas, which can be reached via a cable car from Wengen. Activities near the summit of the mountain include a playground and a café.
View of Grindelwald and the surrounding mountains from Männlichen.
Grindelwald: We did not make it down to this town, but it is nestled at the base of Männlichen opposite Wengen/Lauterbrunnen.
On the hike to Kleine Scheidegg, with the town and Jungfrau mountain behind me.
Kleine Scheidegg: There are a few hotels and restaurants where you can eat here. From Kleine Scheidegg, you can take train up to Jungfraujoch to see the Aiger glacier. If you purchase the Jungfrau train pass, it gives you 50% off of the pass up to Jungfraujoch.
View of Lauterbrunnen from the Staubbachfall.
Lauterbrunnen: The namesake of the region tucked at the bottom of the glacial valley. We visited and walked from the train station to the Staubbachfall waterfall. A stairwell takes you up to and behind the waterfall. We ate dinner at the Oberland hotel. This town is a beautiful place to wander and view the many waterfalls that come down into the valley.
Views of fall foliage and the mountains from Mürren.
Mürren: This ski town is accessible via cable car from Lauterbrunnen up to Grütschalp and a train over to the town. This was another beautiful town on the cliff/hillside of the glacial valley. It is definitely a popular ski location, and we wandered all of the streets and down along the hillside to see some beautiful views and some mountainside dwelling Swiss cows.
The Aare River in Interlaken.
Interlaken: This downtown is much more of a busy city with a lot of people and activity. We walked along the beautiful Aare River, visited the “Wild Park”, and took the cable car up to Harder Kulm. From the top of Harder Kulm you can hike around various trails, see the Thun and Brienz lakes below, and visit the viewing platform with panoramic views of the city, mountains, and lakes. Interlaken featured a large field with was a popular ending point for many paragliders, which was very fun to watch.
View of Interlaken from Harder Kulm.
Tips:
Buy food from a grocery store to save some money in a country where everything tends to run a little expensive, and to give flexibility to your daily adventures.
Buy the Jungfrau Travel Pass if you are traveling when it is available! It allows you unlimited travel on any train and even the cable cars in the region for three to eight days, all as a part of this one-time purchase. It also has other perks, including discounts at certain shops and a special rate for visiting the Jungfraujoch.
Swiss cheese is very real and very popular. If you’re a fan, go for the classic Swiss fondue while you are in the country.
The Swiss train system is probably one of my favorites that I have ever experienced - consistently on time, clean, efficient and beautiful. And you absolutely can’t beat the views on the train rides.
View of Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and the glacial valley from Männlichen. Mürren is in the distance, directly to the left of the pole of the Swiss flag.