Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Farmhouse in Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

ABOVE: A farmhouse in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with a waterfall in the background.

Wengen and Mürren are more famous, Grindelwald hosts more tourists, Gimmelwald attracts more disciples of guidebook guru Rick Steves, and Interlaken offers grander hotels. But for hikers, skiers, and alpine sightseers with limited budgets, Lauterbrunnen has much to offer--including a valley location that makes it a convenient touring base for the Jungfrau Region, especially when traveling by car.

Mountain walls and waterfalls

Lauterbrunnen is tucked into a deep, long valley of rocky cliffs and green pastures. The valley has 72 waterfalls, including the Staubbach Falls and the equally famous Trümmelbach Falls, a series of 10 falls inside a mountain gorge that require a descent by undeground funicular. In Lauterbrunnen itself, the Talmuseum has exhibits on iron mining and other aspects of the valley's history.

Park and ride

Overlooking the valley are two famous alpine resorts: Wengen and Mürren. Both towns are car-free, and motorists are required to park their cars in the valley before ascending to the resorts by cogwheel train or cablecar. (If you're one of those motorists, follow the signs and park in an outdoor lot or garage.)

Once you've parked your car (or, better yet, arrived by train), you can enjoy any number of local excursions--among them, the Schilthorn cable car, which departs from nearby Stechelberg and pauses in Mürren on its way to the mountaintop restaurant that was disguised as a villain's headquarters in the James Bond movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Getting to Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen is south of Interlaken, past Wilderswil and the turnoff for Grindelwald. If you're traveling by train, you can enjoy a circular tour of Interlaken-Grindelwald-Kleine Scheidegg-Wengen-Lauterbrunnen-Interlaken or vice versa. For train connections from any point in Switzerland, see the journey planner on the Swiss Federal Railways Web site.

Web links

Tourist Information:

Lauterbrunnen
The village's official tourist site has information in several languages, including English.

Stechelberg
Head for Stechelberg (just up the valley) to catch the Schilthorn cable car, see the local sights, or stay at the year-round campground.

Where to stay:

Booking.com: Lauterbrunnen our partner
Europe's leading secure reservations service represents several dozen hotels, B&Bs, hostels, and other accommodations in Lauterbrunnen. Listings include photos, ratings, and reviews by paying guests.

Transportation:

Swiss Federal Railways
Use the SBB's journey planner to check timetables and prices for travel to Lauterbrunnen via the national rail network and local mountain railroads.

Lauterbrunnen Car Park
If you're arriving in high season--whether summer or winter--we recommend reserving a spot ahead of time. (Note: This site can be slow to load, so give it a few seconds.)

Related Articles:

Articles: Bern and Environs europeforvisitors.com
Illustrated articles (with Web links) about Bern, Interlaken, Wengen, Mürren, Brienz, Thun, and other nearby places worth visiting.

About the author:

Durant Imboden photo. Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

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