The picture perfect Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen is situated in the magnificent valley region that bears the same name. The village’s surroundings, which are composed of massive rocks, mountain peaks and waterfalls are all very enticing to the eyes. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is widely known for its stunning alpine meadows and waterfalls. It is also considered one of the largest conservation regions in Switzerland. If you want to explore all the natural gifts around the gorgeous valley, the Lauterbrunnen village makes a good strategic jumping point especially for the Jungfrau region.
Sitting on the foot of the nation’s highest mountains, the village and its surroundings turn into excellent skiing spots in winter. During spring and summer, the valley’s meadows, adorned with colorful wild flowers, make a dramatic backdrop for activities like hiking, picnics and mountain biking. Another nice activity during the warmer periods is boat cruising the nearby lakes like Thun and Brienz.
The Lauterbrunnen village itself is quite tranquil. Being here, gives you strange sense of calm even more so when you come face to face with giant mountains. The village is small enough to get around on foot, so you don’t need to get a motor vehicle to explore.
Perhaps, the most visible lodging place in town is the Hotel Oberland, which is located at the center of the village. But there are also other accommodation options here including apartments, hostels and the Camping Jungfrau campsite. There is a hiking trail that begins near the town hall and goes towards the lookout point at Wengwald. This scenic 2-hour trail takes you across a river and rewards you with gorgeous views of the entire Lauterbrunnen Valley.
For a number travelers visiting the Lauterbrunnen Valley, following the UNESCO world heritage themed trail in a must. This trails covers the area of Junggfrau, Aletsch and Bietschhorn, and wonderful natural attractions, alpine farming culture, and lovely mountain hotels. One of the major attractions in the area is the rack railway that connects Lauterbrunnen village to other attractions in Wengen and Kleinen Scheidegg. This railway route goes all the way up at about 345 meters, to reach the highest railway station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch. Another attraction worth checking out is the Schnyige Platte, which is garden located above the valley. Fortunately, you can take a train service to reach this beautiful spot.
It is a must for tourists in the Lauterbrunnen to visit the region’s 72 waterfalls. If you can’t see most of them, try to check out at least two of the most popular among these waterfalls. One of them is the Staubbach Falls, which is about 300 meters high and features an overhanging rock face. Sitting on the outskirts of the village, Staubbach is one of Europe’s highest free-falling waterfalls.
The second notable waterfall attraction is the Trümmelbach Falls, just about 3 kilometers away from the village. This site is actually a glacier ravine hidden by rock faces within the Black Monk Mountain. It consists of 10 waterfalls that tally a total height of about 200 meters. The cascades of Trümmelbach handles up to 20,000 liters of water per second. The falls are open during spring and summer months, and closed on the winter period, usually from November to March. You need to pay an entrance fee to access the falls however it is well worthwhile.
