Hiking Lauterbrunnen: The 72-Waterfall Valley and Its Best Trails
Hiking Lauterbrunnen: The 72-Waterfall Valley and Its Best Trails
Seventy-two waterfalls. That's the number that defines this place. They spill off both walls of a glacial trench so steep and so narrow that the whole valley feels engineered for drama — meadows on the flat floor, sheer cliffs on either side, and ribbons of meltwater dropping from the rim in every direction. Lauterbrunnen is one of the great hiking bases in the Alps — the same valley we map out day by day in our four-day Lauterbrunnen itinerary — and the reason is simple. From a single village at 800 metres you can reach car-free cliff villages, panoramic ridge trails, and Europe's highest railway, all in under an hour.
Here's what to walk, what to see, and how to do it without emptying your wallet.
Why This Valley Beats the Rest
Most Alpine hiking hubs make you choose between accessibility and scenery. Lauterbrunnen doesn't. The valley floor is flat and free to wander. The cliffs above hold Mürren, Wengen and Gimmelwald — three car-free villages linked by cog railways and cable cars — and each is a trailhead in its own right. The famous trio of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau stands directly across from the western terrace, which means many trails here keep the mountains in front of you the whole way rather than making you earn the view at a summit.
And the waterfalls are everywhere. Some you drive past. Two you go looking for.
The Waterfalls You Actually Stop For
Staubbach Falls is the postcard: 300 metres of free-falling water tumbling right beside the village, one of the highest waterfalls in Europe — for sheer concentration of falling water, only the fjord cliffs around Bergen really compete. It's free, a 10-minute walk from the station, and a tunnel path (open April to November) climbs behind it for a misted-up view from within the spray. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.
Trümmelbach Falls is the one people underestimate. Ten glacier-fed cascades roar inside the mountain, hollowed into the rock and reached by a cliff lift and gallery walkways. It's CHF 14 (~$16), open April to November, 9AM to 5PM, about 3 km up the valley on PostBus 141. Allow an hour or more, and skip the sandals — the walkways stay wet.
Top Hikes and Nature Walks
1. Männlichen–Kleine Scheidegg Panorama Trail
The one to do first. A near-level 1.5-hour ridge walk from the Männlichen cable-car station to Kleine Scheidegg, with continuous Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau views. The trail is free; you pay only for the lifts up. Snow-free June to October. This is the easiest genuinely spectacular hike in the Alps, full stop — the trails around Chamonix ask a great deal more of your legs for a comparable payoff.
2. The North Face Trail
A 4.5 km signed loop from the Allmendhubel funicular above Mürren (funicular ~CHF 12 / ~$13 return), past alpine farms with information boards on the great north faces. Mostly gentle, mostly in the open, and framed by the big three the whole way. Two hours at a relaxed pace.
3. Mürren to Gimmelwald
A short, downhill cliff-path walk (about 45 minutes) linking two car-free villages. Gimmelwald has fewer than 130 residents, honesty-shop cheese fridges where you leave coins in a tin, and none of the summit-day crowds. It's the valley's quietest corner and one of its most authentic — reason enough for its place in our roundup of the valley's best things to do.
4. The Valley Floor to Stechelberg
Flat, free, and easy — a path past cow pastures and a dozen ribbon waterfalls, with base jumpers launching off the cliffs overhead (Lauterbrunnen is one of the world's top spots for the sport). Perfect for a rest-day leg-stretch or an acclimatisation walk.
5. Grütschalp to Mürren
A gentle cliff-top trail that shadows the panoramic railway line. Ride the cable car up to Grütschalp, then walk to Mürren instead of taking the train — mostly level, always with the view.
6. Bachalpsee at Grindelwald First
Worth the day trip over the ridge. A gondola lifts you to First (2,168 m, ~CHF 32 / ~$36 return), and an easy 6 km round-trip leads to a lake that mirrors the Schreckhorn and Wetterhorn. Snow-free from late June. Add the free First Cliff Walk by Tissot at the top.
7. Schilthorn / Piz Gloria and the Birg Thrill Walk
More engineering than hiking, but unmissable. The cable car from Stechelberg climbs to the 2,970-metre revolving restaurant made famous by James Bond (~CHF 108 / ~$120 return). Break the ascent at Birg for the Thrill Walk — a cliff-hugging steel walkway with a glass floor that's a bigger rush than the summit itself.
8. Wengen and the Männlichen Crown
From car-free Wengen, ride up to the Männlichen ridge and take the short climb to the summit crown for a 360-degree sweep before starting the panorama trail. A small effort for an outsized payoff.
Best Time to Hike
June to September is the window. The high trails are snow-free, the valley sits around a mild 20°C, and the waterfalls run hard from the summer melt. Some high routes stay snow-covered into early summer, so check trail status before a big day. Winter (December to March) flips the valley into a ski region, and the tunnel path behind Staubbach and Trümmelbach both close November to April.
One rule that matters more here than almost anywhere: check the SBB and MeteoSwiss webcams before you commit to a summit. A sunny valley can be a whiteout at 3,000 metres within the hour, and the pricier lifts are no fun in cloud.
Budget: Let the Passes Do the Work
The lifts add up fast, so a pass is almost always the smart move. A Swiss Travel Pass, the regional Jungfrau Travel Pass, or the Berner Oberland Pass cuts fares by 25 to 50 percent and covers many of the cog railways and cable cars outright. Weigh the passes against your planned excursions before buying anything single-ticket.
Everything else is expensive too. Restaurant meals run CHF 25-40 (~$28-45) and a coffee is CHF 5. So self-cater: shop at the Coop or Migros, carry a refillable bottle (the tap water is superb and free), and consider an apartment over a hotel. The mountain-top restaurants charge a premium for the view — pack a Coop picnic and eat it on a ridge instead.
Here's the honest steer: skip the assumption that you need Jungfraujoch to see this valley at its best. The Top of Europe is extraordinary, but at CHF 210 (~$235) it's the priciest half-day in the region. The free Männlichen panorama trail delivers the same three mountains at eye level for the cost of a cable car. Do that first, and treat the Jungfraujoch as a splurge only if the weather's flawless.
A Three-Day Hiking Itinerary
Day 1 — Acclimatise low. Staubbach Falls in the morning, Trümmelbach after lunch, then the flat valley-floor walk toward Stechelberg. Easy legs, big waterfalls.
Day 2 — The western terrace. Cable car and railway up to Mürren, walk the North Face Trail, then drop to Gimmelwald for cheese and quiet before descending.
Day 3 — The showpiece ridge. Cog railway to Wengen, cable car to Männlichen, and the panorama trail to Kleine Scheidegg with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in front of you the whole way. Lunch at Restaurant Bahnhof, then home.
Three days, one valley, barely any climbing — and more world-class scenery than most people see in a fortnight. That's the trick of Lauterbrunnen: it hands you the Alps at their most dramatic and lets the trains do the hard part.
