Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Lauterbrunnen: The Valley With 72 Waterfalls That Instagram Made Too Famous

Lauterbrunnen Valley sits 800 metres above sea level in the Bernese Oberland, a U-shaped glacier valley 3km wide with vertical cliff walls rising 400 metres on both sides. The valley floor has the village and its train station; the walls have 72 waterfalls draining the snowfields above. Staubbach Falls drops 297 metres directly from the cliff edge above the village and was the waterfall Goethe wrote a poem about in 1779. The photograph that most people associate with Lauterbrunnen shows the falls, the cliff, and a meadow: accurate, though the village itself has grown considerably since 1779 and the meadow now shares space with hotels and parking.

The valley is not undiscovered. It fills in July and August with an international mix of hikers, paragliders, and travellers doing the Jungfrau region circuit. The car-free villages of Wengen above the east wall and Murren above the west wall are accessible by rack railway and cable car respectively, and both have better restaurant options and easier walking.

Trummelbach Falls

The most impressive waterfall in the valley is Trummelbach, inside the mountain rather than outside it. Glacier meltwater from the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau peaks drains through ten successive cascades within a limestone mountain; the water can run at 20,000 litres per second at peak melt. Entry costs CHF 15 and includes an elevator through the rock to the upper falls level. The spray and sound inside the mountain are genuinely startling. Open April through November.

Wengen

Wengen is reached by cogwheel train from Lauterbrunnen in 15 minutes; the fare is CHF 6.20 each way. The village sits on a shelf above the valley at 1,274 metres with open views south to the Jungfrau. It has no road access and no cars. Hotels, restaurants, and a small ski area in winter; in summer the walking trails above the village give access to the high alpine zones above the treeline. The Mannlichen cable car (CHF 36 return) from Wengen goes to 2,343 metres and connects to the Grindelwald system.

The Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch (3,466 metres), the highest railway station in Europe, is accessible from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg. The full return fare from Interlaken costs around CHF 200 per adult. It is the most expensive rail journey in Switzerland. The view from the Sphinx Observatory at the top is extensive when clear; the snow plateau and the Aletsch Glacier below are extraordinary in good conditions. The weather is unpredictable and the station has queues, gift shops, and packaged tourist infrastructure. Going on a clear forecast weekday rather than any summer weekend makes a significant difference.

Murren

Murren on the west wall is the correct alternative for people who find Wengen crowded. Access is by bus to Grütschalp and then a 45-minute cogwheel railway, or via the Stechelberg cable car from the valley floor. The village is slightly smaller and more deliberately quiet; the Allmendhubel area above Murren has some of the best panoramic walking in the Bernese Alps. The Birg cable car from Murren (CHF 40 to the Schilthorn summit) passes the 007 Museum at Birg, where scenes from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were filmed in 1969.

Getting There

Interlaken is the transport hub, 45 minutes from Bern by train and 2.5 hours from Zurich. From Interlaken Ost station, the BOB railway reaches Lauterbrunnen in 20 minutes. A Swiss Travel Pass covers all trains, buses, and most cable cars in the region and is the most cost-effective option for a multi-day Jungfrau circuit.