Lauterbrunnen Guide: Waterfalls, Opening Times and Where to Go From Here

Lauterbrunnen is the village everybody has seen on a screensaver: a church, a few wooden chalets and a waterfall dropping almost 300 metres from a sheer rock wall. Yes, it is touristy. Tour buses stop here, and in summer the main street is full of people taking the same photo. But it is touristy for a reason. The valley is one of the most beautiful places in Switzerland, and the village is still a real, nice little place with old houses and farms between the cliffs.

The honest truth: you need about one hour for the village itself. The real value of Lauterbrunnen is what it connects you to: the Staubbach and Trümmelbach Falls, the car-free villages of Wengen and Mürren, the Schilthorn and the Jungfraujoch. In this guide I cover the waterfalls and their opening times, how long to stay, where you can go from Lauterbrunnen, and the drone rules you need to know.

Lauterbrunnen at a Glance

• Where: Bernese Oberland, about 20 minutes by train from Interlaken Ost
• Altitude: about 800 metres, at the bottom of a deep U-shaped valley
• Known for: the “valley of 72 waterfalls”, above all the Staubbach and Trümmelbach Falls
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the village, 2 to 3 hours with the Trümmelbach Falls
• Best for: waterfalls, a base for Wengen, Mürren, Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch
• Drones: forbidden (see below)

Is Lauterbrunnen Too Touristy?

It is busy, especially from June to September and around midday, when the day-trippers from Interlaken arrive. Expect crowds at the classic viewpoint near the church and at the bottom of the Staubbach Falls. Still, I think it is worth it. Walk a few minutes away from the station and the street and you are among old wooden houses with carved fronts and flower boxes, meadows and the sound of the waterfalls.

Come early in the morning or in the late afternoon, or visit in autumn like I did: the larches turn golden, the light is soft and the village is much quieter.

The Waterfalls: The Best Part of Lauterbrunnen

The falls are the reason to come, and they are really beautiful. The valley has 72 of them, according to the Jungfrau Region tourist office. Two you should not miss:

Staubbach Falls: Free and Visible All Year

The Staubbach Falls drop 297 metres right behind the village and are one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Switzerland. The water falls so far that much of it turns into spray before it reaches the ground, which gave it its name: Staub means dust. Goethe saw it in 1779 and wrote his poem Gesang der Geister über den Wassern about it.

• Opening times: none. You can watch the Staubbach Falls all year, day and night, from the village and from the meadow below.
• Price: free.
• Path behind the falls: a short, steep path with steps leads up to a gallery in the rock behind the water. It is open in summer, roughly May to October, and closed in winter because of ice and falling rocks.
• Winter: the waterfall is thinner and sometimes partly frozen, which looks great in its own way.

Trümmelbach Falls: Glacier Water Inside the Mountain

The Trümmelbach Falls are completely different: ten glacier waterfalls thundering through a gorge inside the mountain, reached by a tunnel lift and paths. They drain the glaciers of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and in summer up to 20,000 litres of water per second rush through. It is loud, wet and impressive.

Check the official Trümmelbach website before you go, because the falls can close in bad weather. Bring a jacket, as it is cold and wet inside, and some Swiss francs in cash in case the card machine does not work. In winter the Trümmelbach Falls are closed, but the Staubbach Falls are still there.

How Much Time Do You Need in Lauterbrunnen?

For the village itself, one hour is enough. Walk from the station down the main street, look at the old houses, go to the church for the classic photo and walk to the foot of the Staubbach Falls. That is Lauterbrunnen.

• 1 hour: village walk and Staubbach Falls
• 2 to 3 hours: add the Trümmelbach Falls (April to November)
• Full day: add Mürren and the Schilthorn, or Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg

For the best view over the valley, walk a little way up the hillside paths above the village. From there you see the whole village and the cliffs like in the photo above.

Where to Go From Lauterbrunnen

This is where Lauterbrunnen really shines. Trains, buses and cable cars leave from the station and take you to some of the best places in the Alps. Approximate travel times:

Wengen

A car-free village on a sunny terrace above the valley, with views straight down to Lauterbrunnen and up to the Jungfrau. From Wengen the train continues to Kleine Scheidegg below the Eiger North Face, the start of easy panorama walks. Read my Wengen guide for the train, the walk down and where to eat.

Mürren and Gimmelwald

On the other side of the valley, Mürren sits on a cliff edge at 1,650 metres with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau right in front of you. Take the cable car up to Grütschalp and the little train along the slope; the views on this ride alone are worth it. Tiny Gimmelwald, one stop below Mürren on the Schilthorn cable car, is even quieter.

Schilthorn and Piz Gloria

From Stechelberg at the end of the valley, cable cars climb via Gimmelwald and Mürren to the Schilthorn at almost 3,000 metres, with the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant from the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. You can book Schilthorn cable car tickets in advance.

Jungfraujoch

The “Top of Europe” is reachable from Lauterbrunnen via Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg. It is spectacular on a clear day but expensive, so check the webcams first. You can book Jungfraujoch tickets from Lauterbrunnen online. I compare it with cheaper mountains in my Interlaken and Jungfrau region guide.

Most of these trips are partly or fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass, with discounts on the high mountains.

Drones Are Forbidden in Lauterbrunnen

Leave your drone in the bag. Lauterbrunnen lies inside a permanent drone restriction zone around the Air-Glaciers heliport. On the federal drone map of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the zone “LSXL Lauterbrunnen” says that flying drones over 250 g is prohibited. In winter, extra zones around the Lauberhorn and Männlichen ski areas are added.

The Jungfrau Region tourist office goes further and asks people not to fly any drones in Lauterbrunnen, even small ones under 250 g. The valley is narrow, rescue helicopters fly in and out all day, and paragliders and BASE jumpers share the airspace. A drone here is a real danger, not just a nuisance.

Practical Tips for Visiting Lauterbrunnen

• By train: from Interlaken Ost about 20 minutes, every 30 minutes.
• By car: park in the large car park at the station (about CHF 18 per day) or at the smaller car park near the church. In peak season it can be full by mid-morning.
• Best time: June to September for all cable cars and the Trümmelbach Falls; autumn for colours and fewer people; winter for snow, with the Staubbach Falls still visible.
• Avoid the crowds: arrive before 10:00 or after 16:00.
• Where to stay: Lauterbrunnen has guesthouses, holiday flats and campsites and is a quieter base than Interlaken; compare hotels in Lauterbrunnen on Booking.com.
• Combine with: a day in Interlaken, or the mountain lakes of the Bernese Oberland like Oeschinensee and the Blausee.

Lauterbrunnen fits perfectly into a longer trip; see my 7-day Switzerland itinerary for a full route.

FAQ: Visiting Lauterbrunnen

Final Thoughts

Lauterbrunnen is touristy, and you will not need more than an hour for the village. But the waterfalls are some of the most beautiful in Switzerland, the Staubbach Falls are free and there for you all year, and from the station you can be in Mürren, Wengen or on the Schilthorn in under an hour. Come early, leave the drone at home, and use the village as your gateway to the valley. For more ideas, browse all my Switzerland guides.