Lauterbrunnen
A U-shaped glacial valley ringed by 72 waterfalls. The Staubbach Falls plunge nearly 300 meters from a cliff beside the village, and the valley inspired Tolkien's Rivendell.
Lauterbrunnen village sits on the floor of a glacial valley flanked by cliffs rising over a thousand meters. The valley contains as many as 72 waterfalls, and the village's name means 'loud springs.' The best known is the Staubbach Falls beside the village, which drops nearly 300 meters. When the wind blows, the water turns into mist. Goethe once wrote a poem about it. From the village, a 15-minute walk takes you to a cliff trail behind the falls. It is free and open in summer. Three kilometers into the valley, the Trümmelbach Falls are the only glacial waterfalls in Europe that can be viewed from inside a mountain. Ten tiers of falls pour out 20,000 liters of Jungfrau meltwater every second. You can explore them by elevator through tunnels and along walkways. Adult admission costs about CHF 14, and the falls are open from April to November. A recommended route: walk from Lauterbrunnen along the flat valley trail to Stechelberg, about 1.5 hours. On the way, you pass the Trümmelbach Falls, then return by bus or cable car. Alternatively, take a cable car from the village up to Wengen or Mürren and look down over the whole valley from the clifftop. Getting there: The BOB train from Interlaken Ost takes 20 minutes to reach Lauterbrunnen directly. The station is also the transfer hub for Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg and Mürren, the last reached via the Grütschalp cable car. Caution: Parking in the village is tight. If you drive, park in the multi-story car park beside the train station. Drones are restricted in the valley.
Opening hours
Open all day (Triberg Falls April–November 09:00–17:00)