I have been to Lauterbrunnen twice (once in Summer, once in the fall) – well you will definitely visit or passthrough Lauterbrunnen since it is the gateway to the Jungfrau region! You can use the beautiful village as a 2-3 days base to visit the surrounding attractions like Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch.
Getting Here
The rail journey between Zurich and Interlaken is about 2 1/2 hours on average, and involve at least 1 train transfer. There are many departures during the day – and if you have a Swiss Pass that will cover all the journeys in all the regions. From Interlaken Ost, you take another train up to Lauterbrunnen which takes about 20 minutes. It’s all quite straight forward – not much walking needed between transfers so quite convenient. There are many departures during the day.
Where to Stay
The first time I was in the Jungfrau region, I stayed at Dorint, Beatenberg and then at Hotel Krebs near the Interlaken station. Nice hotels by the way – you can’t go wrong.
This time – I thought I’d stay in Lauterbrunnen – which is a bit more expensive compared to Interlaken hotels I feel, but it is a lot closer to the main sites I wanted to visit. There is a good selection of hotels in Lauterbrunnen – you got a lot of choices. I initially wanted to stay at Camping Jungfrau as they have a restaurant, a supermarket in the compound which I thought would be nice for us. Anyway – my next option which is closer to the train station (not the closest) but walkable – or you could take the bus (the bus stop is nearby), is Hotel Staubbach.
Happy with my choice, in the end, I got us a room with a beautiful view of the Staubbach Falls – the hotel was close to restaurants around the area and transport was easy. Breakfast was included in the room package – loved the warm croissants and coffee in the morning. We had our favourite spot in the restaurant with a beautiful view of the falls. The folks were very friendly and more than willing to share tips of where to go and when. Thanks to them – I managed to do Staubbach Falls, Schilthorn and Trümmelbach Falls all in one day!
Oh bonus point – they have a lift! I had very heavy bags with me…
Top Things To Do
Note that the falls are opened up to early Nov. But the mountain areas are opened all year round. Another good thing to do is also check the transportation to the mountains – there are scheduled maintenance works towards year-end just before the winter season.
Staubbach Falls
I only visited the Falls because I stayed here at Lauterbrunnen. The last time I came, I went straight for the Trümmelbach Falls.
Anyway – we came during a quiet period and for the most part we were the only ones there – so it was nice to have the whole place to ourselves. It is very near to the hotels – so you could easily walk over and do a short hike up. Fun facts:
- The 297 meter tall waterfall is the third tallest in all of Switzerland.
- Staubbach means spray stream – the fall is named as such because of the mist that sprays around as the water plummets down from the top.
- You can walk up right and stand behind the waterfall drop – really worthwhile.
Trümmelbach Falls
If you visit Lauterbrunnen – you must visit the Falls. But please take note that they open from April to early November only.
Check out my post here on Trümmelbach Falls.
Schilthorn
If you’re in Lauterbrunnen – one short bus trip (bus #141) to the Stechelberg cable car station nearby. From there, you can take a series of cable car up to Schilthorn. This was my first trip to Schilthorn I have to say. It’s very different from Jungfraujoch. Weather wasn’t super great but I managed to get a few decent shots.
Jungfraujoch
I have been to Jungfraujoch twice – once in good weather, this second time not so great. It is very important that you check the weather forecast and perhaps choose the best mountain to visit on the day. I didn’t have a choice that time since I was only in Jungfrau for 3 days.
Going up Jungfraujoch is not cheap but – I think it’s worthwhile to at least visit once. Beautiful views going up and down – and when the weather is right – gorgeous views at the peak. You can also visit the Ice Palace and the Snow Fun Park (check opening times).
Grindelwald
I didn’t go to Grindelwald this round, but I have been before. I went there towards the end of summer – lots of activities for all ages. I stuck with just the mountain hikes at the time.
But plenty of other action-packed activities if you’re looking for those. Check out the First Flyer – a zip line that will bring you along an 800-metre cable from First to Schreckfeld at a top speed of 84 kilometres per hour.
Or take a walk on the First Cliff Walk and soak in the beautiful views of the valley and mountainside from the terrace which rises 45 metres out into the void.
Do check the opening times of these attractions if you plan to visit.
Beautiful Switzerland
Switzerland is of course not just about the Jungfrau region. Check out also my other posts on attractions around Lucerne.