1 long day in Lauterbrunnen – What to do
A traveler plans a weekend trip to Lauterbrunnen, arriving from Paris on a Friday afternoon in August and leaving for Lake Como on Sunday. They seek advice on moderate hikes and activities suitable for their family of four, including two adventurous kids aged 11 and 13.
- Consider visiting Jungfraujoch if the weather is good, but it's expensive; focus on the experience if the kids haven't been up a mountain before.
- Use your Swiss Travel Pass for discounts on trains and cable cars, but check what's included.
- For easy hiking, the Northface Trail is a beautiful option with stunning views and manageable difficulty.
- Prioritize your activities based on the weather—Schilthorn is great for clear days, while Trümmelbach Falls can be enjoyed regardless of conditions.
- Plan for early starts to make the most of your time, especially with limited evening options.
AI-generated summary-
We are arriving by train from Paris a Friday in August at about 14:00.
We leave Sunday morning for Lake Como via Lucern.
I’d like recommendations on what to do during our short stay. We like moderate hiking. We are a family of 4 with 2 semi-adventurous kids (11/13).
Thanks!
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There are many tips on this great site. See: http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es
- You can go to Jungfraujoch (only with very nice weather and blue sky)
- You can walk from Grutschalp to Murren to Gimmelwald
- You can do Wengen, Mannlichen walk to Kleine Scheidegg to Wengernalp
- You can visit Schynige Platte
- You can do Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald to First, walk to Bachalpsee
- You can do the Trümmelbachfalls near Lauterbrunnen
Greetings from the Netherlands, Brahms
Hi diveatlas,
Lauterbrunnen is right in the middle of some really great stuff so you’re ideally situated. Brahms’ tips are all good – it’s down to your preference and maybe what your kids have already experienced as to what you would choose, but for what it’s worth my tips would be: Jungfraujoch – a GREAT trip, especially so if the kids haven’t been up a mountain before. You can actually walk across the glacier as well as be right next to the tips of the mountains. It’s a real ‘wow’ trip. It gets really busy though so do this one as early as you can if you choose to and as Brahms said only worth doing if it’s good weather. Also if your kids have been up lots of mountains already they may prefer something different, although you do get to go through the Eiger and look out the windows which is good. There’s a great documentary about the history of climbing the Eiger which we watched before we went so it felt extra impressive to be up there. We did that trip last year, this year we plan to do the other side of the valley – train up to Murren, funicular up to Allmendhubel and then walk down. I’m hoping for a more peaceful Alpine experience around Murren/Allmendhubel, a bit more sitting around in meadows etc.
As great as the Jungfraujoch is at the top there is a lot of changing trains and queuing for things. My eldest however is keen to take the cable car up to the Schilthorn and do all sorts of scary things like the thrill walk and the cliff walk which doesn’t appear to be finished yet and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for very long delays with it’s opening.
If the kids are adventurous they may also like First which has a big zipline and another scary looking cliff walk. You could probably do Jungfraujoch and First in one long day.
Hope you have fun!
Just did a really delightful moderate hike that 11 and 13 may like–Northface Trail — 2.5 – 3.5 hours beautiful vistas enough to take your breath away- unbelievable mountain views walking thru fields of flowers -the trail going thru farmers fields with the livestock now in the high alps—small little rest stops offering foods -cheese making tour –lots to offer just do your homework and read about this trail and I know all would like it and it will excite you—
Take lift up from Lauterbrunnen Valley to Grutschalp get on train slow 10 minute ride to Murren–really nice little town–take Allmendhubelbahn cog up and hook up with Northface Trail–sounds complicated but the signing is so easy and you will feel comfortable doing this – no worries of becoming lost –
Best wishes for a beautiful rewarding time —so much more to do there too!
As the others have already said, the Jungfraujoch is the big attraction in the Oberland. It is very expensive, however. For a family of 4 it will cost several hundred dollars. (Check for special deals. You may be able to get a family discount).
The Trummellbach falls are a lot of fun. Take the bus there then funicular railway that goes through a tunnel to near the top, then walk back down through a series of tunnels that follow the waterway. Quite intense!
The Schilthorn cable car is just up the road. It’s one of the scariest I’ve ever been on. For the full effect, try and stand at the front window. The kids will love it! The view from the top is magnificent, but apart from the restaurent, there’s not much to do apart from take pictures, and again it’s not cheap.
More leisurely and more scenic would be taking the train to Kleine Scheidegg and walking up to Maennlichen where you get a fantastic view of the Lauterbrunnen valley, then taking the cable car down to Wengen before walking (or taking the train) back to Lauterbrunnen.
It’s a shame you only have 1 day to spend there, there’s so much to do. Have a fantastic time
Alan
Great suggestions everyone. I think we are going to skip Jungfraujoch due to time constraints. Forgot to mention we will have Swiss travel passes. I realize that we only get discounts on some of these things. So we will be getting in to Lauterbrunnen a bit earlier than I thought. Probably arrive at about 1:30pm or 2:30pm on Friday afternoon. So we’ll have time for afternoon exploring and all the next day. Here is my short list of things we are contemplating. We are probably going for more train/cable travel as opposed to hiking due to limited time. In no particular order.
- Schilthorn
- Staubach falls
- Trümmelbach falls
- First, zip lines and trikes
- Some sort of Wengen, Mannlichen, Kleine Scheidegg adventure
Can I fit it all in, what should I skip, what should we add, what is the best option for the Friday afternoon, where should we stop and eat (oh ya, we do need to eat I suppose), and what route should I take.
I really appreciate all of the great expertise and advice on this forum and sight. Looking forward to seeing all this in person in a month!
Hi diveatlas,
Note that the last cable car rides of the day are usually around 5 PM/6 PM, so options are limited in the evenings and you best start your Saturday early to use your time efficiently. Having said that, option 1, 2 and 3 are suitable for Friday afternoon, and you’ll best make your choice based on the weather. Clear sunny weather allows for the Schilthorn. The Trümmelbach Falls can be visitedwith any kind of weather. Then spend Saturday on the area farther from Lauterbrunnen: option 4 and 5.
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