Is Lauterbrunnen valley best place in Switzerland?
A traveler and their wife are heading to Switzerland in September for 6-9 days and are trying to decide whether to revisit Lauterbrunnen Valley, which they found breathtaking, or explore other beautiful areas. They are looking for new spots with similarly stunning views, while also considering a second base for their trip.
- Consider exploring Zermatt for spectacular views of the Matterhorn, though it's more touristy than Lauterbrunnen.
- Check out the Golden Pass Line from Interlaken to Montreux, a major scenic train route worth taking.
- If you revisit Lauterbrunnen, you might find new spots and views that you missed last time.
- Other beautiful locations include Wengen and Grindelwald for different perspectives of the Jungfrau region.
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My wife and I are headed to Switzerland in September. I’ve actually been before, but only to the Lauterbrunnen Valley area, e.g. Interlaken, Murren, Schilthorn, etc. I was amazed by the incredible 360 degree views and the feeling of “Holy crap, I’m in the Swiss alps!” that the area evoked. Are there other areas of the country that are equally incredible, or is Lauterbrunnen a singular experience? Point is, I’m debating whether to revisit that region (wife hasn’t been) or focus someplace else where we can get the same experience and it will be new to me as well. Thanks.
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HeyYou, what time of the year did you last visit?
I was there in August.
So probably fairly similar weather but less crowded this time.
There are many beautiful places to visit and scenic train trips to take. Different people will have different favourites based on what they want to experience.
The Jungfrau Region probably has the most concentrated “being in the Alps experience” potential in a relatively small area.
How long are you visiting for and do you want just one base or are you happy to travel around?
We will be in Switzerland 6-9 days (in Europe for two weeks, have flexibility as to how we divide that up, but Switzerland is the main attraction). I don’t mind having two different bases, but probably no more than that. I don’t want to feel too hurried. Thanks.
Hej Hey You,
So you figure you will be in Switzerland for six to nine days. How are you planning to get around while in Europe ? By car or by train and other public transport ? Same question for Switzerland. Arriving and departing from Europe through what city or cities ?
Hi HeyYou, you’d probably like Zermatt too. That’s where you’ll be surrounded by the highest peaks of Switzerland, including the Matterhorn. It is touristy though, but so is the Jungfrau Region.
Hi Hay You
we have stayed in both Wengen in Jungfrau region and Riffelalp above Zermatt. I thought they had very different ambiance. Both are beautiful with wonderful hiking. We found Zermatt to be busier and much more commercial than Wengen but the mountains are spectacular at both locations. You might consider staying in Wengen or Grindelwald as it will have a different view of Jungfrau than either Murren or Lauterbrunnen. Plus you would have easy access to Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg. You could still visit Zermatt and I think you would find the Matterhorn and Gornergrat equally beautiful but quite different from Jungfrau region Mark
Peter, we fly into Zurich and out of Amsterdam. We plan on getting around by train.
Thanks for the input, everyone. I’ll give the Zermatt area a closer look.
Hey hey you !
Please note that I did not suggest Zermatt. The Lauterbrunnen valley is like no other place in Switzerland and I would strongly say take her there, even if you were there some time in the past. When I was a little kid I saw a photograph of the valley as seen from Wengen and so for me that view epitomizes the best of the Swiss Alps. You’ve been there before so that will help you to be the guide and believe me, it will be wonderful for you to see it again and to discover places and views you may have missed on your previous visit. You owe this to your wife !
If you want to visit another part of the country, may I suggest a few days somewhere on the north-eastern shores of the Léman, possibly Montreux. It is very different but yet still very Swiss, and you will get to experience a different language area. Based there, you can see the vinyards (with the grape harvest probably going on at that time), the Château de Chillon and the lovely town of Gruyères is not far away, easily done in a day. You can also take a trip on the CGN ships that ply the shores of the Léman (Lake Geneva) and even pop over to the French shore if the weather is nice. You could also visit Chaplin’s World in Vevey, from which you have a wonderful view across the lake to Les Dents du Midi, some other Swiss Alps that are seldom mentioned on this website. http://www.chaplinsworld.com/ en By the way, the words I have highlighted are google searches you might find interesting.
Thank you so much for the detailed suggestions. I will certainly take a look. I am heavily leaning towards going back to Lauterbrunnen Valley and adding another destination or two.
If you follow Peterli’s excellent suggestions the Golden Pass Line (http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass) from Interlaken to Montreux via Zweisimmen is one of the major scenic train routes in Switzerland. Well worth doing if you are heading to the “French-side”.
Here’s a photo of les Dents du Midi, as seen from the garden at Chaplin’s World in Vevey.
Also a map showing Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken, Zweisimmen, Montreux, Vevey, Gruyères, and also the general location of les Dents du Midi. The map (from swisstopo) also shows that most of the southern side of the Léman is in France.
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