Where to Stay in Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen sits at around 795 m on the floor of one of the deepest trough valleys in the Alps, in the Bernese Oberland. Sheer limestone cliffs rise on both sides, and 72 waterfalls spill over them into the valley — the name itself means "loud springs." It's one of the most photographed places in Switzerland, and the launch point for the car-free villages of Wengen and Mürren high above.

Here's what to know before booking: how to get there, when to go, and where to stay — with a live price comparison to find your room.

Getting to Lauterbrunnen

The easiest way in is by train. From Interlaken Ost it's about 20 minutes on the Bernese Oberland Railway. From Zurich, Lucerne or Geneva, plan on roughly 2.5–3 hours with a change at Interlaken. There's parking at the valley station — useful, since the villages above (Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald) are car-free and reached only by cogwheel railway or cable car. Lauterbrunnen is also a valley approach to Kleine Scheidegg and on to Jungfraujoch.

When to visit

• Late spring & early summer (May–July): the waterfalls are at their most powerful as the snow melts — this is when the valley is at its most dramatic.
• Summer (June–September): peak hiking season, all trails and lifts open, longest days, biggest crowds.
• Winter (December–April): a base for the Mürren–Schilthorn and Kleine Scheidegg–Männlichen ski areas; the falls run lower.

What to do

Staubbach Falls

The valley's landmark: the Staubbach Falls plunge about 297 m in a near-unbroken free fall over the cliff right beside the village — one of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Europe. It's a five-minute walk from the station, with an optional short path up to a sheltered gallery behind the water (open roughly May–October). The falls inspired a Goethe poem.

Trümmelbach Falls

A few kilometres down the valley, the Trümmelbach Falls are a series of ten glacier-fed waterfalls inside the mountain, reached by a tunnel lift — considered the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. They drain the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, carrying up to 20,000 litres per second in peak flow. Open daily early April to early November.

Wengen, Mürren & the Schilthorn

From the valley floor, a cogwheel railway climbs to car-free Wengen (on the route to Kleine Scheidegg), and a cable car rises to car-free Mürren. From Mürren you can continue by cable car to the Schilthorn (2,970 m) with its revolving Piz Gloria restaurant. The valley's Mürrenbach Falls, at 417 m, are the highest in Switzerland.

The valley walk

The easy, mostly flat waterfall walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg (around 8 km) passes a string of falls and is suitable even for strollers — with a bus back if you'd rather not return on foot.

Where to stay

You have a real choice here — valley floor or up on the car-free terraces:

• Lauterbrunnen village (valley floor): most convenient — by the station, the Staubbach Falls and the bus down the valley. The classic church-and-waterfall view is right here.
• Wengen (car-free, above): sunny terrace with sweeping valley and Jungfrau views, reached by cogwheel railway.
• Mürren / Gimmelwald (car-free, above): quieter, traditional wooden-chalet villages with Schilthorn access — reached by cable car.

Options run from campsites, hostels and guesthouses to mountain hotels. Restaurant and room prices can be high, as across the region. The comparison below pulls live rates for your dates.

Hotels in Lauterbrunnen — live map

Explore where hotels sit around Lauterbrunnen, with live prices for your dates. Drag, zoom and click a marker to book.

Nearby destinations

Lauterbrunnen sits in the heart of the Jungfrau region:

• Grindelwald — the other valley of the region, over the Kleine Scheidegg pass
• Interlaken — the regional hub, ~20 min by train
• Bern — the Swiss capital, easy onward connection

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