A POSTCARD-PERFECT HOLIDAY IN SWITZERLAND: MÜRREN AND THE LAUTERBRUNNEN VALLEY
by Laura from Let’s Explore
For an unforgettable holiday in Switzerland – minus international tourists – we highly recommend the famous Lauterbrunnen Valley and the little town of Mürren in the Berner Oberland region! Lauterbrunnen enjoys international fame because of its amazing waterfall, the Staubbach Fall, which makes an impressive drop from the cliff right above the village. Now is the right time to go as there are so few foreign tourists. Yes… no matter how sad it is we are limited in traveling, it is always good to see the sunny side of things!
LAUTERBRUNNEN AND THE VALLEY OF WATERFALLS
The Lauterbrunnen Valley counts 72 waterfalls and you will see them around you as you enter the valley. Lauterbrunnen itself is a small town that you could easily explore by foot. The Staubbach fall is of course not to be missed, but the waterfalls that we loved most in Lauterbrunnen are the Trümmelbach falls. The Trümmelbach falls are partly underground, and they make a lot of noise as they transport 20.000L of water per second!
PEACEFUL MÜRREN WITH SOME 007 THRILLS
Perched on a cliff above Lauterbrunnen, you will find the beautiful postcard village Mürren. We loved to stay here, as it was quieter than Lauterbrunnen itself. Mürren offers the most beautiful views on a famous mountain trio: the Jungfrau, the Eiger, and the Mönch mountains, which are amongst Switzerland’s most famous peaks.
Mürren has a funicular which will take you up to Allmendhubel. Allmendhubel has a beautiful mountain playground for kids, a restaurant, and is the starting point of many hikes! For the very small hikers there is also a short flower trail with signs to teach them about the local flowers. We did the longer North Face hike from Allmendhubel back down to Mürren and the views are really amazing from here!
Not only peace and quiet in Mürren, as there is also something for an adrenaline boost! The cable car to the Schilthorn Piz Gloria mountain leaves from Mürren and first takes you to the intermediate station Birg. At the intermediate station you will find an adventurous Thrill Walk with glass bottom passage ways and a tunnel to go through while you look deep down from the cliff. Up on Schilthorn, which was a James Bond film location, you can have a 007 Burger in a turning restaurant.
Mürren can be reached from Lauterbrunnen either by 1 steep cable car, or by a shorter cable car and local train ride with stunning views. Count about 20 minutes commute to get to Mürren from Lauterbrunnen.
To plan your trip to this area of the Berner Oberland region, check out all our tips in this article: https://letsexplore.ch/2020/08/12/murren-and-the-lauterbrunnen-valley-in-switzerland/
DAYTRIPS FROM MÜRREN: WENGEN AND GRINDELWALD
From Mürren and Lauterbrunnen there are many many day trips possible! We went for a beautiful hike and the Tissot Cliff Walk on the First mountain in Grindelwald! A long cable car takes you on top of the First mountain, from where a hike of about an hour gets you to the beautiful Bachalpsee. After your hike, and to get back down to Grindelwald, you can choose from various activities during the stops of the cable car. You could partly zip line down if you dare too, or mountain kart, or trotti bike down. The activities are very well organized and you will see waiting times for the activities at each cable car stop.
More on Grindelwald: https://letsexplore.ch/2020/07/31/grindelwald-first-the-tissot-cliff-walk-and-the-bachalpsee-hike/
A CHEESE FONDUE IN THE OUTDOORS IN WENGEN!
We love cheese fondue, and even more when eaten outdoors! In Wengen, you can order a cheese fondue backpack and then head up to the Männlichen mountain. On the Männlichen cable car you can choose to get in the cable car or ride on its rooftop! The Männlichen mountain is home to what could just be the most beautiful alpine playground for kids. Männlichen has many hiking options as well. You could do the short Royal Walk for the view, or you can hike the Panorama hike, or even continue to Kleine Scheidegg, which is the departure station for a ride to the famous Jungfraujoch Top of Europe. We hiked the Panorama hike and found ourselves a spot for our cheese fondue in nature, with one of the most stunning panoramas around us!
More information on our trip to Wengen: https://letsexplore.ch/2020/07/28/wengen-mannlichen-a-playground-with-a-view-and-a-panorama-hike/
WHO IS LAURA?
Laura is our Travel Content Writer who also writes her own blog – Let’s Explore, where she shares her tips and ideas for travelling with children, and hiking and skiing around Geneva. Originally from the Netherlands, she now lives in Switzerland with her French-Swiss husband and two boys. Passionate about cultures – whether they be far away or closer to home, she sees moving around as a ‘school of life’. When she is not moving around, she still discovers cultures by cooking recipes with locals from multiple countries! If you would like to find out more about Let’s Explore’s travel tips or recipes, you can visit her blog, or follow her Facebook or Instagram Pages.
