Lauterbrunnen

The name Lauterbrunnen can be translated as loud or clear well/spring. I think both meanings are fairly accurate. There are many clear and loud springs around. The village is small but has undeniably the most spectacular natural backdrop to be considered one of the most beautiful places to visit in Switzerland.

It makes sense to spend at least half a day in Lauterbrunnen: visit Trümmelbach Falls, have a dinner in a local restaurant, and take a picture of the village at sunset. That is what we did.

Trümmelbach Falls

Lauterbrunnen Valley has over 70 waterfalls, and many of them are located inside the mountains, which makes them both unusually picturesque and hard to photograph (because of the low light situation). Trümmelbach Falls are open from 9 AM to 5 PM (or 8:30 to 6:00 July and August) can be accessible by a lift or steep set of stairs.

Inside, there are multiple pathways, caverns and pathways that give you access to all this roaring mass of water. Most of my pictures came out blurry, though, because of the dark interiors. One idea would be to have a tripod, but then you have to mind many other tourists who also want access to these views and won’t be happy if you take extra time to set up your equipment and take long exposure shots. I think a monopod would be a better alternative.

The caverns themselves are interesting and worth exploring. Some provide nice views on the waterfalls and others are beautiful by themselves.

Staubbach Waterfall

Of course, the main attraction of Lauterbrunnen is the Staubbach Falls. In combination with the mountains, it sets a background for all the amazing views that Lauterbrunnen has to offer. The water falls from a creek at the top in a veil of thin water mist, hence, the name of the waterfall, which translates as Dust Creek Falls (“dust” meaning “water dust” here).

After visiting Trümmelbach Falls, we walked around Lauterbrunnen to find a place to eat. It was after 5 PM, and for some reason there was not a lot of people around and most of the shopping places were closed.

We found a restaurant on Fuhren street. I think the place was called The Bell, and it was a restaurant of the Jungfrau hotel.

I think the main reason for stopping to eat at this place was that it had a view of the Staubbach Falls.

After dinner it was time to find the spot from where all the iconic views of Lauterbrunnen are taken. It is just a short walk from the restaurant.

To get to see the view above, we had to take a right from Fuhren St. after a small parking lot across the Schützen hotel (the map is below). The alley ends at a bench and stairs that lead down to the valley.