Lauterbrunnen is a great destination for families, with easy access to some of the most beautiful and famous mountains in Switzerland. There are plenty of easy and moderate hikes suitable for casual hikers and children. If you don’t want to hike, there are many alpine playgrounds, restaurants and mountain viewpoints that are easily accessed with cable cars.
Here are the very best activities for families in Lauterbrunnen, based on our experience hiking here with our family many times since 2005.
Contents
Location
Lauterbrunnen is located south of Interlaken in the Jungfrau Region. See on Google Maps. It is easily accessed by train or car.
Lauterbrunnen overview
This map shows the hikes and activities listed in this post, all easily accessible from Lauterbrunnen by car or public transportation. As you can see, the Jungfrau region is split into two valleys: Lauterbrunnen on the west and Grindelwald on the east, with a big mountain separating them. You can easily travel between the valleys by car, train or cable car.
In this post, I’ve focused on hikes and activities that are closer to Lauterbrunnen. But Grindelwald is so close, you should also consider that area in your planning. See also Best hikes & activities in Grindelwald for families
How to get to Lauterbrunnen
The Lauterbrunnen village is easy to access by train or car.
By train: From Interlaken Ost, take a train to Lauterbrunnen. When boarding the train, make sure you get into the correct section. This train usually goes to both Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald, the train splitting in half once it reaches the Zweilütschinen stop. So make sure you are on the correct half of the trail (usually the front for Lauterbrunnen).
Many hikes are accessed with mountain railways at the Lauterbrunnen train station. But if you want to ride the cable cars to Mürren/Schilthorn, take a bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg.
By car: There are two main parking areas in Lauterbrunnen. For short term parking (under 3 days), use the metered parking lot at the south end of the village near Kirche Lauterbrunnen (46°35’31.8″N 7°54’27.2″E). Last time I went it was CHF 1/hr. For long term parking (min. 3 days in summer), you can use the Lauterbrunnen parking garage near the train station. It costs CHF 17 for 1 day, slightly less for each successive day. It is recommended to reserve this parking in advance.
Easy no-hike activities
There are many viewpoints near Lauterbrunnen that can be reached with mountain trains and cable cars, no hike required. Here are our favorites with kids.
1. Allmendhübel Flower Park Playground
From Lauterbrunnen, you take a short bus ride, then cable car up to Mürren. Then short funicular train to Allmendhübel, where you’ll find a big playground and restaurant with views of the Jungfrau and Eiger mountain peaks.
Next to the playground, there is a short flower theme trail, with little flower gardens and activities teaching you about alpine flowers. This is an ideal outing with small children or anyone who doesn’t want to hike. If you want to hike, you can follow the Mürren Blumental “Flower Valley” Path back down to Mürren.
2. Männlichen Alpine Playground
From Lauterbrunnen, ride a mountain train to Wengen, then cable car to Männlichen where you’ll find a big playground and restaurant with a view. If you want to stretch your legs a bit, you can do the short Royal Walk to a panorama viewpoint. (about 1.7k round trip). If you want to walk more, you can hike on the panorama trail to Kleine Scheidegg.
See details for the Royal Walk & Männlichen playground
3. Trümmelbach falls
These impressive falls cut through an enormous cavern in the Lauterbrunnen valley, which you can safely explore on fenced walkways and stairs through the cavern. This is a nice add-on if you finish your hike early in the day.
Although it’s not a hike and an elevator skips most of the climb, it does take some effort to walk up and down the stairs to visit the various viewpoints. Unfortunately children under 4 (even in baby carriers) are not allowed at this attraction due to safety concerns.
See details for Trümmelbach falls.
4. Schilthorn Viewpoint & Birg Thrill Walk
From the Lauterbrunnen valley, take a bus to Schetchelberg, then ride a series of cable cars up to the Schilthorn, a gorgeous viewpoint at 2970m. At the top, there is the 007 Walk of Fame, a short walk with information boards honoring the stars and crew of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”
When you ride the cable car back down, get off at the Birg middle station to explore the Thrill Walk. It has a safe metal walkway built onto the sides of the cliff, with fun features like these metal tube you can crawl through.
5. Jungfraujoch
The most popular tourist attraction near Lauterbrunnen is the Jungfraujoch, a glacier viewpoint at 3,454m. From Lauterbrunnen, you ride mountain trains 1hr45 to reach a visitor center with indoor and outdoor observation areas.
There are multimedia presentations, an ice cave to explore, restaurants, gift shops and outdoor areas where you can walk on the snow. In summer, they offer sledding and skiing as a novelty, equipment and clothing rentals on-site.
Although this place is very beautiful and special, this outing is very expensive at over CHF 200 per adult. If it’s not in your budget, we don’t think it is necessary to having a fantastic time in the Lauterbrunnen area.
6. Staubbach Falls
The Staubach falls are just a short walk from the Lauterbrunnen village, a nice activity for an evening stroll or stretching your legs on a rainy day. You can optionally walk up a path to get a closer look and even walk behind the falls and get a little wet.
Easy stroller-friendly hikes
Most trails near Lauterbrunnen are not stroller-friendly, meaning they are narrow footpaths with stairs and other obstacles that make the path not possible for strollers. However, here are a couple that are possible with strollers with sturdy all-terrain wheels.
7. Lauterbrunnen valley path
Bikes and pedestrians share this quiet road down the beautiful Lauterbrunnen valley, with 72 waterfalls spilling from the cliffs on both sides and big mountain peaks all around. We loved that our little kids could ride their scooters instead of walk, so we could go further without them getting tired. You can walk as far as you like and return by bus at various points along the trail.
Hike: Easy • 1 h • 4.4 km • ↗ 60 m ↘ 0 m
Details for Lauterbrunnen valley walk
8. Männlichen Panorama Trail
Ride the cable car from Wengen to Männlichen, where you’ll find restaurants and a big playground. Then hike the relatively easy panorama trail that winds it’s way around the mountain to Kleine Scheidegg, with panorama views of the Grindelwald valley and famous peaks the whole way.
Hike: Easy • 1.5 h • 4.7 km • ↗ 68 m ↘ 237 m
See details for Männlichen-Kleine Scheidegg trail.
9. Grütschalp to Mürren panorama trail
This trail parallels the mountain train that follows the cliffs above Lauterbrunnen, with absolutely gorgeous panorama views. It’s a wide gravel path, suitable for strollers with sturdy all-terrain wheels. You get many of the same views as the Mürren Mountain View trail, but much less work. We prefer to hike starting in Grütschalp because the views are slightly nicer in this direction. But this direction is more uphill, so a bit more work. Hike in the opposite direction if you want an easier hike.
Hike: Easy • 90mins • 4.5k • ↗ 200 m ↘ 60m
Easy downhill hikes
10. Mürren Blumental “Flower Valley” Trail
This easy trail starts at the Allmendhubel playground and alpine flower garden with 150 varieties on display. Then the trail leads down through fields and forest back to Mürren. It’s a good choice for families that want an easy hike with the kids while admiring the big famous peaks of the Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch.
Hike: Easy • 1 h • 2 km • ↗ 10 m ↘ 260 m
See details for Mürren Blumental “Flower Valley” Path
11. Eigergletscher to Wengeneralp trail
Easy downhill hike with mountain views, starting just below the glacier ice and winding down through the alpine meadows. This trail parallels the mountain train line but gives you more time to savor the views on the way down.
Hike: Easy • 1hr30 h • 4 km • ↗ 60 m ↘ 506 m
Moderate hikes
12. Mürren Mountain View Trail
This is maybe my favorite hike in the Lauterbrunnen area, not only for the spectacular views, but because it’s less popular than other hikes in this area, so a bit quieter. It’s also one of the least expensive even if you don’t have any discount travel cards.
You start by riding the cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp. Then hike across the mountain to Mürren with the famous Eiger peak always in view. The trail ends at the Allmendhübel flower playground and restaurant, a great reward for good little hikers. You can extend the trail by hiking down to Mürren instead of riding down the funicular.
Hike: Moderate • 2 h • 5 km • ↗ 400 m ↘ 40 m
See details for the Mürren Mountain View Trail
13. Eiger Northface Trail
Ride the mountain train from Lauterbrunnen up to Eigergletscher, with beautiful views the whole way up the mountain. Then join the popular Eiger trail that traverses underneath the famous north face of the Eiger, where many climbers have died trying to reach the peak.
Unlike the rock face, this trail is safe for little hikers with mostly easy walking, with a few switchbacks and rocky sections to navigate. After the hike, ride the train from Grindelwald back to Lauterbrunnen.
Hike: Moderate • 6 km • 787 m down
14. Schynige Platte ridge trail
A short train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Wilderswil where you can catch a mountain train up to a breathtaking viewpoint over Interlaken and the two lakes. With small children, you can do the short Swiss Flower & Panorama trail, that walk through a large garden of alpine flowers with mountain views. For older children and casual hikers, we suggest the spectacular ridge trail that safely walks along the mountain ridge so you can enjoy the bright blue Brienzersee lake on one side and all the Jungfrau mountain peaks on the other.
Hike: Moderate • 2.5 h • 5.6 k • 150m up/down
See details for Schynige Platte panorama ridge trail
Challenging hikes
15. Schilthorn Birg to Gimmelwald
This challenging hike is all about the views, admiring famous peaks as you wind your way around the mountain, then down a river valley that leads back to Gimmelwald. This is the hardest hike on the list, mostly because you descend so much elevation. This was a long one for our kids (9 & 12 at the time), but they managed fine and enjoyed it.
Hike: Challenging • 10.7 km • 1441 m down
See details for Birg to Gimmelwald hike
Lauterbrunnen Budget Tips
If you stay overnight in Lauterbrunnen, you will get a Visitor Card that covers the local bus and gives a few discounts. Get more info here.
In addition, you can purchase a regional travel pass that covers mountain transport (free or discounted) in this region. These passes are only worth it if you plan to high price trips each day.
- Jungfrau Travel Pass – available for 3 to 8 days. It covers most mountain transport in the Jungfrau region and near Interlaken, including the boat rides. It includes a discount on the Jungfraujoch journey. Starting at CHF 190/adult for a 3 day pass. Learn more.
- Top of Europe Pass – This pass only covers mountain transport, buses, and trains in the Jungfrau region, including the Jungfraujoch journey. It starts at CHF 239/adult for 3 days. Also available as a season pass. Learn more.
- Regional Pass Berner Oberland – This pass provides free travel on bus, train, boat and 25 mountain railways in the whole Bernese Oberland region, including all mountain railways in the Jungfrau region, with discounts for Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn. Learn more. This pass starts at CHF 230/adult for 3 days, available for up to 10 days.
- Swiss Travel Pass – This pass includes free travel on bus, train, and boat in all over Switzerland and discounts on most mountain railways, including all those in the Jungfrau Region. It starts at CHF 232/adult for 3 days. Learn more.
If you are traveling with children aged 6-15, you will need the child’s version of the pass you purchased, which is usually CHF 30. This is not the same as a SBB Junior Card, which is only valid if the parent is traveling using a regular ticket, not a regional pass.
6 Responses
Hi, i will like to stay in interlaken and visit grindewald, should i buy swiss travel pass or Jungfraujoch pass? What the different between this two pass?
It totally depends on what you want to do. You’ll need to do a cost comparison between the cost of the pass and the full price cost of the desired activities.
hi
Just wanted to comment that we had the SBB junior cards for the boys (7 and 9 years old). But we still had to buy the 30 CHF 3 days Jungfrau Travel Pass for both of our boys. They said Junior cards are not valid.
“If you are traveling with children aged 6-15, make sure to purchase the SBB Junior Card (also called Family Card). It enables children to ride free (when accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket) on all buses, trains, gondolas, cable cars “
Thanks for your feedback. Yes, you are correct and I need to update the post. If you are using a regional travel pass like the Jungfrau Travel Pass or Tell Pass, you must buy the child’s version of that pass (usually CHF 30) that is only valid for the duration of the parent’s pass. The yearly SBB Junior card is only valid if the parent is traveling using a regular ticket. Sorry the misinformation.
Great suggestions for the hikes and photos to go with the hikes. Have been to the area several times and think that you have done a good job!
Thanks Vicki! Wishing you many happy hikes this summer.