Jungfrau Region: 20 Best Hikes for Families

The Jungfrau Region is a great place to visit with kids. But it can be difficult to know which hikes are suitable for families.

Based on our family’s experience hiking this region for many years, I’ve created the following list of our favorite hikes in the Jungfrau region, with varying difficulty to suit all ages and abilities.

See also 5 Day Itinerary for Jungfrau Region and Jungfrau Region: Best Things to Do with Kids

Jungfrau Region overview

The Jungfrau Region is a mountainous area just south of Interlaken, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland.

The Jungfrau Region is shaped like a “Y,” with Interlaken at the bottom and the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys forming the “Y”. The region can be roughly grouped into six mountain areas, as shown in the map below. 

If you are staying in the Jungfrau Region for a few days, I suggest selecting one hike in each area, to give your trip more variety. In most cases, the hikes use cable cars and mountain trains to reach the hike.

Lauterbrunnen Valley hikes

The following hikes are in the Lauterbrunnen valley, easily accessed from the Lauterbrunnen train station.

1. Staubbach Falls

The Staubbach Falls are very close to the Lauterbrunnen village and one of most famous of the 72 waterfalls in this valley. These falls are easy and free to visit, just a short walk from the train station or parking, no gondola or long hike required.

You can optionally hike up a short dirt path to a closer viewpoint, then through a tunnel to a lookout behind the water. 

Hike: Easy • 15 mins (1 km) from train station • 50m up

Cost: free

Details for Staubbach Falls

2. Lauterbrunnen Valley Path (easy, strollers ok)

Bikes and pedestrians share this quiet private 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 to 2 hours • 3 to 6.5 km • slightly uphill
Cost: free

Details for Lauterbrunnen valley walk

3. Trümmelbach Falls (short with stairs)

Though not technically a “hike,” you will burn some energy exploring this impressive gorge carved by the Trummelbach falls. After riding an elevator up through the rock, you’ll walk about 1 km on fenced walkways and stairs, up and down the gorge.

This is a nice add-on if you finish another hike early in the day. Note that children under 4 (even in baby carriers) are not allowed at this attraction due to safety concerns.

Hike: Moderate • 1 hour • about 1 km • lots of stairs up and down
Cost: CHF 14/adult, CHF 6/child, under 4 not allowed

Learn more about Trummelbach Falls

Mürren & Schilthorn hikes

With the smallest kids, here are some very short paths that have fun activities. All of these locations have longer hikes, which I describe later in the post.

4. Allmendhubel Flower Park & Theme Trail (short & easy)

Near the alpine village Mürren, there is a big playground with a flower theme and mountain views. To reach the playground, you can take a cable car up to Mürren, then a short funicular train to Allmendhübel. 

Above the playground is a short theme trail with little flower gardens and activities teaching you about alpine flowers. The loop is about 440m and takes about 20-30 mins if you stop at each station. See trail map.

This is an ideal outing with small children that cannot manage longer hikes. If you want to hike longer, you can follow the Mürren Blumental “Flower Valley” Path back down to Mürren.

Hike: Easy • 15-30 mins • 450 m • flat trail

See details for Allmendhübel Flower Park

5. Grütschalp to Mürren panorama trail (moderate, strollers ok)

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. If you want an easier hike, start in Mürren and hike in the opposite direction. 

Hike: Easy • 90mins • 4.5k •  200 m  60m

See Grütschalp-Mürren panorama trail map

6. Mürren Mountain View Trail (moderate)

While some mountain transport in this region costs CHF 100 or more, this spectacular hike surprisingly only costs about CHF 20/adult round trip for the gondola & cable car. It’s a proper hike, but not too difficult, with beautiful mountain views the whole way. It ends at the fantastic Flower Park playground with a restaurant and views of the Jungfrau and Eiger. 

Hike stats: 5 km, moderate, about 2.5 hours with kids

See details for Mürren Mountain View Trail

7. Schilthorn Birg to Gimmelwald (challenging)

This challenging hike is all about the views, admiring famous peaks as you wind your way around and down the mountain. The last part of the trail wanders through a river valley that leads back to the Gimmelwald village. This hike is challenging because it is long and descend so much elevation, which can be difficult on the knees. 

Hike: 10.7 km • about 4 hours with kids • 1441 m down

See details for Birg to Gimmelwald hike

Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg hikes

This mountain is in the middle of the Jungfrau Region, between the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys. The hikes below are most easily reached by cable cars and mountain trains from the Grindelwald village. You can also access these from Wengen if you are staying on that side.

8. Männlichen Royal Walk (very short)

For a short outing, you might like the Royal Walk up to the viewpoint over the entire Jungfrau Region. From the top of the Grindelwald-Männlichen gondola, its about a 20 min walk uphill to a big “crown” platform where you get the view shown below.

At Männlichen there is a restaurant, playground and more views into the Lauterbrunnen valley. If you want to hike more, a few trails continue from here including the panorama trail to Kleine Scheidegg described below.

Hike: Easy • 40 mins • 1.75 km round trip • 120m up & down

See details for Männlichen Royal Walk

9. Männlichen Panorama Trail (easy)

This panorama trail is probably the best hikes in the Jungfrau region for kids. To reach the trail, you can ride a cable car either from Wengen or Grindelwald Terminal. At the top, you’ll find a gorgeous viewpoint, restaurants and a fun playground with swings, slides, trampolines and other amusements.

Then walk on the easy panorama trail that winds its way around the mountain to Kleine Scheidegg, with panorama views of the Grindelwald valley and famous peaks. This trail is easy enough for children 5+ and possible with an all-terrain stroller, if a bit bumpy at times. 

Hike: Easy • 2 hours with kids • 4.7 km •  68 m  237 m 

See details for Männlichen-Kleine Scheidegg trail.

10. Lieselotte Theme Trail (easy)

If you have children aged about 5-10 that need a little motivation to keep walking, you might try the Lieselotte theme trail. The trail has 13 stations along the 3.5 km trail, including playing an alphorn and “milking” a cow. 

Hike: Easy • 1h30 • 3.5 km • 600 m down

See details for the Lieselotte theme trail.

11. Eiger Trail (moderate)

This beautiful trail leads directly underneath the famous north face of the Eiger, where many climbers have died trying to reach the peak (64 since 1935). Unlike the rock face, this trail is safe for casual hikers, mostly relatively easy downhill walking, ending with some steep, rocky switchbacks that are bit more challenging.

You can reach the hike by riding the Eiger Express cable car up from Grindelwald. At the end of the hike, you can ride the cogwheel train back down to Grindelwald. 

Hike stats: moderate • 6 km • about 3 hours with kids • 787 m down 

See details for the Eiger trail

Grindelwald First hikes

12. First Cliff Walk (short & easy)

From Grindelwald, you can ride a gondola to First at 2167m, where you can enjoy spectacular mountain views without a long hike. Behind the gondola station, there is a slightly scary “cliff walk” on a metal walkway built into the side of the mountain. It includes a short suspension bridge and the see-through walkway shown here, with views of the Eiger.

The walkway has high railings and is safe and easy to walk, even with small children. If anyone in your group has a fear of heights, they can instead enjoy the views at the restaurant where the cliff walk ends.

Hike: easy • 625m • 15 mins • flat

Learn more about the First Cliff Walk

13. Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee alpine lake (moderate, stroller possible)

From the top of the Grindelwald First gondola (near the above cliff walk), this trail leads to a beautiful alpine lake with mountain views. The out-and-back path is wide dirt service road, mostly obstacle free and possible with stroller, if you don’t mind carrying over a couple lumpy bits.

It’s not a difficult hike but I’ve rated it moderate because the uphill portions can feel a bit steep, making you feel out of breath. At the lake, there is lots of room to spread out, take gorgeous pictures and settle in for a picnic with a view. Return the way you came on the same trail, thankfully all downhill.

Back at the gondola station, older children can ride a super long zip line and ride mountain go-carts down the mountain (extra fee). On your gondola ride back down the mountain, you can stop at the Bort middle station to finish the day at a big playground with a view. 

Hike stats: moderate • 6 km • 2.5 hrs with kids • 150 m 150 m

Learn more about Bachalpsee

14. Faulhorn Peak Hike (challenging)

For a longer, more challenging hike in this area, you can keep hiking past the Bachalpsee up to the Faulhorn peak. From the lake, it’s another 2.3 km, gaining 230m elevation, up to the peak. It’s a hard climb up to the peak, but not dangerous and suitable for older children and casual hikers that have good fitness. 

At the top, there is a mountain hut where you eat have a simple meal at their cafe. Above the hut, you can look over the cliffs down to the Interlaken area and Lake Brienz.

Hike: Challenging • 5 h • 11 km • 530 m 530 m

See trail map for Faulhorn hike.

Schynige Platte hikes

15. Swiss Flower & Treasure Hunt Trail at Schynige Platte (short & easy)

This short trail wanders through the Botanical Alpine Garden at the top of Schynige Platte. At the mountain train station, children get a small “treasure hunt” booklet with riddles to solve as they visit stations along the trail. Lily the cow hosts the trail with fun illustrations and stories on signboards.

Even though the text is in German only, the riddles are mostly visual and quite easy to solve. Plus the mountain views are lovely and the flower garden very charming particularly in July.

Hike: easy • 30 mins • less than 1 km •   30 m  40m

See trail map and learn more about the Alpine Garden.

16. Schynige Platte ridge trail (moderate)

This gorgeous ridge trail is our very favorite in the region. The views are very dramatic, with cliffs dropping down to the super blue lake on one side and views across the whole Jungfrau region on the other.

To reach the trail, you ride a slow cogwheel train up the mountain to a restaurant and small playground. The trail starts with a steep climb up to the ridge, but then is relatively mild, if rocky, wander along the cliffs on a dirt path set behind fences. In July, the alpine meadows are bright green and bursting with wildflowers. 

Hike stats: moderate • 2.5 hours with kids • 6 km loop •   150 m 160m

Get details for the Schynige Platte Ridge Trail

17. ViaBerna – Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First (challenging)

This is a long challenging hike starting at Schynige Platte and ending at Grindelwald First. You start on the ridge trail described above and traverse many kilometers of beautiful mountain landscape until you reach the Faulhorn peak. Then descend past the Bachalpsee to reach the First gondola station.

Best for older kids 12+ that have the stamina and skills for a long mountain hike. With kids, we also suggest breaking this hike into two days, staying overnight at the Faulhorn peak. 

Hike: Challenging • 6 h • 16.5 km • 630 m  840m

Learn more about the Via Berna – Schynige Platte to Grindelwald First hike

Grindelwald Pfingstegg hikes

18. Grindelwald Gorge (easy)

You must pay a few to enter this gorge, then walk on an elevated walkway built into the canyon wall. You can walk pretty deep into the gorge, about an hour there and back. They have a a few amusements include walking on a net over the river and an exciting canyon swing for an extra fee.

Hike: easy • about 1.9 km round trip • 1 hour

Details for Grindelwald Gorge

19. Pfingstegg to Grindwald (moderate)

At the far end of Grindelwald village, you can ride Pfingstegg cable car up the mountain for fabulous views across the valley. At the top, there is a restaurant, picnic area with small playground, and fun summer toboggan ride, the main reason to visit this area with kids.

Instead of riding the cable car back down, you can hike down on a mountain trail. It starts with fantastic views of the nearby peaks and gorge. Then you descend through the forest with a bunch of switchbacks, before spilling out into alpine meadows. Since the distance is short and all downhill, it’s good choice for younger kids learning to manage mountain trails.

Hike: moderate • 1hr30 • 2.7 km • 50 m 430m

Learn more about Pfingstegg to Grindelwald hike

20. Pfingstegg to Bäregg mountain hut (challenging)

This hike starts at the top of Pfingstegg cable car and follows a rocky mountain train high up a narrow canyon to the Bäregg mountain hut. From here you have a fantastic view of the Ischmeer glacier. We suggest lunch at the hut then return the way you came. 

This trail has some dangerous sections, with steep cliffs dropping off to one side. There are some safety barriers, but not the whole hike. So we suggest this only for older kids that have hiking experience and a good sense for safety on the trail.

Hike: Moderate • 2.75 h • 5.4 km • 370 m 370m

See details for Bäregg hike.

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