Trümmelbach Falls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley

These impressive glacier falls near Lauterbrunnen are a must-see if you are in the Interlaken area. Since the visit takes less than an hour, it’s an easy add-on to other activities you might be doing in the area. These falls drain the glacial melt from the Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch, with up to 20,000 liters/second rushing through caverns cut into the mountain. It’s a beautiful sight.

The falls are inside an enormous cavern, which you can explore by walking on a paved path, up and down lots of stairs to different viewpoints.

The viewpoints are safe for children with high railings. But everything is wet with the spray from the waterfalls, so it can be tricky to walk and smaller children will need assistance. Be aware that it is very noisy, with the pounding water, and often quite dark, which may scare some children.

Note: Children under 4 are not admitted into the falls complex. I confirmed this with the admin staff at Trümmelbach falls. Also, sandals and flip flops are strongly discouraged and you may be denied entrance with inappropriate footwear.

Getting there

The Trümmelbach Falls are located near Lauterbrunnen in the Jungfrau Region, very close to Interlaken. It’s easy to access by car or bus.

By car

Drive to Lauterbrunnen and keep driving on the main road through town (taking a couple sharp turns) and up the valley, toward Stechelberg. About 5 mins after you leave Lauterbrunnen, you’ll reach a large parking area (free) for the Trümmelbachfälle (Trümmelbach 236, 3824 Stechelberg or GPS: 46°34’21.4″N 7°54’43.5″E). Parking was free the last time I went.

By public transport

Take a train to Lauterbrunnen. Then ride bus 141 to Trümmelbachfälle, which is directly across from the entrance to the falls. The bus runs from Lauterbrunnen every 30 mins on the xx:05 and xx:35. When you purchase your train tickets, make sure to purchase tickets that are good all the way to Trümmelbach falls instead of just to Lauterbrunnen. If you have the Jungfrau Travel Pass or Berner Oberland Regional Pass, your train and bus tickets are included.

Services

Next to the parking lot, you’ll find a self-service café with outdoor seating overlooking the valley and gift shop. Make sure to use the toilets behind the restaurant as there are no toilets in the gorge and you can’t go in and out easily.

What to wear & bring

Remember to bring proper footwear for the entire family. My friend was wearing flip flops and the guard threatened to turn us away. He said that he routinely turns visitors away for wearing sandals, heels, flip flops, etc, requiring them to come back with more appropriate shoes. I don’t know why he let us through but I wouldn’t want you to get turned around.

The path was very wet, but it’s well maintained and not particularly slippery or dangerous. But this is a big tourist destination and perhaps they’ve had unprepared and litigious visitors slip and fall. I don’t know why the big fuss over footwear, but better safe than sorry.

Also, bring light rain jackets as it can get cold and wet inside the caverns. I found myself taking my jacket on and off several times as we dipped in and out of the caves.

No strollers allowed in the falls. Also, no children under age 4 last time I went. The path isn’t super long and there is an elevator that takes you up part of the distance. But there are lots of stairs and very small ones might fade quickly.

Tickets

In 2025, it costs CHF 16/adult and CHF 7/child aged 6-15, under 6 free.

The ticket booth is close to the cavern, not next to the café and gift shop. Follow the short path towards the cliffs (less than 5 mins) to the ticket booth, where you pay an entrance fee. 

No strollers, no dogs.

Opening hours

The falls are open daily from early April through early November.

Hours are 9:00 to 17:00, a little longer in July and August from 8:30 to 18:00.

It can close during bad weather. Check their website for current information.

Photo story of the falls

After entering the park, you will see this map of the waterfalls. There’s water the whole way, but 10 main viewpoints as noted on the map below. You can take an elevator partially up the falls so you don’t have to walk the whole way up.

From the top of the elevator, you will walk father up to see falls 7-10. Then you walk down (instead of taking the elevator again) to see falls 1-6. The whole visit will take about 45 minutes.

Happily the railings and barriers are quite safe for small children. I’ve been to many attractions in Switzerland that have railings with wide gaps (I’m looking at you Säntis!), so I was pleased with the relatively safe railings here. But still, keep your children close and don’t do anything stupid like perch your child on a railing for a picture. Stop the madness!

Once you’ve taken the elevator up, follow the path up to falls 7-10. Here’s a bit of what you’ll see. It is spectacular and difficult to describe. The amount of water thundering through the twisting rock is memorizing.

If you want a good picture, bring your tripod or buy a postcard. It’s dark and wet in there and hard to capture the beauty of moving water.

After you reach the top (still inside the caves), retrace your path back down towards the elevator. Take a moment to enjoy a view of the Lauterbrunnen valley before continuing down.

Don’t forget to take the short detour to fall 6 before continuing down the stairs to visit falls 5 thru 1 on your way to the back to the valley. Here’s a bit of what you’ll see on the way down.

More activities in Jungfrau Region

To fill out the rest of you day, consider one of these:

• – a walk or bike ride through the Lauterbrunnen valley
• – ride up the nearby Schilthorn cable car to Murren and visit the Allmendhubel Flower Park
• – go back to Lauterbrunnen and ride up to Männlichen for a playground and easy hike

See also our Jungfrau Region Guide for Families.

See more waterfalls in Switzerland