Thoughts on my Lauterbrunnen Area Itinerary

If you want to go to the Jungfraujoch, you would be wise to check the weather report and the webcam first thing in the morning, every day you are there. Be prepared to go immediately if the weather looks to be clear. It may be your only chance.

When we first visited , ten years ago , we arrived at our hotel in Lauterbrunnen about nine in the morning , after an early train from Italy . I asked the gentleman at the desk about the forecast , and his response was " Go right now " We dropped our bags and made the trip to the Jungfrau . Very sound advice , the next several days , while not a total washout , were not conducive to going up .

You might want to research some rainy day options. There have been a couple of posts the last couple of weeks about bad weather, what should we do, etc. We love visiting the mountains, but I always try to have a couple of back up ideas in case of really bad weather. Our first trip to Lauterbrunnen (2001) we had lousy weather the whole time. We still had a good time walking up the valley, hiking up to Wengen and shopping, and visiting Murren (where there were no views) Other than that, it looks like a lot of fun.

It is good to have some options and then seize the day based on weather as Sam advised. Nothing on your list really requires a reservation except the Jungfraujoch. From Wengen, be sure to ride up to Männlichen on the gondola for the views. Lovely terrace on which to have a refreshment.

Mürren to Gimmelwald is a short downhill walk, maybe 20 minutes, not really a hike. It is fun to walk through the village of Gimmelwald. Although it is not very big, it is charming.

Lots of good hikes over at Grindelwald but otherwise is lacks the charm of Mürren or Wengen. You can ride the gondola from Grindelwald to First to the mountain restaurant there for some stellar views.

If you do the Jungfraujoch and need to fill out the day, look at the Staubbachbänkli walk (about an hour roundtrip on pavement) in Wengen or go up to Almendhubel above Mürren to the alpine garden.

There are a lot of longer hikes but as I recall you are traveling with your parents so maybe you won’t be able to do those. That is why I focused on easier options.

A rainy day option would be to go to the Ballenberg Swiss Museum Open Air Folk Park although it will involve taking the train to Interlaken and then another train and bus? to the folk park in Hofstetten bei Brienz. I am sure someone at your lodging could help you with the logistics. It’s a bit of a distance but well worth it if the mountains are a wash out. But then I love folk parks. We hiked the Lauterbrunnen Valley and went to Trummelbach Falls as well. It was a light misty rain when we did that easy hike. We had a few days in Lauterbrunnen and we never saw the mountains until the day we were leaving for Zurich. We hightailed it up to the Jungfraujoch and then caught the train in Lauterbrunnen to Zurich. The advice to go immediately if the sun comes out is good advice.

Ummm....who is WE? Via Ferrata is only for the super-adventurous/brave. If it's your wife, I'll bet she'll say no. Even for you, you should look at a Youtube of the walk before you commit to it.
Must-sees vary from person to person. Take a look at the hikes at www.lauterbrunnenhiking.wordpress.com and see what you like.

Ha! Sage advice on the via ferrata. I watched the youtube videos and shared them with our group. Maybe me and one other person will try. Maybe. Decent odds I chicken out, it looks crazy!

Hike to Gimmelwald from Murren

This is a "hike" only in the loosest sense of the word; it is paved. If you are up for an actual hike, consider getting off at Birg station and hiking down from there. Go via Wasenegg Ridge (the trail heading south from Birg). Follow the signs to Sprutz Waterfall, where you have the amazing experience of hiking BEHIND the waterfall. Took us about 90 mins - 2 hrs.

Schithorn and Jungfrau are going to be crowded so get the earliest start you can for those. I didn’t go to either and had wonderful experiences at the other sites. Schynige Platte is a lovely train ride up from Wilderswil, a few stops away from Lauterbrunnen. Hikes, an Alpine garden, nice restaurant and incredible views. Kleine Scheidegg is halfway up to the Jungfrau and is gorgeous. All the hiking trails are open and give you great views. Be flexible and see what the day brings. You won’t be bored and may spend more time enjoying nature than waiting in lines!