JULY 2023
In June we stayed in Lauterbrunnen for one week to explore the Jungfrau region. Lauterbrunnen is that picture perfect place, that is so fairytale like that it is hard to realize it actually exists. In this blogpost I will explain why you should stay in Lauterbrunnen, instead of just visiting it on your Switzerland itinerary!
Where we stayed
We went to Lauterbrunnen with our camper van and ended up spending the week in Camping Jungfrau. From Camping Jungfrau you could already see the famous Staubbach waterfall, as it is located right next to the campsite. You can find more on on our experience at this campsite in this blogpost. Lauterbrunnen is a small village that consists of a few streets, so you can’t really go wrong with lodging as everything is within walking distance. Because of the limited amount of lodging I do recommend to book early, to avoid very high prices. Switzerland is very expensive so you will easily pay € 200 per night for a simple room. Camping Jungfrau had some cabins as well, which seemed of good value.
Why stay in Lauterbrunnen?
Lauterbrunnen can get really busy during the day, we visited in shoulder season but did note that at around 3PM it got really busy in the village and at the waterfalls. Apparently Tolkien was inspired by the waterfall filled valley of Lauterbrunnen, so it has become a popular place. If you would like to explore Lauterbrunnen at a relaxed pace, you should really stay there. We found that there was hardly anybody walking around until 10AM, and also after dinner lots of buses have left the town. I recommend visiting the famous viewpoint at Chalet Pironnet in the morning, before 10AM, as a small queue occurs during the day. Morning light is also the most flattering for your pictures, we discovered that it often rains in Lauterbrunnen at 5PM. This does intensify the waterfalls!
Lauterbrunnen itself is (besides the main road) very quaint, it does have some restaurants with traditional meals. We found Lauterbrunnen a little bit more authentic than Mürren and Wengen, which offer lots of luxury experiences as they are alpine villages.
If you want to see Lauterbrunnen at its prettiest, I would recommend taking the gondola up to Grütschalp, as it will provide you with the best view of the valley.
