Lauterbrunnen & Mürren

Trains, Trams, and Paragliding in Lauterbrunnen & Mürren, Switzerland

The picture-perfect towns of Lauterbrunnen and Mürren in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland offer some of the most rewarding views and adventures that Europe has to offer. Located just a short train ride away from Interlaken, these mountain towns are often visited as a day trip for those staying in the region.

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My husband and I had planned a week-ish long trip through Switzerland, and these towns were high on my list after missing them during a previous visit years ago. And, trust me, they did not disappoint. If you are trying to organize a circuit to see both of these Alpine gems, you’ve come to the right place.

In this post, I will share our full-day itinerary of visiting Lauterbrunnen, Grutschalp, Mürren, the Schilthorn Summit, and Stechelberg — and have you back in Interlaken by dinner. It is an ambitious day, but I wouldn’t advise skipping any part of it.

Sections in the article include:

Getting there
Things to do in Lauterbrunnen
Things to do in Mürren

Getting there is half the fun

Part of the satisfaction of visiting Lauterbrunnen & Mürren is experiencing all the various forms of transportation in getting there, and the views that go along with them. It was never just a matter of getting from Point A to Point B. The journey itself was the adventure.

No one is a fan of having to navigate public transportation in a new place. But, it is hard to mess this up because most of the trams and cable cars only have one route and run continuously. With our Swiss Rail Travel Passes and passports in our pockets, we were able to get everywhere we wanted without a hiccup!

Here is a breakdown of our itinerary and the specific transportation lines we took:

From Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen: We took the R62 train from Interlaken Ost and arriving in Lauterbrunnen (about a 28 min ride). Train schedules can be found here.
From Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp: We took the aerial tram/cable car (bergbahn, in German) to Grütschalp, which departs out of the station house directly in front of the train station.
From Grutschalp to Mürren: We walked! Yup!! The R66 train that usually runs between Grütschalp and Mürren was closed for maintenance. Our choice was to either go back down to Lauterbrunnen and do our circuit in reverse, or hike along a 5 km trail that connects these two mountain villages. There are no cars in Mürren, meaning no taxis or Ubers. More about our hike later in this post.
From Mürren to the Schilthorn Summit: We took the only cable car that runs between Mürren and Piz Gloria, the restaurant located at the summit.
From the Schilthorn Summet to Mürren: Back the way we came on the cable car.
From Mürren to Stechelberg: We paraglided! More on this later in this post. Alternatively, you can take a cable car from Mürren to Grimmelwald to Stechelberg.
From Stechelberg to Trummelbach Falls: A leisurely 20 minute walk
From Trummelbach Falls to Lauterbrunnen: Either Bus #141 (runs every 30 minutes) or an hour long walk are your two options

Things to do in Lauterbrunnen

We arrived in Lauterbrunnen farily early in the morning around 8:00 am. There were very few people walking around except for shop owners going about their morning chores. Lauterbrunnen gets a lot of visitors, just not this early in the day.

Above photo: Early morning quiet in Lauterbrunnen

Laurterbrunnen is a stunning Alpine village. The surrounding mountains make it clear that you are in a valley, which is one of the deepest in the Alpine chain. However, it is the waterfalls in the valley of Lauterbrunnen that are the showstopper attractions. Lauterbrunnen is actually known as the Valley of 72 Waterfalls. Which brings us to our first highlight: Staubbach Falls.

Staubbach Falls

Plunging almost 300 metres from an overhanging rock face, Staubbach Falls are the highest free falling falls in Switzerland. You don’t have to walk very far from the train station to catch your first glimpse of the huge cliff and sound of rushing water.

As you continue to walk close to the base of the falls, it will be harder to capture the height and scale with your camera. However, you will certainly start to sense more of the awe and wonder. Like many other natural formations on Earth, there is nothing that compares to standing directly below something that big.

Above photo: Staubbach Falls

There is a walking path that you can follow up to an opening in the cliff and back into and behind the falls. It is a little challenging and quite steep in places, but completely worth it.

The path starts behind Staubbach Hutte and quickly becomes a series of switchbacks. At the top of the switchbacks there is a very nice viewpoint before you enter a tunnel through the cliff.

Above photos: Tunnel into the cliff (left); Rocky trail to Staubbach Falls Viewpoint (right)

Once you are inside the rock, the ground is very uneven and slippery in places where water comes through window-like openings. During busy periods, I imagine this rock tunnel becomes quite congested and backed-up. Thankfully, I didn’t have that issue.

Above photo: Standing behind the water spray of Staubbach Falls looking out from a opening in the rock

Above photo: Staubbach Falls Viewpoint

The rock tunnel and path stop abruptly at the viewpoint. This is a perfect place to take your selifes and look out at the amazing valley. Truly incredible!

Above photo: Staubbach Falls Viewpoint

Alpine Chalet Architecture

We walked through town, admiring the adorable chalet architecture and brightly painted shutters. There are quite a few cafes and sporting goods shops that cater to outdoor enthusiasts. Even the shops are dressed up in perfect wooden cut-out ornamentations and geraniums spilling out of window boxes. It is quintessential.

Above photos: Aline architecture in Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen Reformed Church

Impossible to miss, the Lauterbrunnen Reformed Church sits at the center of this cozy town and is a prominent part of the very scenic view. It was built in 1487 as a daughter parish of Gsteig bei Interlaken. The faith of the congregation changed (by force) when the city of Bern adopted Reformation Protestant and imposed the change on other churches in the region.

The church is super charming, but modest by any comparison. The bell tolls every 15 minutes and echos through the valley.

Above photo: Lauterbrunnen Reformed Protestant Church

Things to do in Mürren

Hike from Grutschalp to Mürren

After we had walked through Lauterbrunnen, we returned to the area of the main train station. Directly across the street, there is another small station house that serves the cable car up to Grütschalp. This tiny area is known for its panoramic views of the valley below and some nice hiking trails.

Above photos: Cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp

Normally, most visitors would transfer to the R66 train to Mürren after arriving at the top station. However, we were surprised to find out that the train was not running due to maintenance works. So, we had a decision to make. We could go back down to Lauterbrunnen and take a bus to Stechelberg where we could then catch a cable car to Grimmelwald and then on to Mürren. OR, we could hike a 5 km trail to Mürren. We chose to hike it!

Many people choose to hike this trail even when the train is running because it is such a beautiful walk. It took us a little longer than an hour. The trail is even, meaning not rocky. However, it is not level, meaning there is an incline and elevation gain! Just FYI.

Above photos: Hike from Grütschalp to Mürren

The trail mostly follows the train tracks. As you arrive at Mürren, it feels like you are “coming in the back way” and there is still a bit of walking before you reach the main center of the town and the cable car stations to Allmendhubel and Schilthorn.

Above photo: Mürren

Allmendhubel

Allmendhubel is a hill that overlooks Mürren and Lauterbrunnen. In the summer, visitors can explore the flower park, trails, and children’s playground. In the winter, there are a couple ski pistes, toboggan run, and other snowy activities.

The funicular from Mürren to Allmendhubel is about a 4-minute ride. We popped up to the top to see the views and because the word “fun” in literally in funicular.

Above photos: Allmendhubel

Schilthorn Summit

The Schilthorn is a summit above Mürren, and is the highest mountain in the range lying north of the Sefinenfurgge Pass. At 2,970 meters, the Schilthorn offers 360-degree panoramic views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and more than 200 other peaks.

Side note: We took the cable car from Mürren. But, the cable car to the Schilthorn actually starts in Stechelberg, with stops in Grimmelwald, Mürren, and lastly the Birg middle station. You can get off at any of the stations during your ascent or decent. If you go directly to the top from Stechelberg, the ride is about 32 minutes.

Above photo: Cable car to Schilthorn (Schilthornbahn)

The Birg middle station has a pretty cool Skyline Walk and Thrill Walk that is essentially a walking bridge bolted into the side of the mountain.

Above photo: Thrill Walk at Birg

There are a couple viewing platforms at the summit where you can capture glorious photos of the snow covered peaks and views for miles. The dreamiest photos of this location are when the mountains are completely covered in snow, which was not the case when we were there. It is none-the-less incredibly breathtaking!

Above photos: Schilthorn

Lunch at Piz Gloria

At the Schilthorn summit, there is a rotating restaurant called Piz Gloria. Its big claim to fame is having been a filming location for one of the James Bond films, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Hence, the restaurant menu, gift shop, and other attractions are heavy on the 007 references.

Our lunch here was ok. The 007 Hamburgers we ordered weren’t anything special, but they did come with a side of fries and bragging rights. And then we went back down to Mürren the way we came.

Above photos: Piz Glora at Schilthorn

Self-guided walking tour of Mürren

Being a very small village, there aren’t a whole lot of “must-see” attractions in Mürren. I feel like the whole town in and of itself is the attraction. We spent most of the afternoon just wandering around, admiring the quaint homes against the amazing backdrop of the Swiss Alps.

Above photos: Mürren, Switzerland

You can hear the ringing of cow bells all over this region. There were a few cows in a small pasture right next to the Allmenhubel funicular, as well as everywhere around the perimeter of the town. The herders put the bells on their livestock to help keep track of them as they are roaming all over the hills and have been doing for about 250 years. Hence, cow bells have become a ubiquitous symbol of alpine dairy farming. Souvenir stores are full of them if you need to take that sweet sound of Switzerland home with you!

Above photos: Cows in Mürren

Mürren has a surprising number of hotels for a population under 500. The reason being, it is a popular place for winter sports, especially downhill skiing, and receives a lot of visitors. So, if you decide to come to Mürren for a longer stay, there is some wonderful Swiss hospitality to be had! As a skiier myself, it was hard to come here and not have the urge to come back when it is covered in snow. Some of the more well-known hotels include Hotel Alpenruh, Hotel Blumental, Hotel Edelweiss, Hotel Eiger, Hotel Regina and Sportschalet.

Above photo: Hotel Regina, Mürren

Paragliding

There last thing we did in Mürren before heading back to Lauterbrunnen and onward to Interlaken was arrange for a tandem paragliding jump. If you have never paraglided, it is pretty darn awesome!

Above photo: Paragliding

Besides being a massive adrenaline rush and an opportunity to see amazing views of the valley, it was also practical transportation down the mountain. We didn’t want to hike back to Grutschalp. So, the choice was either the cable car to Stechelberg or paraglide.

Above photo: Paragliding over Stechelberg

Paragliding is free-flying, meaning there are no engines, nor is there a metal structure. You just sit in a harness attached to lines and a sail. A pilot can “steer” by pulling the lines from the sail or even catch upward moving air to lift higher. Tandem paraglide jumping means that you are harnessed to your trained pilot. There is nothing for you to do but run, jump, and enjoy the flight! Oh, and kids can do it too! I first went paragliding with my sons when they were tweens and I’m pretty sure it was the greatest day of their lives (at that point).