Day 4: Lauterbrunnen

A visit to Lauterbrunnen is definitely not to be missed. I've seen so many photographs of this beautiful town of Lauterbrunnen and I really find this place enchanting like straight out of the fairy tale.

My expectation of Lauterbrunnen on a sunny day

Lauterbrunnen is one of the most beautiful places I've been in my life. What makes it out-of-this-world is the perfect combination of majestic waterfalls, the towering steep rock walls and the Alps's magical charm. I'm totally smitten by this Swiss piece of heaven. The valley of Lauterbrunnen is one kilometer in width and it's tucked between dramatic vertical rock walls and snow-capped mountain that rise high above the meadows. This little valley has no less than 72 thundering waterfalls, some of which are several hundred meters high. The moment we set foot on this dreamy village, we were hypnotized by the sound of water rushing down the rocks.

Beautiful Lauterbrunnen

Unfortunately, the weather was not good and it started to drizzle again. We decided to check into our hotel, Hotel Steinbock, which is located just a few steps away from the train station. We were told that we could only check-in after 3pm and since we will be exploring the village by foot, we decided to have a hearty lunch first at the restaurant.

herbal cream pork fillet

Creamy Sun Fish

The restaurant was pretty small and there was only a small crowd having their afternoon lunch. I ordered a pork fillet with herbal cream while my hubby ordered a creamy sun fish. Food was delicious and reasonably priced. While the rain drizzled non-stop, it got smaller at some point in time, but sadly, it didn't stop. We put on our raincoat and started the walk. Temperature was cold at only 8 degree but I really hated the wetness.

Impressive Staubbach Waterfall

This waterfall is the star of the show. At 297 meter, plunging from a vertical cliff wall, it's just the first thing you will notice when you arrived at Lauterbrunnen. Staubbach is also one of the highest waterfalls in Europe and possibly one of the most beautiful. The impressive thing about this waterfall is that the water is free-falling off the cliffs and sends clouds of mists into the air. On a windy day, the flowing mist is almost lost in the wind before it reaches the rocks below. You can also climb up and behind the waterfall, which we did and find it stunning to view the free falling water and the amazing landscape before us. As we made our way up, the rocky path was very slippery, although this would be better if it was not a rainy day.

Walking from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg

The entire walking distance is 6,7km and it takes 1 hour 45 minutes. Call me nuts but I'm happy to walk about even in the rain. On a rainy day, the low hanging clouds and the mists made the place more dreamy and magical.

Trummelbach Fall

We walked for like ages before reaching Trummelbach Fall, which is also known as the valley of 72 waterfalls. The Trummelbach Falls are the world's only glacier waterfalls that is accessible underground by lift, which really amazes me. Upon reaching the top, I could hear the loud thundering and roaring in the interior of the mountain, gurgling, foaming and churning water that falls through the hole and down to the bottom. The entire walk is easy though slippery. Nevertheless, there were handle fixed on the rock for visitors to hold on to. It would definitely be better if not for the rain.

Tunnel Lift

We retired for the day after the long walk. I do love this whimsical village even in the rain. Lauterbrunnen is a small village but one of the prettiest and there are not many hotels or B&B around. Hotel Steinbock naturally came as a better option in term of its location, that is near the train station and cable car station up to Schilthorn. We didn't get to go up to the Schilthorn, which is one of the filming site for James Bond the movie. Anyway, the hotel is simple and clean but it smell damp. I wouldn't say that it's comfortable but since we were only staying for a night, I shan't be so picky.