Guide · Trails

Lauterbrunnen Valley walk and the hikes above it, easy to hard

The Lauterbrunnen Valley walk along the flat floor is only the start. Above it, two sunny terraces and a ring of passes carry a dense web of marked paths. Here they are, ordered by effort, with official times and grades.

Check availabilityfrom $273 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, lauterbrunnenvalleyhiking.comUpdated October 20, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes61 sources

The matching tour Guided hike Grütschalp to Mürren with Trümmelbach Falls 5.0 (1 review) 6 hoursTrümmelbach Falls entry includedPick-up at Interlaken Ost from$273per person Check availabilityCancel for free until 24 hrs ahead

Quick answer

01Easiest: Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg on the valley floor, 8 km in 2 hours.¹
02Classic: Grütschalp to Mürren, about 1 hour 15 minutes on a broad path.² ³
03High and gentle: The Panorama Trail from Männlichen, 4.5 km.⁴
04Big day: Gimmelwald to Stechelberg through the rear valley, 18.2 km and 7 h 30 min.⁵
05Read the signs: Yellow is an ordinary trail; white-red-white marks a mountain trail.⁶ ⁷

How we ordered the walks

There is no single best walk here; there is the right one for your legs, the weather and the time you have. So the list below runs from flat to demanding, using the lengths, times and grades that SwitzerlandMobility, the Swiss Hiking Federation, the tourism offices and the mountain railways publish. Where two official sources differ, both figures are given.

The valley itself sets the pattern. Lauterbrunnen lies at 795 m in a trough-shaped valley.⁸ Jungfraubahnen points out that both sides of the valley carry sunny terraces reached by train.⁹ So the walking falls into bands: the flat floor, the terraces of Mürren and Wengen, and the high ground of the passes and summits. Lifts link the bands, so even demanding routes can be shortened.

That is why people searching for the best hikes in Lauterbrunnen get such different answers. A family with a pram, a couple wanting views without effort and a fit walker after a long mountain day all have a different winner. Find your band below, then pick the route whose time and grade suit the day.

From easy to hard

Five walks, step by step up the scale

Easy

Valley floor

Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, 8 km.¹
Easy

Balcony path

Grütschalp to Mürren, about 1 h 15.²
Easy, high

Panorama Trail

Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, 4.5 km.⁴
Medium

Mountain View Trail

Grütschalp to Allmendhubel, 5.1 km.¹⁰
Hard

Rear valley

Gimmelwald to Stechelberg, 18.2 km.⁵

The flat valley floor

The Lauterbrunnen Valley walk to Stechelberg is the gentlest. Switzerland Tourism lists it as 8 km and 2 hours, easy, with 161 m of ascent and 51 m of descent, from the station to the Hotel Stechelberg postbus stop, in season from April to November.¹ Its Mürrenbach Falls page allows 2 to 3 hours and says the route suits prams.¹¹

Along the way you pass the Staubbach and Mürrenbach falls, and boards explain the valley's waterfalls.¹¹ A postal bus brings you back from Stechelberg.¹² In winter Interlaken Tourism publishes a winter version of the route, 6.85 km and about 2 hours, via Bir Buechen, Stägmatta and Lengwald.¹³ ¹⁴

For a little more variety, the Swiss Hiking Federation's waterfalls hike from Lauterbrunnen to Rütti is graded T2, 8.6 km and 2 h 30 min with 340 m of ascent, medium, from May to October.¹⁵ It climbs a little off the valley floor and gives a better angle on the falls than the road.

Distance

Length of six routes, in km

Lengths from the Männlichen cableway, the Swiss Hiking Federation, SwitzerlandMobility and Switzerland Tourism.⁴ ¹⁰ ¹⁶ ¹ ¹⁵ ⁵

The routes compared

Eight walks in and above the valley

Route	Length	Time	Grade
Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg	8 km	2 h	Easy
Grütschalp to Mürren	Broad path	About 1 h 15	Easy
Mürren to Gimmelwald	Downhill	About 43 min	Easy
Panorama Trail	4.5 km	About 1 h 20	Easy, high
Wengen to Lauterbrunnen	Steep descent	Just over 1 h	Steep
Mountain View Trail	5.1 km	2 h	Mountain trail
Lauterbrunnen to Rütti	8.6 km	2 h 30 min	T2
Gimmelwald to Stechelberg	18.2 km	7 h 30 min	Long day

Figures from SwitzerlandMobility, the Swiss Hiking Federation, Switzerland Tourism, Jungfraubahnen and the Männlichen cableway; walking times exclude stops.¹ ² ¹⁷ ⁴ ¹⁸ ¹⁰ ¹⁹ ¹⁵ ⁵

Guided walks

Three walks with someone who knows the valley

Hike Lauterbrunnen-Mürren with Trümmelbach Waterfalls Visit

This site's hike

Hike and Trümmelbach

Grütschalp to Mürren

Time: 6 hours
Group: Up to 8
Price: from $273

See the walk

Lauterbrunnen: Private Walking Tour with an Irish Guide

Your own guide

Private valley walk

Staubbach to Mürren

Time: 3.5 hours
Group: Private
Price: from $105

See the walk

Sunset Hike with Cheese Fondue in Wengen

Evening

Sunset fondue hike

Above Wengen

Time: 3.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Price: from $246

See the walk

Decision helper

Which walk is yours today?

Start from who is walking and the weather

We have a pram or small children We want views without a climb We want the high mountains close We are fit and want a real hike It is cloudy on the tops

Valley floor to Stechelberg

Mostly flat and suitable for prams.¹¹

Grütschalp to Mürren

A broad gravel path, about 1 hour 15 minutes.² ³

Panorama Trail

4.5 km below the big north faces.⁴

Mountain View Trail

5.1 km, 530 m up to the Allmendhubel.¹⁰

Stay low

The valley floor walk runs April to November.¹

The gate to the alp pastures also opens up spectacular views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountain chain on the opposite side of the valley.

JungfraubahnenSource 20

Balcony paths on the Mürren side

The Mürren terrace has the valley's most famous easy walk. From Grütschalp, reached by a 4-minute cable car from Lauterbrunnen, a broad gravel path climbs steadily to the forest edge and on to Mürren.²¹ ³ Jungfraubahnen gives about 1 hour 15 minutes uphill and about 1 hour the other way.² The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau fill the view across the valley.

From Mürren the path down to Gimmelwald takes about 43 minutes, and the Sefinental is reached after 1:02, on the Swiss Hiking Federation's route.¹⁷ Schilthornbahn rates the Blumental Panorama Trail, from Mürren station through the Blumental to the Allmendhubel, as easy and 1 h 15 min.²² These combine well into a half day.

The step up on this side is the Mountain View Trail from Grütschalp to the Allmendhubel. The Swiss Hiking Federation lists it as 5.1 km and 2 hours, with 530 m of ascent; SwitzerlandMobility gives 520 m and grades it a mountain hiking trail.¹⁰ ²³ ¹⁹ Above Mürren, the Northface Trail is medium and takes about 2 h 30 min.²⁴

Map

The Lauterbrunnen Valley from Grütschalp to Stechelberg

The valley floor, its two terraces and the summits above it, then the wider region with Interlaken, Grindelwald and the Jungfraujoch.

Map of the Lauterbrunnen Valley with Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg, the falls and the Schilthorn — The valley

Map of the region from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald and the Jungfraujoch — The region

1
Lauterbrunnen
The village sits at 795 m in a trough-shaped valley; from its station the cogwheel trains climb to Wengen and a cable car rises towards Mürren.⁸ ²⁵
In Google Maps ↗
2
Staubbach Falls
Lauterbrunnen's landmark drops about 297 metres right beside the village; the path to its foot is open in summer only.²⁶ ²⁷
In Google Maps ↗
3
Trümmelbach Falls
Ten glacier falls inside the mountain, reached by a tunnel lift, about 3 km beyond the village; bus 141 stops at the entrance.²⁸ ²⁹ ³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
4
Stechelberg
End of the valley road and valley station of the cable car to Mürren, which climbs 775 metres in about 4 minutes.³¹
In Google Maps ↗
5
Grütschalp
Top of the 4-minute cable car from Lauterbrunnen, at 1486 m, and start of the walk to Mürren.²¹ ³²
In Google Maps ↗
6
Winteregg
Middle station of the little railway to Mürren, at 1578 m, where the trains pass each other.³³ ³⁴
In Google Maps ↗
7
Mürren
Car-free village on a terrace high above the valley; Schilthornbahn gives it 1638 m.³⁵ ³⁶
In Google Maps ↗
8
Gimmelwald
Car-free hamlet at 1,367 metres between Stechelberg and Mürren, the start of walks into the Sefinental.³⁷
In Google Maps ↗
9
Wengen
Car-free village at 1,274 metres on the sunny side, reached by the Wengernalp Railway from Lauterbrunnen.³⁸
In Google Maps ↗
10
Kleine Scheidegg
Pass at 2061 m where the Wengernalp Railway meets the Jungfrau Railway, below the Eiger North Face.³⁹ ⁴⁰
In Google Maps ↗
11
Männlichen
Top of the cable car from Wengen and start of the Panorama Trail to Kleine Scheidegg, 4.5 km.⁴¹ ⁴
In Google Maps ↗
12
Schilthorn
Summit at 2,970 metres with the revolving restaurant Piz Gloria, by cable car from Stechelberg via Mürren and Birg.⁴² ⁴³
In Google Maps ↗
13
Interlaken Ost
Where the Berner Oberland Bahn starts: Lauterbrunnen is 24 minutes away from platform 2A.⁴⁴
In Google Maps ↗
14
Zweilütschinen
The junction where the BOB train splits: the front runs on to Lauterbrunnen, the rear to Grindelwald.⁴⁴ ⁴⁵
In Google Maps ↗
15
Grindelwald
Village at 1,050 metres at the foot of the Eiger, around 30 minutes from Interlaken Ost by train.⁴⁶ ⁴⁷ ⁴⁸
In Google Maps ↗
16
Jungfraujoch
Europe's highest railway station at 3,454 metres, reached by the Jungfrau Railway from Kleine Scheidegg.⁴⁹ ⁴⁰
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Packed for any of these trails

Wear and carry

Sturdy, well-worn walking boots
Layers for changing weather
Plenty of water and food
A small first-aid kit

Before you set off

Check the forecast and lift status
Plan your last train or lift down
Sun and rain protection

Cost calculator

Price a guided walk for your group

Enter your group size to compare three guided walks.

Hike and Trümmelbach6 hoursfrom $273 Private valley walk3.5 hoursfrom $105 Sunset fondue hike3.5 hoursfrom $246

People 2

Total from$545

each from $273

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Group totals here multiply the lowest per-person price GetYourGuide quotes for each valley outing by the number in your party, converted at the European Central Bank's daily rate; the booking step shows the binding amount.

Video

Switzerland: The Best Hikes Near Interlaken (Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Murren ) | Travel Guide

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High walks on the Wengen side

Across the valley, the Panorama Trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is the classic high walk with little climbing. The Männlichen cableway company lists it as 4.5 km and about 1 h 20 min in that direction, open mid-June to October.⁴ It runs from 2,230 metres to 2,061 metres via Honegg and Rotstöckli, so it loses height gently all the way.⁴¹

The Wengen to Lauterbrunnen descent is short but steep. SwitzerlandMobility says it takes just over an hour from Wengen station down countless zigzags and the Hohstäg gravel road.¹⁸ Wengen Tourism's route through the Wengwald passes the church and drops almost 500 metres.⁵⁰ Ride up, walk down, and your knees will tell you why.

For a real climb, the Lauberhorn Trail follows the downhill ski course from Wengen up to Kleine Scheidegg, 6 km with 820 m of ascent.¹⁶ ⁵¹ And from Eigergletscher, the Eiger Trail runs beneath the North Wall to Alpiglen, from 2348 to 1616 m, in about 2 hours.⁵²

Long days into the rear valley

South of Stechelberg the valley narrows into the wild Hintere Lauterbrunnental, part of the UNESCO World Heritage area.⁵³ The Swiss Hiking Federation's day hike from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg through this rear valley covers 18.2 km in 7 h 30 min, with 1,370 m of ascent and 1,825 m of descent, in summer.⁵

Its two-day version from Mürren to Stechelberg is graded T3, 7 h 55 min of walking over 20.4 km, for walkers free of vertigo, from June to September.⁵⁴ The Schmadribach falls at the head of the valley drop 270 metres over several steps.⁵⁵ This is wild country, so plan carefully.

The longest route in the valley crosses out of it. Via Alpina stage 12 from Lauterbrunnen over the Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp is 22 km, with a hiking time of 9.0 hours on SwitzerlandMobility.⁵⁶ ⁵⁷ It is rated difficult for fitness and suits experienced hikers with an early start and a settled forecast.⁵⁸

Reading a Lauterbrunnen hiking trail sign

Every Lauterbrunnen hiking trail is marked by the Swiss system, and the colours tell you what to expect. Yellow signposts mean an ordinary hiking trail that makes no high demands and can generally be walked without danger; sturdy shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are enough.⁶

Yellow signs with a white-red-white tip and white-red-white waymarks mark mountain hiking trails, which often cross rough ground and demand stamina, sure-footedness and sometimes a head for heights.⁷ The Swiss Hiking Federation adds that users must be fit, free of vertigo and aware of mountain hazards such as rockfall and sudden weather change.⁵⁹

Blue signposts with a white-blue-white tip mark alpine routes, very demanding mountain trails.⁶⁰ On a mountain trail the recommended kit includes sturdy boots with grippy soles and protection against cold, sun, wind and rain.⁶¹ If a sign shows a colour you are not prepared for, turn back and pick another route.

Walking with a guide

A guide is not essential on the easy routes, but it helps with logistics and stories. The hike this site sells walks the Grütschalp to Mürren path and finishes at Trümmelbach Falls with entry included. The day lasts 6 hours, with an English-speaking guide for groups of no more than 8, and prices start from $273.

It is new, with one review so far rated 5.0, and it excludes children under 12 as well as walkers with little fitness. Its transport fares are extra: public transport, the gondolas and the bus to Trümmelbach are not included. Budget for them on top.

For a gentler outing, a private walking tour of Lauterbrunnen with an Irish guide takes in Staubbach Falls, Gimmelwald and Mürren in 3.5 hours and starts from $105. Above Wengen, a sunset hike with cheese fondue lasts 3.5 hours and is rated moderate.

Your day above the valley