Guide · Best months

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland, in summer and the other seasons

The Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland, in summer is green, loud with water and busy on the trails, but it is not the only good time to come. Here is the year month by month, with MeteoSwiss figures and the seasons of the falls and lifts.

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Editorial team, lauterbrunnenvalleyhiking.comUpdated October 20, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes25 sources

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Quick answer

01Warmest: July, with an average high of 24.5 °C at Interlaken's station.¹
02Wettest: July and August, around 146 to 147 mm of rain a month.¹
03Falls at full power: Spring and early summer, fed by meltwater.²
04Hiking season: The valley walk to Stechelberg is listed from April to November.³
05Winter: Trümmelbach and the Staubbach paths close for falling ice.⁴

How to read the figures

The climate figures on this page come from MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, for its station at Interlaken, averaged over 1991 to 2020.¹ Interlaken lies about 9 km down the valley and lower than Lauterbrunnen, which sits at 795 m, so treat them as a guide to the valley floor and expect cooler air on the terraces and passes above.⁵

Day length here means the time the sun is above a flat horizon at mid-month. In a valley this deep, the cliffs hide the sun for much of that time. Interlaken Tourism's description of a winter walk says the sun shines on the valley floor for little more than an hour around the shortest day of the year.⁶ In summer the floor gets far more sun, but mornings and evenings still fall into shadow early.

Rain days count the days with at least 1 mm of precipitation. A rain day in the Alps can mean a short afternoon shower after a clear morning, so a month with many rain days can still give plenty of good walking. Plan big outings for the mornings and keep a low-level alternative for the afternoons.

The walking year

What opens and when

April

Trümmelbach opens

From the beginning of April.⁷
May

Staubbach Gallery

Open May to October.⁸
June

Via ferrata and high trails

Via ferrata from 1 June, Panorama Trail from mid-June.⁹ ¹⁰
September

Cattle come down

Dates announced shortly beforehand.¹¹
Late October

Closures begin

Schilthorn maintenance 19 to 30 October 2026.¹²

Summer: green, loud and busy

Summer is the main hiking season. Interlaken's July averages are a high of 24.5 °C and a low of 13.7 °C, with 15.5 hours between sunrise and sunset at mid-month.¹ June is slightly cooler, with an average high of 22.6 °C.¹ Up on the terraces at Mürren and Wengen, expect fresher air, which makes for pleasant walking.

Summer is also the wettest season. July brings 146 mm and August 147 mm on average, with 13 rain days in each.¹ Much of that falls in afternoon thunderstorms, which is why mountain walkers start early. Jungfrau Region Tourism notes that the Mürrenbach is at its most impressive after summer thunderstorms.¹³

This is when everything is open. The Panorama Trail at Männlichen runs from mid-June to October, the Staubbach Gallery from May to October, and the via ferrata from 1 June.¹⁰ ⁸ ⁹ The guided hike this site sells walks from Grütschalp to Mürren and ends at Trümmelbach Falls, whose season runs from early April to early November.⁷

Month by month

Hours without sun and rain days through the year

Hours without sunDays with precipitationSeason

Hours of no sun in mid-month and days reaching 1 mm of precipitation. Data from MeteoSwiss station Interlaken, 1991 to 2020.¹

Climate table

Temperature, rain and day length by month

Month	Daylight (h)	Darkness (h)	High / low	Wet days	Trümmelbach Falls
Jan	8.9	15.1	4 / -3 °C	9	closed
Feb	10.3	13.7	6 / -3 °C	8	closed
Mar	11.8	12.2	11 / 1 °C	10	closed
Apr	13.5	10.5	15 / 4 °C	10	open
May	15	9	19 / 8 °C	13	open
Jun	15.8	8.2	23 / 12 °C	13	open
Jul	15.5	8.5	25 / 14 °C	13	open
Aug	14.3	9.7	24 / 13 °C	13	open
Sep	12.6	11.4	19 / 10 °C	10	open
Oct	11	13	14 / 6 °C	9	open
Nov	9.5	14.5	8 / 1 °C	10	early Nov
Dec	8.6	15.4	4 / -2 °C	10	closed

Mid-month daylight hours, average daily high and low, wet days of 1 mm or more. MeteoSwiss normals 1991 to 2020.¹ Season according to Trümmelbach Falls.⁷

Seasons compared

Summer, autumn or winter in the valley

Everything open

Summer

June to August

July high: 24.5 °C
July rain: 146 mm
Best for: High trails

Quieter

Early autumn

September

High: 19.4 °C
Rain: 94 mm
Best for: Long walks

Snow on top

Winter

December to February

January high: 3.5 °C
Falls: Closed
Best for: Snow, terraces

Decision helper

Which month suits your trip?

Choose what matters most

I want the waterfalls at full power I want every trail and lift open I want fewer showers I want snow I want Trümmelbach

Late spring to early summer

Meltwater feeds the falls then.²

July or August

The high trails open from mid-June.¹⁰

September

94 mm of rain against 147 mm in August.¹

December to February

January averages a high of 3.5 °C.¹

April to early November

Its season, as the operator states it.⁷

In winter, the sun appears only briefly in the deeply incised Lauterbrunnen Valley. It shines for little more than an hour around the shortest day of the year.

Interlaken Tourism (route by Berner Wanderwege)Source 6

Spring: the waterfalls wake up

The Lauterbrunnen Valley in spring is the time to see the falls at their strongest. According to Lauterbrunnen Tourism, Staubbach peaks in spring and early summer, while snowmelt from the surrounding mountains swells it.² The cliffs fill with white ribbons, many of which thin out by late summer.

Temperatures climb fast. Interlaken's average high goes from 14.9 °C in April to 19 °C in May, while May already brings 13 rain days and 122 mm of rain.¹ Trümmelbach opens at the beginning of April, and its operator advises checking exact times at the start of the season.⁷ ¹⁴

Higher up, spring arrives late. Snow lingers on the terraces and passes well into the season, and some trails and lifts open only when it has gone. Lifts also close for maintenance in spring; Schilthornbahn, for example, lists a closure from 26 April to 7 May 2027.¹² Keep spring walks low and check the lift status before you plan anything high.

Checklist

Packing by season

Summer

Sun cream and a hat
A rain jacket for afternoon storms
An early start

Autumn and winter

Warm layers and gloves
Lift and path closure dates
Shoes with grip for icy paths

Video

Lauterbrunnen Valley in Autumn🇨🇭(a peaceful Switzerland Tour & Vlog!)

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September and autumn

The Lauterbrunnen Valley in September has a lot going for it. Interlaken's average high is still 19.4 °C, rain falls on 10 days and the month's total drops to 94 mm, against 147 mm in August.¹ The sun is above the horizon for 12.6 hours at mid-month, enough for a long day out.¹

September is also when the cattle come down from the alpine pastures; Lauterbrunnen Tourism announces the dates shortly beforehand.¹¹ The Männlichen cableway's summer season in 2026 ran until 25 October, and the Panorama Trail stays open into October.¹⁵ ¹⁰

Later in autumn the larches turn and the trails grow quieter, but the days shorten: 11 hours of daylight at mid-October and an average high of 14.3 °C.¹ Many smaller falls thin out. Watch for maintenance closures: the Schilthorn cableway shuts from 19 to 30 October 2026.¹² The via ferrata closes after 31 October.⁹

Winter in the valley

A Lauterbrunnen winter is short on sunshine down on the valley floor. January's average high at Interlaken is 3.5 °C with a low of -3 °C, and December brings 91 mm of precipitation.¹ Around the shortest day, the sun reaches the valley floor for little more than an hour.⁶

Several summer sights close. Lauterbrunnen Tourism explains that the Trümmelbach and Staubbach Falls are closed in winter because of the high risk of falling ice and rockfall.⁴ What opens instead is a winter landscape: a cross-country trail of around 16 kilometres alongside the frozen falls, and a winter valley walk to Stechelberg of 6.85 km.¹⁶ ¹⁷

The terraces are another world. Mürren and Wengen lie in the sun above the valley's shadow, and both are winter resorts: Schilthornbahn calls Mürren the cradle of alpine skiing, and Wengen hosts the Lauberhorn ski race.¹⁸ ¹⁹ Guided summer hikes such as the one on this site are built around paths and falls that close in winter, so check a listing's current dates first.

Hiking month by month on the terraces

The terraces have their own rhythm. The balcony path from Grütschalp to Mürren is listed by Jungfraubahnen as walkable all year round, except during maintenance work, which makes it the most dependable outing in any season.²⁰ In summer it is a shaded forest walk with open views; in winter, when the lifts run, it becomes a snowy promenade above the valley.

Higher routes follow the snow. The Swiss Hiking Federation's waterfalls hike from Lauterbrunnen to Rütti is listed for summer from May to October, and its two-day route through the rear valley only from June to September.²¹ ²² The Royal Walk at Männlichen is listed from May to October.²³ Above roughly the tree line, early-season snow fields can block paths that look clear from below.

So plan a trip in layers. Book the valley and the terraces for any time from spring to autumn, keep the passes and high routes for midsummer to early autumn, and treat late spring and late autumn as shoulder seasons where flexibility pays. The lower the walk, the longer its season.

Matching the month to your plans

For hiking, the window from June to September gives the most open trails and lifts. For waterfalls, aim for late spring to early summer. For quieter paths and changing colours, the Lauterbrunnen Valley in autumn is hard to fault, as long as you accept shorter days. For snow and skiing, come in winter but expect closed waterfalls and a shaded valley floor.

If the Jungfraujoch or the Schilthorn is on your list, remember that seat reservations and maintenance dates matter as much as the weather. Jungfraubahnen makes a seat reservation mandatory from 1 May to 31 October 2026.²⁴ Schilthornbahn closes for maintenance in late October and in spring.¹²

Whatever the season, the weather can turn within hours. Wengen Tourism's basic kit list for walkers includes layered, weather-appropriate clothing, rain and sun protection and plenty of water.²⁵ Pack for both, check the forecast every evening, and let the clearest day go to the highest ground.

Your day above the valley