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Visit Lauterbrunnen Switzerland | Traditional Swiss Village

When we came to Switzerland, we really didn’t have any specifics in mind of what to see. All we knew was we needed to experience some of Switzerland’s dramatic scenery. After reaching out to our Instagram community, a must-do was to visit Lauterbrunnen. This seemed to be quite the place to explore. Hitting the road southwest from Zurich, we got our first taste of the Swiss Alps while visiting Lauterbrunnen.

A Bit Of Background Info On Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen is super pretty, like really pretty. It’s easily accessible from major cities in Switzerland, and has a convenient and “cheaper” village at the base of the valley, making it attract people by the hundreds. Literally hundreds of people flocking here… in the offseason! Being such a touristy place means that there’s no free parking, “no overnight parking” signs everywhere, and really no warm welcome for the individual traveler.

Traveler’s Tip… If you want to see Lauterbrunnen, but aren’t so interested in the high prices for accommodation, stay in Interlaken. You can find current prices for accommodation in Interlaken here.

Driving in Switzerland, car on mountain road, visit Lauterbrunnen by car, arboursabroad
I mean come on, can you even believe this view!!

BUT… it’s stunning. Tucked away in the midst of massive cliffs, waterfalls falling all around, and the typical Swiss village looks make Lauterbrunnen the postcard-perfect Swiss village to visit.

Driving To Lauterbrunnen

Again, we had no idea what to expect driving to Lauterbrunnen. Neither of us looked at photos before we went, and we were just going off of #vanlifehippies saying it was a site to see. And man, just driving up there was quite the site. With the cliffs on both sides of us getting more and more narrow as we approached, we both were getting giddy with excitement of reaching the end of the road.

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Check out the massive cliffs the road sits beneath!

Pull outs didn’t come easy, so we had to snap photos while on the move as best we could, but we think you’ll get the idea of how beautiful this place is.

mountain houses in fog, eerie weather, Switzerland, arboursabroad
Foggy, rainy weather makes some seriously moody pictures!
Visit Lauterbrunnen, driving in Switzerland, cliffside villages, arboursabroad
The first real chance we got to see the tops of the cliffs around us!

Trying To Visit Lauterbrunnen

With the unexpected tourist overload reaching Lauterbrunnen, we were hit with a bit of disappointment that literally everywhere in the village was 24/7 paid for parking or private parking to guests at the hotels. We pulled into a parking lot just to sort ourselves out, but after seeing how expensive parking for even 15 minutes was, we decided to just actually just continue on the road up the valley.

Traveler’s Tip… Parking is paid for by coins. If you choose to pay to park in Lauterbrunnen, there’s a large parking lot right at the church in the heart of the village.

After all, it was the views we were after, not all the tourist gimmicks and souvenir shops along the streets. The views up the valley would be much more worth seeing than just a few buildings along the way – Although, buildings in Switzerland are really cute too!

steeple with cliffs, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, arboursabroad
The church could not have a prettier background!
traditional swiss home, visit Lauterbrunnen, wood home with mountains, arboursabroad
The buildings / homes in Switzerland aren’t too shabby to look at!
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, swiss village, arboursabroad
The village of Lauterbrunnen.

The Views Around Lauterbrunnen

What We were Really After

Escaping the actual village of Lauterbrunnen, we jaunted up the valley and enjoyed some killer views. So good in fact that we decided to drive back down the valley and stay the night, then turn around and drive back up to Lauterbrunnen the next day, just to see it again in the morning light!

meadow at base of cliff, Visit Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, arboursabroad
Moody lighting in the valley of Lauterbrunnen.

Traveler’s Tip… All along the road leading to Lauterbrunnen, before the turnoff towards Grindelwald, there are multiple places to wild camp. After the turnoff to Grindelwald, there’s really no place to park up for the night.

This was the best decision ever! The valley was gorgeous in the morning. We zipped right past the village and up to where we knew the views were good and the tourist were few. We even found a place to pull over and park (for free!) where we could enjoy our coffee, and watch skydivers fly through the valley, and the clouds dance along the cliffs. It was absolutely amazing, definitely the atmosphere we were looking for when dreaming of experiencing Switzerland.

Swiss Alps Cliffs, cliffs with clouds, Lauterbrunnen, Arboursabroad
Still can’t get over the cliffs surrounding Lauterbrunnen!
wood shed in valley, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, Driving to Lauterbrunnen, arboursabroad
Even the sheds are to die for!!

The Lauterbrunnen Gondola And Hitchhikers

Seeing how many people were in the area, and watching how frequently the gondola was going up and down the cliff, we knew this was “one of the things to do in Lauterbrunnen”. However, as you may have guessed it, it was way too touristy for us.

Haha.. If we were going to take a gondola, we wanted it to be more authentic (is that even a thing), and not so much a place of tour bus loads of people getting dropped off to hop on their ride up. However, the gondola in the area did bring us a great experience… picking up our first hitchhikers of the trip!

waterfall with clouds off cliff, Lauterbrunnen waterfall, arboursabroad, Switzerland
Waterfalls like this were shooting all down the cliff-sides. Major plus to the wet weather!

Traveler’s Tip… This gondola may just be the most touristy in the area. If you plan on taking it, you can get a slight discount when booking tickets with more people. Ask around at your accommodation for others planning a trip up the gondola and save a bit of cash when going together!

The van was a complete mess, (we literally just hit the road when we saw the good morning light without putting away anything), and their time with us was short, but man it was sweet. The three of them piled in the back, told us where they were heading, and brought us back to our excitement and joy hitchhiking in South America.

Not that we don’t find joy in traveling now, obviously that’s not the case, but they brought back those feelings of newness and thrill of the unknown when hitchhiking that traveling in the van doesn’t always offer us. The five of us chugging along in the van, all just stoked on life, talking about how good we all had it traveling in Switzerland brought us all the feels and put newfound smiles on our faces the rest of the day.

cabin and tree with morning fog in valley, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland, arboursabroad
Postcard-perfect!

Where To Visit After Lauterbrunnen

We were set on chasing every little bit of the sunshine we had, so after finishing up our coffee and dropping our hitchhikers, we made our way back out of the valley. Driving by the turnoff on the way out of the valley towards Grindelwald, we noticed the sun shining brightly through there too, so we decided to just drive towards the light.

This may have been our second best decision of the day. Outside of tourism, and really up in the mountains, we found ourselves a little slice of heaven.

Traveler’s Tip… Drive up to Grindelwald and up past the town. This pass is spectacular. It will loop you back around toward the Brienz side of Lake Brienz, and is totally more than worth the elevation, switchbacks, and single track road!

READ MORE | The Grindelwald Pass | Scheideggstrasse 

Recommended Gear For Visiting Lauterbrunnen

Camera | All the photos in this post were taken with this camera. We typically use this lens for all our shots, though for those wide-angle photos, we love this one here.

Water Bottle | If you plan on walking around Lauterbrunnen, bring a reusable water bottle. You’ll be able to fill it rather easily with drinking water throughout the village. We love this bottle because it keeps drinks hot for 6+ hours or cold for 24 hours!

Warm Weather Clothes | Walking around the village, you’ll want some clothes to keep you warm. We recommend wearing layers so you can easily peel them off when need be. This jacket is great for keeping you dry, this one for keeping you warm, and this long sleeve is breathable and doesn’t make you look like a trekker!

Where To Stay When Visiting Lauterbrunnen

Staying in Lauterbrunnen | If you choose to stay in Lauterbrunnen, we suggest looking for the current pricing on accommodation in the area here. Simply type in Lauterbrunnen and find the place that best suits you!

Staying in Interlaken | If you’re on more of a budget, and don’t really want to stay in the village, the closest place to stay is in Interlaken. Here you’ll find kebab shops, grocery stores, and other Swiss restaurants too.

Wild Camping Near Lauterbrunnen | We stayed along the road leading up to Lauterbrunnen just before the turnoff to Grindelwald. There were quite a few people in the pullouts in this area in campervans and even tents too! Most of the places along the right side of the road offer protection with the trees while along the left side you’ll have the river running right behind you!

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