Lauterbrunnen Region in 6 days

Lauterbrunnen Valley

Fun Fact: JRR Tolkein modeled rivendell after the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Once you see it you can understand why the vastness and beauty of this place will never be done justice in photographs. It has to be seen.

We have stayed in this region both times we have visited. We love to start out trips off here because it is much slower-paced and a great central point to see much of what Switzerland offers. We have always flown into Zurich Airport and rented a car to drive to Lauterbrunnen. The Drive time is 2 hours.

Where to Stay

Hotel Staubbach: We stayed at this bed and breakfast after a travel day before going on to our rental the next day. But it is also a great option to stay the entire time. They have a beautiful view from their waterfall view rooms, and the staff is so friendly. They offer an amazing breakfast spread daily with beautiful views while you fuel up for the day. They have a small parking lot which is convenient if you have a car, and also, it is centrally located within the small town of Lauterbrunnen.

Hotel Staubbach

Wengen Airbnb: For our 2019 trip, we stayed at an Airbnb in Wengen. Which is located above Lauterbrunnen. There is a train that frequently runs from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen. This Airbnb was plenty of room for the 6 of us traveling and had amazing views. My morning coffee never quite tasted the same after having it here. The Airbnb was very clean and well stocked. There is a market nearby where we were able to get our food and cook many of our meals. You can’t go wrong with this place. There are no cars in Wengen, so you can rent a “taxi” to take your luggage to Airbnb, which I highly recommend. We decided to do it ourselves, and it was quite an adventure. But honestly one of those memories we still laugh about.

*We parked our rental car at the carport at the Lauterbrunnen train station.

Wengen Airbnb

Lauterbrunnen Airbnb: For our 2021 trip, we decided to stay on the valley floor in Lauterbrunnen. This place made you feel like a local to the area, which was one of its top things. It was a beautiful chalet with one of the most well-stocked kitchens we have stayed in. Everything was immaculate, and the hosts were so kind. There is a place to park your car, which is beneficial, and there is a bus depot nearby to hop on and take advantage of Switzerland’s amazing transportation system. This Airbnb also had a large yard with a bbq and fire pit to spend time outside and let the kids run around.

Lauterbrunnen Chalet Airbnb

Where to Eat

One thing about Switzerland, the food is pretty pricey. Depending on where you are traveling from, it may be surprising, but there are great ways to offset this. If you stay in a bed and breakfast, breakfast is included, so that is a great way to fill up for most of the day and just have a small lunch and focus on dinner.

Second, we usually stay in an Airbnb, so they have a kitchen. My family prefers this because I have a gluten allergy, which sometimes makes eating out a chore. But even if we didn’t, it is much more cost-effective to go to the local market, get what you need, and cook it at home. Most of these rentals have amazing views, so you still eat in this beautiful setting every night. For one of our trips, we ate Grilled cheese and tomato soup almost every night, and it didn’t even feel like we were missing out because there were SOOO MANNY amazing cheeses to try from here.

When we did eat out on the go, we found some amazing places with some comforting swiss food.

Hotel Oberland Restaurant: Go here at least once and get the Apfel Strudel. You will not be disappointed. They have a great patio and friendly service. They also have some great rosti dishes, a really good swiss potato-based dish.

Edelweiss: This hotel in Murren has a great patio and eatery. There are many options, whether you are going for traditional swiss or need a quick snack or treat. Plus, they have beautiful views of the valley and Jungfrau from here. We often come here when doing the hike from Murren to Gimmewald.

See things to do in Lauterbrunnen blog post for more information!