Both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are incredible destinations to visit in Switzerland, and each with its own adventures to be had. From a quaint village with picture-perfect views in Lauterbrunnen to the lively adventure-filled Grindelwald, we love both and have visited both numerous times throughout the years. So, which would you choose, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen? Let us help you decide!
Planning Your Trip? Use our favourite travel resources below:
Accommodation: We recommend Booking.com
Rental Car: We recommend Rentalcars.com
Flights: We recommend Kiwi.com
Tours: We recommend Get Your Guide
Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen Map
Grindelwald
Grindelwald is located in the Bernese Alps, surrounded by impressive and dramatic peaks, including the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. If the opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing or tobogganing, (both summer and winter tobogganing!), don’t entice you then the incredible scenery of the area surely will. Grindelwald although a little larger and busier in comparison to Lauterbrunnen, with plenty more accommodation and restaurant options, is also technically a mountain village so well worth a visit.
Top things to do in Grindelwald
📍 Visit Grindelwald First
Home to the famous First Cliff Walk, the starting / end point to numerous mountain activities, including zip lines, trottibike scooters and mountain carts. There is also a rather nice restaurant at the top which serves local dishes as well as nice cold beverages, perfect for sampling whilst taking in the views.
📍 Hike to Bachalpsee
Whilst up Grindelwald First be sure to hike out to the nearby mountain lake of Bachalpsee. It takes a couple of hours round trip, (a bit longer if there is snow!), but the views are incredible. Take a picnic and find a good spot to take in the view.
📍 Take to the skies on a paraglider
You can paraglide in various locations across Switzerland, (Interlaken is a hot spot for this), but why not see Grindelwald from a different perspective and take to the skies! They often take off from various points up the mountain on the way to Grindelwald First, so you will have some of the most incredible views of the nearby snowy peaks.
📍 Hike from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg
This hike is one of the best in the area, with stunning views to the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau as well as down into the valleys of both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The hike is also fairly flat, with only a couple of small inclines so perfect for a leisurely hike. We would recommend hiking it from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg for the best views.
📍 Take a day trip to Jungfraujoch ´Top Of Europe´
Jungfraujoch is one place that is an easy day trip from Grindelwald, with incredible views and experiences to be had, but it is one that comes with a bit of a price tag. One thing we would recommend before buying tickets and heading up to Jungfraujoch is to check the webcams, you don’t want to fork out a decent number of Swiss Francs only to have no view at the top!
How to get to Grindelwald
Grindelwald is actually quite easy to get to, albeit you have to come through Interlaken. Once in Interlaken, be sure to be at Interlaken Ost station as this is the one that heads to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, then get on the right end of the train, (it will say this on the platform), as the train splits in two at Zweisimmen, half heading to Grindelwald and half to Lauterbrunnen.
You can also drive to Grindelwald, but it often takes the same amount of time as the train, so why not relax and take in the views instead?
How to get around Grindelwald
Grindelwald is very easy to walk around, it only takes a short 5-minute walk from the train station to the cable car for Grindelwald First, but there are also buses that stop throughout the town too. These include line 121 from Grindelwald Terminal and line 126 from Grindelwald to Bussalp, one of the mountain lines.
Where to stay in Grindelwald
There are numerous accommodation options in Grindelwald. Check out some of the best deals below:
Where to eat in Grindelwald
📍 Ringgenberg Bakery – for the best pastries in the valley
📍 Barrys Restaurant, Bar & Lounge – for local seasonal dishes
📍 Restaurant Alte Post – the best ice cream in Grindelwald, near the bottom of Grindelwald First Valley station
Tours in Grindelwald
Planning your own trip to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen? Make sure you check out our Travelling Tedaldi Amazon Store Travel Guides for all your guidebooks and maps. (We’ve done the hard work for you and linked all the things we used to plan our trip!)
Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is a quaint village nested in a valley renowned for its waterfalls, towering cliff sides and wildflower-filled meadows. It is a place we have visited in Switzerland numerous times, but it still has that magic picture-perfect Switzerland charm every time. With a limited number of accommodation and restaurant options, it is often visited as a day trip, but we think it is a great place to base yourself for a long weekend.
Top things to do in Lauterbrunnen
📍 Visit the valley waterfalls
Lauterbrunnen is also known as ‘The Valley of 72 Waterfalls’, so you should visit at least one of them. Staubbach Falls are the most well-known, and as they are located just outside the main village, they are easy to get to as well. Trümmelbach Falls are also incredible to visit, and like no other waterfalls you will find in Switzerland.
📍 Walk to Stechelberg
The walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg takes you through the beautiful alpine pastures, more often than not filled with cows, past countless waterfalls and all under the views of the snow-topped mountains. It takes just over an hour to walk, but with those views, you will be stopping in awe every few steps!
📍 Take the train to Wengen
One of the nearby mountain villages to Lauterbrunnen, and the gateway to Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg, Wengen is one place you have to visit. The views back into the valley and over Lauterbrunnen are stunning, (the views from the kirche / church are the best place for a picnic or breakfast pastry!), and the village itself is beyond pretty.
📍 Visit Mürren
Similar to Wengen, although at the other end of the valley, Mürren is another great place to visit with incredible views back over Lauterbrunnen. We can highly recommend hiking from Mürren down to Gimmelwald to get the best of the views both of the mountains and the valley.
📍 Hike from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg
One of the best hikes in the area, (which can also be accessed from Grindelwald), the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg hike, is one we would happily do every time we visit Lauterbrunnen. With an impressive cable car ride from Wengen to Männlichen then a rack railway from Kleine Scheidegg back to Lauterbrunnen on the other end, making this hike a great thing to do whilst in Lauterbrunnen.
How to get to Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is very similar to get to, other than you get on the train to, you guessed it, Lauterbrunnen rather than Grindelwald at Interlaken Ost. If once the train leaves Interlaken, you realise you are on the wrong end of the train, firstly don’t panic, it happens more than you realise! Just simply get off the train at Zweisimmen and switch carriages.
It takes a little longer via car as you will have to drive through the mountain valley as well as stop for the train crossings.
How to get around Lauterbrunnen
The easiest way to get around Lauterbrunnen is on foot, there are buses, route number 141, that run certain times of the year through the centre out to Stechelberg in the far south of the valley, but we´ve visited numerous times, and a different times of the year, and have only ever seen one, so don’t bank on them running!
Where to stay in Lauterbrunnen
We have stayed at Camping Jungfrau Lauterbrunnen on every trip we have had to Lauterbrunnen, and we wouldn’t recommend staying anywhere else! It may be a campsite at heart, but with numerous accommodation options, including log cabins for 2 up to groups of 6, and a wonderful on-site restaurant it is the perfect place to stay when in Lauterbrunnen.
Where to eat in Lauterbrunnen
📍 Flavours Café – in the centre of the village great for tasty treats
📍 The Cycling Coffee Shop – Pop-up cycle café under Staubbach Falls
📍 Restaurant Weidstubli in Camping Jungfrau – local dishes in a cosy setting
Tours in Lauterbrunnen
Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen FAQs
Where is better to stay Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen?
This is slightly dependent on what you want from your trip to the area, both are on the doorstep of incredible hikes, but if you want quieter evenings and a village atmosphere then stay in Lauterbrunnen, if you would rather some nightlife and more accommodation options then stay in Grindelwald. We do have a soft spot for Lauterbrunnen though, so would opt to stay there every time!
What are the main differences between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen?
The main difference between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen is that Grindelwald is a much larger village, (some would even argue a town), in comparison to the tiny village of Lauterbrunnen. Grindelwald is also located in quite an open valley compared to the narrow high-sided valley that Lauterbrunnen is located in.
Which should you visit Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen?
Both! They are both very different from one another, so each deserves to be visited. If you only have one day then your best bet is to decide what you want to do for the day, be it visit the local area only, hike, take part in an adventure sport etc then go from there.
Cost of travel around Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen
The train from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald costs from 5.90 CHF and takes roughly 35 minutes.
Travel around Grindelwald costs:
📍 Grindelwald public transport day tickets – Village bus ticket costs from 3CHF for a single ticket. Find out more information here.
📍 Grindelwald First tickets – From 68CHF return for an adult, 20CHF for a child, (age 6-15).
📍 Tickets to Männlichen / Kleine Schiedegg – Return tickets, Grindelwald to Männlichen then Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald, cost from 71.60CHF for an adult, with 50% off for children.
The train from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen costs from 3.90 CHF and takes roughly 25 minutes.
Travel around Lauterbrunnen costs:
📍 Lauterbrunnen public transport day tickets – There aren’t any specific day tickets just for Lauterbrunnen, (some other travel passes may work here such as the Berner Oberland Regional Pass though), but if you use the bus it costs roughly 4.40CHF return to Stechelberg, just be sure to pay the driver in Swiss Francs.
📍 Wengen tickets – From 7.20CHF return per adult, 3.60CHF return per child from Lauterbrunnen Bahnhof.
📍 Tickets to Männlichen / Kleine Schiedegg – For this, it is cheaper to buy separate tickets from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, then Wengen onwards. Return tickets, Wengen to Männlichen then Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen, cost from 60CHF per adult with 50% off for children.
📍 Mürren tickets – From 11.80CHF return per adult, 5.90CHF return per child from Stechelberg.
📍 Schilthorn tickets – From 108CHF return per adult, and 54CHF return per child from Stechelberg. For more information and tickets that include a James Bond Brunch, check out the Schilthorn website here.
Can you visit Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in one day?
You can visit both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in one day, but we wouldn’t recommend it. There is much too much to do in both locations to only visit each of them for half a day. You can easily need 3 days in each to explore what they have to offer in terms of main attractions, hiking and lesser-known things too.
Is it worth it to go to Lauterbrunnen?
100% yes! It may be very well known, and a bit of a tourist puller in the summer months, but if you visit in the low seasons then Lauterbrunnen is one of the most beautiful places you can visit in Switzerland.
Conclusion: Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen
So, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, which would you pick? We have a soft spot for Lauterbrunnen, but a trip to Grindelwald is never a bad thing. From the quaint village with immense views, to the lively village with its own mountain peak, there is so much to see and do in both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen that we can only recommend that you visit both!
Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.