Three Things to Do In Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
The Swiss Alps have some of my favorite mountain towns and scenic mountain views in all of the world. The mountains are incredible and are full of adventure and sightseeing. My suggestion would be to rent a car so it is easy to get around everywhere. I went in the summer but some of the activities can be accomplished in the winter as well.
Staubbachfall
This was a truly indescribable experience. We rented a car so we drove two hours to this beautiful place from Zurich. If you aren’t renting a car, it will be a tough and long time to take public transportation from Zurich. If you are doing public transportation prepare for a 6+ hour train ride even if you are staying in Bern which is the closest big city to the falls. However, if you are staying in Lauterbrunnen it is only a 15-minute walk and a 1-minute bus ride (Line 141).
I’ve never seen anything quite like this waterfall. It is a 267-meter drop of water coming from a cliff. Not only is the waterfall beautiful but the town next to it is as well. It is a cute one-street town with a couple of restaurants, a small hotel, and a lot of beautiful scenery.
We walked around and took in the beautiful scenery and then enjoyed lunch at the Horner Pub Hotel. It was a small pub that had fun inside and an array of food to choose from. We enjoyed a nice glass of cold beer and I enjoyed an amazing Raclette. This is a typical dish in the Swiss Alps and consists of fried cheese, pickles, and potatoes. IT WAS SO YUMMY.
It doesn’t cost anything, besides parking or the bus ride if you decide on that, to see the wonderful ways of Mother Nature. I highly suggest taking the time out of your trip to indulge in the beautiful Staughbbach Falls.
Thrill Walk
I love Switzerland but this experience put me more in an even deeper love for this beautiful country. The walk is located on the side of a cliff at 6000 ft high in the air. It is a steel walkway, it gives incredible views of the mountains and is something you can’t experience anywhere else. Although it seems like an activity for the adrenaline junkies, it is a safe walk and doesn’t need any special hiking equipment. If you want to see amazing views, this is something that needs to be added to your list of things to see.
I found this “Thrill Walk” experience on Instagram and honestly couldn’t find much information on it. So here is my blog to you, not only to tell you that you need to do this adventure but also to save you many hours of stress and difficulty figuring out how to do it.
To start, this thrill walk is located in the beautiful town of Grindelwald. This town is a small town that is located at the foot of the Swiss Alps. If you aren’t doing the whole renting a car thing, the best alternative way to get to Grindelwald from Lauterbrunnen is by train bus, or even a taxi. A car ride or taxi would take 20 mins and a train would take 50 minutes. Either way, it is worth it and a perfect day trip.
When you are doing this thrill walk, DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR GOOGLE MAPS. Unfortunately, that is what we did and we started driving our car up a very tiny narrow mountain. Luckily, we weren’t the first ever to do something so silly, the town put signs along the small road saying that this was not the way to the thrill walk. Who would have ever guessed that Google Maps was wrong? I don’t even have a picture of the best part, us trying to turn our car around on the side of a literal cliff.
After that, we walked around for hours because we were still so unsure of where the entrance was.
Let me save you all the trouble and spill the beans right now, go to the main town of Grindelwald and find the ski lift. The ski lift is called Grindelwald (Firstbahn) and is located next to Chalet Hotel Alte Post, right off Main Street, Dorfstrasse. From there you can buy your tickets for the gondola. The tickets are 66 USD but once you get to the top the actual thrill walk is free.
Since we wasted our day trying to find the entrance, we were one of the last people of the day. This made it super special because it felt like we were basically up on top of the mountain by ourselves. I’ve also heard that early in the morning can get you there before the crowd as well.
It will get colder at the top so be sure you bring something warmer. I would say that, especially if you are taking your time, 1-2 hours is a perfect amount of time to see and take in all the beautiful Mountain Views. This walk can also be accessed at any time throughout the year, just make sure you bundle in those colder months.
Skydiving in Interlaken
Now this may be more for the adventure seekers and adrenaline junkies, but it is not something to skip out on. I’m not sure you can find a better place to skydive. If you have a car or take a taxi, it is only a 16-minute drive. You can also take a 30-minute train ride. If you are looking for any adventurous activities, Interlaken is the place you need to go. Skydiving is only one of many cool experiences that they have. Other activities include canyoning, white water rafting, hiking, paragliding, etc. It is a perfect place for those ready to get their heart rates up.
When I went skydiving I booked it through a third party but the company was called Scenic Air Switzerland. The day I went the plane was getting worked on so we ended up having to go out of a helicopter. Also, due to the crazy weather in the Alps, we had to sit around and hope that an opening cleared up. Luckily it did and we quickly squeezed in a wild but exhilarating jump out of a helicopter. Please note that being flexible was key in this situation. It ended up being 500 USD for the whole experience but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. If you are curious about other adventurous activities you can do in Interlaken, I would suggest visiting this website.
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