Guide to the Swiss Alps in Summer-Lauterbrunnen Valley

September 19, 2024 Lindsey

Visiting the Swiss Alps in Summer is one of my all-time favorite trips and I want to help you plan the best possible trip for you. In this guide you’ll find general tips for visiting the Swiss Alps in summer as well as specific advice for the Lauterbrunnen Valley because I think that is the best destination in the Swiss Alps. But much of this can be applied to other destinations in the Swiss Alps.

No one should miss seeing the Alps when they travel to Europe. This area in particular is so stunning, I’m sure your jaw will literally drop several times during your stay. It is also one of the most family friendly destinations with themed trails and amazing playgrounds for kids.

Let’s go over what you need to know for planning your Swiss Alps vacation and let me know if you still have questions in the comments!

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How to Travel to the Swiss Alps

The largest major airport in Switzerland is Zurich. You can fly into other airports but Zurich is likely to have the most options. From there you can choose to rent a car or use the Swiss train system.

Our family prefers to rent a car most of the time because it is more flexible than the train. We find driving in Europe to be quite easy. Often it is less expensive for us as a family of 5 when compared to purchasing train tickets.

I encourage you to compare both options and see what is a better option for your group. You can compare train tickets on Omio and you can check rental car rates here.

If you want to take the train to the Lauterbrunnen Valley from Zurich, you will first take the train from Zurich to Interlaken. Then you will change to a local train to go from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. The journey takes 2.5 hours.

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Driving in Switzerland

Driving in Switzerland is easy and similar to driving in other western European countries and the USA. The most important thing you should know is that you need to purchase a vignette when using the Swiss autobahns. It can be purchased at most gas stations or online.

They are the same price regardless of which you choose.

The vignette is 40 CHF and is good for one calendar year (14 months from Dec. 1 of previous year all the way to Jan. 31 after the new year). There is no shorter option, you must purchase the full year.

Looking for more Alps Travel Inspiration? Read my list of Best Places in the Alps!

How Long to Stay in the Swiss Alps

I think you could easily stay a week in the valley and find plenty to keep you occupied. If you don’t have a full week, I would allocate at least 4 days to this area. Trust me, you will not want to leave after you see it for yourself.

Transportation Tickets in the Lauterbrunnen Valley

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Switzerland is an expensive country and all the cable car tickets are quite pricey. For our trip I did the math on what it would cost for us to purchase tickets a la carte versus buying a pass and it made more sense for us to purchase tickets as we went.

Tickets are very easy to purchase at the cable car stations at automated kiosks or with an agent at a window. For one of our days I needed help and had to ask the agent at the window and they were able to help me and got me a better deal than what I had originally planned for.

If you don’t want to fuss with that, you can buy the Jungfrau Pass. The Jungfrau Pass is priced differently depending on how many days you need it for (3 days-8 days). It covers quite a bit in the area from trains to cable cars but note this pass does not cover the whole journey to the Jungfraujoch or the Cable Car or funicular in Mürren to Allmendhubel or the Schilthorn.

The pass starts at 210 per adult but is actually very affordable for children at just 30 CHF (ages 6-15).

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Money in Switzerland

The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF) and it’s different than the Euro which is used in Switzerland’s neighboring countries. Contactless and card payment is very common in Switzerland, even up on the mountain tops but you should still carry at least a little bit of cash for the once in a while times where you need it. We did stumble on one restaurant during our stay that would only accept cash.

Cell Phones in Switzerland

The easiest thing to do to make sure you stay connected during your travels is to purchase an e-sim from Airalo before your trip. You won’t waste time hunting down a local sim card and you can get connected as soon as you step off the plane.

Just go to the website, select your country and length of time and follow the easy steps to download the e-sim.

Swiss Electrical Plugs

Switzerland uses Type C and Type J electrical outlets. These are different than the outlets you’ll find in France, Germany, Austria, etc. (Type F). Bring an international plug converter with you and double check your electronics to make sure they are 220 volt compliant.

If you forget an converter (like we did once), check your local grocery store. We were able to find plug adapters there.

The Italian Dolomites are another STUNNING mountain destination. Read my 4 Day Itinerary for the Dolomites here!

What to Pack for Swiss Alps in Summer

When you visit the Alps anytime of year, you need to plan on bringing layers. Even in the summer you can have cool or rainy days and it tends to get chilly as the sun goes down.

No matter what activities you plan on doing, I would suggest following this Swiss Alps packing list:

Athletic shoes (preferably hiking shoes of some kind that you don’t mind getting dirty. I live in my waterproof trail runners in the summer in the Alps. I like having waterproof shoes so I don’t worry about rain or wet trails.
Sweatshirt/light jacket. I love my Patagonia micro-puff because it packs down really small and I can easily fit it in my backpack.
Rain jacket. it’s worth it to pack a light rain jacket in the event that you get rain on your trip. Staying dry will help everyone’s mood stay sunny, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Comfortable athletic/athleisure clothing. You will spend your time enjoying the great outdoors, wearing clothes that are comfortable to move in and appropriate for the weather.
Backpack. You’ll need a backpack to carry water bottles, snacks, layers, and sunscreen on your hikes or walks. I have a Deuter hiking backpack that I love. My husband has an Osprey pack that he loves. You can also get very inexpensive outdoor gear at Decathlon in Europe if you find yourself needing something you didn’t pack.
Sunscreen. Don’t skip this! The mountain sun can really get to you. You should wear this even on overcast days. I like European sunscreen better than American sunscreen. We buy the “sun milk” kinds (sonnenmilch in German) because they rub in so much easier than the thick, chalky kind you get in the US.
Plug Converters. I mentioned earlier that the electrical outlets are different than Germany and the US. Bringing an international converter is the easiest way to be covered in your travels.
External Battery for your phone. If you’re like me, you’ll be taking tons of videos of the amazing scenery. You might need a little extra juice for your phone.

Where to Stay in the Lauterbrunnen Valley

I would advise you not to stay in Interlaken, though it is close and convenient. It will be nicer to stay in the valley, closer to the peaks. Your main choices of where to stay in this area are Lauterbrunnen (in the valley), Mürren (car-free village you have to take a cable car to), Wengen (car-free village on the opposite side of the valley from Mürren), and Grindelwald.

This is a destination where it is worth it to splurge on a room with a view. We stayed at Hotel Alpina in Mürren and found ourselves rushing home for sunset so we could watch it from our balcony. The view was that good.

There is a wide range of accommodations from basic guest rooms to full resorts. It depends on what you are looking for and what your budget is. Here are some quick recommendations for each place in various categories.

Lauterbrunnen

Mürren

Wengen

Grindelwald

What to Eat in Switzerland

Fondue

While this is typically a winter dish for the Swiss, of course many tourists want to try it and you should! Fondue is typically served with small pieces of bread to dip in the melted cheese. Sometimes you can also purchase some vegetables to dip in it.

Rosti

This dish is similar to a hash brown skillet (if you’re from the US) but so much better. It may come out a bit stinky because of the cheese they use but it is delicious and hearty. It's like Swiss comfort food and I highly recommend you try it.

Swiss Chocolate

It’s famous for a reason. I dare you to try it and then ever go back to eating a Hershey’s bar. I can’t go back, I’m sorry. Lindt for life!

How to Save Money in Switzerland

Refill your water bottle from the tap. You are in the land of perfect drinking water! Take advantage and refill your bottles straight from the tap whenever possible.

Shop at the grocery store for lunch and snacks. You’ll save a lot of money by not eating out at every meal. Head to the local Migros or Coop and pick up picnic supplies and hiking snacks.

Ask your hotel if they include any kind of guest cards or discounts to local establishments with your stay. Ours included passes to a local pool, but I didn’t know about it and didn’t pack bathing suits so we missed out.

Now you’re armed with all the information you need to plan the best trip ever to the Swiss Alps in Summer! If you have any extra tips to share, please leave them in the comments!

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