Switzerland was one of the hardest legs of our trip to plan for, so I’m excited to share our detailed 4 day Switzerland Itinerary. We visited the Jungfrau region in August and loved every second!
We were expecting sunny summer skies in Switzerland, but were instead greeted with lots of clouds, fog, and rain. But I’m a strong believer that an adventure doesn’t begin until things don’t go as planned, so we truly had an amazing Switzerland adventure because of it. If it wasn’t so rainy we never would have visited half of these spots. Instead we would have found pretty lookouts and drank beer (which also doesn’t sound that bad haha).
To read about the places we visited, click here. And to read about the other legs of our 2 week Europe trip, click here for Amsterdam, and here for Croatia!
Day Zero – Travel
We flew into Zurich and took the train to where we were staying in Wengen. Download the SBB mobile app in order to plan your train trips and buy the Saver Day Pass for your journeys to and from the airport to save money. There’s so many trains you need take and this option is much cheaper. If you’re staying around and exploring the Jungfrau region, get the Jungfrau Travel Pass which covers all the trains, gondolas, and trams in the region. Make sure to get one if you’re staying for 3 or more days!
Where we stayed
We stayed in Wengen, which is just a few train stops from Interlaken. It’s located right on top of the Lauterbrunnen valley and is so magical! We rented this 2 bedroom AirBnB which had the most amazing deck with views of the mountains and valley. I definitely recommend this place, but note that Wengen doesn’t have any cars, so you have to drag all your luggage with you up and down the mountainside when you arrive and leave.
Pasta and More
For dinner on our first night we we needed some hearty comfort food, so we chose Pasta and More for some wine and pasta. It’s one of the best rated restaurants in Wengen! Also note, Wengen gets really quiet at night and very few restaurants and bars stay open late being only a few people actually stay in the town, so make sure you plan for that!
Day One – Lauterbrunnen
Staubbach Falls
We started our trip with the famous Staubbach Falls right in Lauterbrunnen – the 3rd highest falls in Switzerland. This is the waterfall you see in all the photos and is a pretty easy hike to the top. Make sure you go all the way up to stand right under the falls! Visit this waterfall if you want an easy hike, free entry, a birdseye view of Lauterbrunnen, and are limited for time.
Trummelbach Falls
Trummelbach Falls is nicknamed the corkscrew falls, and for good reason. The waterfall has literally carved out the rock it falls down and is nothing like a traditional waterfall – it’s more like a nature-made waterslide – however, DO NOT go over the edge and slide down the falls! Do, however, take the stairs up to the top and peek in at each viewing point. If you don’t want to hike, there is an elevator, but we loved exploring the caves. Visit this waterfall if you want a more challenging hike, pretty views of the valley, are ok with a small entry fee, and have a longer amount of time to spend.
Gimmelwald
If you have time to spare, you can continue to walk down the valley to the Stechelberg Gondola. Or you can take the bus. This isn’t included in the Jungfrau pass, but I remember it being pretty cheap if you don’t go all the way to the top. We bought a ticket to Mürren but stopped at Gimmelwald on the way up at the Pension hotel/restaurant. If it’s a clear day you would be able to see down into the valley, but we instead warmed up inside with some soup and their in-house brew. This place was so cozy – we loved it!
Mürren
We continued up the Stechelberg Gondola to Mürren. Again, it was super foggy, so we weren’t able to see the views (which looked INCREDIBLE in the photos I saw) but either way the town is super cute! We stopped into an adorable coffee shop to warm up again with some coffee and then took the train back to Wengen.
Day Two – Interlaken
Hüsi Bierhaus
Another foggy day means for some exploring on the ground! We spent the day in Interlaken and started with lunch at Hüsi Bierhaus bar and restaurant. We had a few Swiss beers and some schnitzel. It was a fun atmosphere and even better food and drinks!
The Barrel
If you didn’t get enough Swiss brews at Hüsi, head across the street to The Barrel Artisan Cafe for a few more! This cozy spot sells beer from all over the world and also has a few snack options.
St. Beatus Caves
This next spot isn’t right in Interlaken, but it’s a short bus ride away along the Thun lakeshore. Walk up the waterfall and make sure to take photos along the way – St. Beatus is so cute! Once at the top, you can get some food and drinks while overlooking lake Thun or you can go on a cave tour deep into the mountainside. It doesn’t get much more picturesque than this!
Noodle Bar
Switzerland was the last country on our Europe adventure, so we were really craving some food other than the traditional Swiss cuisine. We heard great things about Noodle Bar from people around the area, so we stopped in for some pad thai. The restaurant isn’t anything fancy but it was delish.
Day Three
Bäckerei Vincenz
Every morning we would stop at Bäckerei Vincenz for a pastry and coffee in Wengen. And every morning I would get the hazelnut pastry (not sure what it was called sorry!!) and it was the best EVER!
Männlichen
It finally cleared up for a few hours on day 3, so we caught the first 8 am tram from Wengen to the top of Männlichen to explore and take in the views. If you pay $5 extra you are able to stand on top of the gondola – so worth it. People started cheering once we got to the top and started to see the views of the Alps – we waited two whole days for this! So pretty! Try to go right in the morning to get the place to yourself and also make sure you get a photo with a mountain cow 🙂
Airtime Cafe
We made our way back to Lauterbrunnen for the afternoon for our next activity, but had some time to spare so we stopped into Airtime Cafe for lunch. This is the perfect spot for a quick sandwich and local beer!
Outdoor Interlaken Canyoning
Because we couldn’t do as much hiking with the foggy weather, we booked a last minute canyoning trip (Grimsel) with Outdoor Interlaken and it was THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP! If you ever have the option to go canyoning – take it! They picked us up in Lauterbrunnen and were then taken to Interlaken to their base where we received our gear and safety info. From there, we took about an hour drive to the canyon where we repelled, zip-lined, jumped off cliffs, and hiked through a river. Afterwards, they had sandwiches and beer for us. It was such an unforgettable experience that pushed us out of our comfort zone and was so fun!
Day Four
Paragliding Interlaken
We originally had Paragliding Interlaken booked for a few days before, but due to the weather and low visibility, we were able to reschedule for a sunnier day. We met at the Interlaken meeting point, received a safety demonstration, and drove to the top of the mountain where we ran off into the clouds. This was another trip highlight and was so peaceful! We were in the air for about 10-15 minutes overlooking one of the most beautiful places on earth. Please challenge yourself and do this!
Harder Kulm
After paragliding, we took the Harderbahn up to Harder Kulm for food and drinks. It was our last day so we were trying to soak in all the views we could get! We ate fondue while overlooking Interlaken and watching paragliders fly by.
Spiez
We took the train to Spiez to spend the afternoon. Spiez is a little town right along lake Thun and has gorgeous scenery. We walked along the castle grounds and grabbed a beer by the water. I will never get over how blue it is!
Little Thai
Our last meal in Switzerland came at the recommendation of one of our guides at Outdoor Interlaken. Again, we were craving Thai, so Little Thai was just what we needed! So so good, and if you are choosing between Little Thai and Noodle Bar, go here!
This Switzerland itinerary wraps up our time in the Jungfrau region. If you want to see the other stops on our 2 week Europe trip, read about Amsterdam here and Croatia here!
Hi Lindsey
I am from Albert Lea and love your posts on Instagram looking forward to the Iceland Itinerary and pictures have yet to do that
We were in Basel 2018 for a wedding and spent some days in the countryside and stayed in Wengen for 3 days and loved that area, spent 2 days in Scuol and 2 days in Chur with some friends
Back in Basel after the wedding floated down the Rhine River with the locals what a great time.
Keep on traveling
This looks amazing! Is there any way we could get an estimate?