Very unique and impressive series of 10 glacier waterfalls hidden deep inside rock walls are worth a visit when you are in the area in the Lauterbrunnen valley.
The well-known village of Lauterbrunnen lies at the bottom of the giant glacier valley, which is the deepest in the world. Its walls, which extend up to 1000m, are wetted by 72 waterfalls. But only one is hidden inside the rock walls. The falls carry up to 20,000 liters of water a second with a drainage area of 24km².*
Getting there
The glacial Trümmelbach falls are located 3 kilometers from Lauterbrunnen. By car, you are here from Interlaken in 25 minutes, from Bern in an hour, from Zurich in two hours. From the free parking lot, it is a pleasant 5-minute walk to the ticket office.
You can get here also by train. The train from Interlaken-Ost goes to Lauterbrunnen every half an hour, then it is necessary to change to the bus (yellow Postauto) 141 to reach the falls (stop Trümmelbachfälle).
The walk from Lauterbrunnen to the falls through the valley takes about 40 minutes.
3824 Lauterbrunnen, Švýcarsko
Opening hours and admission
The waterfalls are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm from the beginning of April until the beginning of November. In July and August from 8:30 to 18:00.
Admission is 11 francs for adults, 4 francs for children from 6 to 15 years old. Attention! You can pay only in cash, no credit or debit cards accepted!
And another important note: Children under the age of 4 are not allowed for safety reasons (and probably due to the loud noise)! Even though I had our youngest one securely fastened in the carrier on my back, the lady at the box office was uncompromising. And so, unfortunately, the daughter had to stay with my husband behind the entrance gate.
Waterfalls
Right behind the ticket office, a guide will take you to a tunnel-lift funicular that is inside the rock and runs at 45 degrees.
The lift will take you about half-way up between the waterfalls No.6 and 7. We went straight to Waterfall No.7. At many points, you can see the falls as they twist and curves inside the mountain to the outside.
After a few tens of meters, you will reach the inside of the mountain. The path is illuminated, but beware! Proper shoes are a must as it is slippery. And be sure to bring along a light jacket. Not just because it’s quite cold here, but also because you can be sprayed with water.
You take the same way back out the mountain. Then you have to descend the stairs down to see the rest of the waterfalls.
It is unbelievable that such a mass of water flows creates this unobtrusive stream.
A waterfall tour will take you less than an hour if you use the lift up. It takes, of course, more time if you decide to climb over 600 stairs up, then down.
Refreshments
Right next to the parking lot, there is a self-service restaurant. There are also toilets behind the restaurant. I recommend using it because there are no toilets at the falls themselves. For those who want to make a picnic, there is a nice place about 200 meters from the car park (you have to cross the road and the bridge over the creek).
Impressions
When we planned a trip to the waterfalls, we had absolutely no idea what to expect (and I’m not just talking about forbidden access for small children). It is a truly exceptional experience to see a waterfall in a rock that is not visible from the outside. The price of admission is not so high for such a unique and fascinating experience when you see (and also hear) the incredible power of the water element.
*Source:
Turistický průvodce Švýcarsko – JOTA, 2011 (přeloženo z Teller, M: “The Rough Guide to Switzerland”, Rough Guides 2010)
