Want to know what 20,000 liters of glacial water per second looks like as it thunders through a mountain? At Trümmelbach Falls (Trümmelbachfälle in German) you can stand right beside it. Hidden inside the rock of Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen Valley, these ten glacier-fed waterfalls have carved spiral chambers through the limestone over thousands of years. They are the only glacier waterfalls in Europe inside a mountain that visitors can still walk through.
The Lauterbrunnen Valley, known as the “Valley of 72 Waterfalls,” is full of Switzerland waterfalls, but this is the one you go inside. The meltwater comes from the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau glaciers, and the falls are part of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. This guide covers current tickets, opening hours, how to get to Trümmelbach Falls from Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken, and whether the falls are worth your time.
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Trümmelbach Falls at a Glance
| Location | Lauterbrunnen Valley, about 3 km south of Lauterbrunnen village (Bernese Oberland) |
| Tickets | CHF 18 adults, CHF 8 ages 6-15 (paid at the entrance) |
| Season | Early April to early November, weather permitting |
| Hours | 9:00-17:00; 8:30-18:00 in July and August |
| Swiss Travel Pass | Not accepted for entry. It does cover the bus 141 ride |
| Time needed | About 1 to 2 hours |
| Not allowed | Children under 4 and dogs |
How to Get to Trümmelbach Falls from Lauterbrunnen and Beyond
Trümmelbach Falls sits on the valley floor between Lauterbrunnen village and Stechelberg, in the Bernese Oberland. From Zurich you need a little under 3 hours by train and bus, from Bern roughly 1 hour 45 minutes, and from Geneva almost 4 hours. Most people base themselves in Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen and go from there.
Trümmelbach Falls from Lauterbrunnen by Bus 141
The easiest way to get from Lauterbrunnen to Trümmelbach Falls is PostBus 141, which leaves from outside Lauterbrunnen train station about every 30 minutes and takes 7 to 10 minutes. Get off at the Trümmelbachfälle stop, right by the entrance path. The Swiss Travel Pass, Jungfrau Travel Pass and Berner Oberland Regional Pass cover the bus, so check your own pass before you buy a single ticket.
Walking from Lauterbrunnen to Trümmelbach Falls
You can also walk. The flat, signposted path from Lauterbrunnen station takes about 45 to 60 minutes each way and passes Staubbach Falls. It is a lovely, easy hike if the weather is good, and you can take the bus back if your legs are tired. For a longer route through the whole valley, see our Lauterbrunnen Valley hike guide.
Interlaken to Trümmelbach Falls by Train and Bus
From Interlaken, take the Berner Oberland Bahn from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen (about 20 minutes), then bus 141 to the falls. Door to door, plan on roughly an hour. If you are staying in Interlaken and short on time, a guided trip is another option (see the tours section below).
From Wengen, Mürren and Grindelwald
From Wengen, take the train down to Lauterbrunnen (about 15 minutes) and switch to the bus. From Mürren, ride the cable car down to Stechelberg and take the PostBus toward Lauterbrunnen; the falls are the next stop, about 4 minutes away. Check the cable car’s operating status first, as it closes for maintenance at certain times of year. The other way to get down to the valley floor is to take the mountain train from Mürren station to Grütschalp, transfer to the cable car down to Lauterbrunnen, and then switch to the bus. From Grindelwald, take the train toward Interlaken Ost, change at Zweilütschinen for Lauterbrunnen, then continue by bus.
Don’t miss a day exploring Mürren, Gimmelwald and the Schilthorn, easy to combine with the falls.
Trümmelbach Falls Parking and Driving Directions
Driving is straightforward. Head through Lauterbrunnen village and keep going up the valley toward Stechelberg for about 3 km; the falls are signposted. There is a large free car park at the site, a short walk from the ticket office. From Interlaken the drive takes around 25 minutes.
Trümmelbach Falls Tickets and Entrance Fee
The Trümmelbach Falls entrance fee is CHF 18 for adults and CHF 8 for children aged 6 to 15. Children under 4 are not admitted. Trümmelbach Falls tickets are sold at the entrance during opening hours, and no advance booking is needed, so you can simply turn up and pay. The site says it does not offer group rates, and no student or senior discounts are listed. Guests staying in Lauterbrunnen get 10% off with the Lauterbrunnen Guest Card.
Is Trümmelbach Falls Included in the Swiss Travel Pass?
No. Trümmelbach Falls tickets with a Swiss Pass are not free or discounted: entry is not included in the Swiss Travel Pass, the Swiss Half Fare Card or other rail passes. What your pass does cover is the trip to the falls, since the train to Lauterbrunnen and bus 141 are included with the Swiss Travel Pass, so you only pay the CHF 18 (or CHF 8) at the ticket office. It is one of the few paid extras in the valley that is still good value.
Guided Tours That Include Trümmelbach Falls
If you would rather not organise buses, a small-group tour takes care of the logistics. Check whether entry to the falls is included before you book, because some listings cover transport only.
- Interlaken: Lauterbrunnen and Trümmelbach Falls Tour (3.5 hours, small group, pickup available)
- Interlaken: 72 Waterfalls Valley and Lauterbrunnen E-Bike Tour (a visit of Trümmelbach Falls; not for beginner cyclists)
Trümmelbach Falls Opening Hours and Season
The falls are open daily from early April to early November, weather permitting:
- April to June: 9:00 to 17:00
- July and August: 8:30 to 18:00
- September to early November: 9:00 to 17:00
Exact opening and closing dates change with the weather, and the tourism board notes the attraction can be temporarily closed in spring because of extreme seasonal conditions. If you are visiting at the start or end of the season, check the official website or call before you make the trip. In winter there is almost no flow, so the falls are closed.
Best Time to Visit Trümmelbach Falls
The falls are at their most powerful during the snowmelt (April to June) and the glacier melt (June to September), and after heavy rain or thunderstorms. After frosty nights in early April and October the flow drops to a fraction of that, so May through September gives you the most thunderous experience.
For fewer people, arrive when the doors open or come after about 4 PM. The busiest window is roughly 11 AM to 3 PM in summer. Light inside the mountain is artificial, so photos work at any time, but morning and late afternoon mean you can take your time on each platform. Rain rarely closes the falls, but the paths are slippery on any day.
Want to see more water inside a mountain? Head to St. Beatus Caves on Lake Thun, and don’t miss the Aare Gorge near Meiringen, where the river cuts through a limestone ridge.
The Trümmelbach Falls Lift: Riding the Funicular Inside the Mountain
Your visit starts at the entrance building, where you buy tickets and can check the map of the falls and paths. From there, a tunnel lift, technically a funicular with a counterweight, carries you about 100 meters up through the rock in 60 seconds. The first lift opened in 1913; today’s glass cabin, built in 1983, is the third one. It holds about 40 people and runs at a 45-degree angle, so it handles a queue quickly. If you would rather use the stairs, you can, but expect a long, wet climb.
The Trümmelbach Falls lift takes you to the upper part of the gorge, near platform 6. From there you walk up to the top falls and then make your way down on foot.
What to Expect Inside: Touring the Ten Falls Step by Step
From the top of the lift, first climb to the highest falls (7 to 10) for the most powerful views. This is where glacier water first bursts into the mountain. Then head down the stairs, stopping at each platform, including the short side trip to fall 6, and continue to falls 5 through 1. The whole path inside the gorge is about 600 meters long, with a height difference of 140 meters between the lowest and highest fall.
Water spirals through narrow rock channels like a corkscrew, and the force of it has polished bowl-shaped walls over thousands of years. Steel walkways with handrails and about 400 meters of galleries take you to the viewing platforms, lit so they show the rock and water rather than the paths. Some spots put you close enough to feel the spray, others give wider views. Take a minute at platform 7, where you can see several falls at once.
How Long to Spend at Trümmelbach Falls
Most people need 1 to 1.5 hours to see all ten falls. An hour is enough if you keep moving and take a few photos; allow up to half an hour more if you want to linger and have a coffee and the cafe near the entrance. If you are short on time, ride the lift and focus on falls 7 to 10, then walk back down at a steady pace.
Is Trümmelbach Falls Worth It?
Yes, if you go in season. Trümmelbach Falls is worth the entrance fee because there is nothing else like it in the valley: instead of watching water fall from a distance, you walk through the mountain beside it. Staubbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen village, by comparison, is free to view and a good warm-up, but it can’t give you the noise or the sense of scale. The main reasons to skip it are visiting very early or late in the season when the flow is thin, a rainy day when you’d rather be higher up, or travelling with someone who can’t manage stairs. If you already plan to do the valley walk, it is an easy and rewarding detour.
Safety, Accessibility and What to Wear
The paths are wet and slippery from spray, so wear shoes with good grip and hold the handrails, especially in dim areas. Pack a rain jacket, since you will get sprayed, and dress in layers because it is cool and damp inside the mountain even in summer. A waterproof case or bag for your phone or camera is a good idea.
Visiting with Children, Older Visitors and Dogs
Children under 4 and dogs are not allowed for safety reasons. Strollers and wheelchairs can’t use the inner paths because of the steep stairs and narrow passages. For kids from about 4 up, turn it into a game of counting waterfalls or spotting shapes in the rock. Older visitors and anyone who finds stairs hard should know that the lift helps with the steepest climb, but the route still involves plenty of steps and a 600-meter path in total. Benches at the platforms make it easy to rest.
Facilities: Café, Restrooms and Souvenirs
At the entrance there is a large free car park, a self-service restaurant with a viewing terrace (hot and cold homemade dishes, drinks and cake), restrooms and a small souvenir shop. Picnic tables are scattered outside. The café gets busiest around lunchtime, so eating a little before 11 or after 2 usually means shorter lines.
What to Do Near Trümmelbach Falls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley
Trümmelbach Falls pairs easily with a full day in the valley:
- Staubbach Falls: a free-falling waterfall of about 297 meters right in Lauterbrunnen village, easy to reach on foot.
- Lauterbrunnen Valley walk: the flat path to Stechelberg passes the falls; see our valley hike guide.
- Mürren and the Schilthorn: cliff-top village views and a revolving restaurant with James Bond history. Here’s our guide on what to do in Mürren.
- Wengen and Männlichen: car-free Wengen for views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and an easy ridge walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg.
All of these are laid out in our 5-day Bernese Oberland itinerary. If you are using public transport across several days, a Jungfrau Travel Pass or Berner Oberland Regional Pass can cover the valley trains, buses and many cable cars. Compare it with what you would spend on single tickets, and check whether your Swiss Travel Pass already gives you a discount.
Where to Stay Near Trümmelbach Falls
Lauterbrunnen village is the closest base (a 10-minute bus ride or a walk), while Interlaken has more hotels and easier connections. See our guide to the best place to stay in the Bernese Oberland.
Trümmelbach Falls Facts, History and Geology
The Trümmelbach drains the glacier walls of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau across a catchment of about 24 square kilometers, half of it covered in snow and ice. At peak it carries up to 20,000 liters of water per second and moves about 20,000 tons of debris per year.
After the last Ice Age, about 15,000 years ago, all but the lowest fall stayed hidden inside the mountain. People first opened the lower falls with stairs and bridges between 1877 and 1886. The lift and access to the upper three falls arrived in 1913, the top tunnel stairs in 1986, and in the winter of 1990 the lower and upper halves of the gorge were finally connected, giving the ten falls and 600-meter path you walk today.
The name comes from the sound, not the sight: Trümmelbach is a “drum stream,” after the echoing boom in the gorge. Look for the polished, striped bands in the rock walls. They show different layers of limestone deposited over millions of years. The darker bands mark periods of heavy glacier activity. Try resting a hand on the wall near fall 7 to feel the vibration of the water.
The lighting and walkways were built to disturb the site as little as possible, and the steep gorge edges hold original mountain forest with alpine roses, ferns and lilies, where ibex and chamois shelter in bad weather. Please stay on the marked paths and take your litter with you.
Trümmelbach Falls FAQ
Is Trümmelbach Falls included in the Swiss Travel Pass?
No. Entry to Trümmelbach Falls is not free or discounted with the Swiss Travel Pass, or any other pass. The pass does cover the train to Lauterbrunnen and bus 141 to the falls, so you only pay the entrance fee.
Is there a lift at Trümmelbach Falls?
Yes. A tunnel lift (funicular) takes about 40 people at a time up roughly 100 meters through the mountain in 60 seconds. You still need to climb stairs to see all the falls.
Can you visit Trümmelbach Falls in winter?
No. The falls close for the winter season and reopen in early April, since there is little flow while the glaciers are frozen.
Can I bring my dog or a young child?
No. Dogs and children under 4 are not allowed for safety reasons.
