Top 5 Activities in Jungfrau Region
Switzerland with Kids!
When you’re in the Jungfrau region there is so much to do, it’s hard to even know where to begin. Getting between activities in Switzerland is very easy, but can take quite a bit of time, so it’s important to plan your days efficiently so you get the most out of your time. Check out our full Switzerland blog to see how we organized our week in Switzerland.
Here are our favorite things to do with kids in the Jungfrau region.
#5 – Lake Brienz – Boat Ride and Hike
When you visit the Jungfrau region – you’ll of course find mountains, but there are also stunning lakes. Lake Brienz is a highlight with the bluest glacier water. Yes – the lake really is as blue as you see in pictures and it’s best on a clear day. We visited on a cloudy morning, but a clear afternoon and you can see from the pictures how the water changes color.
We made our way to the town of Brienz before getting on a boat that took us across the lake to Giessbach Falls. During our trip, we had the Bernese Oberland Pass which got us free travel on this boat. Check the timetables for all of the routes on SBB Mobile app – but at the time of writing this, the boat only left every 1-2 hours – so plan accordingly.
The boat ride itself is really nice, and getting out on the water and looking back at Brienz is one of my favorite pictures we took in Switzerland – with its charming homes, waterfalls, lakes and more.
You’ll be able to see Giessbach falls during the boat ride, with its famous multi level falls dropping straight into the lake.
Once arriving at Giessbach, you can take the historic funicular to the top (7CHF/pp one way and is not covered by any train passes. The funicular was built in 1879 and at the time was the first of its kind with a 2 rail track and a passing lake. The other option is to hike up. The hike didn’t look overly interesting and was very steep (about 400ft of elevation – switchbacks for 0.6miles), so we coughed up some money for the funicular – not covered by the various Swiss train passes and rode to the top. At the top, you can get a snack at the historic hotel before walking the short distance to the falls.
The falls are really impressive, and you can walk across a bridge to see them, or even up and behind them. Once checking out the falls you have a few options. You can wait for the next ferry or you can hike to Iseltwald. This hike is about 4 miles and is fairly easy with minimal elevation gain. You remain high up above the lake until about 3 miles in and then make a fairly steep decline towards Iseltwald. During the hike you get to walk through a nice forest with views of the lake. There was a part of the hike, before you got to Iseltwald where it was near a road, wasn’t that pretty, and we were getting a bit tired.
Once you arrive in Istelwald, there are some places to eat, a nice little playground and a gorgeous view of the lake. The town was super quiet and charming. You can also pickup a ferry or a bus from here that will easily take you back to Interlaken.
#4 – Trummelbach Falls
Trummelbach Falls is an amazing waterfall located inside of a mountain. It is Europe’s largest subterranean waterfall and the world’s only glacier waterfalls that are accessible underground by lift, galleries, tunnels, paths and platforms. You can visit this during a day spent in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, or some of the mountain towns like Wengen, Murren or Gimmelwald.
Getting into the falls isn’t covered by any passes, and costs 15 CHF for adults and 6 for kids. The bus that runs through the Lauterbrunnen valley stops right near the falls and they are open usually between 9am – 5pm. After you get your ticket, you can head to the falls. Most people choose to ride the funicular up to the top – around 70 meters and then walk down. You get dropped off at level 6 and can head up to the next few falls 10 in total. The top few falls are incredibly powerful and loud. Amazing to be that close to the falls! And to get cool cave views as well – very unique.
After those, then you can take the funicular back down or walk down. We found that the bottom few falls were not that interesting honestly, and after a few days full of hiking, it was tiring by the time we reached the bottom. But – since we paid to get in, we walked it all. You almost could just see levels 5 or 6 through 10 and ride the funicular back down without missing too much – in my opinion.
It’s a quick visit, and we almost skipped it because it was a bit expensive. But – we were glad we made the stop. It’s something you can do during bad weather as well, since it’s mostly inside. It’s such a unique waterfall that it’s worth the stop.
#3 – Playground at Allmendhubel
This might be the most amazing playground we’ve ever visited! There are playgrounds all over Switzerland, and what so great about them, aside from how many, is that they are also accessible for a bit older kids as well. Our kids are teenagers and have generally outgrown playgrounds in the US. But – in Switzerland, they can still play!
To get here is a bit of a journey, and it’s not open all year. Usually open mid June – mid October, we were lucky it opened when we were there in late May! We combined this activity with a hike from Murren to Gimmelwald (highly recommend) and a day in the Lauterbrunnen valley. Our journey went like this: Walk from Lauterbrunnen to Trummelbach -> catch bus to Stechelberg -> gondola up to Murren -> Funicular to Allmendhubel at 6,300 feet. The funicular was covered with our BO and Swiss Half Fare card.
Before heading up to the playground – grab a snack from a store in Murren and take it up to eat at the top of the mountain. Once at the top, you’ll see the amazing playground, benches for sitting and a nice restaurant if you want to eat at one of the many mountain huts around the area. You can hike up even higher for more sweeping views of the area as well. We love it here because it wasn’t very crowded and the views were fantastic.
#2 – Wengen
The town of Wengen is where we booked our airbnb – so I may be biased in saying it is the cutest little town. We loved how peaceful and quiet it was here.
There is an easy train that comes every 30 minutes that takes you down to Lauterbrunnen. You can also easily grab the cable car up to Mannlichen for (in my opinion) the best views in the area.
It is a car free and super safe village, so our kids enjoyed some freedom of walking from our airbnb down to the market and back on their own. It also has a nice soccer field, plenty of shops and the most incredible views over the Lauterbrunnen valley. Even if you stop by just for an afternoon to visit – it’s worth it! But staying here overnight was a highlight for our family. Nothing quite like the peaceful mornings and evenings with incredible mountain views from our balcony.
#1 – Phingstegg
Looking for some fun kids activities without the price and lines of Grindewald First? Look no further than Phingstegg! This was my kids FAVORITE activity of our whole trip. We tried to mix up our days so the kids had activities that they loved as well, outside of just hiking. However, when looking up the prices of Grindewald First activities ($50 or more per activity) and the wait times (up to 2 hours?!), it just seemed unreasonable.
When I found Phingstegg I knew it was perfect. You take a small gondola up (covered with our train passes) and have access to a restaurant, tree swing, mountain coaster and incredible views. It’s also in the same area as Grindewald First, so similar views.
Prices were SO much more reasonable here. So much so that even us adults did some 🙂 You could get 6 runs on the mountain coaster for $34 for the kids, and 6 trips on the tree swing for $49. Both activities were super fun. My only recommendation – the clouds rolled in later in the day and if there is rain, the mountain coaster closed but the tree swing didn’t, so I’d recommend getting in the mountain coaster quickly if there are clouds in the area.
The tree swing straps you in and you basically fly amongst the trees – it’s so fun! And the mountain coaster is really fast and a pretty long ride. There were also other free activities for the kids at the top as well, and beautiful views of the valley below.
Switzerland is AMAZING for kids!
This vacation was a highlight for my kids with so many things they loved. It worked out well for us trying to balance things like playgrounds and mountain coasters with hiking. It’s such a safe and beautiful country, I can’t imagine a better place to bring your kids!
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