What to do in Lauterbrunnen

A groomed 4.5 km toboggan run that shadows the legendary Lauberhorn downhill course. Ride the race line at your own pace.

The Jungfrau Eiger run after dark, head-torches, cold air and the north face a black wall above you.

Wide, sunny runs with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau forming the backdrop, the most photographed skiing in the region for good reason. The linked Grindelwald to Wengen area is best in February's deep, reliable snow.

A steel walkway cantilevered off the cliff at 2,200 m above Grindelwald, vertigo with a view of the whole massif.

One of the longest toboggan runs in Europe: a 2.5-hour hike up past frozen Bachalpsee, then ~11 km and 1,350 m of descent. A genuine bucket-list day.

Grindelwald's own invention, a wooden snow-bike found nowhere else on earth. Rent one and wobble down the village runs.

Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen along the river, past waterfall after waterfall swelling with meltwater. Flat, easy, and free.

Snowmelt turns the 72 waterfalls to full volume, Staubbach and Trümmelbach are at their most thunderous in late spring.

An easy, broad balcony trail with non-stop views of the big three peaks, the perfect first hike of the season, marmots included. Opening is weather-dependent, in a late-snow year it may not open until June, so check before you go.

Late May turns the slopes above Wengen and Mürren into a carpet of gentian and alpenrose, the photographer's secret season.

A moderate loop past mountain farms and info-boards on the Eiger's first ascents, the great north face and the three peaks standing across the valley in front of you the whole way.

Cable car to the 2,970 m summit for a 360-degree panorama and the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant. On the way up, stop at Birg for the Skyline Walk and Thrill Walk, glass-and-steel platforms cantilevered out over the sheer drop.

Six kilometres directly beneath the most famous rock face in the Alps. Moderate, unforgettable, and reachable entirely by mountain railway.

Lauterbrunnen is one of the world's BASE-jumping capitals. Through the day the cliffs come alive with canopies, dropping from famous exit points like Yellow Ocean, Dumpster and High Nose. Watch from the valley floor as jumpers track the walls and open above the meadows.

A steep climb to a grassy plateau with jaw-dropping panoramas over the head of the valley, locals' pick for the finest view of all.

Ride Interlaken’s own funicular to the “Two Lakes Bridge” viewpoint at 1,322 m for sunset over Thun and Brienz, the classic warm-evening photo.

A glorious mostly-downhill classic through cliff-edge villages and cow country, ending at the valley floor cable car. Easy and outstanding.

From late September the larches and high meadows turn gold, making it one of the best windows of the year for photography. It is a quiet, connoisseur's season, the colour at its peak just before the lifts wind down for autumn.

A gentle high balcony walk on the Lauterbrunnen–Mürren railway line, with autumn colour below and the peaks across the valley.

Late October is the region's between-seasons pause, empty trails, golden light and rock-bottom rates.

With the high lifts paused, the valley-floor and lower trails are yours alone, misty, atmospheric and utterly peaceful.

The shoulder week when the waterfall freezes at its edges and the first snow caps the cliffs, and rates are at their lowest. Be aware it is the deep off-season: some hotels, restaurants and cable car routes are closed between the summer and winter seasons, so plan around what is open.

First-tracks cruising on freshly opened pistes with the whole massif to yourself, early December is the season's quiet sweet spot.

Wengen and Mürren at Christmas, Advent lights and not a car in sight.