From a small corner shop in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland I sent a postcard back home which read: “The journey to paradise and the land of dreams”. Looking back at this beautiful hike from the hilly town to Stechelberg, I can confirm that it was an apt description. 

The name Lauterbrunnen translates to “many fountains” and is a good indicator of what you’ll encounter when you embark on this easy but stunning hike. Travelling through the Lauterbrunnen Valley – which is said to have 72  falls -- we were surrounded by views of beautiful mountains at a distance and cascading water close by. 

Every so often you’d see a cluster of Swiss cottages similar to the ones we stayed in with curious goats and disinterested cows also making appearances along the route. The easy trail is about 7km one way and we made a pitstop and climbed Staubbach Falls to get panoramic views of the valley. The climb was fairly straightforward, but some stretches were wet and narrow but definitely worth the magnificent views. 

If you get peckish while walking – keep an eye out for vending machines with fresh swiss products situated outside the many farms, you’ll cross. 

We made our final stop at the Trummelbach Falls – Europe’s largest subterranean waterfall and the world’s only underground accessible glacier waterfall. The falls carry down the melted water from the glaciers from the Jungfrau (which we visited the next day). That’s a mammoth 20,000 literes of water per second, making this a really worthwhile sight. 

When you enter the rock maze you can hear the tumbling water close by and as you keep walking through there are plenty of dimly lit nooks where you can get beautiful views of the streaming water below.

On the food front we had a mixed bag of Swiss cuisine at a restaurant just before starting the hike: some divine potato rostie and the classic Swiss cheese fondue which we struggled to get through.

We had heard so much about cheese fondues that we tucked straight in when the lavish looking meal landed on our table but in reality it was quite an acquired taste. The cheese was mixed with alcohol and tasted bitter and strange leading us to leave that very expensive dish mostly untouched.

It’s no understatement to say this part of Switzerland was like a slice of heaven. In a post-COVID fantasy, I’d love to return and soak in the untouched nature.