Trümmelbach Falls - the largest underground waterfalls in Europe

7 Highlights of the Trümmelbach Falls

• The Trümmelbach Falls are the largest underground waterfalls in Europe
• 20,000 liters of water fall through the Trümmelbach Falls every second.
• In 10 cascades, the enormous water masses move down into the depths.
• The Trümmelbach Falls flow through a narrow gorge that is open to visitors.
• You can reach the illuminated underground waterfalls via a tunnel lift that climbs 100 meters in altitude.
• The waterfalls drop a total of 140 meters.
• Secured wooden paths and trails lead you through the gorge, where you can easily observe the thundering waterfalls.

7 Highlights of the Trümmelbach Falls

• The Trümmelbach Falls are the largest underground waterfalls in Europe
• 20,000 liters of water fall through the Trümmelbach Falls every second.
• In 10 cascades, the enormous water masses move down into the depths.
• The Trümmelbach Falls flow through a narrow gorge that is open to visitors.
• You can reach the illuminated underground waterfalls via a tunnel lift that climbs 100 meters in altitude.
• The waterfalls drop a total of 140 meters.
• Secured wooden paths and trails lead you through the gorge, where you can easily observe the thundering waterfalls.

What to expect at the Trümmelbach Falls

The Trümmelbach Falls are very imposing and powerful waterfalls between Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg. They move up to 20'000 liters of water per second during the melting of snow or glaciers. You can experience them between April and September.

In ten cascades the water comes through a narrow gorge, which is partly without daylight. Therefore, the Trümmelbach Falls are also called underground falls. In total, the water falls down about 140 meters.

The catchment area of the Trümmelbach covers about 24 km². In addition to water, more than 20,000 tons of bedload come along from the glaciers every year. The huge glacier walls of Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau and Lauberhorn are drained in this way.

The water has eaten through the rock for 15,000 years and thus created the gorge.
The Trümmelbach is part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch. It is one of the 72 waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Facts about the development

After the discovery of the Trümmelbach Falls in the 19th century, they were gradually made more and more accessible to visitors.

• 1886: Inauguration of the stairs and bridges at the lowest falls
• 1916: Construction of the tunnel lift as a funicular with counterweight for access to the top three falls
• 1986: Completion of the upper tunnel staircase with gallery and lookout gallery
• 1990: Connection of the lower with the upper part of the gorge and access to three more falls and wild rock formations

In total, the Trümmelbach Falls have been developed to 600 m.

Activities at the Trümmelbach Falls

You can visit the Trümmelbach Falls, because the gorge is walkable. You reach the top three waterfalls via a tunnel lift. The lack of daylight is replaced by lighting. The Trümmelbach Falls are the only walkable underground waterfalls in Europe.

You walk on secured wooden paths and footbridges over rock galleries or along them. Tunnels and bridges have also been integrated into the path. At viewing platforms you can observe the thundering waterfalls. Large information boards give you a good overview of the individual cascades.

The tunnel lift has an inclination of 45 degrees and needs about one minute for the 105 m length. With it you can climb 100 meters inside the gorge. A maximum of 40 people can fit into its cabin.

For the visit of the Trümmelbach Falls you should allow two to four hours. Afterwards you can visit the self-service restaurant and the souvenir store. The restaurant offers homemade food and has a large panoramic terrace.

Please note:

• Access is not allowed for dogs and children under 4 years old.
• The paths are not suitable for strollers and wheelchairs.
• Be sure to wear sturdy shoes (risk of slipping).

Hiking to the Trümmelbach Falls

If you would like to visit the Trümmelbach Falls before or after a hike, you can do so wonderfully in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

From Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen:

• Duration: 2:00 hrs (plus time to visit the falls)
• Length: 8.5 km
• Difficulty: easy (almost flat)

You can combine your hike with a visit to the Staubbach Falls. It is practically on the way. The equally impressive waterfall falls from a height of almost 300 m directly into the valley. The water is sprayed in all directions after the impact and is a landmark of Lauterbrunnen.

Entrance and opening hours of the Trümmelbach Falls

The Trümmelbach Falls are accessible from April to October. They are usually open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and a little longer in high summer. Please inquire exactly before your arrival.

You will need a paid ticket to enter. Children under the age of 6 are admitted free of charge, but you are not allowed to take children under the age of 4.

How to get to the Trümmelbach Falls

You can reach the Trümmelbach Falls from Interlaken by public transport in about 40 min. By car you can make it in 25 to 30 min with normal traffic.

By car

From the north you come from Bern via the highway A6 to Interlaken. From here take the A8 to Wilderswil and continue on the road to Lauterbrunnen. You will reach the Trümmelbach Falls about 3 km after the Lauterbrunnen exit in the direction of Stechelberg. You need about one hour from Bern. A little shorter is the route via Thun and the Seestrasse. However, this is not a highway, so you need about 15-20 min longer.

From Zurich you can take the A8 via Lucerne and Interlaken. The drive takes 2 hours. From Geneva you take the approach via Bern. For this route you should plan about 3 hours.

At the Trümmelbach Falls you will find a large, free parking lot.

By public transport

In any case, you will first travel to Interlaken by train. From Interlaken you can reach the Trümmelbach Falls with the Bernese Oberland Railways (BOB) to Lauterbrunnen. The trains have a connection to a post bus (line 141), which goes to the stop Trümmelbach Falls. From Interlaken you need 40 min.