Day 4: INTERLAKEN - LAUTERBRUNNEN - CASCADA TRÜMMELBACHFÄLLE - LUCERNA
At 6 in the morning we are already awake and the first thing we do is look out the window of the Swisslodge Falken hotel and see that the rain, which we like so little, has reached Interlaken.
We had some pastries for breakfast that we bought yesterday at the supermarket and at 8 am we are already in our rental car in Switzerland on our way to the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which will be our first stop of the day, where we arrive from Interlaken in about 20 minutes, crossing landscapes and charming villages despite the rain.
Road of the Lauterbrunnen Valley
As soon as we reach Lauterbrunnen, we park and under a light rain, it seems that it has given us a small truce, we enjoy unique views of one of the waterfalls that seems to appear between the houses.
Lauterbrunnen
Regarding the previous days we spent in Switzerland, especially yesterday in Bern, the temperature has dropped a lot, so we took the opportunity to stop in a cafe and warm up in a cafeteria of the most cozy with an American and a cappuccino for 8.60 francs.
Besides, it will not only warm us, but it will make us wake up since today, having no breakfast at the hotel, we have not yet had coffee.
As the minutes pass we see that it does not look like it stops raining so we take a while to decide what to do, redo the planning we had of this trip to Switzerland for free and after some valuations, we decided to take the car again and go up Trümmelbachfälle, the famous waterfalls of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
We are only 2 kilometers from the town of Lauterbrunnen, so it does not take more than 5 minutes to arrive, embobados not only with the landscape, but commenting that after this rainy day, it is clear that we have to return to this area of the country, but with more days and in search of the sun that today does not seem to want to accompany us.
We park in a parking lot enabled at the entrance of the Trümmelbachfälle waterfall where we pay 4 francs for a stay of 4 to 6 hours, which will last us for the rest of the day of visits that we plan to do around and we go to the box office where we pay 11 francs per person to access one of the wonders of the nature of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Keep in mind that at the Trümmelbachfälle waterfall you cannot pay by card. We weren't almost frank thinking that we could pay by card and we stayed at "0" after paying the tickets.
After going through the ticket offices and walking a path, we access the first section of the waterfalls that are accessed by funicular.
Entrance to the Trümmelbachfälle waterfall
From the first section, all the rest of the circuit between the waterfalls that run inside the mountain, is done walking and going down and up stairs.
Trümmelbachfälle waterfall perspective
Keep in mind that although it is a good day, which has not been our case, it is quite cold inside and even if you do not want to, you get wet in some sections, so we recommend that you bring some appropriate clothing for the visit if you don't want to go out cold and wet 🙂
Interior of the mountain through which the Trümmelbachfälle waterfall falls
These glacial waterfalls constitute a real spectacle with more than 20,000 liters of water per second digging ravines and caves. The ten waterfalls of which theTrümmelbachfälle waterfallthey feed on 24 square kilometers of alpine glaciers and snow deposits.
Landscapes from one of the levels of the Trümmelbachfälle waterfall
After 11 in the morning and after having a good time in theTrümmelbachfälle waterfall, We take the car again and go to Talstation, the place from where we have to take the funicular that will take us to Murren, the next stop we want to make today.
But on the way we remember that we no longer have francs for having paid the waterfall tickets in cash, so we have to turn around to return to Lauterbrunnen and there to buy something with euros, hoping that they give us the change in francs and so have cash, counting that there is no ATM or bank in the vicinity where you can have francs.
At this time of the morning and after the rain, the cold and now having run out of francs, we can say that time does not accompany us too much 😉
Rain in Lauterbrunnen
Something less lively than this morning, just park, look at the sky again and see that it is getting worse at times, we decided to make another change of plans.
With this time it is not worth it go to Murren from Lauterbrunnen Since the idea was to make the funicular climb and walk down to enjoy the landscapes, but with this time and more without going with appropriate clothes, we believe that it is not the best plan, so we decided to leave for Lucerne which is where we will stay tonight, enjoy the city this afternoon and tomorrow, depending on the weather, we will decide if we return to the Lauterbrunnen area to go to Murren or we will look for another option near Lucerne.
Before making the decision to make this change of plans we have assessed the distances we had between all points: from Lucerne to Geneva airport we have 2.40 hours and from Lauterbrunnen 2.15 hours, so we do not waste too much time if we choose the second option, returning to Lauterbrunnen tomorrow and at the end of the visit, go directly to the airport to catch our plane back home.
So, with this decision, we put the address of our hotel in Lucerne on the GPS and it marks a time of just under an hour from the Lauterbrunnen Valley, where we are now.
Before an unforeseen event, we must make decisions and adapt not only to the most comfortable, but also to what makes us continue enjoying the trip.
And since we could not spend more things, in the middle of route from Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne, a red light comes on in the car, which indicates a too high temperature in the engine.
We stopped several times on the way and seeing that the light disappears when we start again, we decided to continue to Lucerne and go there directly to the rental office for review.
What a day we have been in Switzerland today. Surely we will not forget the day we were going to spend in the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
Lucerne Road from the Lauterbrunnen Valley
We arrived in Lucerne at 12.50 noon and after leaving our luggage at the Erlebnishotel Jailhotel hotel, where we will stay tonight, we go directly to the car rental office to check what happened to us with the red light of the car and lucky that we do it because after doing a first review with what we have said that has happened to us, they tell us that there is an engine fluid that is under minimum and that it has possibly been a mouse that has gotten in and has bitten it causing the loss of this liquid, that if we did not go, the engine would have been loaded.
The only solution at this time is that we change the car for a higher-end one, since they have no more than ours, so we go to the next gas station to fill our tank (to deliver it completely as we picked it up ) for 34.75 francs and we return to the office that is right next door, to pick up the new car.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Lucerne
- 10 essential places to see in Lucerne
- Swiss route by train
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Switzerland
- 10 amazing places to see in Switzerland
- 10 essential places to see in Bern
When we look at the clock it is just after 2 pm, it is still raining and we are hungry and want to rest for a while, even though we go straight to eat at a Thai restaurant that we have signed up, highly recommended in the forums and where we hope to recover of the crazy morning we carry.
But we still have a day to go ...
We return with the car to the hotel area and when we already have a car parked on the street, in the blue zone, it is when we remember that we still have no francs! Now it is time to enter a bakery where we buy a coke and pay with 20 euros to give us the change in francs ...
Newcomers to Lucerne
We had already told you that today is being a half failure 😉
This is what travel has, that nothing can be anticipated and when you leave your comfort zone anything can happen.
Between one thing and another it is almost 3 in the afternoon and we have not yet eaten, forgetting the Thai that is closed. We do not want to take much longer and after several laps and see that all restaurants are closed at this time, we end up in a buffet of a shopping center, where we eat for 27 francs and add that all the food has been much more than bad.
We just ate at 4 and seeing that it is still raining, we approached the hotel for a while where we rested until 5 in the afternoon that we went back to the streets of Lucerne although it is still sparkling to tour the city.
Although we have a fairly defined city tour on a map that we have taken at the tourist office, we do not want to make "cultural" visits, so we will enjoy one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland, today fogged because of the rain
A good way to learn more about the history of the city and not miss anything interesting is to book this visit with a guide in Spanish.
Lucerne Map
Overview of the city of Lucerne
They say that no one has really been in Lucerne until it has gone through the squeaky Kapellbrücke or Chapel Bridge that crosses the river Reuss in the old town and that is one of the first things we do on our walk.
Crossing the Kapellbrücke
Lucerne in Switzerland with the Kapellbrücke
After a walk through the old town of Lucerne we approach the Spreuerbrücke, another bridge darker and smaller than the previous one, but that retains its original structure.
Lucerne is an exceptional city, brimming with life and its enormous popularity is not surprising.
Lucerne views
While it is true that for us today perhaps it is not the best day to pay a visit for everything that has been happening to us during the day and adding that it does not stop raining, Lucerne has been a city that has dazzled a lot in our itinerary.
As we go through its streets, we are increasingly clear about the idea we had this morning when it started to rain and that is that someday we will return to this area of Switzerland to enjoy it in good weather.
Lucerne corners
Shortly after 6 pm we walk towards the Lion Monument in Lucerne, one of the most moving monuments that attracted the British to Lucerne. Lukas Ahorn sculpted on the rock this 10 meter long statue of a dying lion in 1820 as a tribute to the Swiss soldiers who had died defending King Louis XVI during the French Revolution.
Monument to the Lion in Lucerne
Mark Twain said of him that it was the saddest and most touching piece of rock in the world.
Lion Monument
It's 7 in the afternoon when we go to the Fritschi restaurant to pay a good tribute after the day we take and ask for a raclette, a scallop plus coke and beer for 67.90 francs.
Having dinner in Lucerne
After dinner and a good dinner, we return to the hotel at almost 10 at night, wishing to catch the bed of the cell in which we slept tonight. We will dream of the sunny day that we hope to receive us tomorrow.
Day 5: LUCERNA - LAUTERBRUNNEN - MURREN - GENEVA AIRPORT - BARCELONA
