What to see in 2 days around Grindelwald (Switzerland): Lauterbrunnen, Oeschinensee & more

So, you’ve got just 2 days in the Grindelwald area? First of all, congratulations, you’re about to see some of the most beautiful mountain views in Switzerland. Second, my condolences, you’ll probably leave wishing you had a week here. But don’t worry, I’ve squeezed the best highlights into two days of Swiss magic (and yes, cheese is included).

What to expect in this article:

About Switzerland

In August 2025, my boyfriend and I visited Switzerland. Let me tell you, Switzerland is always a good idea!
I have been there more often as a child, as I have family near Lucerne, but for my bf, it was a completely new experience. He wanted to visit Switzerland very badly.

Switzerland is the land of chocolate, cheese, and mountains so beautiful they look photoshopped. This small country in the heart of Europe is famous for its richness. Not only in money, but also because of their lakes and, again, the mountains. From the Netherlands, it’s just a short drive (around 12 hours by train/car) and much cheaper + sustainable than a flight, so we took the train, which was great because I was gifted the Swiss Travel Pass, so public transport in Switzerland was free!

After visiting my family near Lucerne, 2 days in Liechtenstein, it was time to visit the Grindelwald area. I had heard so much of it, so of course it had to be on our travel itinerary. The best part? Even if you only have two days, you can see so much. Which I will tell you about below.

Lauterbrunnen: The valley of waterfalls

When you read about Switzerland online, they always mention Lauterbrunnen. Once, I even read that it was one of the most fairy-tale-like villages in Europe. So I had to check it out!

Lauterbrunnen is located in a deep valley, with steep cliffs and 72 waterfalls streaming down. 72!! While driving with our rented car, we even saw some waterfalls and were amazed.

Here are some things you can do in Lauterbrunnen:

Staubbach Falls: The most famous waterfall in Lauterbrunnen and closest to the village. You can walk up behind it in summer, but there might be long lines; we waited at least one hour to reach the waterfall. The view of the valley was great, but I expected more from up and seeing the waterfall.
Trümmelbach Falls: Hidden inside the mountain, this is the second waterfall you can see from the village. We were satisfied after one waterfall, but you can also go to this one
The village itself: Tiny, charming, and surrounded by gorgeous mountains. We also saw a village on top of one hill/mountain, which made my boyfriend curious what it would be like to go there.
Anyway, grab a coffee and sit on a bench. But not for too long, as there are more places to visit 🙂
Paragliding over the fairy-tale village: One of the things I wanted to do badly was paragliding. I saw so many people doing this, in Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken, Grindelwald… Next time I will definitely do it!! Check this link to book this experience through GetYourGuide

From Lauterbrunnen, you can also take trains or gondolas up to Wengen or Mürren if you want even more jaw-dropping views (I wish we had time for that!), but remember, Grindelwald is waiting for you!

Don't forget to book an activity near Grindelwald

Grindelwald First: Cliff walks & mountain lakes

In the afternoon, hop over to Grindelwald, have some lunch and then head to the gondola for Grindelwald First. There are some things that you can do at Grindelwald First:

First Cliff Walk: This is a metal walkway clinging to the side of the mountain. Terrifying? Kind of. Worth it for the view? Absolutely! Normally, I am afraid of stairs, but this was epic to do!! If you are really scared of heights, I doubt that you will like this.
Bachalpsee Hike: From the top station (First), it’s about 50–60 minutes to reach this lake. The reflection of the snowy mountain peaks in the water is supposed to be amazing. We unfortunately did not have time for it.
Adventure sports: If you’re brave (and rich), try the First Flyer zipline or mountain carts. Who knew speeding down the Alps on a go-kart could be a thing? I saw some people do the go-kart, but I would never do this, as I am way too clumsy, I would just drive of the mountain, no thanks.

My biggest tip: The Swiss Travel Card! Next to that you will get free public transport in Switzerland, the cable car to Grindelwald First is also half of the price! So I recommend buying this card for sure, if you are planning to use public transport in Switzerland.

Oh, and don’t let rain or foggy conditions keep you from going up. As you can see in the pictures, even during fog, the views can be amazing! And in one moment, we could see, the next we could not, so it changes quickly.

Don’t forget: Take some snacks with you. Unless you want to pay a lot for your food up there. That is also the reason we had lunch in Grindelwald, before we went up. After this, it started raining cats and dogs, and as I had to drive back to our hotel in Interlaken, we decided to go. But not before we bought some souvenirs of course.

Day 2: Oeschinensee: Switzerland’s dream lake

If there is something we wanted to do, it was visiting Oeschinensee near Kandersteg. This lake is pure turquoise magic, surrounded by rocky cliffs that look like you are somewhere in Canada. Instagram is filled with pictures of this lake.

There are hikes and walks of all levels. Luckily, even beginners can walk around parts of the lake, while pros can head into the higher mountains.

The biggest tip I have for you: Check the webcams on the official website to see the view and if it is not too foggy. Unfortunately, we did not visit this lake as it was raining too much and it was too foggy. We felt it was not worth it then.

Rainy day backup plan

Two days in the area of Grindelwald and almost 1.5 days of rain in the summer… yeah, this is Switzerland. While I thought the Netherlands was bad…

Anyway, the staff in our hotel told us it would be raining and it would be better to visit a ‘cave’, so we were considering this, although our eagerness to visit Oeschinensee was higher. Still, we had no other choice.

Just outside Interlaken, you’ll find the St. Beatus Caves. The outside is cool, with a waterfall going down and a beautiful view of Lake Thun.
Inside the caves it’s cool, dark, and mysterious. Water is everywhere and stalactites hang from the ceiling. The only disadvantage is that it can get crowded when it’s raining outside.
Of course, it would never tip on Oeschinensee (I keep saying it), but it was nice to see
After the caves, we visited Lake Brienz also for a short moment.

Is it worth buying the Liechtenstein (all-inclusive) Adventure Pass? My 2-day experience

What to visit if you have more than 2 days

Do you have more than 2 days? Lucky you! If you’ve got extra time in the Grindelwald area, here are a few must-sees:

Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe): You can take the train up to Europe’s highest station (so cool!) for snowy views. Yes, it’s pricey, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Below, you can find a travel pass for 3 to 8 days.
Schynige Platte: Ride a vintage cogwheel train to have an epic high hike with amazing views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
Harder Kulm: Just 10 minutes by funicular and again gorgeous views (who could have known). Best spot for sunset views over Lakes Thun and Brienz.
Mürren & Schilthorn: Gorgeous village or rather go to a revolving restaurant with 360° views on top of a mountain peak.

Where to stay & eat: Interlaken

We were based in Interlaken. It’s perfectly located between two lakes (Brienz and Thun) and near Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. We chose to stay here because it is a city, has way more food options than the small villages, and because the hotel prices were more reasonable.

Here is a link to our hotel Funny Farm Backpackers, which is part of the Mattenhof Resort – Garden Hotel. It looked very fancy for budget travellers like us. We were first confused about where the hotel was located, as we kept looking for Funny Farm Backpackers, while the names all say Mattenhof Resort, so be aware of that.

After Grindelwald, we checked in and then walked to the center of Interlaken. Korean, Chinese, Indian, Thai… there are enough cuisines to choose from. We eventually went with Indian (Spice India Restaurant), which was a delicious choice. Indian food is always a good idea 🙂

The town itself is lively and touristic and a good base to continue trips to other spots near Grindelwald. If you want even better views from your window and have more to spend, staying in Grindelwald must be a dream!

Final thoughts

Two days in the Grindelwald area is just enough to fall in love with Switzerland. Between Lauterbrunnen’s waterfalls, Grindelwald’s cliff walks, and Oeschinensee’s fairytale lake, it is all breathtakingly beautiful. If you have more days, please stay! You never know how the weather will turn out, and there are so many more gorgeous places to explore. But to comfort you, two days is enough to see the most important spots.