Want to travel from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen but you’re not sure what your options are? Then you’re certainly in the right place because we’ve covered all the ways to travel between the two Swiss towns in this detailed guide.
There are three ways to travel between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen – by train, bus, and car. Which is cheapest, the most convenient, and the fastest are just some of the questions we’ve answered in the guide. Read on to learn more about how you can travel from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen, and prepare for your upcoming travels in Switzerland!
Unfortunately, there’s no direct train from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen, just like there is no direct bus connecting the two Swiss towns. At best, you can travel from Grindelwald to Zweilütschinen and from there to Lauterbrunnen.
The good news is that there’s usually a wait of approximately 7 minutes when changing trains, which makes the total travel time some 37 minutes. The train ride from Grindelwald to Zweilütschinen lasts for about 21 minutes, and then it’s just 9 minutes from Zweilütschinen to the Lauterbrunnen train station.
When you’re changing trains at Zweilütschinen, you’re getting on the train that departs from Interlaken. The first train departs Grindelwald station at 6:18, and then there’s a train every half an hour until 20:18. After that, there’s only one more train connection between Grindelwald and Zweilütschinen.
The last train leaves Grindelwald at 21:18, and after that, there are one or two bus connections depending on the day, and no other transport until 6 AM the next day. The bus connections run only once on weekdays, but there are two additional connections on weekends.
The train tickets one-way cost 9 CHF / 8.5 Euros with one stopover along the way. Return tickets are double the price, so you can always get them before or when you are ready to leave.
This train line is operated by BOB (Berner Oberland-Bahnen). There are currently no other train operators for this specific line, meaning that there are no other trains you can take to travel between the two towns.
Also, it’s worth noting that there’s another way to travel between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen by public transport. It’s a bit more tricky, but a lot more scenic – you can ride the gondola to Wengen, a small car-free village just a few minutes outside Lauterbrunnen.
From there, you can ride a cogwheel train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, and the total travel time ends up being similar to the route via Zweilütschinen. This is a good option if you want to visit the village on a day trip and you don’t mind walking for a bit, but it’s certainly not the most convenient way of traveling if you have luggage.
If the trip from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen is just one of the many trips you’re planning to make while you’re in Switzerland, look into getting the Swiss Rail Travel Pass. Swiss train services cost a lot of money, and the rail pass gets you free train travel in the entire country for a select period.
It’s great value for money if you want to explore Switzerland by train, even if the cheapest, three-day pass costs 220 Euros. It’s worth noting that even the cable car and the cogwheel train that transports passengers from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen via Wengen is free if you have the rail pass, as are hundreds of museums throughout Switzerland and public transport within the cities.
In any case, it’s best to plan a detailed Switzerland travel itinerary and add up the total cost of train tickets for all the cities you want to visit. If the total amount is less than the rail pass, then it’s definitely worth it to spring for one.
Bus travel between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen is possible to a certain point. There’s a bus connection between Grindelwald and Zweilütschinen, and there’s only one bus per day on weekdays. It’s the 312 bus, which departs at 22:18, and is operated by Grindelwald Bus AG. This is the only way to travel by bus since there are no direct services connecting the two towns.
There’s an additional connection at 23:40 on Fridays and Saturdays, plus another connection at 1:15 (AM) on Saturday and Sunday Mornings. It’s important to note that these buses run only after the last train has already departed from Grindelwald, and they’re supposed to transfer any passengers who want to travel after that.
So, how do you get from Zweilütschinen to the Lauterbrunnen valley? If you get there during the day, then the train is your only option. It’s only 3.6 Euros for the train ticket from Zweilütschinen to Lauterbrunnen, which is very affordable. If you arrive at night, a bus will transport you from the station to Lauterbrunnen. It departs at 23:18, about an hour after the final train.
There are additional bus connections on Fridays at 23:58, on Saturdays at 00:49 (AM), 23:18, and 23:58, as well another bus on Sunday morning at 00:49. Basically, when you arrive at Zweilütschinen on the bus from Grindelwald, you should be able to get on a different bus that will take you to Lauterbrunnen.
Bus ticket prices from Grindelwald to Zweilütschinen are just as much as train tickets – it’s 6.8 Euros for the standard tickets, and 11.9 Euros for first-class tickets. When traveling from Zweilütschinen to Lauterbrunnen, you’ll pay 3.6 Euros for the bus at 23:18, but 8.2 Euros for the one at 23:58.
What about the journey time? It takes about 20 minutes to get from Grindelwald to Zweilütschinen, and then another 7-10 minutes to get from there to Lauterbrunnen. That’s only time spent in transit, but usually, there’s very little wait when changing buses. In total, you can make it to Lauterbrunnen from Grindelwald in about 30-40 minutes by bus, depending on traffic conditions and total wait times.
However, it’s important to note that this can take a lot longer, especially if you somehow miss the connecting bus from Zweilütschinen to Lauterbrunnen.
Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen by car is probably the quickest and most convenient way of traveling between the two cities. At least you don’t have to stop at Zweilütschinen train station if you don’t want to, but it is worth noting that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to rent a car just for this specific journey.
The road distance between the two towns is 17 kilometers, and it takes 20-25 minutes to cover that in the car. The road mostly follows the railway, and it’s only quicker than the train because there’s no stop in Zweilütschinen.
This is the only direct route between the two towns, so in case you’re already traveling through Switzerland in a car, it’s certainly a good idea to just drive from one town to the other. It’s worth noting that you’ll need to pay 11-12 Euros for day parking in Lauterbrunnen and that the average cost of gas in Switzerland is 1.6 Euros per liter or 6 Euros per gallon.
Car rental is pricey in Switzerland and this journey is so short and affordable by both train and bus that it makes no sense to rent a car only for this trip. It’s around 60-70 Euros a day just for the cheapest car, plus you need to pay for parking and gas.
Related: Check out these epic road trips in Switzerland
Also, even if you rent a car, you won’t be able to drive it around this region a lot – most of the villages in the area are car-free and can only be accessed by trains and cable cars. You’d have to keep the car parked for most of your time in Lauterbrunnen, which costs more than a return train ticket.
Another thing you should know is that the road between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen is not a tolled road, so it’s safe to drive on it without a vignette. However, if you intend on driving any highway or motorway in Switzerland, you will need to buy a vignette since fines for driving without one are astronomical.
One more thing to keep in mind is that this is a country road that passes through villages and other built-up areas, so it will often be slower than the train. It’s a two-lane road with one lane in each direction, plus there are traffic lights and pedestrian crossings along the way.
It’s common to encounter cyclists and even agricultural vehicles on the road, and with traffic in both directions, the 20-minute journey could last a lot longer if you get stuck behind a tractor or a slow truck.
In any case, that shouldn’t discourage you from driving from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen. The car journey is short and scenic, plus Switzerland roads are generally in really good condition, even if they’re not highways and motorways.
Just keep in mind that driving between these two towns is only a good option if you’re already traveling through Switzerland by car. Otherwise, the train is by far the best and most convenient way of traveling between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen.
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.