This was out first time to Switzerland, and it was hands down our favourite place on the trip. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen, right in the Swiss Alps, and it was living Heidi's life. It was absolutely magical! Exploring Switzerland with kids was so much fun!
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Switzerland with Kids - where we stayed
We stayed right in Lauterbrunnen, at Camping Jungfrau, the most beautiful holiday park you'll ever see! It has a range of cabins you can rent (or you can put up a tent if that's your thing!). There is a kitchen, loungeroom and shared bathrooms. The bathrooms are the nicest camp bathrooms I've ever seen. They have heated floors, are so nice and warm and they have their own shower cubicles with dressing rooms so the whole place doesn't get wet.
Most of the cabins don't come with their own bathroom, but there are a few that do (they have a three night minimum to rent). We were there in 0 degree weather and I was concerned about just how cold it was going to be in the cabin and going to the bathroom (especially in the middle of the night) but it was absolutely fine. Be aware that you get sheets, pillows and a thin blanket as standard in the cabins. but it does have a heater as well. I rented some extra blankets just in case.
The campground is right in town and is home to one of the most majestic of Lauterbrunnen's 72 waterfalls.
Is Switzerland as expensive as everyone says?
The short answer is yes! It's incredibly expensive. I didn't get it before we went but it's even worse than going to the UK with our $2 to the pound currency exchange. Swiss Francs are only about the same as the Euro in terms of currency conversion, but everything in Switzerland is basically double the price. Just getting a burger in a restaurant is around $40 AUD. Switzerland with kids is expensive because they eat a lot! We bought a lot of supermarket snacks to keep with us, rather than buying food out.
This extreme pricing is another reason I loved where we were staying. The camp kitchen meant we could cook our own meals, which really helped with the budget. We ate lunch out both days. One day the kids got Maccas and we got a baguette from the supermarket, and the other day we had soup and fries up at the ski lodge. The Coop (supermarket), across Europe, has fantastic sandwiches, baguettes and salads. It's much cheaper than eating at restaurants.
About Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is a beautiful place nestled in the Swiss Alps that's famous for its stunning waterfalls and lush green valleys. It has towering mountains, with waterfalls cascading down from great heights. Their most famous waterfall is Staubbach Falls, which plunges dramatically over 300 meters. You can also take a scenic train ride up to Jungfraujoch, the "Top of Europe," for breathtaking views of snow-capped peaks and glaciers. The village itself is charming, with wooden chalets and flower-filled meadows that make you feel like you're in a fairytale. Lauterbrunnen offers hiking trails, skiing in winter, and plenty of opportunities to simply relax and enjoy the scenery.
Going up Jungfrau
Jungfrau is the one of the alps in Switzerland, with Lauterbrunnen and surrounding towns nestled at the bottom. There are several skiing villages up the mountain, and it at the very top is the 'Top of Europe', a sightseeing area. You can take a train and cablecars up the mountain to these stops. The 'Top of Europe' (while apparently amazing!) is also incredibly expensive. You're looking at around $350-400 AUD pp to go up there. We did not have this in the travel budget at all, so we found a much more affordable hack. We took the train from Lauterbrunnen station, up to Kleine Scheidegg. Kleine Scheidegg is a ski stop, with food and hire shop, as well as some walking areas and an amazing view. It cost us about $80pp for a return train trip, so it was a whole lot cheaper!
It was so beautiful up there and we didnt feel like we missed anything at all by not going to the 'Top of Europe'. A top tip is sit on the right hand side of the train going up and the left hand side going down.
Visiting Interlaken
It's definitely worth visiting Interlaken while you are staying at Lauterbrunnen. We had a car but you can also get the train. There are beautiful lakes, hiking trails and parks, as well as a lot of places selling Swiss chocolate and souvenirs.
We only had two days in Switzerland and we needed so much more time! I'd love to go again closer to summer, when there is snow on the top of the mountain, but you can hike more areas (and it's slightly warmer!)
Traveling Europe? Check out my Paris with kids guide as well.
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