SWITZERLAND - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1526

Grocery Store: The Co-op is on the main street across from the station (Mon-Sat
9:00-19:00, closed Sun).
Bike Rental: You can rent mountain bikes at Imboden Bike on the main street (25 SF/half-
day,35SF/day;full-suspension—35SF/half-day,55SF/day;dailyJuly-Aug8:30-20:00,
Sept-June 9:00-18:30 except closed for lunch 12:00-13:00 Oct-May, tel. [phone],
www.imboden-bike.ch ) . They work with the bike-rental shop in Mürren, allowing you
to pick up a bike here and drop it off there—or vice versa (8 SF supplement).
Sports Gear: You can rent hiking boots, skis, and snowboards at the Alpia Sports shop
(daily 8:00-12:30 & 13:30-19:00, shorter hours on weekends and in fall, closed in May,
at Hotel Crystal, tel. [phone], www.alpiasport.ch ) .
Activities in and near Lauterbrunnen
Hikers' Loop from Lauterbrunnen
Ifyou'restayinginLauterbrunnen,considerthisambitiousbutgreatdayplan:Ridethecable
car to Grütschalp, walk along the ridge to Mürren, take the cable car up to the Schilthorn
and back down to Mürren, ride the funicular up to Allmendhubel, hike the North Face Trail
to Gimmelwald, take the lift down to the Schilthornbahn station near Stechelberg, catch the
PostBus to Trümmelbach Falls, and walk through the valley back into Lauterbrunnen. Make
it more or less strenuous or time-consuming by swapping lifts and hikes (all described later
in this chapter). Or rent a mountain bike and do a wheeled variation on this (parking your
bike in Mürren for the Schilthorn trip).
▲ Trümmelbach Falls
If all the waterfalls have you intrigued, sneak a behind-the-scenes look at the valley's most
powerful, Trümmelbach Falls. You'll ride an elevator up through the mountain and climb
through several caves (wet, with lots of stairs, and—for some—claustrophobic) to see the
melt from the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau grinding like God's bandsaw through the moun-
tain at the rate of up to 5,200 gallons a second (that's 20,000 liters—nearly double the beer
consumption at Oktoberfest). The upper area is the best; if your legs ache, skip the lower
falls and ride down on the elevator.
Cost and Hours: 11 SF, daily July-Aug 8:30-18:00, April-June and Sept-mid-Nov
9:00-17:00, closed mid-Nov-March, tel. [phone], www.truemmelbach.ch .
GettingThere: It'sabouthalfwaybetweenLauterbrunnenandtheSchilthornbahncable-
car station; from either, it's a short ride on the PostBus or a 45-minute walk.