Hotel Victoria-Lauberhorn — Hotel in Lauterbrunnen

Extremely overpriced. Bad service. Worst breakfast spread I’ve ever encountered. The outside of this hotel looks whimsical. The inside is an absolute dump. There are stains all over the hallway rug which could be easily removed with a carpet cleaner. But they’ve been there for years, it would seem. It is absolutely dirty. It doesn’t appear this place has had an upgrade in 40 years minimum based on the style. It is right off the train station, but that is all it has going for it. As I mentioned the staff is rude and is completely untrained, to the point they should be embarrassed. But they not! I called down to the desk, and phone rang for 15 minutes. So I left the phone ringing, walked down and there was a person on their cell phone with no customers hiding in the office. Phone still ringing… it’s that bad. They claimed they were too busy… We stayed 3 nights, so it was a painful experience. To top it off the last night we saw that they had about 50 people in the dining room, so we thought we’ll get a night cap and desert. They refused to seat us. When I said we are staying here, the guy said it is impossible as his ordering system was shut down for the night. With a nearly full restaurant…He then went to another table and took their order! Stunned, I waited and re-approached he’d him, letting him know how offended I was, and he just yelled at me, then realized the entire dining room was aghast and ran like a child and hid in the kitchen. Other people eating dinner were visibly shaken by the incident. One couple just left mid dinner. We waited 10 minutes for the staff member to return, but he only reappeared after we exited the restaurant to go to our room. I waited in the outside square for a short while and saw him reappear through the window. No other staff member came out the entire time. No management. Nothing. The next morning an older lady staying at the hotel went out of her way to apologize while we waited for the train. She said she was embarrassed that people acted in that way in her country. She mentioned her dinner was cold when it came out, and that they left the restaurant after talking to their server, and went to bar for dinner. Her husband mentioned they refused to pay for the cold food that had obviously sat sometime as the staff too embarrassed to serve customers hid in the kitchen. Arenas should be embarrassed by their staff and the upkeep of their hotel. Service is simply non-existent. They don’t even bother trying. I mentioned my experience to the front desk person on our way back to our room, but they were indifferent and just gave me an attitude. The free breakfast is a complete joke. They don’t put out more food when it runs out and the food they put out was very low quality. Old melon, cut in strange ways so it’s all rind. Processed lunch meats. Only hard boiled eggs. No coffee, both were out of service. Actually out of water, but staff could not be bothered to fix the issue. We just went to the grocery store and got our own breakfast the last two mornings. The place is a complete dump. The management should never work in hospitality and the staff thinks they are the ones in vacation. It truly does not get worse than this, especially at their price point. Probably the worst value hotel I’ve...

Pro: Great location, only few steps from the station, and very close to the ski run. Con: Quality. Spa predictably COVID hot-spot!

Quality of rooms/amenities: more of a better youth-hostel than a hotel. The room was very tight, a double bed is simply two cheap light aluminum frames put together. There is no space for a mini bar in the room, though with the covid restrictions we would had appreciated it. There are two coffee capsules provided on the first day in the room, but regardless of length of stay, the coffee is not refilled and you have to pay CHF 1.- per capsule and pick it up from the reception! (I thought this was just really cheap gesture!) The bathroom is also made with low quality fiber plastic material, shower head does not hold, and you get one of those one-for-all pack of shampoo, which dries our skin and hair so much that we had to buy our own and find some conditioner.

Quality of service: We just expected more friendliness towards guests who are paying total of CHF 1400.- for 3 nights (room plus we ate at the hotel restaurants every day). Due to Covid measures the village was shut down. So we were told we would have to consume at the hotel restaurant or buy our own and consume at the hotel. For new year's eve we decided to have a bottle of wine and enjoy in the room. We called reception to ask for glasses and a cork screw, expecting maybe even room service. Instead they told us to go and ask at the bar. We did, and the bartender was very reluctant to provide those, asking us to promise to bring it back to the bar! Swiss Hotelier Hospitality?!

Food: Pricey, decent but often stale, cold pasta, cold soup with taste of canned tomato paste not fully dissolved! You expect more for a 60 something meal.

Spa: Covid Hotspot! Consists of one salt indoor pool with jets, one small steam room (similar fiberglass material as the showers instead of stone), one Finnish sauna, and two basins of cold and warm water. Covid measures were very poorly laid out and even worse implemented. The sauna area usage was restricted to two persons at a time. But the guests ignored it, entering in large groups and if we mentioned it was to be limited to two, they ignored or were rude. We were forced to leave the spa, and I am not surprised if this turns to be the next hotspot of infection. The same people are likely to be the ones ignoring other measures as well. While the hotel is not responsible for the behavior of its guests, they could do a better job enforcing the measures, considering the hotel industry's vulnerability to the grave situation. The pool as far as I saw had no restrictions and was at times neck to neck full of people, though I learned later that there was a certain non-enforced limit on...

Lauterbrunnen Valley: A Natural Gem of the Swiss Alps

Overview Located in the Bernese Oberland, Lauterbrunnental is a glacial U-shaped valley, surrounded by cliffs up to 1,000 m high and home to around 72 waterfalls. The main village lies at 795 m, with nearby peaks like the Eiger and Jungfrau exceeding 2,970 m.

Must-See Waterfalls

Staubbach Falls (297 m): inspired Goethe.

Trümmelbach Falls: 10 internal waterfalls, with flow rates up to 20,000 L/s.

Others: Mürrenbachfall (417 m), Mattenbachfall (930 m – 3rd highest in Europe).

Activities & Hiking

Valley walk to Stechelberg (~6 km, 1h15), passing by Trümmelbach.

Panoramic trails: e.g., Männlichen–Kleine Scheidegg, Grütschalp–Mürren.

Extreme sports: base jumping and wingsuit flying in summer.

Charming Villages

Mürren & Wengen: car-free, accessible via cable cars or mountain trains.

Gimmelwald & Stechelberg: secluded alpine hamlets.

Transport & Lifts

Trains: from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg.

Cableways: Schilthornbahn to Piz Gloria, Jungfraubahn to Jungfraujoch (3,454 m).

Why Visit?

Postcard scenery: snowy peaks, green meadows, waterfalls.

Literary/cultural ties: Goethe, Tolkien, James Bond.

Budget travel possible with hostels and Swiss Travel Pass.

Overtourism Challenge

Up to 6,000 visitors/day vs. 2,400 residents in summer.

Measures like daily vehicle taxes under discussion.

Practical Tips

Best time: all year – hiking in summer, skiing in winter.

Access: via Interlaken by train.

Lodging: wide range from hotels to hostels (e.g., Valley Hostel).

What to bring: sturdy shoes, warm clothes, respect for nature.

Summary Lauterbrunnen is an extraordinary Alpine valley, blending dramatic nature, waterfalls, traditional villages, and efficient transport. Sustainable tourism remains key to preserving its beauty.

Reliable Sources:

Wikipedia – Lauterbrunnen

MySwitzerland – Official Tourism

Jungfrau Region

Rick Steves Europe

Swiss Info...