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It's hard to overstate just how stunning the Lauterbrunnen valley is. An immense U-shaped cleft with bluffs on either side rising 1000m sheer, doused by some 72 waterfalls, it is utterly spectacular. The Staubbach falls , the highest in Switzerland at nearly 300m, tumble just beyond the village of LAUTERBRUNNEN at the valley entrance. The tourist office is opposite Lauterbrunnen's station (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm; July & Aug also Sun 10am-3pm; tel 033/856 85 68, www.wengen-muerren.ch ), with Internet access. Down by the tracks is Valley Hostel (tel 033/855 20 08; GBP10-15/$16-24); Matratzenlager Stocki just over the river has dorms in a converted farmhouse (tel 033/855 17 54; GBP5-10/$8-16; closed Nov & Dec). Among cheaper hotels are Horner at the far end of the village (tel 033/855 16 73, www.hornerpub.ch ; GBP20-25/$32-40); and Bahnhof beside the station (tel 033/855 17 23, www.bahnhof-hotel.ch ; GBP20-25/$32-40). There are two campsites : Jungfrau (tel 033/856 20 10, www.camping-jungfrau.ch ) and the quieter Schutzenbach (tel 033/855 12 68), both with dorms and rooms (GBP5-10/$8-16). From Lauterbrunnen, a bus or a scenic half-hour walk 3km along the valley floor takes you to the spectacular Trummelbach falls (daily: July & Aug 8am-6pm; Sept-June 9am-5pm; Sfr10), a series of thunderous waterfalls - the runoff from the high mountain glaciers - which have carved corkscrew channels within the valley walls. The same bus continues 1.5km to STECHELBERG at the end of the road, where you'll find a Naturfreundehaus (tel 033/855 12 02; GBP5-10/$8-16). Trains bound for the Jungfraujoch grind up from Lauterbrunnen to WENGEN , a scenic little car-free resort perched way above the valley floor on a shelf of tranquil southwest-facing meadow, which stays lively with skiers well into April. Once the snows have receded, it sits amidst ideal hiking country. The village is overlooked by the mighty Jungfrau and, with such a lofty outlook, enjoys unrivalled valley sunsets. You'll find the tourist office on the main street, just up from the train station (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat 8.30-11.30am; July-Sept & Dec-April also Sat & Sun 4-6pm; tel 033/855 14 14, www.wengen-muerren.ch ). Several hotels have dorms: best is Christian-run Bergheim (tel 033/855 27 55, www.jungfraublick.com ; GBP10-15/$16-24), part of Hotel Jungfraublick . The popular SB Hot Chili Peppers (tel 033/855 50 20, www.backpacker.ch ; GBP10-15/$16-24) has dorms and rooms, while smoke-free Edelweiss (tel 033/855 23 88, edelweiss@vch.ch ; GBP25-30/$40-48) overlooks the valley. Every January, Wengen hosts World Cup downhill and slalom ski races on the Lauberhorn, which are great to watch (Sfr20), but which can book the village, and the valley, out. Further up on the train line is KLEINE SCHEIDEGG , whose station has comfortable dorms and rooms (tel 033/855 11 51; GBP10-15/$16-24). The scenic 1hr 30min hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Mannlichen ( www.maennlichen.ch ), perched on a ridge, is particularly lovely (1hr 30min); from Mannlichen a cable car runs down to Wengen on one side, or an amazing half-hour gondola ride whisks you in the other direction to Grindelwald-Grund (ER & IR no discount; SP 25 percent discount).
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