Bernese Oberland

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BERNESE OBERLAND ST BEATUS-HÖHLEN
edelweiss. The biggest draw up here, however,
is the hiking. The Panoramaweg is
an easy two-hour circuit, while the highlevel
15km Faulhornweg trail is one of
Switzerland’s star treks. If you’re here in
July or August, don’t miss the moonlight
hikes that follow the same route.
You reach the plateau on a late 19th-century
cog-wheel train (www.schynigeplatte.ch, www
.jungfraubahn.ch; one way/return Sfr35/60; hclosed
late Oct-late May) from Wilderswil. Trains run
up to Schynige Platte at approximately 40- to
50-minute intervals until around 5pm.
St Beatus-Höhlen
Sculpted over millennia, the St Beatus
Caves (www.beatushoehlen.ch, in German; adult/
child Sfr18/10; h9.30am-5pm late Mar-late Oct)
are great for a wander through caverns of
dramatically lit stalagmites, stalactites and
underground lakes. Lore has it that in the
6th century they sheltered St Beatus, monk,
hermit and fi rst apostle of Switzerland, who
apparently did battle with a dragon here.
They are a 1½-hour walk or a short Sfr12.80
boat ride from Interlaken.
JUNGFRAU REGION
If the Bernese Oberland is Switzerland’s
Alpine heart, the Jungfrau Region is where
yours will skip a beat. Presided over by
glacier-encrusted monoliths Eiger, Mönch
and Jungfrau (Ogre, Monk and Virgin), the
scenery is positively uplifting. Hundreds of
kilometres of walking trails allow you to
capture the landscape from many angles,
but it never looks less than astonishing.
The ‘big three’ peaks have an enduring
place in mountaineering legend, particularly
the 3970m Eiger, whose fearsome north
wall has claimed many lives and remained
unconquered until 1938. Reaching great
heights is easier today; it takes just hours to
whizz up by train to Jungfraujoch (3454m),
the highest station in Europe.
Summit journeys are only really worth
making on clear days, so it’s worth checking
webcams – such as the ones on www
.jungfraubahn.ch and www.swisspanorama
.com – before you leave.
Staying in resorts entitles you to a
Gästekarte (Guest Card), good for discounts
throughout the entire region. Ask your hotel
for the card if one isn’t forthcoming.
8 Getting There & Around
Hourly trains depart for the region from Interlaken
Ost station. Sit in the front half of the train for
Lauterbrunnen or the back half for Grindelwald.
The two sections of the train split up where the
two valleys diverge at Zweilütschinen. The rail
tracks loop around and meet up again at Kleine
Scheidegg at the base of the Eiger, from where
the route goes up and back to Jungfraujoch.
The Swiss Half-Fare Card is valid within the
entire region. See p129 for details on good-value
travel passes such as the Berner Oberland
Regional Pass and the six-day Jungfraubahnen
Pass.
Without a money-saving pass, sample fares
include the following: Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald
Sfr10.40; Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg
Sfr32; Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch Sfr112
(return); Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen Sfr24;
Wengen to Lauterbrunnen Sfr6.40; and Lauterbrunnen
to Interlaken Ost Sfr7.20.
Many of the cable cars close for servicing in
late April and late October.
Grindelwald
POP 3900 / ELEV 1034M
Grindelwald’s sublime natural assets are
fi lm-set stuff – the chiselled features of Eiger
north face, the glinting tongues of Oberer
and Unterer Glaciers and the crown-like
peak of Wetterhorn will make you stare,
swoon and lunge for your camera. Skiers
and hikers cottoned onto its charms in the
late 19th century, which makes it one of
Switzerland’s oldest resorts. And it has lost
none of its appeal over the decades, with
geranium-studded Alpine chalets and verdant
pastures set against an Oscar-worthy
backdrop.
1 Sights
Oberer Gletscher VIEWPOINT
(adult/child Sfr6/3; h9am-6pm mid-May–Oct)
The shimmering, slowly melting Oberer
Gletscher is a 1½-hour hike east from the
village, or catch a bus to Hotel-Restaurant
Wetterhorn. Walk 10 minutes from the bus
stop, then clamber up 890 wooden steps to
reach a terrace off ering dramatic views. A
vertiginous hanging bridge spans the gorge.
Gletscherschlucht GORGE
(www.gletscherschlucht.ch; adult/child Sfr7/3.50;
h10am-5pm May–mid-Oct, to 6pm Jul & Aug) Turbulent
waters carve a path through this craggy
glacier gorge, a 30-minute walk south of
the centre. A footpath weaves through tunnels
hacked into cliff s veined with pink and