Bernese Oberland
Bernese Oberland Bernese Oberland
Little ones in tow? Keep them amused on the 90-minute Felixweg (www.felix-weg .ch) from Männlichen to Holenstein. Kids can get the low-down on Alpine fl ora and fauna, spot marmots from the watchtower and ride the fl ying fox. There are two scenic barbecue areas en route. The trail is not (yet) suitable for buggies. PFINGSTEGG Another cable car rises up to Pfingstegg (www.pfi ngstegg.ch; one way/return Sfr12.60/ 18.80; h8-7pm, to 5.30pm in low season, closed Nov-Apr), where short hiking trails lead to Stieregg, near the deeply crevassed Unterer Gletscher. Check to see whether the trail to Hotel Wetterhorn (%033 853 12 18; www .grosse-scheidegg.ch) at the base of the Oberer Gletscher (1½ hours) via the Restaurant Milchbach (one hour) is open. Along this, you pass the Breitlouwina, a geologically fascinating rock terrace scarred with potholes caused by moving ice. The website has details on full-moon and sunset hikes. Kids (and big ones) love to whizz downhill on the summer bobsled (adult/child Sfr5/3; h11am-6pm). Kleine Scheidegg Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau soar almost 2000m above you at Kleine Scheidegg (2061m), where restaurants huddle around the train station. Most people only stay for a few minutes while changing trains for Jungfraujoch, but it’s worth lingering to appreciate the dazzling views, including those to the fang-shaped peak of Silberhorn. Kleine Scheidegg is a terrifi c base for hiking. There are short, undemanding trails, one hour apiece, to Eigergletscher, down to Wengernalp, and up the Lauberhorn behind the village. These areas become intermediate ski runs from December to April. Alternatively, you can walk the spectacular 6km Eiger Trail from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen (two hours) for close-ups of the mountain’s fearsome north face. Basic digs can be found in Restaurant Bahnhof Röstizzeria (%033 828 78 28; www.bahnhof-scheidegg.ch; dm/d Sfr52.50/135, half-board extra Sfr20) and the more recently renovated Restaurant Grindelwaldblick (%033 855 13 74; dm Sfr40, half-board extra Sfr25; hclosed Nov & May), eight minutes’ walk towards Grindelwald. Rambling, creaky and atmospheric, Hotel Bellevue des Alpes (%033 855 12 12; www DISCOUNT TRAVEL PASSES If you intend on spending most of your holiday in the Bernese Oberland, you can save francs with Berner Oberland Regional Pass (www.regiopass-berner oberland.ch; hMay-Oct). The seven-day pass (Sfr233) gives you three days’ unlimited free travel and four days’ discounted travel in the region, while the 15-day pass (Sfr290) off ers fi ve days unlimited free travel and 10 days discounted travel. Children pay half price. A good alternative is the Jungfraubahnen Pass (www.jungfrau.ch; hMay-Oct), which provides six days of unlimited travel throughout the region for Sfr210 (Sfr160 with Swiss Pass, Swiss Card or Half-Fare Card), though you still have to pay Sfr55 from Eigergletscher (just past Kleine Scheidegg) to Jungfraujoch. .scheidegg-hotels.ch; s Sfr230-250, d Sfr380- 430) is a formerly grand Victorian hotel. It has a world-beating location and a rather macabre history of people using its telescopes to observe mountaineering accidents on the Eiger. Jungfraujoch Sure, everyone else wants to see Jungfraujoch (3454m) and yes, tickets are expensive, but don’t let that stop you. It’s a once-ina-lifetime trip that you need to experience fi rst-hand. And there’s a reason why two million people a year visit Europe’s highest train station. The icy wilderness of swirling glaciers and 4000m turrets that unfolds at the top is staggeringly beautiful. The last stage of the train journey from Kleine Scheidegg burrows through the heart of Eiger before arriving at the sci-fi Sphinx meteorological station. Opened in 1912, the tunnel took 3000 men 16 years to drill. Along the way, you stop at Eigerwand and Eismeer, where panoramic windows off er tantalising glimpses across rivers of crevassed ice. Good weather is essential for this journey; check on www.jungfrau.ch or call %033 828 79 31. Don’t forget to take warm clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen, as there’s snow and glare up here all year. Within the Sphinx 129 JUNGFRAU BERNESE OBERLAND REGION 8 8KLEINE SCHEIDEGG
130 BERNESE OBERLAND LAUTERBRUNNEN weather station, where trains disgorge passengers, there’s an Ice Palace gallery of otherworldly ice sculptures, restaurants, indoor viewpoints and a souvenir shop, where you can purchase your very own chunk of Eiger to grace the mantelpiece. Outside there are views of the morainestreaked 23km tongue of the Aletsch Glacier, the longest glacier in the European Alps and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The views across rippling peaks stretch as far as the Black Forest in Germany on cloudless days. When you tire (as if!) of the view, you can zip across the frozen plateau on a fl ying fox (adult/child Sfr20/15), dash downhill on a sled or snow disc (adult/child Sfr15/10), or enjoy a bit of tame skiing or boarding (adult/child Sfr35/25) at the Snow Fun Park. A day pass covering all activities costs Sfr45 for adults and Sfr25 for children. If you cross the glacier along the prepared path, in around an hour you reach the Mönchsjochhütte (%033 971 34 72; dm/ incl half-board Sfr28/64; hlate Mar–mid-Oct) at 3650m. Here you’ll share your dinner table and dorm with hardcore rock climbers, psyching themselves up to tackle Eiger or Mönch. From Interlaken Ost, the journey time is 2½ hours each way and the return fare is Sfr186.20. The last train back sets off at 5.45pm in summer and 4.45pm in winter. However, from May through to October there’s a cheaper Good Morning Ticket costing Sfr140 if you take the fi rst train (which departs at 6.35am from Interlaken Ost) and leave the summit by noon. Getting these early trains is easier if your starting place is deeper in the region. Stay overnight at Kleine Scheidegg to take advantage of the excursion-fare train at 8am. From here, a return Good Morning Ticket is Sfr90. The furthest you can walk is up to Eigergletscher (2320m), which saves you Sfr7.80 on a one-way ticket and Sfr13.40 on a return ticket from Kleine Scheidegg. Even the ordinary return ticket to Jungfraujoch is valid for one month, so you can use that ticket to form the backbone of your trip, venturing as far as Grindelwald and stopping for a few days’ hiking, before moving on to Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. Lauterbrunnen POP 2500 / ELEV 796M Lauterbrunnen’s wispy Staubbach Falls inspired both Goethe and Lord Byron to pen poems to their ethereal beauty. Today the postcard-perfect village, nestled deep in the valley of 72 waterfalls, attracts a less highfalutin crowd. Laid-back and full of chalet-style lodgings, Lauterbrunnen is a great base for nature-lovers wishing to hike or climb, and a magnet to thrill-seeking BASE jumpers. 1 Sights & Activities Hikes heading up into the mountains from the waterfall-laced valley include a 2½hour uphill trudge to Mürren and a more gentle 1¾-hour walk to Stechelberg. In winter, you can glide past frozen waterfalls on a well-prepared 12km cross-country trail. For a chance to see BASE jumpers in hair-raising action, head to the base station of Schilthorn – you’ll probably hear the almighty whoosh of their descent before you see them. FStaubbach Falls WATERFALL (h8am-8pm Jun-Oct) Especially in the early-morning light, it’s easy to see how the vaporous, 297m-high Staubbach Falls captivated prominent writers with its threads of spray fl oating down the cliff side. What appears to be ultra-fi ne mist from a distance, however, becomes a torrent when you walk behind the falls. Be prepared to get wet. Trümmelbachfälle WATERFALL (www.truemmelbachfaelle.ch; adult/child Sfr11/4; h9am-5pm Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov, 8.30am-6pm Jul & Aug) These glacier falls are more of a bangcrash spectacle. Inside the mountain, up to 20,000L of water per second corkscrews through ravines and potholes shaped by the swirling waters. The 10 falls drain from 24 sq km of Alpine glaciers and snow deposits. A 10-minute bus ride (Sfr3.40) from the train station takes you to the falls. Doris Hike HIKING (%033 855 42 40; www.doris-hike.ch) Doris’ informative guided hikes include glacier, waterfall and high-alpine options. Call ahead for times and prices.
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Little ones in tow? Keep them amused<br />
on the 90-minute Felixweg (www.felix-weg<br />
.ch) from Männlichen to Holenstein. Kids<br />
can get the low-down on Alpine fl ora and<br />
fauna, spot marmots from the watchtower<br />
and ride the fl ying fox. There are two<br />
scenic barbecue areas en route. The trail is<br />
not (yet) suitable for buggies.<br />
PFINGSTEGG<br />
Another cable car rises up to Pfingstegg<br />
(www.pfi ngstegg.ch; one way/return Sfr12.60/<br />
18.80; h8-7pm, to 5.30pm in low season, closed<br />
Nov-Apr), where short hiking trails lead to<br />
Stieregg, near the deeply crevassed Unterer<br />
Gletscher. Check to see whether the trail<br />
to Hotel Wetterhorn (%033 853 12 18; www<br />
.grosse-scheidegg.ch) at the base of the Oberer<br />
Gletscher (1½ hours) via the Restaurant<br />
Milchbach (one hour) is open. Along this,<br />
you pass the Breitlouwina, a geologically<br />
fascinating rock terrace scarred with potholes<br />
caused by moving ice. The website has<br />
details on full-moon and sunset hikes.<br />
Kids (and big ones) love to whizz downhill<br />
on the summer bobsled (adult/child<br />
Sfr5/3; h11am-6pm).<br />
Kleine Scheidegg<br />
Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau soar almost<br />
2000m above you at Kleine Scheidegg<br />
(2061m), where restaurants huddle around<br />
the train station. Most people only stay for a<br />
few minutes while changing trains for Jungfraujoch,<br />
but it’s worth lingering to appreciate<br />
the dazzling views, including those to the<br />
fang-shaped peak of Silberhorn.<br />
Kleine Scheidegg is a terrifi c base for<br />
hiking. There are short, undemanding trails,<br />
one hour apiece, to Eigergletscher, down to<br />
Wengernalp, and up the Lauberhorn behind<br />
the village. These areas become intermediate<br />
ski runs from December to April. Alternatively,<br />
you can walk the spectacular 6km<br />
Eiger Trail from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen<br />
(two hours) for close-ups of the mountain’s<br />
fearsome north face.<br />
Basic digs can be found in Restaurant<br />
Bahnhof Röstizzeria (%033 828 78 28;<br />
www.bahnhof-scheidegg.ch; dm/d Sfr52.50/135,<br />
half-board extra Sfr20) and the more recently<br />
renovated Restaurant Grindelwaldblick<br />
(%033 855 13 74; dm Sfr40, half-board extra<br />
Sfr25; hclosed Nov & May), eight minutes’<br />
walk towards Grindelwald.<br />
Rambling, creaky and atmospheric, Hotel<br />
Bellevue des Alpes (%033 855 12 12; www<br />
DISCOUNT TRAVEL<br />
PASSES<br />
If you intend on spending most of your<br />
holiday in the <strong>Bernese</strong> <strong>Oberland</strong>, you<br />
can save francs with Berner <strong>Oberland</strong><br />
Regional Pass (www.regiopass-berner<br />
oberland.ch; hMay-Oct). The seven-day<br />
pass (Sfr233) gives you three days’<br />
unlimited free travel and four days’<br />
discounted travel in the region, while<br />
the 15-day pass (Sfr290) off ers fi ve<br />
days unlimited free travel and 10 days<br />
discounted travel. Children pay half<br />
price.<br />
A good alternative is the Jungfraubahnen<br />
Pass (www.jungfrau.ch;<br />
hMay-Oct), which provides six days of<br />
unlimited travel throughout the region<br />
for Sfr210 (Sfr160 with Swiss Pass,<br />
Swiss Card or Half-Fare Card), though<br />
you still have to pay Sfr55 from<br />
Eigergletscher (just past Kleine<br />
Scheidegg) to Jungfraujoch.<br />
.scheidegg-hotels.ch; s Sfr230-250, d Sfr380-<br />
430) is a formerly grand Victorian hotel. It<br />
has a world-beating location and a rather<br />
macabre history of people using its telescopes<br />
to observe mountaineering accidents<br />
on the Eiger.<br />
Jungfraujoch<br />
Sure, everyone else wants to see Jungfraujoch<br />
(3454m) and yes, tickets are expensive,<br />
but don’t let that stop you. It’s a once-ina-lifetime<br />
trip that you need to experience<br />
fi rst-hand. And there’s a reason why two<br />
million people a year visit Europe’s highest<br />
train station. The icy wilderness of swirling<br />
glaciers and 4000m turrets that unfolds at<br />
the top is staggeringly beautiful.<br />
The last stage of the train journey from<br />
Kleine Scheidegg burrows through the heart<br />
of Eiger before arriving at the sci-fi Sphinx<br />
meteorological station. Opened in 1912, the<br />
tunnel took 3000 men 16 years to drill. Along<br />
the way, you stop at Eigerwand and Eismeer,<br />
where panoramic windows off er tantalising<br />
glimpses across rivers of crevassed ice.<br />
Good weather is essential for this journey;<br />
check on www.jungfrau.ch or call %033 828<br />
79 31. Don’t forget to take warm clothing,<br />
sunglasses and sunscreen, as there’s snow<br />
and glare up here all year. Within the Sphinx<br />
129<br />
JUNGFRAU BERNESE OBERLAND REGION 8 8KLEINE<br />
SCHEIDEGG
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