Berner Oberland - Excursions and Activities

(Jungfrau Region)

and Excursions

hether hiking or excursing in the mountains, be prepared for the weather. Mountain weather can change quickly and unpredictably; you should not go far without being prepared for thunderstorms and severe drops in temperature. Snow is not unusual at 5,000 feet as late as mid-June, and as early as late-August, and at the peaks snow may be expected in any month. Layers of clothing are best. You'll find more information about the environment when you're in the mountains in Mountain Weather.

Mountaintops

A Book Recommendation
White Spider: The Classic Account of the Ascent of the Eiger The north wall of the Eiger (Eiger Nordwand) was one of the last of the Alps conquered and still represents the classic climbing challenge in Europe. Over 50 have died attempting this climb. Harrar, the real life hero of the recent popular movie, Seven Years in Tibet, recounts not only his experiences on the first successful climb of the Nordwand but provides details of most of the preceding attempts as well as later ones. After reading the book you'll never view mountains in the same way.. If you wait until after your trip to the Oberland to read it you'll wish you'd read it before.

rom any of the bases in the area, excursions to a mountaintop or two are unforgettable experiences for most visitors.

The most famous peaks to visit are the Jungfrau and the Schilthorn. Of the two we far prefer the Schilthorn.

edschilthorn.jpg (39084 bytes) f you stay in Mürren the best excursion is near at hand with the remarkable cable trip to the Schilthorn (2967 Meters/9734 Feet) and its revolving restaurant. Easy and quick to reach (from anywhere in the area), you'll enjoy a scenic view which includes an excellent perspective of the justly fabled triptych of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

he Jungfrau excursion (actually to the Jungfraujoch, some distance below the peak) is more famous, but, we think, the second excursion of choice. You may find our comments on the difference between the Jungfrau and Schilthorn trips helpful in making your plans. If you have time and money, do both.

fter the Schilthorn our next-favorite excursion is on the Schynige Platte Railway. It climbs 50 minutes to an alpine plateau (1987 Meters/6519 Feet) from Wilderswil, 4kms. from Interlaken Ost. This is the finest picture postcard panorama of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (The Ogre is separated from the Virgin by the Monk).

Enjoy the delightful Alpine Garden with hundreds of rare Alpine plants, or a leisurely mountain stroll with breathtaking views the whole time.

Other nearby mountaintops, all with lovely views, include Männlichen, First and at the east end of Lake Brienz, the Brienzerrothorn.You'll find a rundown on our favorites, and prices, in Mountaintop Views.

Local Attractions

here are many attractions and walks in and about Mürren. The village is busy with daytrippers between 10 and 4. By staying in Mürren, you get an early start on these points of interest and paths, and you'll have it to yourself in the early morning and evening. If you leave in the morning for an excursion elsewhere you'll find little traffic out of town; the same returning at night.

The most spectacular trip is near at hand: the ascent to the Schilthorn. You can do this on foot in under 4 hours (they say!), or ride the cable.

Take the funicular to Allmendhubel (1900 Meters/6225 Feet) for lunch (or picnic) and a great view. Enjoy memorable walks, many easy, some challenging. There are 200 kilometers of marked walking trails in the Mürren area. While there are many day visitors to Mürren, the trails on this side of the valley tend to be less crowded -- on some you can go considerable periods of time without seeing anyone else.

Grindelwald claims as many as 300 kilometers of marked walking trails. Some of our favorites are there, though the less-crowded trails tend to be over on the Mürren side. The Pfingstegg (1387 Meters/4550 Feet) cable provides a reverse view from the mountain side to the town. You can walk from there to the Glacier Gorge of the lower Grindelwald Glacier. Or, walk the other way to the Upper Glacier, and the "Glacier Grotto", where (for a small fee) you can go inside the glacier. (Neither gorge nor cave is remarkable.) Grindelwald-First is reached by a scenic gondola cable ride and is the start of a lovely walk to the Bachalpsee, as well as others including ascending the Faulhorn and crossing to Schynige Platte.

Trümmelbach Falls are three kilometers down the valley from Lauterbrunnen toward Stechelberg. These falls impressively empty the glacier flow inside the mountain with a mighty roar. For a small fee you can take an elevator up inside the mountain and observe the usually fierce flow as you descend on foot along the many cascades.

The Mürrenbach and Staubbach Falls, 250 and 300 meters high, among the highest in Europe, are spectacular. Both Trümmelbach and the Lauterbrunnen Valley with its more-than-70 falls are rated a 3-star attraction by Michelin (3 out of 3).

Enjoy a scenic helicopter flight with Air Glaciers based in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Whether a short or long trip, you'll find it unforgettable, and fright-free. A bit expensive, but well worth the price if you can fit it into your travel budget. Prices and contact at page bottom. At the left, Ed and Julie at 2,900 meters parked at the Mutthornhütte.

From Wengen you can take the cable car up to Männlichen or the train to Kleine Scheidegg. Several walks are possible, including the easy and stunningly scenic one between Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg, the mountain saddle beneath the forbidding North Face of the Eiger.

inally, and in a somewhat lighthearted vein, you may want to take a look at our Alpine Scavenger Hunt list. You may actually find some things there you do want to look for while roaming about the area.

Over Hill, Over Dale
Tramping The Mountains

here are over 9,000 kilometers (!) of marked trails in Canton Bern. Hundreds of those kilometers -- perhaps thousands -- are in the Jungfrau region within 10 km. of Lauterbrunnen. They range from easy to strenuous, follow rivers and lakes and climb mountains.

Most include memorable viewpoints. All are very accessible. And despite the many excellent climbs that require technical experience and equipment, there are far more that can be enjoyed by the average American family. For us, many of our most enjoyable days are those spent in Alpine Rambles. And you don't have to be a mountain goat to get to and from your walk with the many funiculars, rackrails and cables.

If you've a bit more energy and conditioning than we you can also walk from mountain hut to mountain hut for days. The extensive cable, train and postal bus services make access and return quick, and allow you to short-cut less-interesting portions of long treks.

If you're interested in other views of hiking in Switzerland and some background information on planning your hikes, you'll find the information provided at the Hiking and Walking Homepage enjoyable and useful.

Excursions Farther Afield

nterlaken has shopping, at least one quite good restaurant, a casino, a tourism museum, two railway exhibits and two short funiculars.

The Harder-Kulm funicular, a short walk from the Ost train station, offers an excellent orientation to Interlaken and environs, including the Jungfrau range 15 kms. away. At the base is an alpine zoo.

The Heimwehfluhe funicular, on the west edge of the city, provides a view of Lake Thun, an interesting model railway and several children's amusements.

On the way to the Heimwehfluhe on the right side of the street you'll find an interesting railway exhibit.

Interlaken, as its name implies, lies astride two lakes, Brienz and Thun. Both are enjoyable; each with its own character. The full trip from Interlaken to either Brienz or Thun is about an hour. During the heart of the tourist season each lake is served by old, restored side-wheel steamers as well as the usual diesels.

A decorative stove at Ballenberg
from one of Julie's distant relatives.
There are almost as many
Swiss Liechtis as US Jones.

Take a cruise on Brienzersee to Iseltwald for the freshest lake fish in Europe at the restaurant by the boat station. Continue to Giessbach and its historic and picturesque hotel and delightful waterfall. Cross to Brienz and you're at the heart of Swiss woodcarving. A short bus ride takes you to the Ballenberg Swiss Outdoor Museum. There they've re-erected and furnished houses, barns, and other buildings from across Switzerland. Easy to walk around, the trip and visit will take the better part of a day.

Or, from Brienz you can take a steam train to the peak of the Brienzer Rothorn (2252 Meters/7388 Feet) for a striking panorama. Return by boat or frequent and fast trains.

Finally, there are longer daytrips possible to Luzern, Bern and Montreux (Chillon.)

uzern, the most picturesque of the Swiss cities, merits a night or two but can be enjoyed even in a partial day. The trip between Interlaken Ost and Luzern via Brienz is a scenic journey over the Brünigpass which takes two hours.

ern, the capitol, combines modern city aspects along with its centuries-old traditional character. Good shopping and many good restaurants.

ontreux's not a particular favorite, but the journey can be worthwhile on a lovely day, and you'll enjoy a visit to romantic Chillon, with its almost dream-like setting beside the lake. Take the Crystal Panorama Express and enjoy a scenic three hour ride; reservations required. Chillon is a few bus stops from the Montreux train station. You can return at your leisure on hourly trains via Bern in about 2-1/2 hours.

For a more extended discussion of activities in the area for kids of all ages see Ideas and Tips ...

Missing?

You'll find missing from here several 'adventure' activities that are usually possible in the area: canyoning, river rafting, hang-gliding and bungee jumping among others. The safety of such activities is partly up to your experience and good judgement as well as highly dependent on the operator. One such operator had 19 fatalities on a canyoning experience in 1999, and one jumper died in May, 2000 due to the use of something like a 90 meter bungee on a 30 meter jump. That operator is now out of business. There are others. Choose carefully. We prefer to make no recommendations. If you're interested in such adventures you'll have to do your own research.

Scenic Helicopter Tours

Operated by Air Glaciers Lauterbrunnen

All departures from Heliport Lauterbrunnen (between Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg)

Note the number in the party is not 'your' party, but the number of passengers. You can save considerable money by developing a group at your hotel, or even at the heliport while you're waiting for your flight. It's nice to have the helicopter to yourself, but for two the cost of the big trip is roughly $500. If you can find another couple to go with you, the price is almost half.

Prices, per person. 2000

1. Small trip, Eigergletscher - Silberlücke - Rottal
12 min. flighttime
by 2 pers. sFr. 200.00
by 3 pers. sFr. 140.00
by 4 pers. sFr. 110.00
by 5 pers. sFr. 90.00
by 6 pers. sFr. 90.00

2. Flight to the Mutthornhut - includes overfly of the Jungfrau
20 min. flighttime
by 2 pers. sFr. 330.00
by 3 pers. sFr. 230.00
by 4 pers. sFr. 180.00
by 5 pers. sFr. 160.00
by 6 pers. sFr. 160.00

3. Big trip, Eiger - Mönch - Jungfrau and a look at the Matterhorn
by 2 pers. sFr. 410.00
by 3 pers. sFr. 280.00
by 4 pers. sFr. 230.00
by 5 pers. sFr. 190.00
by 6 pers. sFr. 190.00

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