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Hello: We will be staying in Lauterbrunnen for five days.Can you please give me suggestions for things to see and do. We would like to do a couple of easy hikes with nice scenery. We would like to do one or two high mountain lifts as well as see Gimmelwald and Murren but am finding the whole network of cable cars quite confusing. If you could give some suggestions as how to link some of the sights together so as not to waist time and money by retracing our paths that would be great. I am reading that it is best to take the high mountain lifts in the morning before the clouds roll in so we can do that and then see some other sights later in the day. Is this a good plan.
Thanks for your help, Patsy
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Hi Patsy,
>> We will be staying in Lauterbrunnen for five days.Can you please give me suggestions for things to see and do. We would like to do a couple of easy hikes with nice scenery.
There is plenty of information on this site as follows:
Bernese Oberland – what to do
http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es
Jungfrau Region – what to do
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s
Easy hikes with nice scenery in Jungfrau Region:
Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
Wengernalp to Kleine Scheidegg
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/wengernalp-kleinescheidegg
First – Grosse Scheidegg
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/first-grossescheidegg
First to the Bachsee
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/bachsee
Grütschalp – Mürren
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/gruetschalp-muerren
Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/lauterbrunnen-stechelberg
>> We would like to do one or two high mountain lifts as well as see Gimmelwald and Murren but am finding the whole network of cable cars quite confusing.
From Grindelwald
Gondola to First
Train to Kleine Scheidegg-Jungfraujoch
From Grindelwald Grund
Gondola to Männlichen
From Wengen
Cable car to Männlichen
Train to Kleine Scheidegg-Jungfraujoch
From Stechelberg
Cable car to Gimmelwald-Mürren-Schilthorn
From Mürren
Cable car to Schilthorn
Funicular to Allmendhubel
Cable car (down) to Gimmelwald-Stechelberg
From Lauterbrunnen
Cable car to Grütschalp-train to Mürren-cable car to Schilthorn
Bus to Stechelberg-cable car to Gimmelwald-Mürren-Schilthorn
From Wilderswil
Train to Schynige Platte
>> If you could give some suggestions as how to link some of the sights together so as not to waist time and money by retracing our paths that would be great.
Please see the attached diagram of mountain transport in the Jungfrau Region. That might clarify things for you. (It shows where Wilderswil is, but doesn’t show the train to Schynige Platte).
>> I am reading that it is best to take the high mountain lifts in the morning before the clouds roll in so we can do that and then see some other sights later in the day. Is this a good plan.
Generally, yes. The best thing is to remain flexible. Wait and see what the weather is like when you are there and decide accordingly. Have a back-up plan in case of poor weather, or because the mountains are in the clouds.
Alpenrose
Thanks Alpenrose for your detailed reply. This will help a lot. I have saved the map to my iPad so I can easily refer to it. Will ther be any issue with getting a lift up to the top on a nice day if everyone is waiting for a nice day. Will they fill up? I will be in the area in mid Sept.
Thanks, Patsy
>> Will ther be any issue with getting a lift up to the top on a nice day if everyone is waiting for a nice day. Will they fill up? I will be in the area in mid Sept.
The cable cars do get busy, so you might have to queue for a while before boarding. I was there in September last year. The only cable cars I had to wait a long time for were the ones from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald and Mürren to the Schilthorn. The cable car Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp sometimes has quite a queue as well.
Alpenrose
We were in Lauterbrunnen from 9 to 17 of august and used the trains and cable cars a lot. The only big queue was at the gondola from Grindelwald to First. The queue was for purchasing the tickets, so having the Jungfrau Travel Passes really saved us at least an hour and a half.
Hi Patsy-
When are you going? The season of the year makes a significant difference in the high Alps.
Here is a little bit of light reading to help you better understand the region:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
Also, another panoramic map, this one without much snow and with a bit more detail. The one that Alpenrose posted is simpler and clearer, but this one is more complete (it does show the train to Schynige Platte from Wilderswil):
http://www.swissholidayco.com /Public/Assets/User/fi les/Map-of-Jungfrauregion1.jpg
It also shows the main hiking routes, in black. Hiking times on the left are keyed to the numbers on the trails. Mind you, those are “Swiss Hiking Time” data. I walk slower than the Swiss at any altitude, and slow down even more at high altitude.
Finally, if you wish a better quality map that can show you the train lines, cableways, and transport stops, this map is useful:
map.search.ch/?pos=641280,163664&z=16 &poi=bergbahn,halteste lle,zug
I have set it, using the menus under Points of interest/Traffic, to show the transport stops for train, bus and cableways.
Zoom in to see the transport routes. Clickon Points of Interest to get more choices. Oddly enough, accomodations are under “Gastronomy” and are not very complete.
This is really the best map to use when laying out a route. It helps you understand the relationships, distances and connections between various transport options, and see the actual layout of the routes. Zoom in and out to try it out.. The one that Alpenrose posted is better for really quick reference, but this one fills in details.
If you zoom in to the point where the icons at the transport stops become icons instead of just blue dots, and click on the icons, you will get an abbreviated near time schedule of the service(s) at that location.
If you combine what you see on the map with the timetable, you can understand times for various trips and their frequency:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Please read the introductory page at that link, especially for the instructions on how to force it away from choosing the fastest route, which is the default choice. The more scenic ones tend to be slower.
Slowpoke
My husband and I will be istaying in Lauterbrunnen from Sept. 12-21
Patsy
Very nice in september when you are lucky with the wetter. September is low season in Berner Oberland, no waiting times by trains and cablecars.
The last years it is not busy in Switserland at all, I think that the prices to high for the Europian people…..
We are visit the Bernes Oberland 30 times the last 50 years, we haven’t wait anywhere. Not in (high) summer or in winter. Early depart is not necesery.
Greetings Brahms
Hi Patsy-
As Brahms says, low season, but not yet into the between seasons break. There can be beautiful weather in mid-to-late September.
As an example of what happens about a month later, some of the scenic transport shuts down in late October, to reopen in December when the Winter season starts. Others does not reopen till Spring.
As another example, one very nice hotel, the Schönegg in Wengen, closes from October 15th to December 20th, then reopens hoping for snow.
Some of the attached photos were taken on September 22nd or 23rd, 2009. My daughter, granddaughter and I were walking from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg.
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
The trail is so easy it is nicknamed “The Grannies’ Walk.” You can also see why it is best to walk it in that direction. The Eiger grows over you as you approach Kleine Scheidegg. The effect is amazing. If you walk it in the other direction, which is modestly uphill, you get a sore neck looking back over your shoulder a lot. 😉
Two additional photos from quite a while before that….remember “film”?… give sense of the scale of the mountain as you get nearer. The enlarged crop shows the hikers that are barely visible as tiny dots in the full image.
Slowpoke
Hi Patsy,
We’ll visit the area at the same period of time. We opted for the 6 days Bernese Oberland Regional Pass (you can opt for 4,6,8,10 days) http://www.regionalpass-berneroberland.ch/en/p ass-and-infos/the-ticket/
Also, you can purchase the Jungfrauregion Pass, whicih is valid for 3 days. http://www.jungfrau.ch/shop/e n/tickets/bergbahn/ang ebote/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/jungfrau-travel-pass-3-days
It seems that these passes are quite useful when boarding on cable-cars, cogwheel trains, gondolas, especially if there are queues for purchasing the tickets, not so much for the boarding itself.
The hiking trails are quite numerous and rangeing form easy ones to the hardest. One of my favs is the one from Schynige Platte to the closest peak (honestly, I don’t know it’s name, or if it’s got one…!), either by following the Eiger Ultra Trail or the trail on the left hand side of the mountain. That particular peak (in fact, it’s a platform) got one of the most beautiful panoramic views of the area! Right down towards the N-W there’s Interlaken and the two lakes, with a bit of the Brienzer Rothorn to be seen, turning around some 130 degrees to the left you see the Lauterbrunnen Valley, then another 80-90 degrees and there’s Grindelwald. In-between and above those you get to see a glimpse of the Kleine Scheidegg & Wengen area, but on top of all those, there are Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau! The 360 degrees image is mesmerizing and the hike is worth doing (30 to 40 minutes from Schynige Platte).
There’s also a nice and worth-doing hike from Sulwald (another beautiful scenery spot) to Grütchalp http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/sulwald-gruetschalp
Of course, Kleine Scheidegg offers plenty of trails in all directions, from Grindelwald to Wengen, from Maennlichen to Eigergletscher and so on.
Wish you a perfect holiday!
Daniel
Hi Daniel-
<<“One of my favs is the one from Schynige Platte to the closest peak (honestly, I don’t know it’s name, or if it’s got one…!), either by following the Eiger Ultra Trail or the trail on the left hand side of the mountain.”>>
I am quite interested in that viewpoint. I’ve not been there, and from your description, it sounds like a great place for some photography.
The Switzerland Mobility index would not give me the “Eiger Ultra Trail” so I looked in SwissTopo and turned on “Hiking Trails.”
Perhaps you mean the Loucherhorn? There is some kind of structure close by the trail, near where the two trails converge, visible if you zoom in a bit.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
Well, X marks the spot, so from now on it’s Tuba! 🙂 Finally!
I also took some snapshots from Google Maps, if you go there and click the street view on the blue point on the right, you’ll see the panorama.
As in the links you sent, my arrows mark the sopt and the trails, the red one is the plateau, the green one marks the Eiger ultra trail and the purple one marks the other option from Schynige Platte towards Tuba.
Thanks,
Daniel
Hi Daniel-
Google maps was helpful. Thanks.
However, it does not show altitude contours, which is why I prefer the SwissTopo map. Helps you pick the easiest trail.
Also, I note that it is only about .6 km from the station.
And, I’ve been there, while making the circular walk around the Gummihorn.
I agree with your description of the views. Spectacular!
My photos are all on film, and I have not scanned those. Was there quite a while ago. However, the Google “street view” is a good substitute. Kind of amazing to be able to see that so easily. For photos of the Jungfrau Massif, perhaps the views from the rail station are better, but, of course, no lakes.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
Indeed the “maps of Switzerland” are perfect for trail schedules. So thanks again! Honestly, maybe I was a little bit optimistic when I wrote 30 to 40 minutes from the Schynige Platte train station (did the hike 10 years ago…), I don’t remember the exact amount of time I spent on it. Obviously, this time it will take me at least twice…
So, agreed on Tuba? 😉
Daniel
<<“So, agreed on Tuba? ;-)”>>
Absolutely.
Slowpoke
How difficult/easy is the trail to Tuba. Is it stee?. Please don’t play it down, we don’t hike that much and don’t want to get in over our heads.
Thanks, Patsy
Hi Patsy,
It’s not difficult at all, only the last 2-300 metres are in full climb, but otherwise it’s an afternoon type of hike. If you’ll check the street view on google maps, in the 360 degrees panorama from Tuba you can see little children too.
Daniel
I found this when I googled Eiger Ultra trail. Is this the trail?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-42M8BGy5dQ&sns=em
Patsy
That’s a presentation movie about the whole trail, which is one of the hardest trails ever. We’re talking about a small part of it, but the hike from Schynige Platte towards Tuba can be done on the other side of the mountain.
Please check the links provided by Slowpoke:
You will see there the two options to get from SP to Tuba. The one at the right is part of the Eiger Ultra trail. The one on the left is the easier one (of course, they both start and reach at the same points, respectively, so basically they have the same difficulty). Also, you can figure that the vertical climb between Schynige Platte (1970 metres) and Tuba (2067) is 100 metres, on a 1.1 kilometer length. So roughly 9%
Daniel
Hi Patsy-
The contour map in the link that I provided shows two routes, passing on either side of Gummihorn.
See attached image- I have numbered the routes as #1 and #2 on a screen grab from that map.
Each starts with a mild climb of about 20 meters to the restaurant. (Do you think in meters, yards, or feet? 20 meters is about 22 yards or 66 feet.). The climb is at an altitude of roughly 2,000 meters ,or about 1 and 1/6 mile high. If you are not used to exercise at that altitude, you may need to take it slowly, although the first part is quite short and can be rewarded by a beer or a coffee at the restaurant..
Then either trail leaves the restaurant as a combined single trail, taking the first turn to the right after about 15 meters, then climbing upwards about 30 meters ( crosses 3 brown lines; the heavier one is the 2000 meter altitude profile line) , then splits into 2 trails at about 2010 meters altitude. After that, each tail roughly parallels the 2000 meter line, and thus is roughly at a steady altitude….with some minor ups and downs. They pass on opposite sides of a small bump of 2067 meters, go around Gummihorn on opposite sides, and get close to TUBA. Then, near the end, after about about 400 meters ( #1) or 500 meters (#2) from the trail split, each trail ascends to Tuba, 2076 meters, for a steep climb of roughly 60 to 70 meters on switchbacks ( wiggly lines on the map) within about 100 meters. That is steep. However, the switchbacks mean that the angle of ascent is a lot less than if you went straight up the slope. They make the climb more gradual.
On that part, fresh from the USA near sea level, I’d have to stop to catch my breath a couple of times.
If you prefer a more gradual climb, take route #2, continue past the ascent to Tuba, and walk another 500 meters, then take a hairpin left. You will then climb from roughly 2000 meters to 2076 meters, spread out over 600 meters of walking, with only a few short steep places. That trail has great views, as well.
Since the total distance from the restaurant on either route 1 or 2 is about 500-600 meters ( 500-650 yards, roughly) it is not a long enough hike to get you in trouble.
I am sure that the trail is rocky, and likely will have some loose gravel. Make sure that you wear sturdy shoes with grippy soles, or preferably, hiking boots with grippy soles, for better ankle support. I find a hiking staff to be very useful on those kinds of trail, and with my sore knees, I must use one. I use it to brace myself if descending on gravel. If you don’t have one, you can rent them at the Intersport and other sports stores in the area.
The Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg trail linked previously is much easier, though longer, and offers a wide range of views ( but, no lakes). Even on that easy trail, there are some short downhill stretches on gravel that need slow going, and a hiking staff is useful. You will note them in the images I posted earlier of my daughter and granddaughter.
Hope for good weather. You don’t want to go to that effort if all you can see is clouds.
Slowpoke
Thanks for all the info everyone. I think we will try the hike to Tuba. I guess we should retrace our hike to get back to Schynigge Platte Station? Daniel, enjoy your trip.
Patsy
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