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After completing the TMB in late July I’m heading over to the Jungfrau region, a night camping in Lauterbrunnen, then doing a circuluar hike from Schynige Platte to first, cable to Grindelwald maybe train to Alpigen or walk it, to Kleine Scheidegg/Mannlichen ending up eventually in Murren then back to Lauterbrunnen where my piece of luggage awaits. I should take me 4 days, and I still have full 2 days after completing this plan before I have to head back to the airport hotel (the 3rd day after) to spend the night before departing for home on the 4th day after. I can actually shave off the 4th day in Lauterbrunnen if I am going to move on to another area, that would leave me 3 full days somewhere else. Any suggestions how to fill the void? I fly out of Geneva at the end.
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Hi Debra,
Are you wanting to do more hiking or is that it for the trip and you are now looking to relax or explore nearby towns and villages? There is a lot to see and do in the Jungfrau region, but you would also head up to Luzern to explore that area or perhaps take the scenic panoramic Golden Pass train for a leisurely day to Montreux from either Interlaken or Luzern.
Let us know your interests and we can try and give you more specific suggestions.
Regards,
Lucas
What else is there to see in the jungfrau? I am not interested in the cables to the Jungfraugoch or Schilthorn, in fact if I wanted to I could hike from stecheberg up to it but the route seems harder and not as scenic (kev reynolds tour of the Jungfrau Region) I looked into Lucerne not into museums. Thun had some castles that I would like to see, is that a day trip or an overnight in Thun to see those?
Hi Debra,
If you click on my link above for the Jungfrau region you will see a list of towns and activities that are popular in that region. Luzern is a very popular town about 2.5 hours away by train. Thun is also a nice option and you could take a boat from Interlaken to Thun. There are a few castles in the area on the lake or near Thun itself: Schloss Thun, Hünegg, Schadau and Oberhofen which are all neat options to check out.
Thun is less than 1,5 hours from Lauterbrunnen so it could be an easy day trip for you.
Other members may be able to chime in on some other options for you.
Lucas
I was thinking of making my way back by train to geneva visiting some towns along the way taking a few days. So far what seems interesting is castles at Thun (I don’t care for boats) Gruyere (although reading reviews it seems the cheese factory is not very good to visit, don’t care for chocolate, want to see the castle) and Montreux (saw a post about getting off the train and taking a fernicular to reach it on the way to Montreux instead of backtracking). I have 3 days to spend unless I spend another day in Lauterbrunnen but I am not sure what there is to do there, I will have already passed Trummelbach falls on my way to Murren.
Hi Debra,
There are lots of hiking related things you can do in the Jungfrau area. From Kleine Scheidegg you can walk back to Grindelwald via the Eiger Trail. There is a fantastic walk up to the Gleckstein Hut. You could do it as a day trip, or stay overnight. For something very special, you could take a guided walk from the Jungfraujoch along the Aletschgletscher towards Bettmeralp, staying overnight at the Konkordiahuette. This one is on my bucket list.
If you are agile, there are Klettersteigs (A klettersteig is essentially a form of climbing using fixed ladders with a permanent security cable that you hook into. You don’t have to be a climber, just fit and sure-footed) you can do on the Rotstock at the foot of the Eiger, http://www.summitpost.org/eig er-rotstock/739476 and the Schwarzhorn behind Grindelwald. http://www.summitpost.org/sch warzhorn-grindelwald/152886
Hope this helps,
Alan
I figured it out; I am staying in Lauterbrunnen for a few days then on to Greuyere for a day that’s exactly what I was looking for, then to Montreux for a day then on to the airport hotel from there. I am leaving my days in Lauterbrunnen open for now ,and figure out what to do later as I am camping there and no hurry.
I was going to skip the way from first to alpiglen and just take the gondola to grindelwald and I guess train to alpiglen; ( I noticed the book lists an alternate walk to gleckstein hut) but it looked like a lot of that just followed a road. Is it worth it to walk there? I don’t as a rule care for road walking.
Hi Debra,
From Lauterbrunnen you could catch the train through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg and walk through Alpiglen to Grindelwald. By itself, Alpiglen is not a destination, but rather somewhere you can take a break on the walk. Alternatively, take the train to Wengen, then the cable car to Maennlichen and walk to Kleine Scheidegg from there. The Eiger trail which starts at Kleine Scheidegg sounds like the kind of walk you would be interested in.
Going to First would be a trip in itself because it is on the other side of the valley from KS. Take the train from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald then walk through town to the First gondola station and upwards.
Alan
well I was planning on walking the whole circuit over a few days and not take any trains, starting at Wilderswill up around the eiger trail and back down by Stechelberg but thanks.
Alan said <<“then the cable car to Maennlichen and walk to Kleine Scheidegg from there. “>>
Hi Debra –
I noticed that you had suggested the opposite direction in an earlier post.
The hike from Männlichen towards the Eiger (towards Kleine Schidegg) is slightly easier (mildly downhill) but that is not an issue for you. Either way, it has been known to the local Swiss as “The Grannies Trail” for years. Now it has some fancier name, which I choose to not remember.
What I have found to be important on many walks, and what is almost invariably recommended in guide books is to walk toward the Eiger. There is a substantial psychological effect as the ‘Ogre” grows over you, and you can see the famous climbers landmarks, such as the White Spider. If you have to constantly twist your neck and look back, it spoils the effect.
Here are a few pictures taken in the area (attached) . You might want to take the brief side trip up to Männlichen Gipfel from Männlichen Luftseilbahn Bergstation.
I have added a full res crop from the 2005 scan of the picture of the North Face. It shows just how small people are vs. the Eiger. That was in the days of film, actually taken in 1999…lots of grain in the crop.
Since you are considering basing in Lauterbrunnen, I have added a shot of the Lauterbrunnen Valley taken from Wengen.
There are many fans of Wengen…better views than down in the valley.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
Slowpoke
The way outlined in the Kev Reynolds guide starts at Schynige platte to first, to grosse scheidegg, to alpiglen with a side trip to baergg, to kliene scheidegg up to mannlichen and double back to kleine scheidegg and continue on to stechelberg but instead of continuing on I would just head toward murren and back to lauterbrunnen. I figured by staying on the trail I could save a bundle on cable and tram fees. The maps in his book are only somewhat helpful though.
This is more of what I had in mind. This was on Mt Rainier last year.
<“to kliene scheidegg up to mannlichen and double back to kleine
scheidegg “>>
He doubled back for a good reason.
( By the way, Mannlichen and Männlichen are pronounced diferently, and, since Kleine Scheidegg is a place name it is capitalized, whereas some other Scheidegg might be described as grosse or kleine in describing it. Just like New York. )
<<“I figured by
staying on the trail I could save a bundle on cable and tram fees. The
maps in his book are only somewhat helpful though.” >>
Everyone has to make their own choices for trading off cost, time , and quality of results.
For many, the Eiger is important enough to be a special focus. My own attitude is that, once i have paid to get myself to the area, I’ll regret it later if I save 25 CHF and don’t take advantage of the best opportunities.
By the way, the mountain in at Alpiglen is famous for its Käseschitte.
Slowpoke
Thanks for the pictures. I prefer to hike or walk where and when i can see some distances without having them obscured by fog or clouds.
And, since I only do short day hikes, i will almost always be on trails that are heavily used. Thus, I cannot offer pictures that match yours, except for getting above the cloud deck.
There was a lot of that in Switzerland last December.
<<“The way outlined in the Kev Reynolds guide ….The maps in his
book are only somewhat helpful though.”>>
I read his book to get descriptions, then I use the the excellent Swiss Land Office paper topo maps or the online maps that I linked you to earlier to figure out the topography.
Slowpoke
Slowpoke.
Thank you Slowpoke, you have been very helpful. I think once I get a good paper map it will make more sense for me. I am down with a bad cold so a bit grumpy and overthinking this trip I think.
Hi Debra-
I hope your head cold improves before you have to fly.
<<“I think once I get a good paper map it will make more sense for me”>>
The Swiss Land Office offers a huge variety of paper maps. I’d not be surprised if they gradually diminish their offerings…smartphones rule these days ;-(
I like to plan with the maps that show trails (die Wanderwege) and those maps are die Wanderkarte. They were traditionally available in 1:50,000, but other scales have become available.
They are pretty good for hiking unless you are in areas with extreme topography. In those regions, the 1:25,000 are good for cliffs and valleys and close up detail. Those maps for a given region are often available at many types of stores in almost all parts of Switzerland.
Just remember, nothing is cheap in Switzerland,
So, I buy only a few on every trip…;-)
Slowpoke
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