The trip up to Jungfraujoch—top of Europe—is indeed a once in a lifetime experience. From Grindelwald the Wengenralp Railway (Switzerland’s longest cogwheel rail route) takes you along the North Face of the Eiger up to Kleine Scheidegg. There you change trains into the Jungfrau Railway…Read More

The trip up to Jungfraujoch—top of Europe—is indeed a once in a lifetime experience. From Grindelwald the Wengenralp Railway (Switzerland’s longest cogwheel rail route) takes you along the North Face of the Eiger up to Kleine Scheidegg. There you change trains into the Jungfrau Railway and await transportation to Europe’s highest altitude railway station, Jungfraujoch. Along the way the train journey makes two stops at viewing platforms. The first gives you a fantastic view down to Grindelwald while the second stop offers a view of an awesome ice and snow landscape.

Once you’ve reached the Jungfraujoch, a variety of activities await you. Relax in one of the restaurants, soak up the views from the viewing platforms, or take the elevator to the Sphinx offering a 360-degree panorama of the Alps including the Aletsch Galcier (the longest Glacier in the Alps). For those who like to be a bit more active you can go Husky Sledging, hike to the Moenchjochs hut (approximately 1 hour each way), check out the ski and snowboard park or take a ride on a zip-line. Remember, you are at over 11,000 feet up here and it is cold all year long so dress warmly and wear appropriate shoes. We saw many people wearing hats and scarves and sandals!!

If you still have some time and energy left, get out at one of the half-way stops after Kleine Scheidegg and walk the rest of the way to Grindelwald or Wengen. It makes for a full day of adventure.

Not able to get enough of those snowy, spectacular Alps, I took a looong cable car up from Grindelwald to Mannlichen (listed by Lonely Planet as the longest in Europe? Fun fact.) The top of Mannlichen was AMAZING! So unreal, this plateau of snow…Read More

Not able to get enough of those snowy, spectacular Alps, I took a looong cable car up from Grindelwald to Mannlichen (listed by Lonely Planet as the longest in Europe? Fun fact.)

The top of Mannlichen was AMAZING! So unreal, this plateau of snow with valleys sloping away on all sides and Alps rising up even higher in all directions. On the far side, the cliff seemed to drop thousands of feet directly down into the valley below. I could see all the way to Lake Thun in the distance.

The brightness of the snow and sky were nearly blinding with their beauty. One of my favorite photographs ever was taken that day, with light on the glistening mountains opposite.

On the deck at the lodge, a band played while people unwound at the end of their day with dancing and drinks. Mannlichen even provided lounge chairs to soak up that bright sun!

In the morning we fueled up on muesli and Emmenthal cheese. The day before, we'd gone to the local ski shop where I rented the works: board boots, even ski pants. We piled onto the train with hoards of other people, piling our athletic gear…Read More

In the morning we fueled up on muesli and Emmenthal cheese. The day before, we'd gone to the local ski shop where I rented the works: board boots, even ski pants. We piled onto the train with hoards of other people, piling our athletic gear in special carts outside the rail cars. The train ride wound us up from the warm mountain floor into deep snow country, and through tunnels that definitely brought avalanches to mind.

I hoped I was ready to hit the slopes of Klein Sheidegg, even though it had been oh... four years since I was last on a snowboard? I with my board and Veronica with her skis... set to meet in front of the teepee at the end of the day!

I spent 95% of the morning falling hard on my ass. There was no bunny trail for me warm up on! My completely exhausted lunch break was long overdue by the time I finally sat down to refresh myself a bit and watch the crowd.

At the end of the day, I waited for Veronica by the teepee and unwound with a Grolsch. And waited... and waited... Veronica never showed up! It turns out that she had torn her ACL on the ski slope and been transported back to our hostel. When I got on the last train down the mountain, though, I had no idea.

November in Grindelwald is their in-between season. The summer and fall hikers are gone, and the winter snows have not yet arrived -- and neither have the tourists. Many of the shops and hotels are closed, but there are still plenty of options available. Unless…Read More

November in Grindelwald is their in-between season. The summer and fall hikers are gone, and the winter snows have not yet arrived -- and neither have the tourists. Many of the shops and hotels are closed, but there are still plenty of options available. Unless you grew up in the area, or are unimpressed by natural beauty, you will find yourself amazed by the landscape. Be sure to hike the well-marked trails - with hiking poles to save on your knees - and take a loaf of fresh bread and local cheese for a mid-hike break.    Close

This is absolutely fun and stunning when the snow conditions are generous. For part of it, the run is also a walking and hiking path (yes, they exist in Switzerland!), and you have to be careful not to run over those who are enjoying a…Read More

This is absolutely fun and stunning when the snow conditions are generous. For part of it, the run is also a walking and hiking path (yes, they exist in Switzerland!), and you have to be careful not to run over those who are enjoying a slower pace.   Close

While Veronica rested her knee and recuperated in the hostel for the next two days, I attempted to amuse myself with Grindelwald's local scenery. I took a hike with two nice new friends, Rennesa and James. The forests and trails were a new kind…Read More

While Veronica rested her knee and recuperated in the hostel for the next two days, I attempted to amuse myself with Grindelwald's local scenery. I took a hike with two nice new friends, Rennesa and James.

The forests and trails were a new kind of beauty from the stark glory of the mountainsides: we now found delicate flowers sprinkled across pastures, dappled sunlight, and glacier-fed streams.

Though we were not allowed to hike up to the glacier due to the warm weather and impending avalanche season, we found some nice views of Grindelwald.

The Grindelwald valley, with the village Grindelwald, is situated south of Interlaken. The valley is well known because of the magnificent views at the Eiger, Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn. There are two glaciers, the upper and lower Grindelwald glacier, the lower glacier can be reached by…Read More

The Grindelwald valley, with the village Grindelwald, is situated south of Interlaken. The valley is well known because of the magnificent views at the Eiger, Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn. There are two glaciers, the upper and lower Grindelwald glacier, the lower glacier can be reached by cableway (to Pfingstegg) and from there it is easy to walk.

View-points of the Grindelwald valley (there are more):

Männlichen, Kleine Scheidegg, Grosse Scheidegg, First, Lower Glacier, Pfingstegg.

They all can be reached by train, cableway or bus and of course you can walk.

At Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg you have an magnificent view at the snow-capped mountains of this region.