Grindelwald and Jungfrau

Posted by Anura Samara, 24 August 2014

We’re continuing our commitment to explore Switzerland while we are living here, rather than just escaping to the rest of Europe when we can.

Jungfrau has always loomed large in my thoughts, but I’m not really sure why. I guess it’s to do with my love of mountains and being at the top. Grindelwald on the other hand has always just sounded like some fairytale destination.

We hired a car to drive there, and were offered an upgrade to a Mini cabrio. In the end, the top stayed up for most of the weekend.

Grindelwald

Grindelwald is really just like many other skiing resorts, with relatively high-end shops lining the main street. Of course, the Swiss influence dominates the architecture with buildings large and small following the ‘chalet’ style.

It was a good time of the year to visit, as it’s easy to imagine it becoming absolutely packed in winter.

We stayed in a pretty good hotel – it was hard to find our way up there in the dark, but once we got our bearings we realised that the town (and, more importantly for the trip to Jungfrau, the train station) were just a few minutes walk away.

Apart from the town itself, Grindelwald is a good jumping off point to see a few other sites – not just Jungfrau but a few other sites in the region.

Jungfrau

Jungfrau as what we were really here for.

The access is by cog railway, leaving from the station just below our hotel. The fare is pretty dear, but of course with the SBB half-price card it becomes bearable.

Jungfrau is billed as “the top of Europe” – we’re not sure how that works out as Mt Blanc is technically higher, but apparently the railway station at the top is the highest in Europe.

Like Mt Blanc, there are various outdoor viewing platforms available with indoor displays. But the real beauty of Jungfrau is the ability to get out on to the snow. There’s a sort of winter playground just below the summit, with tube rides, skiing and a cafe.

The really magical experience was setting off across the snow for a restaurant tucked in behind a ridge. The only guide is a row of wooden posts planted in the snow, which came in handy later on. On the way, there are glorious views looking eastwards across a glacier, with peaks and ranges all around you. After 1.5 kms, you disappear around a corner and arrive at a restaurant which overlooks another valley. After lunch, we headed back out again but now the weather had deteriorated to the point where we could see no more than one or two poles ahead. Suddenly, it really felt like we were explorers in unknown territory, with other people appearing as mere shadowy shapes in the gloom.

Trottibikes

What’s a trottibike? It’s like an oversized scooter, with larger wheels, proper brakes and suspension.

What happens is that you take a gondola from the centre of Grindelwald up the mountain. Once there, you hire a trottibike and the set off down the hill, following the signs back to the start of the gondola ride. The ride is literally downhill all the way, with no work to be done.

It’s a great way to enjoy the scenery, as you’re up high and riding through the quiet countryside. There were some seriously steep sections which meant riding the brakes hard and of course although you’re riding down a country lane it’s still a public road with cars travelling in both directions.

Grindelwald Glacier

It’s suprising that only 150 years ago there was a glacier at the foot of the village. Now the Grindelwald Glacier has retreated, so that you can walk through the canyons left behind.

The canyons are well developed for tourists. Once you get through the entrance, there is a continuous walkway up through the canyons – it’s a well constructed metal and timber walkway, sometimes suspended over the remaining riverbed, with lots of interesting rock formations left behind by the glacier.

Trummelbach Falls

Unlike the canyons left behind by the Grindelwald Glacier, the Trummelbach Falls are a set of interconnected waterfalls all inside the mountain.

Again, it’s well set up for tourists. Access is through a lift that takes you up to the highest waterfall. From there, there’s a safe walkway inside the mountain that takes you past nine more waterfalls at varying heights until you emerge back into the sunshine at the bottom of the mountain. The outstanding impression is of noise – the thundering roar of millions of litres of water rushing through the narrow gaps in the rocks. It was almost a relief to emerge into the open air again.

Interlaken

We ended up one evening in Interlaken.

After the grandeur of Jungfrau and the other mountains around Grindelwald, Interlaken was a bit boring. It was clearly a resort town, with lots of tourists (despite not being skiing season), restaurants, cafes and tourist activities. Unfortunately, you don’t get a sense of it’s location between two lakes – the town seems to be separated from both of them. So in the end it feels like any other soulless resort town – lots of activity but very little charm.

Categories: Switzerland

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