Blog – Page 6 – Aplins in the Alps

Your Swiss Vacation planning is about to get WAY EASIER! Today we’re sharing our top 14 spots in the Jungfrau Region to simplify your trip planning process. If we haven’t met, we’re Jana and Brett, and we live near Interlaken. Our mission is to help you travel Switzerland with confidence, and this blog is 100% approved for binge-reading! (In fact, our YouTube channel is 100% approved for binge-watching too!) So after finishing this blog, follow the links to find other blogs about nearly every spot on this list. Want to Watch instead of Read? https://youtu.be/9QUMJL0Y_rY 1 | Best Viewpoint: Männlichen Let’s start on this alpine ridge between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald where you’ll find our favorite viewpoint in the region: Männlichen. We didn’t make it to Männlichen until our third trip to the Jungfrau Region, but we instantly realized that hands down it has the best panorama in the whole area. That’s because it overlooks Lauterbrunnen Valley and Grindelwald Valley and the big 3 peaks: the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. On a clear day you can even spy Jungfraujoch, Interlaken, and Lake Thun. We’ve personally admired these views at least a dozen times, and we keep going back for more. There’s a steep 20-minute walk from the Männlichen cable car up to the Royal Crown viewpoint, and if you’re physically able to hike up there, we can’t recommend it enough. Männlichen can be reached in about 30 minutes from Grindelwald, or just 10 minutes from Wengen. If you have our 1-week Guide to the Jungfrau Region, Männlichen is featured on Day 3, but you can also learn more by reading our Ultimate Guide to Männlichen. Next Steps Männlichen is featured on Day 3 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our Ultimate Guide to Männlichen 2 | Most Scenic Train Ride: Schynige Platte Now let’s head over to Wilderswil to board our favorite train ride in the Jungfrau region: the cogwheel train to Schynige Platte. If you’re hoping for a scenic train ride, look no further. We tried to count how many times we’ve been up here to Schynige Platte, but lost track at 6. And each time, we’re reminded how panoramic the ride is. There are amazing views of both the mountains and the lakes the whole ride up, but they get better and better the higher you climb. And the journey is even more special because you’re riding in the original carriages from the early 1900s. And train enthusiasts will enjoy watching the conductor manually shift the rails too. Anytime we have friends or family come visit us in the summer, we love to hear their oohs-and-ahhs as they soak in this beautiful train ride that takes about 55 minutes from Wilderswil. Next Steps Schynige Platte is featured on Day 4 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our Ultimate Guide to Schynige Platte 3 | Favorite Waterfall: Giessbach Now let’s take a scenic boat ride on Lake Brienz to see our top waterfall: Giessbach Falls. We came here for the first time back in 2021 to film our second ever YouTube video. At this point we’d already been to Trummelbach and Staubbach, but knew right away that Giessbach had them both beat. Why? While Trümmelbach is powerful and Staubbach is scenic, Giessbach combines these into one majestic setting. Plus, it’s next to Grandhotel Giessbach with an inviting terrace. And it’s just above the stunning milky teal waters of Lake Brienz. Just like with the Schynige Platte train ride, we bring all of our visitors here too. And by the end of their trip, most of them say this was their favorite waterfall in the region. And finally, if you’ve ever seen the TV series Band of Brothers, the Grandhotel Giessbach is featured in the second to last episode! The Giessbach Falls can be reached by boat in about an hour from Interlaken, or just 10 minutes from Brienz. Be sure to double and triple check the time tables during your visit because the boats don’t run every hour! Next Steps Giessbach is featured on Day 6 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our blog about Cheap and Free Things To Do In Interlaken (featuring Giessbach!) Watch our 3 Waterfalls YouTube video 4 | Best Adrenaline Activity: Mürren Via Ferrata Waterfalls might be peaceful, but it’s time to get your adrenaline pumping! Our favorite adrenaline activity in the Jungfrau Region is the Mürren Via Ferrata. This was on our bucket list for 11 years, but the timing never worked out and, quite frankly, we were a bit scared since this isn’t a walk in the park — or even just a hike in the mountains. We finally got the guts to try it with a guide and oh my gosh, it was better than expected! There are 4 major elements: the exposed cliff face, a zip line, a tightrope, and a suspension bridge. Truthfully, we were most nervous about the cliff section, but it was shorter and easier than we expected. Trust us, this entire adrenaline activity is a ton of fun! If you’ve never done a via ferrata before, we recommend booking a tour with a guide. That made us feel so much more comfortable and confident. Plus, you can only enjoy the zipline if you go with a guide. This 2.2 km downhill via ferrata starts in Mürren and ends in Gimmelwald, and takes approximately 2-3 hours. Next Steps The Mürren via ferrata fits in well with Day 5 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read about (and watch) our experience on the Mürren via ferrata 5 | Favorite Cafe: Cafe 3692 If you prefer to get your energy from caffeine instead of adrenaline, then you’ll love our favorite cafe, Cafe 3692. I (Brett) am on a mission to find the best coffee, and that’s how I found this cafe back in 2021. To this day, I still love their coffee, especially the extra large älpler cappuccino, and we’re always impressed with the artisan cakes. Beyond just good coffee, Cafe 3692 has amazing woodwork decor, impressive terrace views, and is a nice little escape from the tourist crowds. If you venture here, ask the owners, Bruno and Miriam, to see their comic about the story of how they met and started the cafe! You can reach Cafe 3692 by walking steeply uphill for 20 minutes from Grindelwald, or by taking a 10-minute bus ride. Next Steps Cafe 3692 is featured on Day 1 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read about this cafe in our blog about Eating in Interlaken or 16 Things To Do In Grindelwald 6 | Most Stunning Sunset Spot: Harder Kulm Cafe 3692 has an amazing view over Grindelwald, but our favorite sunset spot is actually right above Interlaken. It’s the famous Harder Kulm! We’d been here multiple times during the day, but the first time we saw the sunset here was after a long hike along the Harder Ridge. We were pooped after 6 hours on the trail, so we sat down for drinks before heading back to Interlaken. The view is always panoramic, but it was even better with pastel colors in the sky and a golden glow on the Jungfrau! And unlike most of the cable cars and gondolas in the Jungfrau Region, Harder Kulm stays open later, which means you really can enjoy the sunset here during the summer months! Harder Kulm is just a 5-minute walk, plus a 10-minute funicular ride from Interlaken Ost Next Steps Harder Kulm is featured on Day 6 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read more about Harder Kulm in our blog about the Hardergrat Hike 7 | #1 Cable Car Ride: Männlichen Royal Ride Let’s continue our transportation theme with our favorite cable car, the Männlichen Royal Ride! Here are 3 reasons why we think this is the best ride in the region: 1 | You get a stunning view of Lauterbrunnen Valley. 2 | It takes you up to our favorite viewpoint in the whole region, which was our first spot on this list. 3 | And you can ride on top of the cable car! As far as we know, this is the only place in the Jungfrau Region where you can do that! It costs an extra 5 CHF per person (one way), but thats worth it to us for the open air experience and no glass reflections in our photos. Also, we rode this cable car one time when it was cloudy in Wengen and then we rose above the clouds to sunshine and clear blue skies. It was so spectacular that the people in the cable car started clapping. The Männlichen Royal Ride takes about 6 minutes to run between Männlichen and Wengen. Next Steps Männlichen is featured on Day 3 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our Ultimate Guide to Männlichen When you think about the Jungfrau Region... When you think about the Jungfrau Region, you probably think about Jungfraujoch, which makes sense since more than 625,000 visitors went there in 2022. But we’re here to tell you that there’s a lot more to see and do than just visiting the Top of Europe! If this round up of the top spots in the Jungfrau Region has been helpful so far, then you'll love our weekly email newsletter! It's full of valuable tips, good-to-know travel details, and behind the scenes advices that we don't share anywhere else. Join 9,000+ other travelers who dogear our email in their inbox every Saturday! 8 | Best Short Hike: the Northface Trail Across the Lauterbrunnen valley from Männlichen is our favorite short hike, the Northface Trail. We first heard about this trail when we were planning our Swiss honeymoon back in 2012. Since then, we’ve hiked the Northface trail at least a dozen times, and it just never gets old. We love to pass by our favorite alps, take a pit stop in the potty with the best views (and usually stop for a drink if Brett has his way), walk under a waterfall that we often have all to ourselves, and rest on a bench with unbeatable views. There are a few variations of the Northface Trail, but we like to follow the 6 km, 2-hour route from Allmendhubel to Gimmelwald via Spielbodenalp and Sprutz. Next Steps The Northface Trail is featured on Day 5 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our Guide to the Top 7 Easy Hikes in the Jungfrau Region, or How To Spend 1 Day in Mürren 9 | Fun Family Adventure Spot: Pfingstegg But there’s more fun to be had at our favorite family adventure spot, Pfingstegg! We had never heard of this place until 2017. We were volunteering at a Christian youth camp in Grindelwald and we took the kids here for an afternoon. Teens make everything more adventurous, but if we’re honest, riding a toboggan mountain coaster makes us feel like teens again too! But don’t skip the Fly Line either! This was another new experience for us and we assumed it might be a bit lame or boring, but were pleasantly surprised that it’s actually pretty cool! If you’re considering the Grindelwald First Adventure Activities, Pfingstegg is a perfect alternative to the crowds and long lines. And the cable car station is just a 5-minute walk from the Grindelwald First station. Next Steps Pfingstegg is featured on Day 1 of our 3-Day Guide to Grindelwald (and mentioned on Day 1 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region) Read about our Adventures At Pfingstegg, or 16 Things To Do In Grindelwald 10 | Tastiest Gelato: Azzurra Kids of all ages will enjoy our next spot too, our favorite gelateria: Azzurra. If you know me (Jana), then you know that I will eat gelato any day of the week, or of the year for that matter. We always go here with our local friends because it’s just the best place in town. But it’s really odd for me to order Italian gelato in German, so I ordered in Italian one time and discovered that one of the owners is actually Italian. That explains the authentic gelato! Azzurra is a great stop after a long day of sightseeing, and it’s just a 7-minute walk from the Interlaken West train station. 11 | Best Playground: Männlichen or Allmendhubel Let’s add one more spot to the family-friendly theme, and that’s our favorite playground. But we had a bit of a disagreement here. I (Brett) picked one playground, and Jana picked another. So we’re gonna call it a tie and show you both of ‘em! I picked Allmendhubel because of the timed maze where you get sprayed with water if you take the wrong path, the awesome zipline, and the pretend cheese-making area. Oh, and how could I forget about the underground marmot tunnels too?! Jana’s favorite playground is the giant wooden cow at Männlichen! You can climb up behind its tail, play a cowbell xylophone, slide out its mouth, and then climb all the way on top of its back for an even higher view. This farmer-themed playground also has a wooden bowling lane, so be prepared for some friendly family competition. The nice thing about both of these spots is that your kids can play for hours while you relax and enjoy the landscape all around you. Just don’t forget to unglue your eyes from the mountains to check on your kids every once in a while, okay?! ;) Next Steps Allmendhubel is featured on Day 5 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Männlichen is featured on Day 3 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our Ultimate Guide to Männlichen or How To Spend 1 Day In Mürren 12 | Favorite Farm Fridge: Grindelwald Speaking of looking up, keep your eyes open for our favorite farm fridge in Grindelwald! (Here's the Google Map pin!) Farm fridges are great for Swiss cheese and sausage and dairy products. But this little self service shop has so many cute things Jana wants :) Headbands, jams, handmade pasta, decorations, and even ice cream! (That’s how it earned our #1 slot!) You’ll find farm fridges all over the region, but this one is just a 10-minute walk downhill from Dorfstrasse in the center of Grindelwald, and takes either cash or Twint (which is the Swiss version of Venmo). Next Steps Various farm fridges (but not this specific one) are featured in our DIY Food Tour blog, and Cheap & Free Things To Do in Interlaken 13 | Best Place to Bike: Lauterbrunnen Valley Let’s hop from Grindelwald to the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which is our favorite place to go biking! One of the first big purchases we made as a married couple was a nice Trek bike for Jana so that we could go road biking together. But in 2021 we visited our friends in Germany and borrowed their ebikes for a day — and ever since, we’ve been sold. Because you can enjoy some moderate exercise without being sweaty and winded when you arrive at your destination. So we didn’t hesitate to rent ebikes in Lauterbrunnen! It’s a flat valley with so much to see during your ride: picnic spots, farms, self service shops, waterfalls, restaurants, and just endless beauty. In fact, we loved this so much that we rode up and down Lauterbrunnen Valley twice in one day. You can rent ebikes in Lauterbrunnen from Imboden Bike, and the distance from Imboden to Stechelberg at the back of the valley is just 6 km. Next Steps Lauterbrunnen is featured on Day 3 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our blog about 16 Things To Do In Lauterbrunnen Valley 14 | Prettiest Picnic Spot: Allmendhubel or Bachalpsee A great thing to do along your bike ride would be to have a picnic. Although our top picnic spot isn’t in Lauterbrunnen Valley. In fact, we both picked different picnic spots so we’re gonna show ‘em both to you! I (Jana) think Allmendhubel is the best picnic spot because one, it has these super comfy benches, and two, you can see so many popular destinations from this one spot. Wengen, Eigergletscher, Männlichen, and Schynige Platte! Plus it’s simple to reach by riding a short funicular from Mürren. But Brett chose a spot near Grindelwald that you might be familiar with — Bachalpsee, an alpine lake that reflects the snowy mountains on a clear day. You can walk around almost the entire lake and picnic anywhere in the grass you’d like — just look out for cow poo. Bachalpsee can be reached by hiking about 1-hour from the First cable car station. Next Steps Allmendhubel is featured on Day 5 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region, and Bachalpsee is featured on Day 1 of our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau Region Read our Complete Guide to Grindelwald First, 16 Things To Do In Grindelwald, or 1 Day in Mürren Start planning YOUR trip! And now that you know OUR favorite spots, it’s time to start planning YOUR trip! Click on any of the links above for guidance on how to plan your visit to the Jungfrau Region, or join our weekly email newsletter for insider advice. And we will see you in Switzerland! Get weekly trip-planning tips sent to your inbox every Saturday!