hkskyline's 2023 in GRINDELWALD, Switzerland

[hkskyline]

My first trip of 2023 (and technically last trip of 2022 as well) was a week in Switzerland to escape grey and dreary London. Airfares were surprisingly very affordable despite the holiday period and ski season. Having visited the country a few times before and doing a 2 week grand tour in 2017, I looked for new places to explore and mountains to go up.

I've been to the Lauterbrunnen area twice before, having done the trek up Schilthorn in 2017. However, the entire route up and down Jungfrau was nearly completely new to me so I planned my day around it.

Grindelwald during the winter is flooded with skiiers. This town became a tourist destination from the end of the 18th century, attracting mostly the English who wanted to climb the peaks. The town has the typical alpine charm with shops although I wasn't interested in buying anything. There are 2 major cable cars offering exquisite views that stop here - one up to First, and the other up to the more famous Jungfraujoch. The weather forecast on this first day of 2023 was promising, so I planned to go up both with an early morning start.



















First is one of the shorter peaks that can be accessed by cable car from Grindelwald. At 2168m, you don't need to know how to ski to enjoy the panoramic views and mountains. Unfortunately, the Bachalpsee hike is closed during the winter, but the Cliff Walk by Tissot is open, free, and well worth the trip up.















Skiiers can continue to take the chair lift up for their adventures. For me, this would be the highest point on my ascent.





The Cliff Walk by Tissot is a metal bridge that hugs along the cliff and finishes with a lookout platform above the cable car station.



















More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/grindelwald.htm and https://www.globalphotos.org/grindelwald2.htm

[LouisianaRush]

Great photos! I was there at the same time for a ski trip after new years. Hope you had fun.

[geomorph]

That walkway looks like a nightmare, but beautiful!

[mousquet]

Originally Posted by geomorph

That walkway looks like a nightmare, but beautiful!

You don't like skiing? Still, almost everybody loves it. It's a heck of a lot of fun.

Some ski resorts are reasonably affordable to the French side of the border too and we have large ski areas, including Les Trois Vallées (the 3 Valleys), that's supposedly the world's largest. It is a huge network of connected ski slopes and lifts, very large indeed.
I think that alone is worth a trip to the French Alps in the winter.

Of course you don't have to empty to your bank account and stay in luxury resorts to have fun. Renting a tiny apartment in Les Menuires for instance is more than enough.
You don't spend much time indoor when you enjoy skiing anyway.

Ah, you were talking about the walkway... Okay. Bah, don't get dizzy.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by geomorph

That walkway looks like a nightmare, but beautiful!

Scary, but free and absolutely stunning. I didn't dare look down much and kept my eyes on the horizon for the mountains!

[hkskyline]

It's a long way to reach the "Top of Europe" even though technically that spot is not at the top of the mountain. The journey is as much part of the fun as admiring the views at t he "top", and you have a number of choices to piece together your trip.

I chose my full day adventure to start at Grindelwald and back down through Wengen to my base near Interlaken. This loop would encompass a number of different segments, each scenic in its own right, and can be done in reverse as well. Switzerland's railways and cable cars are complicated, so do your research beforehand, and only buy the ticket to go up once you are sure the weather forecast is in your favour and the webcam view from the top agrees, too.

Grindelwald Terminal station is modern and the interchange from the trains is very easy. As you walk towards the cable car, you will find clean washrooms and a small supermarket where you can pick up a quick lunch before connecting to the Eiger Express. The floors are specially padded so you can walk your ski boots along at ease, and many were fully geared to head uphill for an exciting trip down. From Grindelwald, you can pick the quicker Eiger Express gondola or the old railway up to Eigergletscher. I opted for an aerial view, as the gondola only opened in December 2020 and takes just 15 minutes from end to end.





I could see the railway making the same ascent down below.





The tricable car system has 7 support towers spanning over 6.4 km, reducing the impact on the landscape while maintaining stability.













Many skiiers began their descent at Eigergletscher station. I popped out to enjoy the views before continuing up to Jungfraujoch, the final stop. The connection is seamless - the cable cars and trains leave from the same building and there is no need to be exposed to the elements at all.







More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/jungfrau1.htm

[hkskyline]

The Jungfrau Railway takes you to Europe's highest railway station at over 3450m above sea level. This incredible feat of engineering goes through a 7.3km tunnel stretch in the mountains and rises 1400m.

Swiss industrialist Adolf Guyer-Zeller wanted to make Jungfrau more accessible and made the decision in 1893 to build a railway. Construction started in July 1896 and the railway opened on Swiss National Day in 1912. Today, a one-way trip takes 35 minutes in modern rolling stock.

While there isn't much of a view along this stretch of railway, the anticipation of what's ahead was already exciting enough as we climbed, and climbed, and climbed.



























More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/jungfrau2.htm

[xzmattzx]

Great pictures so far!

[hkskyline]

Heading back downhill after enjoying the beautiful views at Top of Europe, I took a different route to Kleine Scheidegg and towards Wengen. Kleine Scheidegg is a major railway transfer point and views from here are quite spectacular as well, enhanced by the photography opportunities to capture the train moving slowly away or towards you amidst a mountain backdrop.

Since this part of the mountains has a well-developed cable car and train system, do plan to ascend and descend using different routes to maximize your experience.





















Trains from higher elevations stop at the far end facing the mountains, while the next connection down to Wengen leave from the interior platform next door. There are restaurants here and many skiiers starting their trek. By late afternoon, the trains were packed as many day trippers were heading back to lower elevations for their hotels.









Go for the left window on the way down and you will spot Wengen in the distance as the train gets closer and closer to town. Strangely, despite being the middle of winter, snow wasn't a common sight in these mountainous areas.



More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/jungfrau3.htm

[hkskyline]

Wengen is a car-free village that is suspended above the valley and only accessible by train. With many skiiers in the area, this place has that resort feel where tired skiiers have a good time after a long day. Although you can continue all the way downhill to Lauterbrunnen, I would recommend a stop here to enjoy the small town.















There are many restaurants in town to satisfy hungry appetites. With the sun quickly setting, I chose to have dinner here before continuing back down to Lauterbrunnen. I've had this before on my previous trips to the country and not a fan but I guess it's a must-do while I'm here. This one tasted quite decent with a good mix of wine and cheese.





More photos on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/jungfrau3.htm