Bernese Oberland & Central Switzerland - Discover Switzerland: Experience the Best of Switzerland - page 294

you can walk the spectacular 6km Eiger Trail from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen (two
hours) for close-ups of the mountain's fearsome north face.
Jungfraujoch
Sure, everyone else wants to see Jungfraujoch (3454m) and yes, tickets are expensive, but
don't let that stop you. It's a once-in-a-lifetime trip that you need to experience first-hand.
And there's a reason why two million people a year visit Europe's highest train station.
The icy wilderness of swirling glaciers and 4000m turrets that unfolds at the top is stag-
geringly beautiful.
The last stage of the train journey from Kleine Scheidegg burrows through the heart of
the Eiger before arriving at the sci-fi Sphinx meteorological station. Opened in 1912, the
tunnel took 3000 men 16 years to drill.
Good weather is essential for this journey; check on www.jungfrau.ch or call 033
828 79 31. Don't forget to take warm clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen, as there's snow
and glare up here all year.
Outside there are views of the moraine-streaked 23km tongue of the Aletsch Glacier ,
the longest glacier in the European Alps and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The views
across rippling peaks stretch as far as the Black Forest in Germany on cloudless days.
When you tire (as if!) of the view, you can zip across the frozen plateau on a flying fox
(adult/child Sfr20/15), dash downhill on a sled or snow disc (adult/child Sfr15/10), or en-
joy a bit of tame skiing or boarding (adult/child Sfr35/25) at the Snow Fun Park . A day
pass covering all activities costs Sfr45 for adults and Sfr25 for children.
From Interlaken Ost, the journey time is 2½ hours each way and the return fare is
Sfr186.20. The last train back sets off at 5.45pm in summer and 4.45pm in winter.
However, from May through to October there's a cheaper Good Morning Ticket costing
Sfr140 if you take the first train (which departs at 6.35am from Interlaken Ost) and leave
the summit by noon.
Getting these early trains is easier if your starting place is deeper in the region. Stay
overnight at Kleine Scheidegg to take advantage of the excursion-fare train at 8am. From
here, a return Good Morning Ticket is Sfr90.
Even the ordinary return ticket to Jungfraujoch is valid for one month, so you can use
that ticket to form the backbone of your trip, venturing as far as Grindelwald and stopping
for a few days' hiking, before moving on to Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch, Wengen and
Lauterbrunnen.