Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ascending the Schilthorn:
You can ride to the Schilthorn and back from several
points—the cable-car station near Stechelberg on the valley floor (95 SF), Gimmelwald (85
SF), or Mürren (74 SF). Snare a 25 percent discount for early and late rides (roughly before
9:00andafter 15:30)andinspringandfall (roughlyMayandOct). Ifyouhave aSwiss Pass
(50 percent discount) or Eurail Pass (25 percent off), you might as well go whenever you
like, because you can't double up discounts. Lifts go twice hourly, and the ride from Gim-
melwald (including two transfers) to the Schilthorn takes 30 minutes. You can park your car
at the valley station near Stechelberg (2 SF/2 hours, 6 SF/day, cash only). For more inform-
ation, including current weather conditions, see
www.schilthorn.ch
or call 033-826-0007.
AsthecablecarfloatsbetweenGimmelwald andMürrenyou'llseethemetalbridgethat
marks the end of the
via ferrata
. You'll also see fields of wooden tripods, which serve two
purposes: They stop avalanches and shelter newly planted trees. Made of wood, they're de-
signed to eventually rot when the tree they protect is strong enough to survive the winter
snowpack. From Mürren to Birg, keep an eye on the altitude meter.
At the Top:
Head out to the terrace, where information boards identify each peak. The
names of the hard-to-miss big three hint at local folklore: The cowled Mönch (monk—note
theshapeofitspeak)fendsofftheEiger(ogre)toprotecttheJungfrau(maiden—thoughshe
hardly seems to need the help). Directional signs point hikers toward some seriously steep
downhillclimbs.Watchparagliderssetup,psychup,andtakeoff,flying45minuteswiththe
birds to distant Interlaken. Walk along the ridge out back. This is a great place for a photo
of the mountain-climber you. Youth hostelers—not realizing that rocks may hide just under
the snow—scream down the ice fields on plastic-bag sleds from the mountaintop. (There's
Inside, Piz Gloria has a free “touristorama”
film
room. The 20-minute video shows the
natural wonders of the area, highlights a few activities—including racing down the famous
Inferno ski run, briefly shares the story of the Schilthornbahn lift itself, and shows a sub-
stantialclipfromthe1969JamesBondmovie,
OnHerMajesty'sSecretService
.Thatmovie
used the newly completed station as one of its major film sets.
You can ride up to the Schilthorn and hike down, but it's tough. (Hiking
up
from Gim-
melwald or Mürren is easier on your knees...if you don't mind a 5,000-foot altitude gain.)
For information on
hikes
from lift stations along the Schilthorn cable-car line, see “Hiking
andBiking,”later.Myfavorite“hike”fromtheSchilthornissimplyalongtheridgeoutback,
to get away from the station and be all alone on top of an Alp.
Breakfastat10,000Feet:
Thehuge28-SF“007Breakfast Buffet” isserved8:00-11:00.
Therestaurantalsoserveshotdishesalldayatpricesthatdon'trisewiththealtitude(around
24 SF).
