Jungfrau, Switzerland

The Bernese Oberland region in Switzerland encompasses the Jungfrau region, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Grindelwald, Interlaken, lake Brienz, and lake Thun, which extends west to Adelboden and Gstaad.

How I Booked the Flight to Switzerland

I used Life Miles to book a one-way flight from JFK to Zurich with 56K miles per ticket (112K for two tickets) on Swiss Air business class (cash prices are ~$2000 per ticket). Life Miles usually charges 63K for US to Europe flights, but there are periodic specials.

After landing at the Zurich airport, we rented a car and stayed one night in the Park Hyatt Zurich. After a late breakfast, we started driving for ~2 hours to reach Grindelwald to our next hotel.

Bergwelt Grindelwald

Bergwelt Grindelwald is an SLH property located in the heart of the town and we stayed 6 nights using Hyatt points (20-25K points per night). For some reason, the hotel was removed from the Hyatt search at the time of writing this article. This is one of the top 3 SLH properties on my list so far and a perfect location to explore the Bernese Oberland. As a Hyatt member, the hotel upgraded our room to a beautiful mountain view balcony room and the included daily breakfast was phenomenal.

Bergwelt Grindelwald has a superb interior design, a fully equipped gym, an indoor heated swimming pool, several saunas, and a large hot tub overlooking the alps. There was a daily covered parking lot fee of ~$28 USD.

Jungfrau Travel Pass

I recommend Bernese Oberland visitors consider getting the Jungfrau Travel Pass for the duration of the trip.

https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-travel-pass/

What is Included in the Jungfrau Travel Pass?

This travel pass gives you unlimited travel (all modes of transport) for three to eight days in the Jungfrau region, on the east side of Lauterbrunnen Valley. It covers Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald, First, Grosse Scheidegg, Männlichen, Kleine Scheidegg, Wengen, Grütschalp, Mürren, Harder Kulm and Schynige Platte. Bus tickets to the town of Interlaken are NOT included.

Top attractions covered by the Jungfrau Travel Pass (5 days or more)

Boat trip to Lake Brienz, Boat trip to Lake Thun and Grindelwald-First

Jungfrau Travel Pass Discounted Price Attractions

• Train from Eigergletscher to Jungfraujoch: Fixed discounted price: CHF 63 for a return ticket (CHF 75 from June through August).
• Cable car from Stechelberg to Schilthorn: 25% off
• Cable car from Grindelwald to Pfingstegg: 20% off
• Cable car from Stechelberg to Mürren and Mürren to Schilthorn: 25% off
• Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe: Fixed discounted price: CHF 63 for a return ticket (CHF 75 from June through August). The regular price is CHF 200 per person for a return ticket.

Bernese Oberland Jungfrau Region Must See Attractions

Webcams for the Jungfrau region: https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/live/webcams/

Bernese Oberland is filled with scenic attractions and hikes and most of them require taking the gondola (Jungfrau Pass will be very useful). I listed some of our favorite hikes and scenic things to do in the region below.

The First & Pfingstegg

• Take the gondola from Grindelwald to First.
• First Cliff Walk: Cliff Walk is a 15-minute roundabout walk from the summit station of First.
• Hike to Bachalpsee.
• Take the cable car from Grindelwald to Pfingstegg.
• Scenic hiking path to restaurant Milchbach along the river that springs from the Upper Grindelwald glacier.
• Hike to Berghaus Bäregg for great views and dining. Experienced hikers can continue to Schreckhorn hut.
• Toboggan run: You can ride down in the toboggan and an automatic lift takes you back up to Pfingstegg, so you can enjoy the ride several times.
• Fly Line: Consists of a steel construction attached to the trees. You’ll be sitting in belts hanging from the steel line, and you’ll gently slide down at a relaxing speed of 8-12 km/h. Once you’ve completed the 350 m-long ride along the forest, an automatic lift will take you up to Pfingstegg.

Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg Panoramic Hike

• Buy two one-way tickets (one is for the cable car and another one for the train) at the Grindelwald train station:
• First ticket: cable car/gondola from Grindelwald to Männlichen
• The Royal Walk to the Männlichen Summit.
• 2 hour panoramic walk to Kleine Scheidegg.
• Second ticket: Train ticket from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald Grund station.

Schynige Platte & Harder Kulm

• Grindelwald to Wilderswil train station to buy return tickets to Schynige Platte (cogwheel train, 45-minute ride):
• Hike Schynige Platte Panorama Trail (~2hrs).

• After returning from Schynige Platte, take the train from Wilderswil train station to the railway station of Interlaken Ost. The valley station is located close by and can be reached in a 5-minute walk. Take the funicular ride to reach Harder Kulm.
• Circular trails on the Harder Kulm; The circular trail starts at the panorama restaurant.

Trummelbach Falls, Piz Gloria and Murren

• Train from Grindelwald to Lauterbrunnen;
• Drive the car or take the bus 141 from Lauterbrunnen station to Stechelberg (10-12 min) and explore Trummelbach Falls (~45 minutes).

• After visiting the falls, walk to the nearby station to take the gondola/cable car from Stechelberg to Schilthorn.
• The cable car to Schilthorn stops at Gimmelwald, Murren, and Birg en route.
• First, visit the Schilthorn Piz Gloria – the Summit.
• Schilthorn was the location where the 1960s 007 Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was filmed.
• Piz Gloria (360-degree revolving restaurant) for a dining experience (featured image).
• Next stop: Murren for hiking and dining.
• Hike the North Face Trail.
• Hike the Flower Trail at Allmendhubel (can be reached by a funicular from Murren).

Gelmersee Circular Hike – Open funicular ride and hike

• https://www.grimselwelt.ch/en/railways/gelmerbahn/

Lake Oeschinensee panorama hike

• https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/thu-03-sep-2020-15-01-091d584?u=i

Glacier Canyon Gorge

• https://www.interlaken.ch/en/experiences/poi/glacier-canyon-grindelwald
• The canyon walk will take around 45 minutes and at the entrance near the parking lot there are few short hikes you can do before it gets dark.

Giessbach Falls

• https://www.interlaken.ch/en/experiences/poi/giessbach-falls

St. Beatus Caves

• https://www.interlaken.ch/en/experiences/lakes-waterfalls/lake-thun/st-beatus-caves
• Take a train from Grindelwald to Interlaken. From Interlaken, take bus 21 to Thun Train Station (the bus will stop right in front of the caves).

Summary

Bernese Oberland has many fun things to see and do that can be difficult to cover in one trip. None of the attractions and hikes are free and require significant spending on train/gondola tickets. One should calculate the amount individually and see if it is worth it to buy the Jungfrau Travel Pass. Award booking flights to Switzerland is relatively easy with either direct or connecting flights.