After breakfast at the Essential in Interlaken, we visited the Alpen Tower by Meiringen. After, we backtracked to visit Grindelwald First and Eigergletscher before returning to Interlaken for dinner.
Morning
After waking up at the Essential by Dorint in Interlaken, we bundled up and walked over to breakfast. As we had been upgraded to an apartment room, we needed to go outside to return to the main building where the breakfast area is located.
We had a bit of trouble with access as apartment rooms don’t usually include breakfast. The breakfast attendant resolved the issue though and was able to find out from the front desk that our rate included breakfast.
As for the breakfast, it was OK. It wasn’t really competitive with most of the other hotels we’ve stayed at in Switzerland but at least better than hotels like Fairfield & Hampton Inn in the US. We didn’t stay here for the breakfast though, we stayed because of the price, newness of the property, and it being directly adjacent to the train station!
Meiringen
After breakfast, we caught the next train to Meiringen. The town of Meiringen provides access to the Alpen Tower via a combination of aerial tram and gondolas. It is also a ski area which is open this weekend due to good conditions.
The train passes by the small town of Brienz. This small town has a steam mountain railway, the Brienz Rothorn Bahn, that is closed during the winter. Hopefully we’ll be here again during a season when it is open!
The weather was pretty poor with overcast skies. Not really the best conditions for visiting a mountain top!
About 30 minutes after leaving Interlaken, we arrived at Meiringen.
Trauffer, a Swiss company that makes wooden cows, has a museum nearby in Brienz. We actually have a tiny one that we bought on a previous visit! It is much smaller than this huge cow!
There was a tiny bit of snow on the ground and a bit of frost on the grass as we walked away from the train station. The Meiringen aerial tram station is about half a kilometer away, more or less.
The town of Meiringen was basically deserted at this time, about 9am on a Sunday.
Everyone is probably at church or asleep!
There is a bit of an incline in the road past the church.
Is this water trough for horses? Cows? People?
We soon saw a water pipe coming down from the mountain as well as what are probably utility lines. The aerial tram station is nearby.
Finally, we have reached our destination! Although we pretty much didn’t see anyone on our way here, the tram car was pretty busy with skiers headed up!
The aerial tram’s upper terminal is in the small village of Reuti in Hasliberg. The station at Reuti is directly connected to the gondola that ascends further up the mountain.
From the gondola, we could see where we came from, the valley below. While it was covered with clouds, the sky was beautiful and clear here!
We got off the gondola at Bidmi. This was actual a mistake as it turns out Bidmi is an intermediate station which provides access to this area and also serves as a change in direction for the gondola line. We could have just stayed on to continue. As we already got off, we briefly looked around the area outside before continuing on. At this elevation, the ground was mostly covered a thin layer of snow. The trees did not have any snow on them so this snow was not fresh.
The downhill view towards where we came from. Trying to identify mountains can be hard, however, the triangular mountain in the distance on the right seems to be Eiger. The wider mountain just to its left is probably Jungfrau. The third mountain in this trio, Monch, is probably hidden behind Eiger. Looking more closely, there is a tiny peak between Eiger and Jungfrau. This should be Jungfraujoch, which we visited last year, the last time we were in this region.
We got back on the gondola and traveled to the upper station at Magisalp.
Magisalp is just above the treeline. During the winter season, when everything is open, it is possible to ski down from here to Bidmi and Reuti. However, most of the ski trails are further up and end here at Magisalp.
Currently, it is before the start of the normal ski season. However, due to favorable weather, there is a special opening period this weekend. This may have been cause of a problem that we ran into here at Magisalp. We have the Berner Oberland Pass which provides free transport in much of the Bernese Oberland region. This includes the Bergbahnen Meiringen – Hasliberg, including the gondola from line from Magisalp to the Alpen Tower.
We were able to just scan our QR code ticket at the entrance stations to get to Magisalp, however, it did not work for the next gate. After talking to the ticket office, they said that because this is a special opening period, standard passes do not apply. We’re not sure if this is correct or not. The official Berner Oberland Pass doesn’t mention any blackout dates or restrictions so we’re not sure this was correct, but, there are no realistic options other than to pay or leave.
As the name suggests, the Alpen Tower is at the top of a mountain, the Planplatten. There isn’t too much here, just the gondola upper station with attached restaurant and viewpoint.
The trails from the Alpen Tower more or less follow the route of the gondola on the way down. Other than some restricted areas, it seems the majority of the mountainside below is open for skiing and boarding.
The valley below remained under the cover of clouds. We weren’t sure how long it would be before it would clear up.
The outdoor areas around the Alpen Tower building were mostly covered with snow and ice. There is a trail that leads outside of the fenced area which seems to lead to the actual summit of the Planplatten.
There is a trail that leads to the peak with a small patio-like area around the pole that is visible on the left here. It looks like a pleasant place to visit during the warmer seasons. It seems like a sketchy place to be in the winter as it appears to be a steep descent on either side. Still, it has clearly been walked and skied!
We switched to the telephoto lens to take a look around. While there isn’t much we recognize here, we could make out Piz Gloria atop the Schilthorn in the distance! Like the Alpen Tower but at a much higher elevation, Piz Gloria is reached by cable transport. The lower station to this aerial tram, at Birg, is also visible here, down and to the left of the mountain peak. We visited the Schilthorn last year and visited the summit. There is currently a large renovation project going on to replace the aerial trams that provide access to the Schilthorn.
We could see some idle ski infrastructure as currently there is just one trail open, from here down to Magisalp.
We haven’t skied since I tore my ACL at Arapahoe Basin during the pandemic after getting our initial series of two COVID-19 shots. It was the only ski trip we made that year and on the very last day we had planned to ski. So, of course we had considered trying to ski this trip. We decided it was too early in the season though as the season mostly has not begun yet here. Looking at what was open from the gondola and the Alpen Tower, this was probably a good decision. The snow looked mostly acceptable but there were definitely places where there was not enough snow. And, it seemed like the trail was extremely narrow in some places and steep. Not really the best conditions for returning after so long!
The gondolas, as seen from above. Lots of people going up, almost no one going down. We only saw a few other people on foot like us.
We did see these three walk past the closed barrier and continue walking on the ridgeline with large packs. We think they’re backcountry paragliders? We’ve only seen them take off from more developed locations.
A closer look at where the clouds meet the mountains.
It is pretty common to find crosses atop mountains here in Switzerland. They look pretty tiny but of course these mountains are huge!
We returned to the gondola to head back down after spending about 30 minutes at the summit. While the views were fantastic, there isn’t really anything to do up there in the winter as you are pretty much at the very tippy top of the mountain. One side is the small ridge to the actual summit, the other is the ski slope down, and the other sides are basically cliffs.
This part here seemed to be the steepest portion of the slope that we could see. There is what appears to be a longer but very narrow bypass to the side.
Looking back up, the summit isn’t visible from in front of the gondola station. The very steep section of the slope is right here behind the station and the cluster of trees.
We noticed a paraglider up high! Could it be one of the three we saw up at the summit?
We took a quick look around before continuing on.
Just this one photo as we started started to descend back down to Reuti. We had already taken a bunch of photos on our way up.
We took some photos on the aerial tram ride back down to Meiringen as we hadn’t been able to photograph on the way up due to the tram being crowded.
After returning to Meiringen, we rushed to make it back to the train station to catch the next train back to Interlaken. Service here is generally half hourly, though the exact timing meant that we had just enough time to catch the next train if we walked somewhat quickly.
We saw a variety of weather conditions on our way back to Interlaken. It definitely wasn’t like in the morning though where the entire route was overcast.
We talked a bit with an older local Swiss couple who were seated across the aisle from us on the train. They gave us this brochure for the boats that operate on Lake Lucerne, which we’ve been to before.
Grindelwald First
Given the weather that we saw at the Alpen Tower, we decided to head to Grindelwald First. We visited First the last time we were here and hiked to the Bachalpsee. Today, mainly wanted to see how different it would be during more wintery conditions as well as possibly hike around a bit, though not to the lake. Going to First is also a zero cost activity for us thanks to the Berner Oberland Pass.
The inclusion of Jungfrau region transportation is changing in 2025. The pass will still include the train to Grindelwald and Wengen via Lauterbrunnen but further up-mountain transportation will be at a discounted rate rather than fully included.
After arriving at Interlaken Ost, we switched to the train that goes to Grindelwald. The weather looked pretty good here now!
The train ride to Grindelwald from Interlaken Ost takes about 30 minutes. It is nice and quick! The entire town of Grindelwald was in the shadow of the mountains due to the low sun angle during the winter.
We passed behind the Hotel Belvedere where we stayed during our prior visit. It was an excellent hotel, though the building isn’t particularly attractive!
After leaving the station, we walked east through Grindelwald to get to the gondola station for First.
The weather was fantastic as we ascended via the long gondola line. There wasn’t much snow at this elevation though and all the snowmaking equipment was idle.
The snowline was more or less around the Schreckfeld station. There are three intermediate stations along the route, each with a change in direction. At Schreckfeld, the gondolas go from ascending to the north to steeply ascending to the west. The other two stations have much more minor direction changes. There is no need to exit or change gondolas at the intermediate stations as the gondolas continue on all the way to First.
There was a bit less snow on the ground in the direction of the paraglider launch area.
This viewing platform, jutting out over the cliff below from the patio of the combined gondola station, alpine hut, and restaurant building at First, is at the end of the First Cliff Walk. We did the cliff walk last year but there was a huge queue for this last section so we skipped it. While the restaurant was pretty busy, the queue today was pretty short for this platform. We decided to go for a closer look.
This isn’t the view from the platform but from the patio next to it. The platform isn’t significantly elevated in any way so it should not offer any improved view. From this perspective, looking above Grindelwald at the mountains just beyond, Eiger dominates the view. Jungfrau should be the mountain to the right while Monch is hidden behind Eiger. A rather different perspective from the view these mountains that we saw earlier in the day!
This was the view from the initial part of the platform looking to the northwest. The Bachalpsee is out there somewhere. There are a few people on the trail to the lake, visible as tiny dots. Parts of the trail can be seen in the snow, though its hard to make out. We definitely won’t be hiking today as there isn’t really enough time to make it anywhere before the gondola closes for the day!
We waited on the platform a bit as the group in front of us was taking many different photos with a variety of combinations of people. This was the view to the southeast with the paragliders getting ready to launch at the bottom right corner.
And looking a bit more to the right, we could see three paragliders in the air that probably just took off.
This wasn’t intended at the time, but the two previous photos do stitch into a nice panorama!
The First Cliff Walk can be seen from the platform. It is the metal path attached to the cliffside! The route is one way and starts around the corner and ends here. This section of the walk is the only part that can be accessed in reverse. We didn’t do the Cliff Walk today as we did it the last time we were here.
The small looking metal platform above is the First View. Like the walk, we checked it out the last time we were here. One tiny detail here, the Crash Landing on You photo heart looks like it has been moved to the First View. Last year, it was located at the entrance to the Cliff Walk. Or maybe there is a new second heart?
A better view of the visible portion of the Cliff Walk.
While we did have someone take our picture for us, we didn’t really take a photo of the end of the platform from the platform itself. The view isn’t any better than the view from the restaurant’s patio or any of the other viewpoints that are on the ground. This is pretty much the same exact perspective where we photographed the viewing platform, from the viewing platform. Looks the same!
We decided to head back down to Grindelwald and see how things look from Eigergletscher, the railway station at the upper end of the Eiger Express gondola. After we left the platform and walked through the patio, we saw these Alpine Choughs that were probably eagerly awaiting their next snack!
The Jungfrau marketing materials like to refer to First as the Top of Adventure. One reason is activities like the First Flyer, seen here. This is a zip line that descends from First down to Schreckfeld, parallel to the steepest portion of the gondola route! It looks terrifying.
We’ll stick to descending via the gondola!
Goodbye, First!
Not sure if the First Flyer looks more frightening from the top or the gondola!
As we descended towards Schreckfeld, we could see the gondola line after the turn at the station. The view here is dominated by Eiger, right below the sun. The cables for the Eiger Express gondola can be seen on the right side of the mountain if you look closely, as well as the railway which snakes up the lower portion of the mountainside.
It takes a minute or so for the gondolas to move through the intermediate stations. They are detached from the cable, move slowly through the station so that people can get on and off if they want, and then reattached on the other side to continue the journey.
First is also home to the First Glider, seen here. This is somewhat like the First Flyer zip line except four people are strapped to the bottom of a “hawk” and then pulled up to First, then released to “glide” back down to Schreckfeld. It’s a bit hard to see the glider here but it is to the right of the trees growing out of the small ravine near center.
This enlarged view may help!
Looking to our right and up, we could see the gondola line that we just descended on as well as the First Flyer and a bit of the paraglider take off point.
We soon descended below the snow line, with just patches remaining here and there.
Looking up, we could see the viewing platform that we were on earlier as well as the First View. From this perspective, it looks like the end of the platform is completely open and one could simply walk off the end! There is actually a pane of glass there preventing this from happening.
One of the many paragliders that we saw today in a pod.
We continued until returning to the gondola station at Grindelwald.
Eigergletscher
We walked back to the Grindelwald train station to catch the next train down to Grindelwald Terminal. It is also possible to walk down but from a time saving perspective this only makes sense if you just missed a train.
The sun was behind Eiger as we waited.
After getting on the train, we rode down to Grindelwald Terminal, a journey that just takes 3 minutes by train and 15 to 20 minutes on foot.
The Eiger Express was not busy at all when we boarded around 3pm. There was snow on the ground everywhere as the low winter sun angle means that most of the landscape here is probably in the shade for most of the day.
The trip up to the Eigergletscher station takes about 15 minutes, much faster than taking the train which requires transferring at Kleine Scheidegg. We arrived just as a train was departing from Eigergletscher for Jungfraujoch. The train from here to Jungfraujoch is the only transit not included as part of the Berner Oberland Pass.
We walked outside to just take a look at the area and also see how realistic hiking down to Kleine Scheidegg would be on a future day during this trip. We did do the hike on our last visit and it would be interesting to see it in the winter.
It was actually very busy here at the station as the ski season has started, at least for the weekend. There were quite a few tents set up right by the entrance to the station, maybe for demo skis or something like that?
The tents can be seen here at the bottom below Monch, the large peak at top center.
The station entrance is on the south side which provides a view to the north only. We walked out to go around the station from the west side. We looked around and we couldn’t really tell the proper hiking route to descend to Kleine Scheidegg. It should be below by the train platform, though we didn’t go down to investigate further.
At the very left side of this small two frame panorama, we can see the Schilthorn and Piz Gloria atop it, which we saw earlier in the day from atop the Alpen Tower.
There isn’t really any dedicated walking path during the winter, basically, you walk on the side of the ski trail. This does require crossing it, luckily, it was not really busy at the time. Once we were on the north side, we could see Eiger ahead of us and to the left, and Monch over to the right.
It was quite a beautiful view looking to the north across the valley below, though unfortunate that much is in the shadow of the high mountain peaks behind us!
After a quick look around, we started to walk back.
Looking to the south, we could see the peak of Jungfrau. It is the tall peak that is to the right of center. Jungfraujoch, containing the upper terminal of the railway, isn’t visible from this perspective. It should be somewhere to the left of the visible saddle between Jungfrau, on the right, and Monch, on the left.
We watched as a train arrived from Kleine Scheidegg. It looked like it was empty.
We were gone for less than 15 minutes by the time we returned to the station entrance. Some of the tents were already fully dismantled as the ski slopes will soon close for the day.
We waited in the station until it was about sunset before heading back out. It was somewhat dark outside with the sun behind the mountains already.
Eiger was tall enough to be illuminated though, as well as part of Monch.
We walked around the north side of the station to take a look. The valley was dark but the mountain tops were illuminated. First is out there, somewhere.
The chairlift was silent, done for the day. There were very few other people around.
We returned to the station to head back down.
The entrance to descend on the gondola is one floor down. When entering by the door next to the outside entrance to the station, the route goes by the interior train platform which is used for trains going up to Jungfraujoch. It was quiet and the doors were closed.
We got on the gondola and rode it down as the sunlight faded from the mountains ahead.
Interlaken
After returning to Grindelwald, we took the next train to Interlaken Ost. Once there, we decided to walk back to the Essential, which is over by Interlaken West, and get dinner on the way. The two stations are not far apart.
There were some decorations for the Christmas season.
We didn’t really walk around Interlaken during our previous visit to Grindelwald and never really saw it at night. The grand hotels, like the Beau Rivage here, were all lit up at night.
There were some decorations as well as a few Christmas market stalls in front of the Casino Interlaken. Nothing looked particularly compelling though so we continued on after a taking a brief look.
We walked by the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa which was in Crash Landing on You. It seems like it was an interior scene though we should rewatch to see if there is an exterior shot of the hotel! Out of all the grand hotels like this one in Interlaken, this seems like the one to stay at, though we’re happy to be paying a fraction of the price to stay at the Essential!
This hotel is a bit more than half-way between the east and west train stations. So far, we failed in finding a place to have dinner as all the places we want to try are closed for shoulder season!
We decided to visit the Funky Chocolate Club for a snack. Its kind of a silly name but we can report that the chocolate covered strawberries are excellent.
We decided to cross the river Aare as there are some more restaurants to the north. Looking to the northeast, we could see the Grosse Staatsschleuse, a small dam and covered bridge atop it. The light above in the mountains is probably Harder Kulm, the only place we actually visited in Interlaken during our previous trip.
A slightly closer look at the dam. The Aare is the same river that we saw yesterday which passes through the middle of Bern.
We crossed over another bridge just to the north as we had walked onto a narrow island that sits in the middle of the river.
We soon reached a small plaza with a lighted Christmas tree in the middle. This is actually the central plaza in Unterseen, a town on the north side of the Aare across from Interlaken.
The Stadthaus, helpfully labelled above the entrance door, is in the middle of the plaza. This is the town’s former town hall building with the current structure dating back to 1819 which seems to have replaced a previous town hall building from 1470. This building has a restaurant on the first floor, helpfully named the Restaurant Stadthaus.
The Zürcher Geschnetzeltes would be called rou si in Chinese. No idea what the proper English term would be but strips is not it! The veal was unfortunately too dry but at least the sauce was decent. The hash browned potatoes were excellent though!
The lamb shank was fall off the bone soft, though it didn’t have any particularly notable taste.
After dinner, we headed back to Interlaken on the south side of the Aare. We walked via a different route to return via a different bridge to the south. We ended up walking through a small path through a park next to the river. It was dark and quiet. It would have been extremely creepy in the US, and it was a bit here, but Switzerland in general is much safer.
We noticed an ice skating bear right by Interlaken West! Although we are no longer in the city of Bern, we are still in the Canton of Bern so bears are expected to be seen!
We also spotted two marmots atop an empty water basin. Which has an unfortunate resemblance to a toilet bowl. We finally returned to the Essential at around 8pm after a long day.