Five Days Highlights Trip

Evening atmosphere at Bachalpsee
Itinerary

A tour packed with highlights

From the Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe to the Schilthorn - Piz Gloria and the Staubbach Waterfall. From the Bachalpsee to the Reichenbach Waterfall and a visit to Bern Old Town. This 5-day tour takes in numerous sights in the Jungfrau Region.

Day 1: Europe's highest railway station and an ice palace

Your all-the-highlights-in-one tour starts in Grindelwald. And right from the start, things are looking up. From the Terminal station in Grindelwald the Eiger Express – the world's most state-of-the-art tri-cable gondola – will whisk you up to the Eiger Glacier in just 15 minutes. Here, you change on to the Jungfrau Railway – a marvel of construction. This route passes through a seven-kilometre-long tunnel through the Eiger and Mönch to the Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe. At 3,454 metres above sea level, the end station is the highest railway station in Europe. Here, you can visit the ice palace and admire the fantastic view of the Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps. Naturally, you can also enjoy a meal in one of the restaurants. All in all, you should allow two to three hours for your visit to the Jungfraujoch. Had enough of the thin, high-altitude air? No problem! You can get back down to Grindelwald in just 45 minutes by train and gondola cableway, where you can satisfy your shopping urges in the terminal, before heading back to your accommodation.

Day 2: A royal ride and the jewel of the Alps

Your second day kicks off in Wengen. From the station, it’s a five-minute walk to the bottom station of the Wengen – Männlichen aerial cableway. With the Royal Ride, a very special aerial cableway. Basically, you travel up to Männlichen not in the cabin but on an open-air balcony on top of the cabin. It's a regal experience – and one that continues once you get to the top. The Royal Walk takes 20 minutes from the mountain station to the summit of the Männlichen, and to the viewing platform that is shaped like a crown. The view from here, which encompasses the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau triumvirate, is simply … fit for royalty. Right next to the mountain station for the aerial cableway is the one for the Grindelwald – Männlichen gondola cableway. This takes you down to the valley in 20 minutes, to the Grindelwald terminal, from where you can get to the centre of the village by train or bus.Do take some time to explore this village at the foot of the Eiger, before heading to the bottom station of the First Railway. It takes around 25 minutes in the six-seater gondola to get to the mountain station on First, almost 2,200 metres above sea level. If you have a head for heights, you absolutely must do the Cliff Walk, before enjoying a fine lunch in the Berggasthaus First (First mountain inn). Suitably refreshed and refuelled, you can then set out on the easy hike to the Bachalpsee. There’s a good reason it's known as the “blue jewel”. The mountain landscape around the Bachalpsee was the inspiration for Alderaan, the home planet of Princess Leia from the “Star Wars” films. Allow around 90 minutes to get there and back. Finally, bring your second day to a close by taking the gondola cableway back down to the valley, to Grindelwald.

Day 3: The valley of 72 waterfalls and Bond, James Bond!

Your third day starts in Lauterbrunnen. In the Lauterbrunnen Valley, in fact – the valley of 72 waterfalls. From the railway station, walk for 15 minutes along the main street towards the Staubbach Waterfall, the landmark of Lauterbrunnen. In the high season, Switzerland’s highest free-falling waterfall is illuminated. In summer, you can view it from behind the water thanks to a specially designed viewing gallery. Even the world-famous poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was inspired by the impressive waterfall and, in 1779, wrote the poem “Song of the Spirits over the Waters”. Got all the photos you need? Then head back to the church and the Lauterbrunnen Ey bus stop. From here, it’s a five-minute bus journey to the next highlight in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the Trümmelbach Waterfalls – the largest underground waterfalls in Europe. The ten glacier waterfalls inside the mountain can be accessed by a tunnel lift. The Trümmelbach drains the huge glacier walls of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau at a rate of up to 20,000 litres of water per second. You’ll spend 1 to 2 hours here in total, before climbing aboard the bus once more and heading towards Stechelberg, or, more precisely, the bottom station of the Schilthorn Cableway. The aerial cableway takes around 35 minutes to get up to the Schilthorn, where the 1969 James Bond classic “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was shot, 2,970 metres above sea level. What is now the 360-degree revolving restaurant was the villain Blofeld’s base in the film. It was given the name Piz-Gloria, which has stuck to this day. Here, you can tuck into a hearty brunch with a great view of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Afterwards, you can immerse yourself in the making of the 007 adventure at Spy World, an interactive exhibition on the film. On your way back, we recommend you stop off on Birg. As long as you don't mind heights, that is. Here, the rock footbridge Thrill Walk is a pure rush of adrenaline. Equally spectacular is the Skyline Walk viewing platform. All in all, you should allow three hours for your visit to the Schilthorn. Things are a bit more relaxed a thousand metres below, in Mürren. Enjoy a stroll around this car-free Alpine village for a relaxing end to the day, before heading back to Lauterbrunnen via Stechelberg, and turning in for the night.

Day 4: Bern Old Town and a boat trip on the Thunersee

Today, you travel out of the Jungfrau Region and take the train to Bern, Switzerland’s capital city. The journey takes around 90 minutes. Bern’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and boasts all manner of city tours, sights, dining options and shopping streets. It’s quite easy to while away a whole day in the city. Should you wish to combine your day trip with a boat trip on Lake Thun, that’s no problem. You just need to make sure that you take the train to Thun just after midday at the latest. From there, the scheduled boat excursion takes just over two pleasant hours to Interlaken West. You then take the train from Interlaken Ost back to the Jungfrau Region.

Day 5: On the trail of Sherlock Holmes and a glacier gorge

Your five-day tour concludes with a trip to the wonderfully idyllic Haslital. Your day starts in Meiringen. At the Sherlock Holmes Museum, behind the church, which is a five-minute walk from the railway station. Here, you immediately enter the world of the famous master detective. Following in his footsteps, you make your way to the Reichenbach Waterfall. Marvel at the rushing stream as the nostalgic 24-seater wooden wagon of the Reichenbach Funicular, which is an exact replica of the original wagon, takes you up to the base of the impressive 120-metre-high Reichenbach Waterfall. Three viewing platforms offer breathtaking vistas of the waterfall and the Haslital. A trip up here is a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes: the epic struggle between the famous detective and his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty, which ended with a plunge into the abyss, took place at this very waterfall. You then travel back to Meiringen for lunch. Replete, you take the PostBus in the afternoon to the Reichenbachtal, or, more precisely, to the Rosenlaui Glacier Gorge. This narrow gorge below the Rosenlaui Glacier is part of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, a secured 573-metre-long path with several tunnels and a 155 m climb has been blasted into the rock. It takes you past mighty waterfalls, romantic grottos and bizarre rock formations. Allow around an hour for your visit.  You then take the PostBus back to Meiringen – or to Grindelwald, via Schwarzwaldalp and Grosse Scheidegg.

More Itineraries