Hi friends, welcome back to my Switzerland series! All too quickly our time in the mountains was coming to an end and we wanted to make the most of our last full day in Wengen. Our plan included one last hike along the Eiger Trail, lunch at a mountain hut, and enjoying the cable cars along the way. The hike starts at the Eigergletcher (Eiger train station) which is accessible directly by train from Wengen, but we opted to take the longer, more scenic route. We started the day by taking the cable car up to Mannlichen, our favorite cable car from Mannlichen to Grindelwald Terminal, and one final cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletcher (38CHF without pass). All of these rides were covered with our passes and the route below is in purple. If we didn’t have our passes, it would’ve cost 362 CHF!
The cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletcher is called the Eiger Express and opened in December 2020. It was constructed with an innovative tricable system held up by only seven towers over the almost 6,500-meter distance (four miles) to Eigergletcher. The gondola seats twenty-six people, includes free WIFI, and only takes fifteen minutes to reach the top. There’s also a VIP gondola with a champagne bar, but I don’t think that was covered by our passes 😉 If you want to read more about this unique cable car system, you can check out this article.
Over 470million CHFs went into this project (roughly 530m USD) because it links the transportation hub Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage site at 3,454m (11,333 feet) above sea level. Creating this cable car system reduced the travel time from Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch by 47 minutes, which is pretty significant. Since 1912, Junfraujoch has been the highest railway station in Europe and offers plenty of activities such as an ice cave, viewing platform, adventure park, and stunning views. The regular ticket price from Grindelwald Terminal is 201CHF, but the half pass will get you half off. This is an expensive excursion, so I would double check the weather before purchasing your ticket. Jon and I felt like we got a similar experience from our time at Mount Titlis, so we didn’t have much of a desire to go up to Jungfraujoch and encounter all the crowds.
After a beautiful ride up to Eigergletcher, Jon and I looked around the new station a bit. This train station was immaculate and you can tell no expense was spared. Even the bathrooms felt like something that would be in a fancy mountain spa or health club. We stepped outside on the viewing platform and the up-close views of Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau were pretty incredible.
Jon and I embarked on our final hike of the trip, The Eiger Trail, a 6km (3.7 mile) point to point trail. If you start in Eigerglatcher and end in Alpiglen like we did, the trail is mostly downhill. The hike starts along the intimidating North Face of Eiger Mounain. This mountain is 3,967-meters (13,015 ft) tall and a treacherous, but famous mountain to climb. The North Face was first successfully scaled in 1938 and since then there have been over sixty-four deaths. Needless to say Jon and I much preferred the views from the ground.
Part of the trail we could see Kleine Scheidegg where we ended on the Panorama Trail.
Most of the trail was spent looking down towards Grindelwald and didn’t change much.
Near the end it was a little difficult walking downhill because it was pretty steep and my knees were taking a beating. We didn’t love this hike, which probably explains why I don’t have any pictures of us. Maybe if we did this hike first and not after our all-time favorite hike in Murren we would’ve liked it better, but in this case the best hike was not saved for last. Our favorite trails in order were The North Face Trail, First to Bachalpsee in Grindelwald, The Panorama Trail, and lastly the Eiger Trail.
After completing the hike, Jon and I grabbed some lunch in Alpiglen before taking the train down to Grindelwald and our favorite chairlift back up to Mannlichan. We enjoyed the views up there one last time and then it was time to head back down to Wengen to grab one final ice cream. We ended our last day relaxing and soaking up all the beautiful views from our balcony.
Wengen sure was good to us, we got so lucky with the weather! I’d definitely stay in Wengen if we came back to this area. It was very convenient to get around and had beautiful views of the valley and famous peaks. There also seemed to be enough to do if you wanted to try some of the restaurants or do a little shopping. We thought five nights was the right amount of time to stay in this region. We felt like we had fully experienced it and crossed off everything on our list without feeling rushed. After five days I was ready to see another area (and a laundromat), but I wasn’t ready to leave Switzerland. We had one final day left that included an afternoon in the capital Zurich. Stay tuned for the conclusion of my Switzerland series!
The hike down may have been bad, but it was likely better than hiking this trail up. Going downhill on a steep incline puts real pressure on your hips, knees and toes. I recall doing a long downhill section with a 40 pound pack on my back. By the end my toes knew where the toes of my boots were. I called it the “Hill form Hell”. Still stellar weather. I imagine the UV would have been fierce up at that elevation, even in the fall. Thanks for sharing your trip with us Lyssy. Allan
True, even the steepest part downhill we passed people going up and thought glad we’re not doing that! That is brutal, I can really picture the toes in the front of the boots. I can proudly say I didn’t get sunburned at all on the trip. My long sleeve shirts were the upf ones and we used the gondolas to reapply all our sunscreen. If I’m not careful the sun has no mercy on me!
More magnificent scenery beautifully captured Lyssy
Thank you!
You’re very welcome
You really did have such beautiful weather for your trip! While it may not have been a favorite hike it was still a beautiful one.
I couldn’t believe the good weather! It felt wrong saying it wasn’t our favorite because it was still so stunning.
I always prefer the ascent to the descent. Even though you begin on Eiger, the views don’t look as amazing as your previous hikes. But the ride up was nice 😊 Maggie
I always think I like the descent when I am huffing and puffing up, but it’s so painful sometimes. It is amazing how they can build all the gondolas!
Whether you hike along it, take the railway to its villages or just enjoy the view from Grindelwald below, this famous peak in the Bernese Alps is not to be missed. I love your Switzerland series, Lyssy and all the beautiful mountain views. As a keen mountain book lover and reader, I have devoured a good few books about Eiger and the attempts to climb its notorious north wall. Did you manage to locate “The White Spider,” a distinct feature on the North Face – snow-filled cracks extend from an ice field near the top, resembling the spindly legs of a spider? Thanks for sharing, and have a good day. Aiva xx
You are absolutely right, it is a must see! I am so glad you love this series, it brings back so many good memories writing it. I love mountains too, they’re just so awe-inspiring and beautiful. I didn’t read about “The White Spider” until I started writing this post, but I hope I saw it without realizing!
Gorgeous scenery! It’s good you’d gotten a pass to take the cable car; otherwise you would’ve had to pay 10x the price! Hiking uphill can be tough, but I agree that descending can be just as brutal, if not more (and my knees aren’t great)! Thanks for sharing another great adventure in Switzerland, and I look forward to reading the last of it!
It is crazy how expensive the cable cars are, but given how much money went into it I suppose it makes sense. Glad I researched all the passes. I always thinking going up I’ll enjoy the descent, but it’s usually pretty painful by the end.
Wow! Really loving all of these breathtaking landscape photos. Thanks for sharing so many!
Thank you! It was such a beautiful region of Switzerland.
You really were lucky with the weather Lyssy! I wasn’t aware of the new Eiger Express chairlift at Grindlewald as it’s awhile back since we were last there. Glad you enjoyed your trip in true ‘chocolate box’ country and I’ll look forward to reading about Zurich as I’ve not been there (apart from the airport!). Have a good week, Marion
We couldn’t believe we got such amazing weather! The Eiger Express was really nice, if we had more time maybe we would’ve ridden it again for fun. I had high expectations for Switzerland, but it so exceeded them! I wish we had more time in Zurich, we just walked around a bit but the city is so beautiful and clean.
Your photos are always gorgeous, and now I want to visit Switzerland!!!
Thank you!! I hope you can visit Switzerland, it’s just stunning!
Downhills are hard on knees. Nice scenery shots!
Thank you! Thankfully our other hikes were easy so we never felt sore or hiked-out.
Incredible views 😍.
It was such a beautiful area!
I feel like a broken record here but… wow! You know it’s an amazing place when a scenic hike like this is at the bottom of your list.
Right! I felt so wrong not loving the trail because the area is just so stunning and surreal.
Totally get that! I’ve had that with hikes here in CO before, where I feel like a snob for not liking it just because the bar has been set so high.
The trail looks so exciting and transport system in Switzerland has no comparison.
It was beautiful and you are right, their transportation is incredible!
I love how nature is so accessible in Switzerland- you can use public transport to get right up to the base of the trail, and it’s beautiful even before you start hiking.
I wish the subway was half as efficient as Swiss transpiration! I didn’t realize I’d enjoy all the trains/cable cars as much as the hikes.
Genuinely the transportation system of my dreaaammmmssss
It was a beautiful stay in the mountains, with nice walks to do yourself good and leave city life far away.
It was the perfect escape from city life!
The views from the gondola ride are stunning. I’m never a fan of the downhills while hiking either as it’s always so tough on the knees. At least the views were nice.
The views from the gondolas were all so amazing, made the trip even better than I expected. We at least didn’t have to worry about roots/rocks so we could enjoy the views going downhill.
Random comment: does “Mayonnaise Suisse” taste different than any other mayonnaise? Your final photos on the cable car are as spectacular as the ones higher up. Love those vivid green pastures. I was surprised to learn Jungfrau is not as high as Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs (14,000+). You and Jon should take the PP cog railway to the top if you ever go, and then hike back down on the Barr Trail (~11 miles). Has to be done early in the day to avoid lightning strikes, and you need to spend a day down in the Springs first to acclimate so you avoid altitude sickness. Well worth it for hikers like you. On that note, I find it cool you can say you hiked trails in Switzerland. Most of us can only claim to be tourists.
Unfortunately you asked the wrong person haha, I do not like mayo unless it is spicy and on a taco. We just loved that last cable car, I could’ve ridden it all day. Living at sea level it seemed so tall, but I always forget that out west the elevation is so crazy. I haven’t been to CO yet, but it’s on my list. I think we would enjoy the PP cog railway and Barr Trail! I always dreamed of hiking and Switzerland and it exceeded all my expectations!
I’m not good with heights, but I’d take that cable car just for those stunning views!
The cable cars are smooth and don’t seem too high from the ground, relatively, so you can enjoy the views 🙂
Wow! This is incredible. Those views and that weather – how perfect! Thanks for sharing!