With the weather breaking a bit and having a spare day with not much to do, we decided to take a trip to Grindelwald. This is another small ski and tourist town in the Grindelwald Valley on the other side of Männlichen, a sub alpine mountain that divides the two towns.
Getting There
The most direct route for us from Wengen was the Luftseilbahn up the Männlichen, a five or ten minute walk, and then the Gondola ride to Grindelwald. Since the route is part of the Oberlander Pass we were covered and did not have to purchase a round trip ticket at 66 Swiss Francs per person.
For Patti and I there wasn’t much to see that we hadn’t already, having been here in 2020. The main street hasn’t changed much, with the exception of a few new small municipal changes here and there.
Main Street – Grindelwald, Switzerland
Patti and Dana – Main Street – Grindelwald, Switzerland
Stählisboden – Grindelwald, Switzerland
Grindelwald Grund – Grindelwald, Switzerland
My main reason for even coming here again was the view of the mountains. From Grindelwald they are impressive, well at least on a clear day.
Wetterhorn – Grindelwald, Switzerland
Ostegg – Grindelwald, Switzerland
Restaurants
Alpenkräuter Bären Restaurant
After we had returned from our day trip we had reservations at the Alpenkräuter Bären Restaurant for dinner. This is a restaurant that prides itself on including and serving items that come from nature, especially natural herbs and spices from the alpine regions.
Alpenkräuter Bären Restaurant – Main Entrance – Wengen, Switzerland
It was definitely more laid back than other restaurants and had the familial feel to it. So if you are looking for real local cooking that is exceptional, this would be a great pick.
Early in the morning from our balcony the weather looked most promising, regardless of what our weather forecasting tools were trying to tell us. It appeared we had finally came into some good weather on this trip after all. When we started it, it didn’t look as promising…
A clear, fresh morning from our hotel – Salzburger Hof – Bad Gastein, Austria
Bad Gastein
Flanking Bad Gastein on either side are some fairly tall mountains, which may be ascended using a gondola ski lift. During the summer months, weekend trekkers from all over come for a breath of healthy air and what appears to be a heightened exercise regime.
Tickets For Two – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Overview of cable car – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The cost for a day trip is 33€/person at the window, though I do believe you can save a few Euros, if you purchase your tickets online.
Stubnerkogel
The cable car ride is straightforward, as any skier will tell you. Fortunately, during this time of year it is not very busy, so you will usually get a car all by yourself.
The ascent is rather quick, considering the distance up the mountain. The first part is rather steep and there is a midway station, so stay on, if you want to go directly to the top.
Ascending – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Cows in their alpine meadows – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Long stretches of green meadows – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The mountain station at 2251 meters – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The Stubnerkogel is part of the Goldberg Group or mountain range and sits on one side of the Gastein Valley, while the Ankogel Group sits on the other side.
The Summit
On the summit the views are spectacular. The air is bracing and it is typically a bit windy up there, so bring something extra to wear. Even with the sun, we were taking things off and putting them back on, depending on whether we were walking, sitting in the shade, or sunning ourselves on the restaurant veranda enjoying a drink.
Panoramic view of the Ankogel mountains – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
I won’t bore you too much with details, just watch the following slideshow to enjoy our experience. It was most walking around and just enjoying the fresh air and surrounding views.
The Ritterkopf and the Angertal valley below – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The Angertal valley below – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Looking toward Bad Gasteinhe – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Looking toward the Ankogel mountain group – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Looking toward Anlauftal valley – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Path to the Zitraurer Tisch – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Angertal – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Angertal with Ritterkopf in the distance – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Angertal with Ritterkopf in the distance – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Bad Gastein below – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Bad Hofgastein in the Gastein valley – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Patti – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Wild mountain flowers – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Wild mountain flowers – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Wild mountain flowers – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Wild mountain flowers – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Wild mountain flowers – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Ritterkopt in the distance – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
To the Stubneralm overlook – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The Gastein valley and Bad Hofgastein – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Patti at the Stubneralm – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Erick at the Stubneralm – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The Anlauftal valley – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Gentle slopes of Stubnerkogel – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
The rocky slopes of the Stubnerkogel – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Patti on the Rocky Trail – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Beautiful weather – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Dachstein in the distance – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
One last view – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
Conclusion
Though we enjoyed the area, we were frankly a bit disappointed with the lack of town amenities. There appears to be a lack of restaurants, and those that do exist, seem to offer the same fare at a similar price. So looking for something different to experience will be a bit of a culinary adventure.
I have already mentioned that the town’s central thermal spa has been closed, so that is itself a big negative. However, the trails and sights are great and there are plenty of places to visit and stay busy. I am not sure I would recommend deviating your plans to stop here, but if you are headed to or from Salzburg and through Villach, Austria on your train route, you may want to stop for a day or two. I would not commend more than four days, you will run out of food options by that time.
Salzburger Hof
For us, the Salzburger Hof hotel appeared to be a good choice, we had an excellent room and the service was first rate. Though they did miss our need for extra coffee dairy and other supplies, the room was kept extremely neat and we always had plenty of towels and other accessories.
Tomorrow it is off to Linz, Austria via Salzburg. There we will spend a few days and eventually meet up with our daughter and son-in-law, Ericka and Gabi. So the next week or so will be a busy travel week for us.
Bad Gastein on the way down – Stubnerkogel – Bad Gastein, Austria
