Tag: trains

At two thousand or so meters above sea level and little Grindelwald, is the small train interchange of the mountain pass at Kleine Scheidegg. Three separate lines run from here and it becomes a busy little beehive in the morning hours, less so in the afternoon, at least during summer.

We purchased our tickets in Grindelwald station not thinking much about passes, which is actually a mistake, but live and learn. In any case, to get there you take the rack train, or cog train, from Grindelwald.

The way up takes about thirty minutes and there are about three stops along the way, including Grindelwald Grund, to pick up passengers who drive to take the train on a day trip. Since I forgot to take a video going up, here is a short one on the way down.

Note: Investigate getting a multi-day pass that includes the Jungfraujoch and traveling in the area. Especially if you are traveling with family or a group, this may save you serious money. The Jungfraujoch is an inclusive train/experience, so it will be a bit pricey, so any discount you can get may relieve the sticker shock.

 

Kleine Scheidegg

With the Hotel Bellevue, where Clint Eastwood stayed during the shooting of The Eiger Sanction, a movie based on the novel with the same name; Kleine Scheidegg is a collection of hotels, cafes and train lines to other parts, including Jungfraujoch and Lauterbrunnen.

The Eiger Glacier

Next to the imposing Eiger, the Eiger glacier drains its icy contents between itself and the Mönch, while Jungfrau sits idly by, to the right of both.

The hike from the train station up to the glacier is about an hour and can be quite demanding at time. There is loose gravel and some tricky places where you ascend. But it’s all worth it in the end, the views are amazing. Here is a slideshow of the sights that we saw on our trek up.

Restaurants

I hope you enjoyed our trip to the glacier and the area around it. We actually did eat at a small place here, it’s not much to look at, and at the time they only had window service because they are still in reduced operations.

Restaurant Eigernordwand

This little restaurant has very limited room inside and outside, so first come, first served, as they say. The menu is rather simple, but the food is very good. Like other places around and due to its location, the prices are on the high side, especially for window-only service.

If you are traveling during virus restrictions, keep in mind that you have to remain flexible. So prices notwithstanding, we still enjoyed it and felt that we had a decent lunch when we left.

Our day trip ends with a short video of  us pulling out of the Kleine Scheidegg station. Patti and I both agreed we have to visit during winter, to get the full feeling for this beautiful place.