I decided to do a separate post on my day trip in the Jungfraujoch Region separately from my 4 Day Itinerary to Switzerland because there was so much to talk about and so many photos that were taken. This day trip guide is especially for those who choose not to go to the Top of Europe, but decide to save some CHF and spend more time around Jungfraujoch Region, which was equally enjoyable. In this post, I include information from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg, Grindlewald and back to Interlaken Ost.
The start of the journey in Jungfraujoch Region always begins from Interlaken Ost. All trains depart from here and trek up the mountain. Therefore, I made it imperative that I should stay at this city at least one night just so I wouldn’t be too tired. Trains start early in the morning and stop around 5:30PM at night during winter so remember to time wisely how long you will be spending at each stop.
Interlaken Ost – Wengen (with interchange in Lauterbrunnen)
The reason this is the first leg of the journey is because this is how you should buy your Point-to-Point train tickets on SBB. Only Point-to-Point tickets are sold in the Jungfraujoch Region (no supersaver tickets here, sorry). This is the best way to save money and the best part is, when you interchange in Lauterbrunnen, you aren’t restricted in the timing! Which means you can spend an hour in Lauterbrunnen and then carry on to Wengen; you can even stay for two hours if you want!
However, I found the town of Lauterbrunnen to be quite small with not much to see, I spent around 20 minutes walking around here and decided to get on the next train. Most of the shops weren’t open in the morning on a Monday, but this couldn’t be helped. I began my journey at around 8AM from Interlaken Ost. Not any earlier because the sun wasn’t even up yet so if you decide to start early at 7AM, it is still dark outside!
Wengen 1274M
After leaving Lauterbrunnen, we arrived in Wengen around 20 minutes later. The mountains around Wengen were snow-capped but there were no snow on the ground. There were some places around Wengen with almost-melted snow but other than that, that was it. I was quite disappointed because I really wanted to see snow, but good thing we had one more stop to go up the mountain (Kleine Scheidegg). Wengen was a larger town with, of course, a large Coop supermarket right outside the station. If you were looking for a decent coffee shop or cafe here to warm up, you will be disappointed. I did visit 2 shops and there weren’t any that I could recommend.
If you come at the end of December to February, this town will be snow-covered with even a ski slope right beside the train station! The lifts will be open at that time and you can even ski right into the town. Even though there weren’t any snow on the ground, I did get some good shots from an altitude.
This town was so tranquil and so quiet on a Monday whenever we spoke we would be whispering in fear we would disrupt the habitants of this little down. Surprisingly, we stayed in Wengen for over two hours and decided to catch the 11:50AM train to Kleine Scheidegg. The train ride over was only 35 minutes and the views were amazing. As we ascended the mountain, the amount of snow on the ground increased and it started snowing outside! The mountains became snow mountains and I was finally entering an all-snow region.
Kleine Scheidegg 2061m
Welcome to 2061m above the world. As we ascended up the mountain pass, the weather dropped every second and snow began to fall. The train ride up was simply magical, partly due to the fact that the windows were huge which gave you a wide vantage point. You can even open the window if you are (like me) in need for photos to document this experience.
The little town of Kleine Scheidegg could be hardly called a town, it should be considered a train station, which often people use as a transfer point for the final leg of the journey, up to the Top of Europe. The red and very photogenic train is located at the other side of the train station and comes I believe every half hour. However, if you are, like me, deciding to opt out on the journey up the mountain due to bad weather, then there are a few activities to do around Kleine Scheidegg.
Skiing
There is a ski slope right at Kleine Scheidegg with a ski shop located right beside the train station for all your rentals. There is a beginner leaning slope right beside the main ski slope, should you feel the need to use it. The lift is located right beside the ski slope (sorry I didn’t use the ski slope so I don’t know how much the lift pass is, if any).
Hiking
If you are not up for skiing, hiking is available. I didn’t opt for a hike path because I know I’d probably get lost in the heavy snow but I didn’t mind just walking around and climbing up the small hill located beside the train station. There was a restaurant located up a hill so we made it our climbing destination. Again, the ski shop located right by the train station provides hiking boot rentals too. 10 CHF for ski poles, 10 CHF for hiking boots. 5 CHF to use their locker to store all your stuff. (*Note it is a small locker and we were jamming all our stuff in there along with our shoes.)
Eating
There is a restaurant located right at the train station providing hot food and beverages. However, there is another restaurant/bar located right beside the ski lift if you are able to make a short climb in the snow (this place is great if you would just like a hot drink during a ski break before heading down the slopes again). As well, there is a restaurant right on top of the hill.
Grindelwald
During the winter months, it is imperative to start heading back down the mountain around 5PM as the last train down ends at 5:30 PM. From Kleine Scheidegg there are two routes to take back to Interlaken Ost, via Grindelwald and via Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. I wanted to check out a new town so I opted for Grindelwald. Surprisinly Grindelwald was quite a large town with a nice high street perfect to do some light shopping. However, it was getting dark and it was pelleting wet snow so I didn’t enjoy the experience at all.
Did I mention that during the winter months, the sun sets at 3:30? Unfortunately by the time we arrived at Grindelwald the sun already set and it was too dark to take any good photos. This is why it is so important to always wake up early during the winter months and set out early!