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Writer's pictureMike West

The Top Of Europe

Updated: Nov 30, 2022


Slap-bang in the centre of Switzerland sits the region known as the Bernese Oberland, an area of outstanding beauty. Pristine alpine valleys with lush waterfalls and picture-perfect Swiss villages meet with towering mountain peaks so dramatically that it's hard to compare to any other region in the whole of Europe.


South of the major city of Bern lies the town of Interlaken, sandwiched between two crystal clear lakes. The town itself serves almost entirely as a tourist and transport hub for the area, with souvenir shops and adrenaline sports companies touting and competing for business.


The two lakes (Thurnsee & Brienzsee) however, are well worth a look. The drive along the south shore of Thurnsee is particularly dramatic, with the road weaving through a series of tunnels, interspersed by roads and bridges hugging steep rock faces. There are several places to stop along the waterside, and in summer a dip is quite tempting!!


Accessed from Interlaken, the stunning valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen (claimed by many as the most beautiful valley in Switzerland) lie to the south of the town, nestled between the mighty mountains of Jungfrau and the Eiger.



These valleys are well worth spending some time in. There are various scenic walks or hikes, which take you to countless waterfalls and scenic vistas, and the towns of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunen - although usually brimming with tourists - are charming and the scenery is well worth joining the crowds.


From Grindelwald, the views up to the Eiger are film-set perfect, It is primarily a centre for winter sports, but there are many hiking trails from here. Using a series of trains and gondolas it is possible to reach several high peaks and ridges,

A short gondola ride to the 2166m peak Grindelwald-First in the Schwarzhorn range, is worth a trip. Up the top there is the Cliff Walk - a metallic walkway hugging the side of the cliff and then projecting 45 metres over a sheer drop. The views of the sharp rocky slopes, peaks, alpine pastures, distant lakes and a waterfall are simply staggering.



Lauterbrunen is the smaller of these two alpine towns, and situated in an impressive Alpine trough valley, between gigantic rock faces and mountain peaks. 72 waterfalls crash from overhanding cliff faces, the most famous being the Stubboch Falls. This waterfall is 297m high, and there is a short walk to a platform behind the waterfall, which is worth the hike.


There are a whole host of things to do here that lie well beyond the scope of this article, but the main attraction has to be the trip up to Jungfraujoch - aptly coined 'The Top Of Europe'. Jungfrau is the mountain peak, and 'Joch' basically means 'saddle'. Jungfraujoch is basically the ridge that joins the Eiger mountain with Jungfrau.


There are several routes to the top, on a series of gondolas, railways and funicular railways, and the journey itself is part of the attraction. At the end, you reach Europe's highest train station in Europe and step out onto a permanent winter wonderland.

Once you get there, you are rewarded by incredible vistas across the alps and glaciers. There is an ice palace, several restaurants and viewing platforms.



If you don't fancy the longer journey (or don't have the time), take a train or cable car to one of the 'carless' villages that sit up on the ridges of the valleys. From Lauterbrunen, you can take a cable car to the Grütschalp stop, and then a cliffedge alpine train along the top of the valley to Winteregg. You can then get a series of cable cars to Murren, which sits towards the far end of the valley. If that's not enough, you can take a cablecar up to the Schilthorn peak.

Or, you can get a train to Wengen, the most famous of these car-free villages.


If adrenaline sports are your thing, there are countless ways of throwing yourself off cliff faces, gliding from the tops of mountains and braving fast flowing rivers that lead back down to Interlaken. Just look out for the activity centres - they're everywhere - or ask at one of the tourist information centres.


There's so much to do in this area, and far too much to fit into a week's stay - or indeed to cram into this brief synopsis - but rest assured that whether you're in the area for a day or a fortnight, it's almost impossible to run out of things to do!



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