The journey from Italy to Switzerland was a long day. We left La Spezia and Cinque Terre at 6am and boarded our first train to Milan. From Milan, we took another train to Bellinzona (in Switzerland, near the border with Italy), then to Lucerne, then to Interlaken, then to Lauterbrunnen, then to Wengen, where our hotel was. It took 13 hours of travelling and six different trains. I was cursing my former self, wishing I would have broken up the travelling a bit more. However, it allowed us three nights in the same hotel in Wengen, which was wonderful. It's the longest we have stayed in one place since we started this trip!
Switzerland has so many incredible areas to visit, but due to our time restraints, I had to pick just one place. I decided on the Bernese Oberland. The Bernese Oberland (meaning highlands) is located in central Switzerland. When you think of Switzerland, if you conjure up images of wooden chalets, cows with bells on their necks, and alpine villages, then you are likely thinking about the Bernese Oberland.
The Jungfrau region is a smaller region withing the Bernese Oberlands, which is where most tourists visit.
This map is courtesy of my absolute favorite travel blog in the world- Earthtrekkers. If you are looking for National Park (American) or international travel guides and enjoy being active and doing less 'touristy' things, check them out. Julie, the main author of the blog, was an orthopaedic PA before her family took a year off to travel, so I feel a sense of kinship with her. Weird how the internet can allow you to feel connection with someone you've never met. Anyway, check them out: Earth Trekkers | Family Adventure Travel & Photography
So, we made it to our hotel in Wengen, a small town perched on the mountain overlooking Lauterbrunnen. Our first day was overcast, so we couldn't see much of the mountains around us. We did take a cable car up to Murren and then Schilthorn, where we passed through the clouds and into glorious blue skies. You could see the mountain peaks and the clouds blanketing the valley beneath.
After Schilthorn, we spent some time in Lauterbrunnen, which is at the bottom of the valley. It was still overcast, but it was stunning. There were so many waterfalls coming down the cliff faces. It reminded of us a bit of Yosemite National Park.
The second day we had planned a big hike. Ok...I had planned a big hike and dragged William along with me :)
We took a cable car up to Mannlichen, and paid a bit extra to ride on the top of the cable car in the open air. It was incredible! We did a short hike up at Mannlichen called the Royal Walk, which gave us views over Lauterbrunnen and the valley.
Next, we did the Panorama trail from Mannlicher to Kleine Scheidegg (I know, these names are so fun). There were gorgeous views of the mountains, and we came across some friendly Swiss cows.
After reaching Kleine Scheidegg, we took a five-minute train ride up the mountain and started hiking the Eiger trail. This took us past the north face of Eiger mountain, a seriously impressive mountain face.
The trail was once again stunning.
After reaching the end of the Eiger trail, we explored the town of Grindelwald. We even got to do a toboggan on the mountain, which was so much fun (see the video)!
We headed back to Mannlichen via another cable car.
We admired some more lucky Swiss cows and the views before heading back to our hotel in Wengen.
William definitely took the best picture of the day:
That night, we sat out on the balcony of our hotel and just stared at the mountains for awhile.
I then ate some fondue out on the hotel terrace. William couldn't even tolerate the smell but kept me company.
The next day we reluctantly left the Jungfrau region and took a train to Zurich. We walked around the old town and took a boat down the river, getting a view of Lake Zurich. We spent the night in Zurich then took a train to Munich the next day.
Switzerland was absolutely incredible. We were so lucky to have good weather and got the most out of two full days in the Jungfrau region. We could have easily spent a week there!
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