Top 10 Things To See And Do In The Jungfrau Region, Switzerland

The Jungfraujoch boasts one of the most famous European peaks and the highest railway station on the continent (hence the phrase ‘Jungfrau’, meaning ‘Top of Europe’). The track leads through the mountains of Eiger and Mönch, up to incomparable panoramas of the surrounding peaks and the Aletsch Glacier. The Jungfraujoch is also home to the space-age-like weather station, appropriately named The Sphinx, which contains restaurants, souvenir shops, indoor viewing terraces, and the ice palace. The ice palace was carved entirely by hand, the entire 1,000 square metres being chiselled painstakingly with an ice axe and saw, and is a spectacular sight.

Between the Jungfrau and the Mönch

Take the train from Interlaken Ost SBB Station, Untere Bönigstrasse, Interlaken

The Ballenberg Open Air Museum showcases Swiss history in an interactive historical village. Original century-old Swiss houses and farms from various parts of Switzerland are on display, each with its own regional architecture. The museum aims to show the traditional Swiss lifestyle, with craftsmen demonstrating skills such as hat-making or weaving, gardens of vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants, and more than 100 farm animals in the area. Ballenberg should be seen over the timespan of a few days, as it is too large to be properly viewed in one.

Open from early April to October, 10.00am – 5.00pm

Museumsstrasse 131, Hofstetten bei Brienz, Switzerland +41 33 952 10 30

Grimselpass is a mountain pass that leads directly into the Jungfrau region, and links the Hasli Valley with Goms in the canton of Valais. The scenery is wild, sparse, and rugged: a mountainous region with few trees (if any). There are sky-reflecting reservoir lakes and dams, but the landscape is otherwise dominated by hydroelectric power plants and pylons, reminescent of the Norwegian Fjell area. This area is best explored by car, as the walking trails may sometimes be closed off, and the car routes are well-situated with frequent stopping areas.

The Panoramaweg is a hiking trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, which, true to its name, shows the most stunning Alpine panoramas. A relatively easy trail, walkable in just an hour and a half, it has a variety of sights. The views are spectacular: you see the great triumvirate of Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau, as well as the Silberhorn. However, the peaks are not the only thing to marvel at here; there are also several Alpine floral varieties, cows grazing alongside the path, and occasionally even yodelling. It is quintessential Switzerland at its loveliest.