Your Swiss vacation planning is about to get way easier. Today,
we're sharing our top 14 spots in the Jungfrau Region to simplify your planning process. And
just to make it more fun, we've covered the name of each of these spots on this map,
so play along and see if you can guess each place as we unveil them one at a time.
If we haven't met, we're Jana and Brett and we live near Interlaken.
Our goal is to help you travel Switzerland with confidence,
and this channel is 100% approved for binge watching! So after finishing this video,
check out the links in the description to find other videos about nearly every spot on this list.
Let's start on this alpine ridge between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald,
where you'll find our favorite viewpoint in the region: Männlichen.
We didn't make it to Männlichen until our second trip to the Jungfrau Region,
but once we did, we instantly realized that it has hands down the best panorama in the
entire Jungfrau Region. And that's because you can see the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the
Grindelwald Valley, plus the big three peaks, the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. On a clear day
you can even spy Jungfraujoch, Interlaken, and as far as Lake Thun. We've personally
admired these views at least a dozen times, and we still keep going back
for more. There's a steep 20 to 25 minute walk from the Männlichen cable car up to the Royal
Crown Viewpoint. And if you're physically able to do that hike, we can't recommend it enough.
If you have our 1-Week Guide to the Jungfrau region, Männlichen is featured on day 3. But
you can also learn more about watching our Ultimate Guide after this video.
Now, let's head over to Wilderswil to board our favorite train ride in the Jungfrau Region,
the cogwheel train to Schynige Platte.
If you're hoping for a scenic train ride, then look no further. We tried to count how many
times we've been up here to Schynige Platte and we lost track at 6. And every time we take this ride,
we're reminded of just how panoramic it is. You get views about the mountains and the lakes,
the entire journey up, and the views just keep getting better the higher and higher you climb.
And the journey is even more special because you're riding in the original carriages from
the early 1900s. And train enthusiasts will enjoy watching the conductor manually shift the rails
too. Any time we have friends or family come visit us in the summer, we love to hear their oohs and
eyes as they soak in this beautiful train ride that's just a 55 minute journey from Wilderswil.
So now let's take a scenic boat ride on Lake Brienz to see our top waterfall:
Giessbach Falls. We came here for the first time in 2021 to film our second ever YouTube
video. At this point, we'd already been to Trummelbach and Staubbach Falls,
but right away we realized that Giessbach had them both beat. Why? Because while Trummelbach
is powerful and Staubbach is scenic, Giessbach combines both of those into one majestic setting.
Plus, it's right next to Grand Hotel Giessbach with an inviting terrace, and it sits just above
the stunning milky teal waters of Lake Brienz. Just like with the Schynige Platte scenic train
ride, we bring all of our visitors here too. And by the end of their trips, most of them
say this was their favorite waterfall in the region. And finally, if you've ever seen the
TV series Band of Brothers, the Giessbach Grand Hotel is featured in the second to last episode.
The Giessbach Falls can be reached by boat
in about an hour from Interlaken or just 10 minutes from Brienz.
Waterfalls might be peaceful, but it's time to get your adrenaline pumping. Our favorite
adrenaline activity in the entire region is the Mürren Via Ferrata. This was on
our bucket list for 11 years and the timing just never really worked out.
But quite frankly, we were a bit scared because this isn't exactly a walk in the park or a hike
in the mountains. There are 4 main elements: an exposed cliff face, a tightrope, a zip line,
and a suspension bridge. Now, we were most nervous about that exposed cliff face,
but it was shorter and easier than expected. Trust us, this entire adrenaline activity is super fun.
If you've never done a via ferrata before, we recommend booking a tour
with a guide. This made us feel so much more confident and comfortable. Plus,
you can only do the zipline element with a guide.
If you prefer to get your energy from caffeine instead of adrenaline, then
you'll love our favorite cafe: Cafe 3692. I'm on a mission to find the best coffee when I travel,
and that's how I found this cafe back in 2021. To this day, I still love their coffee,
especially the extra-large alpler cappuccino. And we're super impressed with the artisan cakes too.
Beyond just good coffee. Café 3692 has amazing woodwork, impressive terrace views, and it's just
a nice escape from the tourist crowds. And if you venture here, ask the owners, Bruno and Miriam,
to see their comic about the story of how they met and started the café. Super Fun!
Cafe 3692 has amazing views over Grindelwald, but our favorite sunset spot happens to be just
above Interlaken. It's the famous Harder Kulm. We've been here multiple times during the day,
but the first time we came at sunset was after a really long hike on the
Harder Ridge. We'd been on the trail for like 6 hours and we were just pooped.
So we sat down to have drinks before heading back to Interlaken, and that's when we saw
the sunset with the pastel colors in the sky and the golden glow on the mountains. It's
just gorgeous! And unlike most of the cable cars and gondolas in the Jungfrau Region,
the Harder Kulm funicular stays open later so you can actually watch the sunset here in the summer.
Let's continue our transportation theme with our favorite cable car,
the Männlichen Royal Ride. Here are three reasons why we think this is the best cable car ride in
the Jungfrau Region. One, you get a stunning view of Lauterbrunnen Valley. Two, it takes
you up to our favorite viewpoint in the whole region, which was the first spot on our list.
And three, you can ride ON TOP of the cable car! As far as we know, this is the only place in the
region where you can do that. It costs an extra 5 francs per person one way, but that's worth
it to us for the open air experience and no glass reflections in your pictures. Also,
we rode this cable car one time when it was cloudy in Wengen, and then we rose above the clouds to
sunshine and blue skies. It was so amazing that the people and the cable car started laughing.
When you think about the Jungfrau Region, you probably think about Jungfraujoch, which makes
sense since more than 625,000 visitors went there in 2022. But we're here to tell you that there's
way more to the entire region than just visiting the Top Of Europe. So if this roundup of our top
spots in the Jungfrau Region has been helpful to you so far, let us know by clicking the
like button, which tells us that our videos are valuable to you during your trip planning process!
Across the Valley from Männlichen as our favorite short hike: the Northface Trail.
We first heard about this trail when we were planning our Swiss honeymoon back in 2012.
Since then, we've hiked the Northface Trail at least a dozen times, and I'm here to report it
just doesn't get old. We love to pass by our favorite alp, take a pit stop in a potty with
the world's best view, and usually, if Brett has his way, we stop there for a drink too.
We walk under a waterfall that we often have all to ourselves, and we take a rest on a bench with
unbeatable views. There are a few variations of the Northface Trail, but we like to follow
the six-kilometer route from Allmendhubel to Gimmelwald via Spielbodenalp and Sprutz.
But there's more fun to be had at our favorite family adventure spot: Pfingstegg.
We never even heard of this place until 2017. We were volunteering at a Christian youth camp
in Grindelwald, and we took the kids here for an afternoon. Now everything makes you feel younger
when you're hanging out with teenagers, but if we're honest, so does riding a mountain coaster.
But don't skip the fly line either. This was another totally new experience for us,
and we were worried it might be a little bit lame, but it was actually really cool.
If you're considering the Grindelwald First adventure activities, then Pfingstegg is
a really great alternative to the crowds and the long lines. And the
Pfingstegg cable car station is just a five-minute walk from the First station.
Kids of all ages will enjoy our next spot too, our favorite gelateria: Azzurra. If you know me,
then you know that I will eat gelato any day of the week or any day of the year,
for that matter. We usually go to a shootout with
our friends because it's honestly just the best place for ice cream in town.
But it's really odd for me to order gelato in German. So one time I just tried ordering
an Italian and to my surprise, I discovered that one of the owners is actually Italian,
which explains why the gelato is so authentic. Azzurra is a great stop after a long day of
sightseeing, and it's just a seven-minute walk from the Interlaken West train station.
Let's add one more spot to our family-friendly theme, and that's our favorite playground. But
we had a bit of disagreement here. I picked one playground and Jana picked another,
so we decided to call it a tie and we're going to share them both with
you. I picked Allmendhubel because of the timed maze where you get sprayed
with water if you take the wrong path, the awesome zip line, and the pretend cheese
making area. And how can I forget about those underground marmot tunnels, too?
Jana’s favorite playground is the giant wooden cow at Männlichen. You can climb
up behind its tail, play a cowbell xylophone, slide out of its mouth,
and then climb up on top of its back for an even higher view. This farmer-themed
playground even has a wooden bowling lane, so be prepared for some friendly family competition.
The nice thing about both of these spots is that your kids can play for hours while
you relax and enjoy the landscapes all around you. Just don't forget
to unglue your eyes from the mountains to check on your kids once in a while, okay?
Speaking of looking up, keep your eyes open for our favorite farm fridge in Grindelwald.
Farm fridges are great for Swiss cheese and sausage and dairy products, but this little
self-service shop has so many things that I really, really want. Headbands, jams, handmade
pasta decorations, and even ice cream. (That's how I earned our number one slot!) You'll find farm
fridges all over the region, but this one is just a ten-minute downhill walk from Dorfstrasse in the
center of Grindelwald. But it only takes cash or Twint, which is like the Swiss version of Venmo.
Let's hop from Grindelwald to the Lauterbrunnen Valley,
which is our favorite place to go biking. One of the first big purchases we made as a married
couple was a nice Trek bike for Jana so we could go road biking together. But in 2021,
we visited our friends in Germany and borrowed their e-bikes for the day.
And we've been sold ever since. And that's because you can enjoy
some moderate exercise without being sweaty and winded when you reach your
destination. So we didn't hesitate to rent e-bikes in Lauterbrunnen.
It's a flat valley with so much to see during your ride. Farm's self-service shops,
picnic spots, waterfalls, restaurants and just endless beauty. In fact, we enjoyed it so much
we rode up and down the valley twice. You can rent e-bikes in Lauterbrunnen from Imboden Bike,
and the distance from Imboden to Stechelberg at the back of the valley is just 6 kilometers.
A great thing to do along your bike ride would be to have a picnic. Although our favorite
picnic spot isn't in Lauterbrunnen Valley. In fact, we both picked different picnic spots,
so we're going to show both to you. I think Allmendhubel has the best picnic spot because,
one, it has these super comfy benches, and two, because you can see so many popular destinations
from this one spot. Wengen, Eigergletscher, Männlichen, and Schynige Platte! Plus,
it's super easy to reach with just a short funicular ride from Mürren.
And Brett chose a spot near Grindelwald that you might be familiar with: Bachalpsee. It’s
a beautiful alpine lake that reflects the snowy peaks on a clear, sunny day. You can walk around
almost the entire lake and picnic anywhere in the grass that you want to — just look out for
cow poo. Bachalpsee can be reached by walking one hour from the First cable car station.
And now that you know our favorite spots, it's time to start planning YOUR trip! So
watch this video next for guidance on how to plan your visit to the Jungfrau Region,
or join our weekly email newsletter for insider advice, and we will see you in Switzerland!