What do James Bond, a revolving restaurant in the Swiss Alps have in common?
The Schilthorn, of course!
Today, we're giving you a complete guide to the Schilthorn, including the views,
the food, and the James Bond activities.
If we haven't met where Jana and Brett, Aplins in the Alps,
and we help you travel Switzerland with confidence while minimizing your planning time.
But there's a lot to see and do up here at the Schilthorn, so let's get started.
The Schilthornbahn first opened in 1967 and was the world's longest aerial cableway at the time.
But to make it even cooler, they built the world's first revolving restaurant
at 3000 meters in altitude.
Obviously, that was cool enough for James Bond film here in 1968.
Now, more than 3 million people visit here every year for the views,
the restaurant and, well, because James Bond was here, of course. Put her here, James.
When you first come up here, you'll notice more than 200 alpine peaks,
including the Eiger, Mönch, and the Jungfrau.
Plus, you can spy the Jungfraujoch, which we made an ultimate guide about in a previous video.
I also find it really neat that you can see all the way to Mont Blanc in France on a clear day.
The daily temperature can definitely fluctuate,
so make sure to bring your layers when you come up here.
When we arrived this morning, there wasn't much sun yet and the wind was brutal. Boy, it's cold.
But now the sun's out and it's going to be about 11 degrees Celsius up here, so we're pretty warm.
The cold weather also explains why there's a giant pile of snow beneath the observation platform.
Apparently, they store snow here 365 days a year.
But it's not just some tiny hill—there's enough snow to
fill more than 20 Olympic sized swimming pools.
Head down the steps to the Walk of Fame,
a short walk with 15 info panels about the cast of James Bond's “On Her Majesty's Secret Service.”
Each panel features a picture, a signature, a personal message, a handprint, and a fist bump.
I don't know if you’re like me, but I like to read
all the info panels because I learn such fascinating things.
For example, did you know that the Queen of England
became a Bond girl after the 2012 Olympics?
Don't skip the Piz Gloria View because this is one of many of the great photo spots up here.
And if you happen to forget your camera, they even have one of those souvenir photo things.
Enjoy some chill time on one of these benches with amazing mountain views.
If it's warm enough, you might even be able to shed your jacket.
But don't forget your sunscreen because you are at almost 10,000 feet of elevation.
I never tire of these views, but
there's a whole lot more James Bond stuff inside, so we better go check it out.
This isn't your ordinary restaurant because it rotates. It's kind of like
a spinning donut revolving around a stationary core.
The outer ring of the restaurant rotates while the inner ring stays steady.
But don't worry about getting dizzy. It takes 45 minutes to complete one whole revolution.
We're here this morning for the James Bond brunch.
But if you come after that, you can enjoy the Piz Gloria Afternoon Platter
of regional meats, cheeses and wine.
We've also heard really good things about the 007 burger too, because
who wouldn't enjoy a burger with the 007 logo burned into the bun?!
We made a breakfast reservation for 9 am. It's easy to make reservations online, and no matter
when you book, you'll have your table for 90 minutes, which is 2 complete restaurant rotations.
And when you get to your table,
they'll give you this sticker to show that you purchased a James Bond Brunch. Fancy.
The James Bond brunch is a breakfast buffet from 8 am to 11, and then a lunch buffet from 11 to 2.
But you'll also find cold cuts of cheeses, meats, and fruit no matter when you book.
Here's the thing, all the food looks incredible, but my belly is not quite as big as James Bond’s.
So here's my strategy: I started with the savory foods, then later I’m moving to the sweets.
And no breakfast up here is complete without a mimosa.
By the way, don't forget your table number, because after you go to the buffet,
your table will be in a different place.
And I've been saving room because this is my absolute favorite section of the buffet.
No shame, this is my third plate.
We know that eating out in Switzerland isn't
exactly a budget activity, but this all-you-can-eat,
self-service buffet is a pretty good value and honestly, the food is really good too.
This is our third time here and I think we'd both say it's definitely worth it.
Normally you would not find me paying 35 franc for a breakfast,
but when you consider the all you can eat buffet, the mimosa bar,
and of course these ridiculous views in a revolving restaurant, I think it's worth it.
But, James, what do you say? Wow, James, sorry I brought it up!
Like Brett mentioned, the James Bond
brunch cost 35 franc per adult and 20 franc for kids 6 to 15 years old.
But you can save a few bucks if you buy a combo brunch and lift ticket.
However, kids under the age of six 6 completely free for everything.
Before we enjoy the official James Bond activities,
it's time to visit the bathroom with a 007 twist.
Now that I've relieved myself, I feel like I could use a little extra practice being
a secret agent, which is exactly what you would do in Spy World.
From what I remember, the plot of “On Her Majesty's Secret Service”
is actually pretty weird, but it's a great excuse to have some fun.
There's a cinema where you can watch clips from the movie and see how they were filmed.
A helicopter you can pretend to fly.
An interactive desk.
A morphing station where you can transform into one of the Bond characters.
A high stakes game where you try to make it out of the building without getting shot.
And the bobsled, which is unfortunately out of order.
Fun fact. I read that they reopened this bobsled run just for the movie, but it
was closed because of how dangerous it was. I guess that's not too much trouble for James Bond.
When you go on vacation, you want to bring home more than just memories.
And although the Schilthorn is super memorable in and of itself,
you can stop here at the Skyline Top Shop for some neat souvenirs,
like a wooden postcard, which I'm not actually going to mail,
I'm in a frame and hang it in our house.
And if you chose not to eat in the restaurant or you spent so much time up here that your James
Bond Brunch already wore off, you can always eat something from the Skyline Take Away.
The lift descends every 30 minutes. And since we have some time before
leaving for our next stop, we thought we tell you how to reach the Schilthorn.
There are 2 ways you can reach the Schilthorn from the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
The first is to take the BLM from Lauterbrunnen up to Grütschalp, and then Mürren.
But if you go that way, you'll need to walk
about 10 to 15 minutes through the village to reach the Schilthornbahn.
The second is to take a bus or drive your car from the Lauterbrunnen Station to Stechelberg.
You can park there if you drive your car in,
but then you'll take the lift up to Gimmelwald and then to Mürren.
Either of these options will place you in Mürren, where you'll then take
the lift to Birg and finally to the Schilthorn.
The easiest option is to take the cable car from Stechelberg to the Schilthorn,
which is the route we traveled today.
Just follow the lifts and the crowds, and you will reach the top no problem.
Here's the thing, tickets can be expensive. Thankfully,
buying a Swiss train pass can really help!
For example, the standard adult round trip ticket from Stechelberg to the Shilithorn costs 108 CHF.
If you have a Eurail, Interrail, Jungfrau Travel Pass, or Top of Europe Pass, you get a 25% discount.
But if you have a Half Fare Card, it drops that even further, costing you only 54 CHF.
Or better yet, visit on your birthday and get a free round trip ticket!
That's what I did last year and it was totally awesome.
And by the way, if you have kids aged 6 to 15,
definitely ask for the complimentary Swiss Family Card
because then they can ride up to and back from the Schilthorn and for completely free.
Okay, the lift has arrived, so let's go visit our next stop.
If you own our guide to Mürren,
then you're already familiar with Birg, some of the incredible hikes you can do from here.
Plus, how visiting here can fit into your day or weekend in Mürren.
If you're hungry again, there's the Birg Bistro and Panoramic Terrace.
But the number one reason to stop in Birg is for this Thrill Walk,
and it's already included in your lift ticket.
After you go through the turnstile and head down the steps,
you're already perched on the edge of the cliff. But just wait. It gets better.
Okay, here we go. I hope you don't have a fear of heights
because we're walking on a glass floor right now.
If this is too scary for you,
that's totally okay. There are always bypasses for the crazier elements.
Or if you'd rather, you could just stay on the panoramic terrace up top and watch from there.
But I bet if Bond were here, he'd climb all the way to the top. He wouldn't even
need a Thrill Walk, and then he'd parachute or paraglide back down.
This Schilthorn is just one of the many things you can enjoy while visiting the Jungfrau region.
So if you're searching for things to do near the Schilthorn, we made
this video for you to help you enjoy the perfect day in and around Mürren,
and the Schilthorn is just the first stop of 12 plus places we show you in that video.
Watch that next, and we'll see you in Switzerland!