Hiking Switzerland: Bern, Grindlewald, Lauterbrunnen

Bern

The Capital of Switzerland is teeming with life and people roaming the adorable cobblestone streets. Red shingled rooftops, impressive church steeples, and a mechanized astronomical clocktower create this beautiful little town. A glowing blue glacier water river motes the town and makes for a beautiful stroll to walk along. This sweet little German community will steal your heart, especially the Swiss chocolate ;)

We were lucky enough to have the most amazing hosts, Kim and Bruno. They had the most perfect apartment on the top of a hill on a farm overlooking the best view in Bern.

Kim and Bruno :)

Many little walking paths surround the inner city. On the outskirts of the town is a Bear Pitt that Bern is famous for. The Bear Pitt is an open- to- the- public bear habitat where three adult bears roam about by the river. Overlooking the habitat, you can watch these bears eat fish that they catch themselves, climb trees, cuddle, and do bear things. They have a pool to play in and plenty of space to laze about. Although bears are not native to Switzerland and there are very few wild ones, Bern's mascot is the bear. You can't have Bern without the bear.

Swiss Cheese

Contrary to popular belief, Swiss cheese (the one with the holes) is not really a thing. Instead the Swiss are known for how amazing their, well, regular cheese is. From Gruyére to Parmesan to Brie cheese, the quality is just better. Possibly from the methods of aging, curing, processing, etc or simply from the happy free range cows who live in Switzerland, the cheese seems to be magical. The things they do with this cheese are even better. A Swiss specialty dish called "Roclette" consists of melting cheese poured over hot potatoes and other steamed vegetables. Melting the cheese straight from the giant block, it is then scraped off onto the sides. It is unbelievably good. Almost like a fondue, this dish is something i could eat everyday.

After dinner we were treated to this amazing chocolate almond cake that Bruno got from his home town. Not too sweet still so tasteful.

Perfection.

Aare Gorge

Our lovely hosts took us to the Aare Gorge in the town of Meiningen. The water that runs through this Gorge is from a glacier so the water glows a beautiful light blue color. Formed from the powerful waters of the melting glacier, the Gorge was created by erosion of rocks. This makes the Gorge very asymmetrical as some areas are narrow where others are very wide. A walkway about a mile long runs through this Gorge so that you are able to follow it throughout the canyon.

About halfway through is a spritely little waterfall that falls into the Gorge. We went in the Wintertime so I'm sure this little waterfall would be raging in Summer. If you look closely, there is an old WW11 bunker on the other side of the river. Caved in and locked off, you are not able to get in, but it is really interesting to see.

Via Ferratta

Adventure Seekers you've come to the right place. Switzerland's mountains make it the perfect place to set up a Via Ferratta. A Via Ferrata or "Klettersteig" (in Swiss) is a free form climbing park where you are secured with a harness and clips without a rope. There are strategically placed handles made from iron rods for you to hoist yourself up on. It is ana amazing experience to scale a mountain and when reaching the top, feels victorious. This is fun only if you are not afraid of heights. Check out my blog on the Via Ferratta I did in Switzerland or more information.

Lauterbrunnen

Like something out of a fairytale, the town of Lauterbrunnen is a must see if you plan on visiting Switzerland. Just an hour and a half train ride away from Bern is this magical town. It's most striking feature is the giant waterfall that flows from a cliff edge right behind the town. Along with the quaint cottage houses that line this valley, cows and horses graze on the thick green grass throughout the valley. Surrounded by large cliffs on both sides, Lauterbrunnen seems to be shielded by winds and snow which keeps the valley lush and green and perfect for farmers.

We came in Winter so the waterfall was not as large as usual. But when it's Summer, the water pumps. There is even a hiking trail that takes you behind the waterfall. A long staircase brings you right behind it with a great view over the town. Be prepared to get wet. Even in Winter when the falls were scarce, we got pretty misted. If you're going in Summer, be prepared to get drenched.

The way up.

Behind the falls :)

The houses in Switzerland are so adorable. The windows and doors are lined with colorful shutters and overhangings. You feel like you're in a Fairytale walking amongst these cottages. And they are literally everywhere in Lauterbrunnen.

Spend your day in Lauterbrunnen exploring the valley. The road goes into the canyon for a few miles and the entire way is paved with green pastures and many many many cows. I had way too much fun taking pictures of these sweet domesticated creatures. They paid no attention to me, all they do is eat :P

Being in the valley makes you feel so small and safe because of the surrounding mountains. The town of Wengen sits on one side of the mountains while the town of Mürren sits on the other. There is zero wind here because these mountains block the weather. Either way, Lauterbrunnen is the town you see in your dreams and if you have the chance to go, get here immediately.

Wengen

That night we stayed in an adorable small town on the cliff edge of the Lauterbrunnen valley called Wengen. Population 1300 and 4,000 ft high, Most of the dwellings here are hotels for a special reason. Wengen is a very popular ski town and people flock to this small village in the Wintertime for it. It is only a gondala ride away from the famous "Jungfraujoch Mountain" or "The highest point in Europe". Needless to say, Wengen is charming and a great base for hiking sites. The only thing I could say is that in off-season, it is pretty barren.

Getting to Wengen: From Lauterbrunnen, you have two options. You can take the train up to Wengen for a 15-20 minute ride. This will cost about 15 Euro. The second option is a hike up to Wengen from Lauterbrunnen, which is the option we chose. It'll take you an hour and half to reach Wengen when you hike. We were on a tight budget, so we chose the exercise.

This is our view from our hotel. I got to wake up to this every morning. Because it was off-season, we got a great deal at an air bnb which usually would be quite pricey during Summer and Winter.

Hiking in Wengen

Hiking signs:

What's nice about the signs on the trails in Switzerland is that they are very prompt, just like Switzerland itself. The trails are clearly marked with red and white paint so you know you are going in the right direction.

The signs pointing towards the trails are marked in time and not distance. I really liked this change because if you were going uphill as opposed to downhill, it would take longer to reach the same distance. It also gave you an approximate time you would arrive at your location.

Road to Mürren:

Wengen is the perfect hub for taking day hikes. Today, we took a hike to Mürren which stands on the opposite side of the Lauterbrunnen valley. To get to the Mürren trail, you have to hike down from Wengen towards Lauterbrunnen for about 45 minutes. From here, you will go up the the other side of the valley on a trail marked with a red and white stripe. This trail goes through a green lush forest along the ridge line for 2 hours until you reach Mürren. Like something out of the Fern Gully Forest, this hike is a gorgeous way to see nature in Switzerland.

Many footbridges and waterfalls line the trails.

It is a strenuous hike, but well worth it. Because when you reach the top there is supposed to be a fantastic view. Unfortunately the day we went on this hike, it was very foggy and you couldn't even make out the bottom of the valley. At least we got to march in this gorgeous fairytale terrane.

As you get higher and higher, the climate begins to change and you'll get patches of snow. Eventually, you'll reach a snow covered mountain and everything around you is brilliantly white.

We found an abandoned cabin to peak around in and take a few moments out of the cold.

Mürren is a small town on the cliff edge of the Lauterbrunnen valley with stacked houses, green pastures on slopes, and many many cows. They have a strange fascination with the "Abominable Snowman" and have masks of this beast mounted on their houses. There are "Abominable Snowman" tracks throughout the town as well.

Like I mentioned, it was terribly foggy and we are not able to see much of the town at all. Having stopped off for a coffee, we continued down the valley the opposite way of which we came up. You can go this route and hike in a loop back to Lauterbrunnen, or you can go back down the same way you came. We took the loop because you see different things this way.

The hike down was one of my favorite parts of Switzerland. The town continues down the slope for a few miles and thins out. When walking along the roads, you will come across some authentic little shops that the inhabitants set up in their barn. They sell things like home-knit beanies, sickest gloves, little wood carvings, etc.. There were even a few shops without anyone running it and based off the honor system: if you take something, you leave the money in a basket. This truly speaks to how lovely, kind, and honorable Swiss people can be... to let you into their shop and ex-ect that you do the right thing.

The road down the mountain passes in people's backyards right by their houses. Asking some locals, they claimed that this is normal and they don't mind hikers being on their property. This road passes right under this man's porch.

The lower down the mountain you go, you will pass a gorge with waterfalls flowing down the slope into it. Watch out though, there are many falling rocks in this area and there are signs that warn you of this hazard.

Almost at the bottom now, the fog has lifted and the viability is almost clear. Here is where you will get some of the most spectacular views.

Once you are back down in the valley, it is a 45 minute walk on flat ground towards the town of Lauterbrunnen. After strenuous back breaking, knee cramping, calf burning hiking.. walking on flat ground is a treat. Plus you get to pass the many cow pastures along the way. It began to rain while we were on this walk and the cows mooed angrily for their owners to let them in the barn. Swiss cows are sooooooo pampered.

The Royal Walk- From Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg

Another great hike from Wengen is "The Royal Walk" hike in the opposite direction as Lauterbrunnen valley. There is a mountain range between the Lauterbrunnen valley and Grindelwald which offers you snow covered hikes and holds the "Jungfrouyoch- Tallest Point in Europe" train station. To get to the starting point of this hike from Wengen, you either can hike up a steep slope for 2 hours, or take a gondola for 15 minutes to the top of Männlichen mountain. Seeing as we would be hiking all day, we chose the gondola ride. But if you're feeling ambitious (or pinching pennies) you should attempt to hike the two hours up. The ride up costs $23 and can be found on the website. The ride up is pretty beautiful with tall pines creating a jagged profile along the mountains edge.

Once reaching the top, if you go left, there is a short hike (about 20 minutes) to a lovely lookout point over the Lauterbrunnen valley.

Keeping the theme "royal" on the Royal walk, the lookout point is made to look like a crown.

Grab some pictures as quickly as you can because there will be crowds here soon mucking up your pictures. Because the royal lookout point is easy to get to, the people who don't want to hike for miles will come up here and call it their "hike" for the day.

The long hike between Männlichen to Klein Scheidegg has some beautiful views. This hike is mostly flat so you won't exert too much energy. This is a snow covered trail so just be careful of ice patches. The hike is around a mountain ridge and gives you a view of the Grindlewald valley instead of the Lauterbrunnen valley.

We came up the mountain very early in the morning and were able to catch the gorgeous view with sun rays peaking through the mountains. Absolutely heavenly

The hike to the small town of Klein Scheidegg takes about an hour including picture stops along the way. Towards the end of the hike, there is a small stream that has frozen over. Be very careful here. I couldn't help myself and had to stomp on the thin sheet of ice to make it crack.. because it's fun :)

You have reached Klein Schiedegg. The small town and train station to get to the famous Junfrau "Top of Europe" station. Told by many many locals that this was a waste of time and very expensive, we decided to skip this experience. Tickets can cost up to $60, you can find them on the website. We were told that the top is average with okay views and the place reeks of Indian food. So if you are on a budget, maybe skip this venture. If you must reach the top of the world, then hop on the train and enjoy the ride :)

The hike back towards Wengen is a steady decline and has great views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Grindlewald

Ahhhh.. Grindlewald. A town a little larger than Wengen but smaller than Bern. But each and every house or hotel has that little German cottage appearance on sloping valleys with green grass. This town is absolutely magical without being in the middle of nowhere. Grindelwald is also enclosed by mountains which makes for excellent hiking in and around the area.

We stayed in a youth hostel in Grindelwald because it was cheaper than getting an airbnb. Our hostel was located on a hill so overtime we went into town, a 15 minute hike had to ensue. But the best part of this hike was that we got to pass the only llama in Switzerland.

Lake Bachalpsee Hike

A very picturesque hike and lake, this trek is a must when you visit Grindelwald. Starting from Grindelwald and weaving your way up through the houses, you will reach more signs leading you towards Lake Bachalpsee. You must pass through the backyards of houses again and there is even a portion of the trail that requires you to cross through a cow field. You can get up close and personal with them giving them a good ear scratch but you also can get hurt by excited cows, so be cautious. The inclined hike takes about 2 hours. But the trail runs through a forest and valleys so you'll have pretty sights the entire time.

Finally you'll reach a cascading waterfall and stream running through a valley. When I saw it in the distance I practically ran towards it. It was so beautiful.

The stream comes from Lake Bachalpsee so you know you're going in the right direction if you see this. We were unsure at first and we ended up hiking a huge mound on a serious incline just to see if we could spot the lake. But after the huffing and huffing and reaching the top, we realized there was a trail that went around this mound and was marked by the red and white striped trail markers. But all this work wasn't for nothing. It turned out to be a great lunch spot to eat our sandwiches and look down over the valley below.

Follow the marked trail up a rocky pathway which always follows the stream. When you think it'll never end and you get over a hill, it keeps going... Finally see the lake and jump for joy because you're finally here. I never said this hike was easy. The lake is a light blue color and sits in the divot of a green grassed mountain range. On clear days, this place is a hotspot for photographers because of the mirrored picture you can get of the mountains behind the lake. Unfortunately it was windy, rainy and foggy when we got there.

First and the Sky Walk

From Lake Bachalpsee, you can hike across the ridgeline for about 45 minutes to reach the famous cliff "First". First has gondolas running from Grindelwald to the top and back down. Of course we didn't want to spend $40 on a gondola, so we hiked down. But here at First they have a large building with a cafeteria and souvenir shops. What this cliff is most famous for is the SkyWalk. The sky walk is walkway made from mesh grating or clear glass around the edge of the cliff so there is nothing but air underneath you. If you get Vertigo easily, you might have a hard time with this.

Here's the view at the end of the Skywalk.

Switzerland is full of endless trails. Weather you want to hike in in a white blanketed mountain with snow, lush fairytale forests, green pastures and valleys of mooing cows, or secluded blue lakes and streams.. Switzerland has it all. An avid hikers playground, Switzerland is a must see place on your world travels.