Jungfrau Region (Summer)

Up the valley from Interlaken, Switzerland’s most famous mountain trio — the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau — preside over the country’s most famous Alpine resort area. A network of cog railways and cable cars takes you high up into the Alps, a wonderland of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, as well as more extreme sports such as hang gliding and river rafting. Grindelwald is the largest town, with famous views of the Eiger and several glaciers, plus a great selection of lodging from 5-star luxury hotels to backpackers’ hostels and holiday apartments for families. Higher up are the smaller and more upscale villages of Wengen and ...

Up the valley from Interlaken, Switzerland’s most famous mountain trio — the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau — preside over the country’s most famous Alpine resort area. A network of cog railways and cable cars takes you high up into the Alps, a wonderland of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, as well as more extreme sports such as hang gliding and river rafting. Grindelwald is the largest town, with famous views of the Eiger and several glaciers, plus a great selection of lodging from 5-star luxury hotels to backpackers’ hostels and holiday apartments for families. Higher up are the smaller and more upscale villages of Wengen and Mürren. Tiny Gimmelwald is a favorite of the summer backpacker set. The scenery in this region is spectacular, with up-close views of massive granite peaks. You can take the train all the way up to the Jungfraujoch, Europe’s highest railway station, with an awesome view of the Aletsch Glacier, but it’s only worth the high price on clear days. You can almost crawl inside of a glacier at the The Gletscherschlucht (Glacier Gorge) near Grindelwald or the Trümmelbach waterfalls near Lauterbrunnen.

About the Expert

Charlie Morris is the author of the Open Road guidebooks Best of Honduras, Best of Costa Rica, Best of Belize, and Switzerland Guide.