
I visited this WHS in September 2014. The 4000+ metre mountains were immediately visible from as far as Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken. I drove to Grindelwald where I had my hotel and ample parking opportunities. Grindelwald is just beneath the Eiger mountain (3970m) but the peaks of Wetterhorn (3701m) and Schreckhorn (4078m) are also clearly visible from town. There are several uphill trails to take in the scenery but if you're just a beginner taking the trains up and choosing a trail down could be a pleasant and less tiring option. The lavish greenery dotted with brown cows changes to rocky landscape, ice glaciers and snow capped mountain peaks as you arrive at Kleine Scheidegg (2061m). After checking the weather forecast several times and being lucky enough to visit on a sunny weekend, I opted to go for the Jungfraubahn Top of Europe experience which cost me 177 swiss francs for a return ticket, making it the most expensive WHS I have ever visited. Since I was staying in Grindelwald, I only had to change one train which was fine. The first train from Grindelwald left around 07:15 meaning that I got to Jungfraujoch before 09:00 (around 1hr 45mins including panoramic view stops). At Kleine Scheidegg, I changed trains to the actual Jungfraubahn after gazing at the Eigergletscher. The fact that I moved around and spent most of the train stops outside helped me avoid altitude sickness. The Jungfraubahn stops twice for panoramic view stops before reaching Jungfraujoch. First stop is at Eigerwand (2865m) and the second stop is at Eismeer (3160m). Along the way a short video clip is displayed on the several screens giving a brief overview on the history, construction, biodiversity of this amazing part of the Swiss Alps. Jungfraujoch (3454m) is the highest railway station in Europe and it is quite popular with tourists all year round. Luckily, although I visited on a weekend, there weren't very many people. Perhaps because I arrived there early as most groups tend to arrive around lunch time to eat at the Jungfraujoch Restaurant. Before the groups arrived, I explored the touristy Ice Palace (nothing extraordinary there) and took the elevator up to the research station and Sphinx observatory (3571m), which is one of the highest observatories in the world. Next I walked to the open plateau where I stood in awe at the incredible panoramic views of the Swiss Alps and the 23km long Aletsch glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps. After I took a never ending number of photos, I bought some Swiss chocolate and headed towards the Snow Fun area. Here there is a short zipline, a couple of lanes for snowtubing, snowboarding and skiing and a glacier bar. This is what most tourists get out of the Top of Europe experience which is a worthwhile experience especially if you haven't seen glaciers or been close to high mountain peaks before. The price is the only drawback really. Similarly to Hallstatt and Salzburg, Asian tourists come here all year round, so much so that there are UNESCO information boards of Mt. Huangshan next to the ones of Jungfrau. Having enough time at my disposal, I decided to make this visit a lifetime experience and I hiked up Monch (4107m), the second highest mountain situated just next to Jungfrau (4158m). I will never forget the views from the top! What an unforgettable experience. Overall, this is my favourite WHS in Switzerland and I wouldn't mind visiting again to do the glacier walk.
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