Schynige Platte Cogwheel Railway Return Ticket

The stay and nature were spectacular. There were a lot of people there that day, but it spread well while hiking. It was always a bit scarce by train, but luckily 2 formations could be used.

I’ve lived in Switzerland for forty years and seen a lot of the country but this is the first time I’ve been up to Schynige Platte. We were lucky with the weather - you do need clear views for the best experience - and we were thrilled with the views in bright autumn sunshine. The trip up in the little cogwheel train is amazing, not only for the views that open up after every tunnel and forest section, but also for the awe inspiring engineering that went into building it so many years ago. Eventually the big moment arrived as we turned yet another steep corner and got a view of the massive range of mountains that includes the famous trio Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The entire trainload of people gasped at the sight of the snow covered peaks (lovely togetherness moment!). Once at the top there’s a restaurant and huge terraces where you can enjoy this staggeringly beautiful view. Yesterday we sat outside, protected from a cool breeze by the building, and drank in the view that takes in the Lauterbrunnen and the Grindlewald valleys as well as the massive mountains. The famous north face of the Eiger was directly opposite and we could even make out the building that contains Europe’s highest weather station and visitor areas on the Jungfraujoch (the saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau). There are hiking trails of course and an alpine flower garden which must be beautiful in the mountain spring (which is quite a bit later than spring lower down). If you get a good day weather-wise I’d recommend this trip as a real alternative to the Jungfrau for anyone with altitude problems because Schynige Platte is just under 2000m high whereas the Jungfrau is around 3500m. We’ve had friends who developed awful headaches up there so it’s just as well to be aware. I’m putting S. Platte at the top of my list for taking overseas visitors to in future, weather allowing. In a country full of spectacular places this ranks right up there with the best.

Unfortunately, the day was very cloudy and there was snow on arrival, so we did not see any views nor could we visit the botanical garden and much less make the hike on foot