Jungfrau Region Switzerland - Wengen - Lauterbrunnen - Gimmelwald - Mürren

My dear Swissies and Switzerland lovers, it's already April 8 and the Japanese cherry trees in Lauterbrunnen are already in bloom. The contrast between the mighty mountains in the background and the blossoming trees inspires me every year. Lauterbrunnen lies 800 meters above sea level and is surrounded by mighty cliffs. It's almost Easter and so you can see the Easter decoration. Before we make Lauterbrunnen unsafe, I'll take you up to Wengen first. I want to know how far spring has already come here. Wengen is car-free, so you can only get up there by train. The train runs every 30 minutes at this time of the year and time of the day. The train ride takes about 11 minutes and is peppered with breathtaking views of the Lauterbrunnen valley. While I enjoy my trip in the Jungfrau region, Rostel sends his regards from the Gäntal. You can still film from the open windows of these trains, but it is probably only a matter of time before modern trains with air conditioning are used here too. After the Wengwald train station, you have to be prepared for something. As soon as you come out of the forest, you have to look to the right if you are sitting in the direction of the train. This is probably the most beautiful view of the Lauterbrunnen valley. In Wengen, I am greeted by the twittering of birds. Today, I'm not showing you Wengen downtown, but a pretty corner called Ingelwengen. Nearby is the Staubbochbankli. April is low season in Wengen. Most skiers have been able to pursue their hobbies quite often this winter, so there are no longer so many of them. A few skiers can still be seen on the Kleine Scheidegg. Depending on the snow, the ski season there lasts until the end of April. In the past, almost no tourists were seen in the low season. However, as tourism has taken a huge dimension in summer, many tourists switch to the low season. But not many people get lost in this corner these days. I enjoy the half-hour walk through the slowly awakening nature. By the way, this hike is also suitable for people with disabilities. Practically everything is paved, only the benches are on natural ground. There are a few people who live here permanently in Innerwengen. There are mainly farmers who live up here with their animals, but there are also many vacation homes that unfortunately stand empty for most of the year. In Switzerland too, we have more and more problems with housing for locals. I love this short hike with the snow-capped mountains in the background. I also love this time of the year for hiking. It's not too hot, it's not that cold, and while it's already blooming down in the valley, you can still marvel at the white giants in the background. For me, this is one of the most beautiful hiking times in Switzerland. Now we reach the Staubbachbankli. But it's not only one bench, there are several benches here. Yeah, with the view into the Lauterbrunnen valley. I make my way back. I still have a lot planned for you. On my way back, I come across this gang of goats. I spend about 10 minutes here. I could just stand here for hours and watch the goats. They are so funny. But I don't want to bore you. Let's go back to the Wengwald train station. The sun comes relatively early here. Let's see if the dandelions are already in bloom. The dandelions are starting. Yeah, finally also in Wengen. Although the dandelions are already here, nature as a whole is still very restrained. It has been far too dry in Switzerland, and rain is not expected until next week. That's why I already have clear plans for the next video. So it's time to go up to Kleine Schadeck. I'm hungry. I spontaneously changed my mind and quickly headed up to Kleine Schadeck. The trip from Wengwald to Kleine Schadeck takes about 25 minutes. I pass the breathtaking view of the Lauterbrunnen valley again and then ascend meter by meter to the Kleine Schadeck. Helicopters fly everywhere. These are booked for work such as felling trees or for transportation purposes. Soon we will see what else the helicopters are booked for. It doesn't take long and we're back in winter. Kleine Schadeck lies at 2061 meters above sea level and, as already mentioned, people still ski here. You can already see part of the Eiger Mönch and Jungfrau. Soon the three are united in one picture. Although you can get to Eiger Glacier relatively quickly from Grindelwald terminal with the Eiger Express, I always find the train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Schadeck even more beautiful. The journey is simply so varied and filming from the open window is just pure driving pleasure for me. Here you can see the famous Eiger. The north face of the Eiger is popular with climbers from all over the world and has cost many a life. We'll find out just how dangerous the north face really is in a moment. And here we watch a glimpse of the Jungfraujoch. We'll soon be on Kleine Schadeck and the filming has made me hungry. That's why we have something healthy again. Schnitzel with chips. While I was eating my lunch, I noticed that a helicopter was flying on the north face. I heard from conversations that apparently two climbers had problems on the wall. These missions are highly dangerous but this time everything went well. It's already two o'clock in the afternoon and I am pretty exhausted. I realized that such excursions are wonderful but all the impressions are a complete sensory overload. I take the train down to Grindelwald. I'll probably postpone Lauterbrunnen to another day but don't worry, you still get to see Lauterbrunnen in this video with Gimmelwald and Mürren. And I actually wanted to take the gondola back up to Männichen and back to Wengen but the gondola is not in operation. I must have missed this information. So I have to take the Eiger Express up to Eiger Glacier, from there take the train down to Kleinesteg and then take the train down to Lauterbrunnen. The second part of our journey starts at Park & Rail Matten near Interlaken. You can park here for the whole day for five francs. For comparison, an hour in the Kirch parking lot in Lauterbrunnen costs about the same. So it's worth considering parking your car here and taking public transport the rest of the way. The trains from Matten near Interlaken run every half hour. Watch out! The trains to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald are coupled. Make sure you are in the right train. The carriages are then separated in the train station Zwei Lützenen. The journey from Matten near Interlaken takes about 20 minutes. And when I say about, delays are usually in the range of seconds. We are in Switzerland after all. We are back in Lauterbrunnen. Two days later, not much has changed. The meadows are green but the dandelions still seem to be asleep. Nevertheless, a walk around Lauterbrunnen is always a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, Lauterbrunnen has become overrun with tourists in recent years. Even though most tourists abide by the local rules, there are still many black sheep. They leave garbage lying around, wander into private gardens or picnic in the cow pastures. This naturally annoys the local population, which is why not all locals are equally friendly when they see tourists. It's like anywhere else in the world. Crowds are simply difficult to manage and a village as small as Lauterbrunnen can quickly reach its limit. So please, pay attention to the local rules. The best known hiking trail in Lauterbrunnen is probably the one to Stichelberg. It is a paved road and can therefore be easily walked with baby carriages or by people with disabilities. I prefer the less well-known paths. Just explore for yourself. There are so many signposted hiking trails around Lauterbrunnen and if you stay on these paths, you'll always be on the safe side. It's 12 noon, time for the church bells and for many Swiss it's time for lunch. I try my luck in Gimmelwald. To get from Lauterbrunnen to Gimmelwald, I take the postbus to Stichelberg to the Schilthorn cable car station. Although the new cable car runs directly from Stichelberg the old cable car is still in operation until 2035. After that, a new solution will be sought. So I take the ride from Stichelberg to Gimmelwald, which I'm sure you're already familiar with. Thirsty. Unfortunately, the lunch doesn't work out. The restaurant is only open at weekends during the low season, so I'll have to go hungry for a while. Around 100 people live in Gimmelwald. Many of them live from farming and have a simple life here with their animals. From Gimmelwald you can hike down to Stichelberg. However, this hike is now closed. There is one section in particular that is very prone to falling rocks, especially in spring when everything melts. Please keep to the prohibitions. It is not worth risking your own life. As soon as it is safe and the paths and surroundings have been checked, this and other hikes will be opened. Attention! Hiking in the mountains always involves a certain amount of risk, so keep your eyes and above all your ears open. Here we would now continue into the Seffinental and, as already mentioned, down to Stichelberg. Both hikes are not yet open. Contact the tourist office to see which hikes are open and which are not. Gimmelwald is a small mountain village that you can quickly walk around. Let's go a few meters further up to Mürren. Mürren can also be reached from Gimmelwald by cable car. I'll walk with you from Mürren, take the train to Grützscholp and then take the cable car back down to Lauterbrunnen. Mürren lies at 1634 meters above sea level, so spring hasn't really got going here yet. Nevertheless, a walk through this beautiful mountain village is always nice. The Eiger looms mightily on the other side of the valley and yet it seems close enough to touch. By the way, you could continue from Mürren to Schilthorn, but we'll do that another time. After the short walk, we take the mountain railroad from Mürren to Grützscholp. Unfortunately, the old trains have been replaced by modern trains. No more opening windows. What a shame. Despite the windows being closed, I was able to take a few videos of the Eiger Mönch and Jungfrau during the 11-minute journey. From Grützscholp, the cable car now takes me back down to Lauterbrunnen. You should be vigilant here too. The best views is into the direction of Frebel if you look out the windows on the right. On the way down, of course. I actually wanted to go to Grindelwald, but I'm so overwhelmed by so much beauty that I have to give my head a rest. I take the train back to my starting point in Motten near Interlaken. During that journey, I think about what I'm going to present to you next. I think I'll take you to the Italian-speaking Switzerland again. After last year's storms, the Bavona valley is open to tourists again. I want to see what one of my favorite valleys looks like today. The weather looks very rainy, but I think I'm in the right place in this valley. See you again soon.