Top 10 Places In The Swiss Alps

What's up guys my name is Ryan and I've spent the last several years exploring the mountains of Switzerland and I want to show you my favorite places. So here is my Swiss Alps top 10. I have to say the Swiss Alps is one of my all-time favorite regions in the world. There's just something magical about the massive mountains, incredible landscapes, from the cliffs of Murren to the enchanting village of Grindelwald, the Swiss Alps is a destination that needs to be experienced. Let's start this video off in one of my favorite towns in Switzerland, Zermatt. I recently spent four days here and it was one of my favorite parts of my time in Switzerland. It's a charming village shadowed over by the daunting Matterhorn mountain and there's just something magical about this place. Now the city is full of shops and restaurants including my favorite McDonald's. Now one thing I love is how the glacial river runs through the town. It's a distinct grayish turquoise color and it's one of the best places to get views of the Matterhorn. I mean there's just so much to do in Zermatt whether you want to take hikes around the town or enjoy the numerous gondolas. Now one thing you got to do while you're there is take the Gonergrat railway. It starts in Zermatt and takes you up to 3,100 meters to enjoy some of the best views of the Matterhorn. I'm not gonna lie it's freaking expensive. It costs about $140 a person but it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you gotta do if you're there. We got up super early to take the first train and climbed up the mountain. I was just baffled by the views. Now we got off at the Rotenboden station and I was just so freaking excited. I've been wanting to come here for years and it lived up to the hype. There are two lakes that offer some of the best views of the Matterhorn and if the conditions are just right you can see a perfect reflection of the famous peak. I got super lucky it was a clear calm morning. I was just running around up there it made me feel like a kid again. Not only is the views magical but there are some of the cutest sheep I've ever seen. They have the curliest hair and twisted horns and look like an animal you would find in a fantasy novel. Now after running around we took the train to the top of the railway to the Gonergrat. It's one of the coolest hotels that I'd love to stay at one day. It reminds me of an evil villain's hideout. Once again you'll get incredible views of the Matterhorn and the master glacier below. I mean I just couldn't recommend the Gonergrat railway enough. It's something you gotta do. Now if you want to get up close and personal to the Matterhorn I'd recommend you take the gondola up to Schwarzsee. It costs about $60 a person and you get on the lift in Zermatt. It then takes you up to this little mountain lake called Schwarzsee and from there you can hike up to the base of the Matterhorn. I mean this was probably one of my favorite things we did in Zermatt. You get a chance to see the Matterhorn up close and it's just so freaking incredible. But one thing you'll learn while you're there is how different the Matterhorn can look depending what angle you see it from. I personally think the best view is right down its north eastern ridge. That's the view you get from the hike and Zermatt as well. Anyways I just had an amazing time up there. I truly think mountains give off some sort of energy because I'm always amped and excited when I'm near them. If you're in Zermatt you gotta do this hike. Now after we're going to visit Limmernsee. Now this may be one of my favorite hikes I did. You start by taking up a cable car and when you reach the top you're going to go through a three kilometer tunnel through the mountain. I believe it was originally built by a company who made the dam and now you can walk through it. We reached the end and we arrived at a lake. It's a striking turquoise color surrounded by an amphitheater of mountain walls. Now the hike to the top was freaking hard. It's very steep and felt like it went on forever but after about an hour we made it to the iconic viewpoint. It's this rocky peninsula that gives you a perfect view of the reservoir below. It was so cool to see how the clouds changed the color and lighting of the landscape. I just had a blast running around up there. I mean there's no greater feeling than running free in the mountains. There's also a mountain hub up there where you can get some food and drink after such a long hike. On the way back down I just couldn't believe the views. It's definitely one of my favorite yet difficult hikes I've done in the Alps. When we got back to the tunnel we took a stairway down to the dam and you can walk across it. I mean it's crazy how concave the dam is. It really makes you appreciate modern engineering. After we're going to go for a swim in Valle Versasca. Now located in the Italian region of Switzerland, Valle Versasca is famous for having this medieval bridge that goes over some of the clearest river water in the world. I've been there many times now and every single time I'm just baffled by the beauty of this place. The water is crystal clear and the bridge is a prime place to do some cliff jumping. It took me a while to build up courage to jump but I was able to throw a gainer into the freezing cold water. Another fun thing you can do is swim in the river. I brought my goggles and I just can't believe the clarity of the water. The rocks look so cool from beneath and even though it was cold there's just something energizing about swimming in frigid waters. Now after we're going to visit one of my favorite towns in Switzerland, Grindelwald. When you think of Switzerland this is it. Swiss chalets, green pastures, and mountains everywhere you look. I've been here several times over the years and it never ceases to blow my mind. The village is overlooked by the massive Eiger mountain. It's hard to fathom how big it is. In Grindelwald there's just so much to do. One of my favorite travel memories is hiking up to a random peak. I was too cheap to pay for a lift ticket so I just saw this mountain and I decided to hike to the top. I got some of the most phenomenal views of Mount Eiger and just had an incredible time enjoying the power of the Swiss Alps all by myself. Afterwards we're going to visit Lac de Mausson. Now located right on the French and Swiss border, Lac de Mausson is one of the most impressive dams in Switzerland. It has this very distinct concave shape. The surrounding mountains are just jaw-dropping. Now to get there you can drive up some whiny roads or take one of the world's steepest funiculars. Now above Lac de Mausson there's a second yet small reservoir that might still be iced over when you're there. I mean just such an incredible area you got to check out if you're near the French border. Now after we're going to take a drive on the Furka pass located about a two hours drive from Grindelwald. This is one of the most famous mountain pass drives in the Alps as it was featured in the James Bond film Goldfinger. The pass is full of hairpin turns and incredible views. You can stop and marvel at the Rhone Glacier and also nearby is the Grimsel Pass. It crosses right over the cantons of Bern and Valais. It's full of several glacial reservoirs and if you're into driving you definitely got to check out these mountain passes. Now after we're going to visit the Aletsch Glacier. Now located in the Bernese Alps, the Aletsch Glacier is over 23 kilometers long making it the longest glacier in Switzerland. It was just so freaking huge. When I got to the top it was just hard to fathom the scale of this glacier and I found the uniform dark lines of shattered rock so interesting. I met up with one of my buddies Jimo Graphic on top. He has some of my favorite travel videos on Switzerland and I'll link his channel in the description below. When you're up at the top you can enjoy a meal at the restaurant or you can hike to the cross on Eggeshorn Peak. You get a panoramic view of the glacier and if you're down for a long hike you can walk down and get close and personal with the glacier near the lake Margelenzi. Now at the very end of Aletsch Glacier is the Jungfraujoch. Me and my buddies decided to take Europe's highest train to the top. Now normally the tickets in summertime cost around 240 dollars but we got the early bird special so it was half off. We rode the train up the mountain halfway. We made a pit stop and we were able to see the glacier. There were also some mountaineers taking a little break before they ascended the mountain. After the pit stop we got back on the train and made it to the top. When you reach the final stop you'll get off the train and go through some tunnels. It was a little confusing to me. Anyways we made it to the ice plateau and we were able to get an incredible view of the glacier below. After we went on top of the Sphinx Observatory to get some more amazing views. Now one of the coolest parts of Jungfraujoch is the glacier tunnels. You're able to walk through these tunnels carved out of ice and surprisingly it wasn't too cold or slippery. While a trip to Jungfraujoch is expensive I think everyone should do it at least once in their life. Now our next destination is Lauterbrunnen. This is possibly the most beautiful village on earth. It's a valley of over 72 waterfalls and that's what inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's Rivendell. Now to get to Lauterbrunnen it's about a two-hour car ride from Zurich. You'll just have an incredible time just walking around the village and marveling at all the beauty. When I was there I found this little park right at the base of the town's waterfall. I also checked out their local store Co-op and got some swiss essentials of coke and chocolate and gosh I just love this place. While you're there it's hard to believe it even exists. After we're going to visit the village of Murren. Now just from Lauterbrunnen it's just a few minutes drive down the valley. Like many places in Switzerland you can't drive to Murren. You gotta take a gondola from Stechelberg. Now the city is just enchanting. It's filled with Swiss chalets and incredible views. The main reason I wanted to go to Murren is to do the iconic Via Ferrata. I rented some gear at the intersport store for about 25 dollars and I was all ready to go. Before you start you walk through this tunnel. It's a good initiation and gets you pumped or nervous for what's to come. You then follow the path and it's pretty chill for the first bit. Just walk through a little forest but then you get to the cliffs. There was this base jump platform to jump into the valley below. Just standing on it made my stomach drop. Anyways after that the Via Ferrata gets a little wild. My favorite part is the section that goes across this sheer cliff face with the thousand foot drop right below you. I mean it's perfectly safe as long as you're clipped in to the iron wire with your gear. I mean just so exhilarating. I went back and did it two more times because I liked it so much. My camera doesn't give it justice. The combination of the thousand foot drop with the views is unforgettable. After the cliff section we continued on the trail. The next obstacle was a wire tight rope across the waterfall. It was a little sketch but not too bad. And the final obstacle is a bridge that goes over a deep canyon. This was honestly the scariest part for me because it was kind of shaky towards the middle and the thousand foot plus drop is intimidating but nonetheless I finished and made it to the town of Gimmelwald. It took me about two hours to do and was so freaking fun. Another incredible place to visit in the area is Schilthorn. It's an iconic mountain peak above Marin. The lift tickets were on the pricey side around 125 dollars a person. You take up several lifts through the clouds until you reach the top. The Schilthorn is famous for being featured in the 1969 James Bond film. There's a lot of 007 memorabilia on top. The views are jaw-dropping up there. You get clear views of the and Eiger mountains. You can enjoy a meal in the rotating restaurant that completes a full rotation every 45 minutes. We followed a trail that led us on the ridge. I saw a guy preparing to paraglide and we found some little huts to shelter from the wind. The weather conditions change so fast up there. One second it would be clear and then a few minutes later it would be covered in clouds. I mean gotta love those high altitude conditions. Now after exploring Schilthorn you can take the gondola to the lower station of Berg. There's incredible views and a place to have a meal. There's also the Thrill Walk attraction which has several fun obstacles whether it's walking on a tightrope or crawling through a wire tube with quite a drop below. It's sure to get your adrenaline pumping. After we're going to head to the mountains of Appenzell. Located in eastern Switzerland these mountains quickly became one of my favorite places I've ever been to. It's home to massive jagged mountains that look like something out of Lord of the Rings. To get up the mountain I took a gondola and then hiked about an hour to reach a mountain hut hotel on the top. Me and my buddy Danny decided to stay the night at the hotel so we could watch the sunset. We got all settled in and then we ventured off to get the perfect spot. The clouds were covering the sky so we only had like 15 minutes of sunlight to get the shot. Danny whipped out his FPV and we got some of the most incredible shots I've ever seen. I have to say this is my top five sunsets of my life and I can't believe the beauty of these mountains. They're just so massive and green. It's what dreams are made of. There's also a one-of-a-kind restaurant built into the side of the cliff and also an incredible lake at the bottom that I both failed to go to. Anyways make sure you add Appenzell to your Switzerland bucket list. Well that is it for my Swiss Alps top 10. It's such an incredible part of the world and I hope you all can visit there soon. Let me know where your favorite place is in the Swiss Alps in the comments below. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok at shirley.films. It's Ryan and we will see you later.