Switzerland is blessed with many amazing hiking routes. I may have just found the best panoramic hike in Switzerland which I would like to share here.
Best Panoramic Hike in Switzerland – The Route:
Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg
- Hiking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Difficulty: easy
- Elevation: 2064 – 2233 m
- Distance: 4.4 km
Kleine Scheidegg – Eigergletschwand
- Hiking time: 55 minutes
- Difficulty: middle
- Elevation: 2061 – 2139 m
Eigergletschwand – Alpiglen
- Hiking time: 2 hours
- Difficulty: middle
- Elevation: 110m ascent, 800m descent
- Distance: 6 km
- Note that the Eiger Trail is currently closed due to construction of the V Cableway till December 2020. I went back down to Kleine Scheidegg and onwards to Alpiglen.
Alpiglen – Grindelwald
Unfortunately I cannot find any info… but it probably takes at least 1.5 hours.
How to get there:
From Basel or Zurich, catch a train to Interlaken Ost, then take a train to Lauterbrunnen.
From there, catch another train up to Wengen. In Wengen, take a cable car up to Männlichen. Total journey time is roughly 3.5 hours.
What were the routes like?
Männlichen – Kleine Scheidegg
This was the best panoramic hike by far with the views of the 3 Bernese: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
There was very little uphill climb on this hike which means that it can be easily done with kids.
Männlichen has a gorgeous playground for the little ones.
This hike can be done within an hour.
Kleine Scheidegg – Eigergletschwand
Challenging. Not advisable to do with kids. Constant uphill climb, but rewarding views.
I particularly enjoyed the chairs in a pool of water where you can soak your feet and push a button for bubbles, like a free jacuzzi with the mountains in front of you (take that break!). This was right across the lake/dam, roughly half way up.
I also liked the replica of a mountain cabin which was my lunch spot, facing the looming Jungfrau.
Walking across snow was also fun.
Eigergletschwand – Alpiglen
As mentioned, I wanted to walk this part along the Eiger Trail, but unfortunately it was closed. I had to walk back down to Kleine Scheidegg and onwards to Alpiglen.
It was 1 pm when I left Kleine Scheidegg and it was a hot day. There wasn’t much shade which made it quite tough. I ran most of the time.
Alpiglen – Grindelwald
One word – steep. The steepness made this part of the hike challenging.
You must have strong knees to do this. My big toes were hurting. At times I had to stop running and walk down sideways.
Towards the end, you have to start climbing uphill to get to Grindelwald. Under the hot sun, no shade, no wind, it was not easy.
Things to remember:
Refill your water bottles at every point possible. Whenever you see a restaurant or toilets, take advantage of those stops.
I came across a gorgeous looking hotel called Glacier close to Grindelwald which I would happily stop at to have a drink next time. Alas, I was in a hurry timing myself this time.
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If you are looking for other things to do around Switzerland, click here.
For inspiration on another hike, why not try Hoher Kasten?
