Attractions - Switzerland

Attractions - Bern

Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Bernese Oberland, one of the most spectacularly beautiful regions of Switzerland is worth a visit, especially during the summer months. It is hard to beat the combination of snow-capped mountain peaks, fresh air, summer heat, jagged rocks and lush rolling green hills. The region covers the southern part of the canton of Bern.

Interlaken is a good place from which to start exploring the central region of Bernese Oberland. This town of 15,000 is situated between two lakes, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz and is no distance from the triple peaks of the Jungfrau (4, 158 metres), Mönch (4,099) and Eiger (3,970) mountains. Take a train or cable car to one of the many vantage points from which to view the incredible surroundings. Take a 40-minute train trip east toward the skiing and hiking centre of Grindelwald, situated at the northern face of the Eiger. Hike or take a short bus trip up to the Obergletscher (Upper Glacier) and visit the ice grottoes. Grindelwald is also home to a yodelling festival in July and the World Snow Festival in mid-January. Other places to visit include the resorts of Männlichen, Wengen and Mürren as well as the picturesque towns of Lauterbrunnen, Bönigen and Iseltwald.

Take the Jungfrau railway up to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 metres above sea level or experience the longest cable railway ride in the Alps to the Pia Gloria on the Schilthorn, as visited by James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Go to Lake Thun, known as the “Riviera of the Bernese Oberland” for a relaxing time in a beautiful environment. There are plenty of water sports and leisure activities on offer and even a paddle steamer to try out. Walk around the old town of Thun and visit its 12th century castle, the Schloss Thun. Apart from containing a museum, the castle has a Romanesque tower that offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. If castles pique your interest, why not take one of many boat trips that stop off at castles such as Schloss Oberhofen with its beautiful 19th century landscaped garden or Schloss Hünegg which also has a beach. Visit the western part of Bernese Oberland, best known for the ski resort town of Gstaad, and the Simmental and Fruitlgland regions or head eastwards to Meiringen in the Hasli Valley. Or, head to the Reichenbach Falls, the scene of Sherlock Holmes’ death and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

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