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Looking for an easy/moderate hike in the Interlaken area where you can see two lakes from above (one is insanely turquoise) and imposing mountain backdrops? Search no more.
This hike starts with a ride on a historic train, the kind that screams "I'm in Switzerland,". It then takes you to an epic viewpoint along the mountain ridge over Lake Brienz, finally giving you an unobstructed view of the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau peaks (yes, the same ones you see from Grindelwald First, but from another perspective).
In this guide, you will find everything you need to plan your day hiking the Schynige Platte ridge trail, from how to get there, the route and trail details to parking and costs.
The hike at a glance
Medium- Distance
- 3.6 miles (5.9 km), loop
- Time needed
- 2 hours total
- Elevation gain
- 1115 ft (340 meters) up & down
- Starting point
- Wilderswil train station here
- Parking
- Wilderswil P+R
- Cost
- Cable car return 68 CHF - discount cards accepted
- Crowds
- Medium to High
- Sun exposure
- High
Trail overview
Area Map
Hiking Map
Difficulty
Most of this hike is, for the most part, easy, not moderate. However, there's a short, challenging uphill section at the beginning, and another uphill section at the end. Besides that, the hike is mainly downhill, with some sections that can be hard on the knees.
Variations
As you can see on the map above, there are plenty of opportunities for you to shorten this hike if you dont feel like doing the whole loop.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a more challenging hike, continue at the intersection where you would turn around and push to the Faulhorn Hut, then descend to Grindelwald First via Bachalpsee. That is a 6-hour, hard hike.
How to get there
By car
Drive to the paid parking lot behind the Wilderswil train station: Wilderswil P+R. Then take the Schynige Platte Railway.
By public transportation
Take the train to the Wilderswil train station, then cross the railway to reach the Schynige Platte train platform.
Practical planning
Operating hours
The Schynige Platte Railway goes up daily from 7:30 am to 4:45 pm and goes down from 8:21 am to 5:53 pm
Cost
Return tickets cost 68 CHF and one-way tickets cost 34 CHF. Discount cards such as the half-fare card are accepted.
Good to know: You can buy tickets for the historic train directly in the SBB app. You can ride for free on your birthday!
The trail in pictures
1 Ride on the 19th-century cogwheel Schynige Platte train
Make sure to get your tickets beforehand; otherwise, they'll turn you around, and if you miss your train, you'll have to wait 40min. This is especially true if you're coming by public transportation and have only a few minutes to connect.
Both sides offer nice views, but I'd recommend sitting on the right for the best views over the mountains at the top. Be patient, though, because the first half of the ride is less nice when sitting on the right side.
2 The start of the Schynige Platte ridge trail
To be completely transparent, I found the starting point unclear.
First, go through the arch announcing the restaurant.
After that, the path gets unclear because signs point in different directions, but they all say they lead to the Panorama Ridge Trail. However, the most direct way to reach the trail is to walk towards the restaurant and just go past it.
3 Hike up to the ridge
Once you're on the trail, you'll hit the most challenging ascent. It's a series of uphill switchbacks, but luckily, this part is relatively short.
4 Along the ridge
When you reach the ridge, you immediately forget the struggle on the ascent.
From here, you can see both Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. Lake Brienz is incredibly turquoise, and if you go on a semi-clear day, you can see the clouds' shadows on the water.
From here, the trail is pretty straightforward as you follow the ridge. There are some parts where you will lose sight of the lakes, but you will gain nice meadow views.
Towards the end of this section, there is a ladder where people might pile up.
5 The trail back
Just before the trail starts going up towards Faulhorn, you'll find this sign, which is your cue to head back.
On the way back to the train station, you will admire views over the Mönch, Eiger and Jungfrau mountains, but the lakes you could see from the ridge will no longer be visible from here.
6 The photo stop (optional)
You can add a stop at the famous viewpoint with the wooden frame and traditional cow bells before or after you hike the Panorama trail.
To reach this spot, start the flower trail and, instead of following it to the right, keep climbing the stairs in front of you.
7 The ride back
The ride back to Wilderswil was the most chaotic train ride I've experienced in Switzerland.
For starters, there was no line for people waiting for the train going down, so everyone boarded however they could. There were too many of us waiting, so fortunately they sent two trains, BUT I heard people say the previous train had left them stranded there for 40 minutes because it was too full.
