I was finally able to visit Switzerland during a return trip to Europe. There's no denying that this country is one of the most expensive I visited. However, I planned my trip carefully so that I can save a bit of money. Most of the places I went to were hiking trails. One such trail is Schynige Platte.
Hikers of all levels can enjoy the stunning views of Schynige Platte.
Guide to Schynige Platte
When I was planning my trip to Switzerland, I was looking at possible hiking destinations that were still open and are ideal for beginners. I only had time for day hikes (the country is super expensive!). I saw pictures of Schynige Platte and was determined to add it to my itinerary. After reading more about it, I discovered that it was easily accessible and provided visitors with stunning views of the mountainous landscape.
How to get to Schynige Platte
This hiking destination is accessible by train or if you have the time and endurance, you can hike up or down through one of the trails. The most straighforward hiking trail can take up to three hours one way. Most visitors take the historic and scenic train ride up and down the mountain. The ride will take you through overlooking and spectacular views of the landscape. The train ride takes around 50 minutes one way. You'll have to make your way to Wilderswil Station. It's a short train ride from Interlaken, around 5 minutes. You can also walk from Interlaken for about 40 minutes.
The regular fare is CHF 64 for a round trip ticket. I only paid CHF 32 because I used a Swiss Half Fare Card.
You can buy one from Klook here: Swiss Half Fare Card
You can check train schedules and connections here: Swiss Rail
The trail isn't open all year. There's a season it's open usually in the middle of June until the middle or towards the end of October. You can check schedules here: https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/plan-book/timetable/.
The Trail
I didn't go to the station for the earliest possible train departing up to Schynige Platte. I figured it was offseason so there wouldn't be crowds of people going up. I was fortunate that the weather was good during the day of my hike. All conditions were set for a nice day out hiking.
The ride up to Schynige Platte was exactly was as described. The sweeping vistas were awe-inspiring. The train ride didn't feel like 50 minutes long.
There are a few trails that lead to different view points. I chose the scenic Panorama Trail. This was an easy choice for me because of the pictures I saw of it online.
The trail that goes around the different viewpoints is straightforward. It's easy to follow and I saw other people of various ages following the same trail.
I couldn't help but spot and soak in the views during the trek. I took several pictures of the landscape.
The views on the way back to the train station were just as spectacular.
One of the many photo breaks I took along the way.
There's a restaurant/cafe in the mountain if you want to take a break and grab something to eat and/or drink.
If you have the time and energy, you can do a traverse from here to Faulhorn. That trip could take the entire day depending on how fast you're moving. Be mindful of the schedules of the cable cars going down. If you miss the last one, it's going to be a LOONNNGGG walk down.