Switzerland's Alpine Majesty: From Matterhorn to Jungfrau
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
For whatever reason, Switzerland always struck me as a peaceful part of the world, but that development is more recent than I had realised, given that religious tensions led to the last civil war there in the middle of the nineteenth century. However, the confederation of cantons remained neutral during both world wars, so saving it a lot of trouble, and ensuring that it is prosperous today with elegant cities, such as Bern and Geneva, to match. However, the high standard of living can make it an expensive place to visit, so that is something to bear in mind.
Sights
Of course, it is the abundance of Alpine scenery that secures Switzerland's place here. That lakes like Lugano and Maggiore in Ticino in the south accompany the mountainous terrain is an added bonus. Those lakes are shared with Italy, much as Lac Léman near Geneva is shared with France. The French theme continues in Geneva continues with the sighting of that country's mountains for what now is firmly within Switzerland. On clear days, it is possible to glimpse even Mont Blanc from the place on clear days. Though it is distinguished by having everything within Switzerland itself, Lucerne also has its lakes as well as nearby mountain areas around the likes of Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis and Engelberg. Mixing mountain scenery with lakeside vistas produces a combination that pleases the senses, and there is plenty to be found.
Zermatt in Valais practically is guaranteed a mention among these because of its proximity to the iconic Matterhorn, first climbed in 1865. As I discovered during a day trip in September 2015, there is more here than even these, for even the Italian country top of Monte Rosa is there to be seen among a myriad of other lofty mountains. Also in Valais, there is Nendaz near Sion with its four nearby valleys among its surrounding mountains, and it promotes hikes along its Bisses, irrigation channels that have been in place for hundreds of years. Though much softened by greenery and human habitation in places, the effects of glaciation are there to see, and active glaciers remain even if climate change is causing their retreat. The Aletsch Arena is home to the biggest of these, so you can see how things must have looked during colder periods in the planet's history.
Places in the Jungfrau region like Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren all offer a copious range of walking possibilities. With legendary summits like the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau to be seen, there is many a rising for plying these trails and all looks glorious on a sunny day. Elsewhere in Berner Oberland, there is Kandersteg bordering the Jungfrau region and Haslital with its nearby mountains accessible from places like Meiringen-Hasliberg. It allows for alternative vantage points for gazing upon the lofty rocky eminences of the Jungfrau region.
The abundance of natural beauty not only draws those like me, but also has led to the creation of a network of parks. The Swiss National Park, near Zernez in Graubünden, was the first one that came to my attention and that shadows the Italian Stelvio National Park found to its south. So far, there is a solitary park in Switzerland, but there is a swathe of regional and biosphere parks that are worth exploring.
All of these only can scratch the surface, and it really takes an actual visit to more fully get to know anywhere, as I found out during September 2015. Still, the official visitor portal MySwitzerland.com is a comprehensive effort, so it makes a worthwhile stop for starting any acquaintance with the country. After all, it is a place with restaurants and huts, such as Bussalp near Grindelwald or Fluhalp near Zermatt, in locations and at altitudes that surprise those of us from maritime countries. There is much that is unique to this part of Central Europe that is worth getting to know.
Travel
To do that exploring, you need to get there, and this is where the Swiss renown for transport efficiency comes into play. For air travel, there is the flag-carrying airline, Swiss, along with numerous other airlines serving the likes of Zurich and Geneva. My 2015 excursion saw me fly from Manchester to the latter with EasyJet, so that is a useful option.
When it comes to ground travel, the Switzerland Travel Centre or STC makes a good port of call for sorting out rail, bus and boat travel plans together with self-driving excursions like the Grand Tour of Switzerland. Countrywide multi-day travel passes are on sale and I recommend getting one of these in advance since train fares are far from cheap, as I was to discover on my trip. The passes themselves may look rather costly, but they actually do save you a lot of money when you are there. Efficient transportation can be costly.
In addition to the main train operator (SBB/CFF/FFS, in the main languages of the country), there are other companies serving particular areas, especially those dominated by mountains, with Jungfrau (includes the famed Jungfraujoch) in Bernese Oberland being one notable example. There also is the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, with the Glacier Express that they share with Rhaetian Railway (who also operate the Bernina Express) and their own Gornergrat Bahn at Zermatt. Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn also operates frequent trains between Brig, Visp, Täsch and Zermatt. The famed Glacier Express takes around eight hours to go between Zermatt and St. Moritz, so the slow pace allows plenty of time to enjoy the scenery around such places as Andermatt. After these, Postbus reaches places not served by trains and regions themselves have multi-modal transport networks, such as Ticino's unfortunately abbreviated FART.
