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If you’re staying in or around the Interlaken area, then you’re in for a treat as the Panorama trail at Schynige Platt is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Jungfrau region and is a great day out for the whole family. Here’s a guide with everything you need to know about hiking the Schynige Platt Panorama trail to help you plan the best day out.
Overview
How to get to Schynige Platt
Hiking the Panorama trail at Schynige Platt – route guide
Top tips for hiking at Schynige Platt
Don’t forget to pin this guide to refer back to!
A guide for hiking the Panorama trail at Schynige Platt
After spending 10 days in Switzerland and hiking every day, my husband and I were lucky enough to complete some pretty amazing hikes, including the lakeside trail to the impressive Giessbach waterfall and the stunning hike around Lake Oeschinen – we even hiked in Zermatt, with views of the famous Matterhorn Mountain. Competing alongside these to win top spot as my favourite hike in Switzerland is the Panorama trail at Schynige Platt. It’s only a 6.5km loop trail and is quite easy but the views are insane! This also makes it a fantastic hike for the whole family.
Here’s a handy guide to follow for how to hike the Panorama trail at Schynige Platt, near Interlaken, Switzerland.
How to get to Schynige Platt
To reach Schynige Platt, you will need to take a cog railway up the mountain, which departs from Wilderswil train station. The cost of the cog railway is 64 CHF (£57) per adult for a return journey, but we received a 30% discount using our Interlaken guest card, which we just showed at the ticket office at the train station.
If you have your own car, there is parking across the road from the train station. You can also reach Wilderswil by train or bus – as we were staying in Interlaken, we caught the 105 bus from Interlaken to Wilderswil train station. (This bus was part of the free bus network which you can use with your Interlaken guest card – just a side note that I wasn’t asked to show my guest card for any of the buses, I just hopped on).
The cog railway takes 50 minutes to reach the top, as it winds its way slowly up the mountain. (tip: sit in the right side for the best views as the train gets closer to the top)
Hiking the Panorama trail at Schynige Platt – route guide
When you get off the railway at Schynige Platt, you will be greeted by traditional air horns, which is a really nice touch. You will make your way towards the restaurant (where there are also toilets), and the starting point for the trails.
The most popular trail is the Panoramaweg ‘The Panoramic trail’ – either the full 6.5km loop, which is #3 – ‘Panoramaweg Loucherhorn’, or a shorter 3km route, which is #2 Panoramaweg Oberberghorn’. We did the full 6.5km loop, but you can get the same amazing views with the shorter route.
The trail starts from behind the restaurant, following signs for ‘Daube’. You will slowly start to climb up, until you reach Daube and will be rewarded with the most amazing views across the surrounding mountain ranges. This is the perfect rest stop after that steep climb, so take some time to absorb the views. It’s also a great place for a picnic stop, so make sure you pack plenty of water and snacks!
From here, you will continue to follow signs for the Panoramweg #3 and #2 and you will follow another steep ridge line which overlooks Lake Breinz. You can also see behind you Lake Thun and down to Interlaken.
After following the ridge line, you will reach the Oberberghorn viewpoint and soon after the trail splits – to do the full 6.5km loop, you will follow the signs for #3 ‘Panoramaweg Loucherhorn’ and continue straight, but if you are doing the shorter route, you will turn right and follow the signs for #2 Panoramaweg Oberberghorn’.
Both routes will walk through the open meadow, with mountain views all around, but #3 is at a slightly higher elevation and is longer. From the meadow, you will return back to where you started, ready to catch the train back to Wilderswil.
You can complete the full 6.5km loop in as little as 2 hours, but the views are so special, that I would really recommend taking your time with this one. We were lucky enough to have beautiful weather so we had unobstructed views of the surrounding mountain ranges and down to Lake Thun and Lake Brienz along the ridge and it really is beautiful.
Top tips for hiking at Schynige Platt
1. The train does get busy and there is no reserved seating, so make sure you arrive in plenty of time. You will also need to check when the last train departs Schynige Platt back to Wilderswil, because if you miss it, you’ll have a very long trek down the mountain!
2. Apart from the restaurant, by the railway line, there are no other places to buy food or drinks at Schynige Platt, so make sure you pack a picnic and plenty of water.
3. The trail can be muddy after rain and it is uneven, so not suitable for strollers, you may also need walking poles, to help steady yourself on the uneven ground, depending on your hiking level.
4. Don’t rush! As it is a short hike, you might be tempted to stomp round quickly, but please don’t! This is honestly one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve done and it was made even better by the fact that I could really slow down and enjoy the views and the atmosphere at the top of the mountain.
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