How to Spend an Epic 48 hours in Switzerland (Part Three)

Hi everyone! Welcome to my third and final Switzerland blog post from my awesome How to spend 48 hours in Switzerland series. This is the final post from this three-part series so if you’re thinking of heading to this beautiful country, and only have a limited amount of vacay time, then this guide will give you plenty of ideas for how to spend a couple of days here.

If you haven’t already, I would recommend reading part one (here), and Part Two (here) first before diving in, as this post starts as I was walking around the snowcapped mountains of Jungfrau.

Before we get into my adventures in Switzerland, it’s important to know about any entry requirements, such as visas, vaccination status, etc, before arriving in a new country. You can check the visa requirements here through iVisa’s online website today.

So, without further ado, here is Part Three of my Swiss adventures.

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Let’s Go Outside…

As I took my first step through the door, I immediately noticed that despite being very cold, the sun was out, so it was still actually quite pleasant. 

I was entirely surrounded by mountains and beautiful scenery in every direction. I gazed down through the mountain and realised I was literally standing above a cloud. It was such a beautiful and exciting sight. I mean, seriously, when are you ever above the clouds and outside at the same time? It was awesome! However, I was a little nervous when I realised that a flimsy rope was the only thing separating me between this once-in-a-lifetime experience and falling down a steep slope to an almost certain death. Obviously, you weren’t allowed just to wander off anywhere you wanted, as it was too dangerous. You have to stick to the designated walking areas. But I still found the fail-safes somewhat lacking. I have to admit, I usually hate snow. Being that I’m originally from England, my experience with the white stuff has been somewhat restricted to running for the train with a thick dirty layer of wet slush on the ground, then waiting on the train platform since my train has been delayed due to heavy snowfall. So, I’ve never really had a reason to appreciate the stuff until now. 

Book your Jungfraujoch, Switzerland day trip here!

Why so high?

Several hours had passed by now, and I was hungry again. The cold weather always does this to me! But at least I knew what would fix me up, so I went back to the café and brought even more delicious noodles. They really were amazing! While eating away, I happened to look out of the window and saw a beautiful butterfly! I couldn’t believe it. I mean, it was more than three thousand metres above sea level. What on earth was it doing all the way up here? It was so pretty, in shades of orange, black, and golden yellow, and it made me think the poor thing has probably gotten lost on its way to the Mediterranean. You need to head south, little buddy! On the other windows were some pretty terrifying-looking icicles! One was double the length of the windows. Don’t stand under them! They just made me want to look at the butterfly some more.

I had less than an hour before my train headed back, so I decided to do the Mönchsjoch Hut walk. This worked out quite well for me because it just so happened to be on the other side of the mountain, where the skies were much clearer, and there were less people around, tick and tick! I set off on my walk and was keeping a really good pace. I loved hearing the sound of the snow crunching underneath my boots, and for the first time ever, I felt completely comfortable that I was on my own, and actually enjoying myself. It was at that point that I first started to notice the air around me was getting considerably thinner!

Dizzy Spells

At first, I figured that I’d just walked too fast, and I simply needed to slow down, after all, it has been a pretty crazy 48 hours in Switzerland so far. I stopped for a few brief minutes to regain my senses before I stupidly decided to carry on. A few minutes later, I started feeling really dizzy and couldn’t catch my breath, so I stopped being the stubborn Mancunion lass that I am and listened to my body telling me that I needed to get to a lower altitude. And quickly! I had to get back to base as soon as possible. For a good minute or two, my shortness of breath didn’t alleviate one bit. Then slowly, as I made my way back along the path, the imaginary weight that had been pressed against my chest for the past ten minutes or so, started to lift. I was so relieved when I was back inside to the safety of the building and found my way over to the café again to buy some water. It was a really scary experience. Did I really just try to carry on after I was struggling to breathe? What a fool (hangs head in shame!) I managed to find a few members of our tour group at the cafe, so I went and sat with them, and we all chatted animatedly about our day’s snow-filled adventures. 

After looking on Dr. Google more recently, I typed in the systems of Altitude Sickness, and low and behold, I ticked off most of the symptoms whilst I was up the mountain. These conditions could have gotten really nasty for me, as you can die from it, so don’t be a douchbag like me, and carry on, get to a lower altitude asap!

Back Down The Mountain

Before long, we were making our way back to the bright red train for our descent down the mountain. As it turns out, unlike the morning run, our tour group had our own carriage reserved for us. Make way, make way. Royalty coming through! Despite being sad to leave such a wonderful place, I was instantly cheered up again at the mere thought of being able to see all of that amazing scenery again on the journey back down to the bottom. Since we were on a reserved carriage, we decided it would be a great idea to pull all the windows down and get pictures of ourselves with our arms hanging out of the windows. Smart move, right? Don’t worry, we kept looking out for tunnels so that we wouldn’t become dismembered in the process.

Back in Wildersvil

Eventually, I saw the snow transition back to the green, lush forest and realised we were out of the mountains and back amongst the beautiful villages again. Upon departing the train in Wildersvil, we all had a lovely stroll through town for the chance to admire the beautiful houses. I had honestly believed that such places existed only on TV, so it was a real treat to be able to walk amongst the streets. They were every bit as pretty as I could have imagined they would be. The houses normally have a slightly smaller ground floor, with a second or third story being typically bigger and creating an overhang. I love this design as it’s quite similar to the old Tudor-style English homes, back in the UK. Many of the houses also sported painted window shutters and wood-sculpted exteriors. This all combined perfectly to complete the fairy-tale look which Switzerland has become famous for. 

Book your Jungfraujoch, Switzerland day trip here!

After such an early start, followed by a long but amazing day, all that was left was for me to do was to fill in Zac with all my adventures. As I regaled him with tales of anticipation, excitement, and overcoming the challenges dealt to me that fine day, I was curious to hear in what amazing escapades he had partaken. He sheepishly mentioned something about a slightly above-average sausage he had bought at a traditional pub for lunch as I drifted off to sleep, exhausted from my day’s expedition.

Day Three

Death Defying Drive

The next morning, we were up bright and early again as we were driving to Munich in Germany, which would be around a five-and-a-half-hour journey. But before our 48 hours in Switzerland came to an end, we had one final adventure, driving over her unforgiving mountains!

At first, the scenery before us was nothing short of spectacular. Yes, I know I’ve said it before. Even writing about it so many years after it happened, I can’t help but repeat the point. It really was just that amazing. The skies were a deep blue, and the ever-changing mixture of snow-capped mountains and lush green forests made for an idyllic setting!

As we travelled further and further up the mountains, the roads suddenly started to get thinner, with many hairpin bends, the likes of which I have never seen anywhere else before. At one point, it was too difficult to take in the stunning scenery because when I looked out of the coach, all I could see was a straight drop-down. There were no barriers or anything that could stop our bus from plunging over the cliff. Even the flimsy ropes from yesterday’s trip would have been better than the nothing we were dealing with today. Luckily our amazing driver drove around those bends slower than a walking pace. Still, when we had to manoeuvre around some excavators doing roadworks, and there was barely enough room to pass them, I really thought that was going to be it. Zac and I held hands and thought we were off to meet our maker.

We survived death mountain to tell the tale of our amazingly beautiful and awesome adventures in Switzerland, where I faced my fears of adventuring alone, tackling the hotel from hell, visited an ice palace, and scaled the tallest mountain in Europe. Oh, and Zac ate a slightly above-average sausage.

Know Before You Go

Is 48 hours in Switzerland long enough?

Yes, it is long enough. You’ll still get a taste of Swiss life, see some epic scenery and explore some great towns and villages. However, you could travel around this country for a month and still leave having tons of things that you still want to do. So, with that in mind, just go, you’ll have a fantastic time. Who cares if you only have 48 hours?

How can I make sure I don’t get altitude sickness like you did?

If you know you’re going to Jungfraujoch in advance, talk to your doctor first, or if you have any chest or breathing problems, I would say this adventure might not be for you. Ultimately, if, like me, you’ve never experienced this before, then know that this is something that can happen and might save your life in the future.

How much does it cost to get from Interlaken Ost Train Station to Jungfraujoch Train Station?s

It ranges from 74.00 – 214.00 Swiss Francs (approx. $80.00 – $229.00 USD).

How long is the journey time from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch Train Station?

The train takes approximately two hours to the top of the mountain. Depending on where you’re staying, you first need to travel to Interlaken Ost Train Station. Luckily, I stayed in Wildersville, which meant it wasn’t far for us to travel.

When is the best time to visit Jungfraujoch?

Be sure to visit on a clear day when you visit; otherwise, you won’t be able to see anything due to fog or cloud cover, so bear this in mind when planning your trip.

Can I make changes to my tickets once I’ve booked them?

No, tickets to Jungfraujoch are non-refundable, so be absolutely sure of the day you want to travel here before purchasing your tickets.

What should I wear to Jungfrau?

Winter clothes. Layers! Layers! Layers, my friends. It’s cold up there! And by cold, I mean utterly freezing. Check the weather before you go so that you can dress appropriately. Though if you’re from Alaska or certain parts of Siberia, I’m sure you’ll know exactly what to wear!

How long do you need at Jungfrau?

I was here for approximately 3-3.5 hours, and I felt as though I didn’t have long enough. While I was up here, I still saw quite a lot but would have liked another couple of hours to take in the great things to do in the Snow Fun Park.

Book your Jungfraujoch, Switzerland day trip here!

Thanks for reading part three and the concluding part of my whirlwind 48 hours in Switzerland blog post. I hope I’ve inspired you to travel to this stunning part of the world, and know that, despite being time-poor, you can still have lots of wonderful holidays in the future, explore the world, and tick many places off your bucket list.

I would love to head back to Switzerland one day, as I really want to sample some more of their yummy cuisine, such as cheese fondue. Also, I’m keen to spend a few nights in a traditional Swiss house, as they are just so damn cute, as well as check out more of that stunning scenery, which Switzerland is so famous for.

Are you planning a Swiss trip in the future? Is Switzerland on your bucket list? Let me know in the comments section below.

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