Kleine Scheidegg

Kleine Scheidegg (2,061 m) sits in the pass between Grindelwald and Wengen, directly below the Eiger's north face, and serves as the departure point for the Jungfrau railway. It can be reached by train from Grindelwald in about 35 minutes, or on foot by several trails — the most popular being the two-hour walk from Grindelwald Grund via Brandegg, which contours around the valley with gradually improving views.

Even if you're not continuing to the Jungfraujoch, Kleine Scheidegg is worth the trip. The views from the station platform — the north face filling the sky to the left, the Lauberhorn ridge to the right, the valley falling away below — are among the finest in the Alps. Several mountain restaurants serve lunch; the historic Bahnhof hotel is open in summer and winter.

things to do hiking viewpoint
A story
Kleine Scheidegg was the base camp for most serious Eiger north face attempts in the 1930s. Heinrich Harrer, one of the four climbers who made the first ascent in 1938, later wrote that the whole Alpine world gathered at the hotels here to watch — and, in tragic earlier attempts, to witness deaths on the wall through telescopes.