Kleine Scheidegg

Kleine Scheidegg is a pass at about two thousand and sixty metres between the Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald valleys, and its importance is as a junction: the Wengernalpbahn arrives from both sides and the Jungfraubahn leaves from here to tunnel through the Eiger and the Monch up to the Jungfraujoch. The consequence for visitors is that a place with no village has hotels, restaurants and constant traffic. It sits directly under the Eiger north face, close enough that the wall fills the sky, and it was from the terrace here that spectators and journalists watched the 1930s attempts through telescopes, including the deaths - a fact the hotels do not dwell on but which is part of why the spot is known.

The main sights

• The Eiger wall overhead - the north face filling the view from the saddle.
• Two railways meeting - Wengernalp from both valleys, Jungfraubahn upward.
• Hotels with no village - infrastructure built purely for the junction.
• The 1930s spectators' terrace - where the attempts were watched by telescope.

When to go

June to September, or the ski season. Half a day.

Good to know

There is nothing here but the railway and its buildings, which is either the appeal or a disappointment. Prices reflect a captive market. The Jungfraujoch trip onward is very expensive. Cloud hides the face on many days.

Nearby

Wengen and Grindelwald are below; the Jungfraujoch is up the tunnel line.

Key facts