Weissenstein

The Weissenstein rises to 1,395 metres at the Roti, with the hotel and gondola station at about 1,280, on the front range of the Jura, directly above Solothurn, and it is one of the classic Alpine viewpoints from the north: on a clear day the whole chain from the Santis to Mont Blanc is laid out across the Mittelland, a horizon of some two hundred kilometres. Because the Jura front catches the sun above winter fog, the best days are often in late autumn when the plateau is under cloud and the ridge is in sunshine. A gondola replaced the old chairlift in 2014. Along the ridge runs a planetary path with the solar system laid out to scale, and the Nidlenloch, a long cave system, opens on the slope below. The pass road over to Gansbrunnen climbs at up to 22 per cent, one of the steepest in Switzerland, and the railway beneath runs through a tunnel opened in 1908.

What's there

• A 200-kilometre Alpine horizon - Santis to Mont Blanc across the Mittelland.
• Sun above winter fog - the ridge clear while the plateau is under cloud.
• A scale solar system - the planetary path along the crest.
• The Nidlenloch - a long cave system in the slope below.

When to go

All year; late autumn and winter for the clearest air. Half a day.

Things to know

Summer haze often hides the Alps entirely - the famous view is a cold-weather thing. The gondola closes for maintenance periods. The ridge is windy. Cave visits need a guide and equipment.

Nearby

Solothurn's baroque old town is below; the Verena gorge is on the same slope.

Key facts