Basic info for the day

• Today we go up high - to the 2'970 m (9'744 ft) Schilthorn Peak, or Piz Gloria, the name it was given in the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty's Secret Service" which was filmed there in the late 1960s.
• We first take a cable car up to the Grütschalp in order to catch the mountain train to the car-free resort of Mürren perched on top of the cliff. After a quick walk around, continue the ascent by cable car to Schilthorn peak From the observation decks you have uninterrupted views of the majestic Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks, as well as many of the other high peaks of the Bernese Alps.
• Descend again by cable car into the deep-cut Lauterbrunnen Valley, one of the most beautiful places on earth. Visit the spectacular Trümmelbach Falls, a 10-tiered underground waterfall— accessible by funicular, stairways, and viewing galleries—that drains the glaciers on the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks.
• Return on your own to Lauterbrunnen either by bus or follow the 45 min riverside trail past meadows, small farms, with shear walls rising 2'000 feet above you and 72 waterfalls cascading over the rim into the valley below.
• Rest of day at leisure until dinner at the hotel.

Mürren

Elevation 1'638 m (5'397 ft)

Mürren is one of the 11 car-free resorts in Switzerland. It is perched on a shelf of Alpine pasture overlooking the steep cleft of the Lauterbrunnen valley.

Although the town's official founding date is 1384, it remained an isolated alp until the tourist boom at the end of the 19th century when it became a winter holiday resort much favored by the British. It was where Sir Arnold Lunn first introduced competitive slalom skiing races on the slopes above the village in 1924. Prior to Lunn's race, slalom competitions were judged on style not speed.

Schilthorn - Piz Gloria

Elevation: 2'970 m (9'744 ft) above sea level.

The peak, surrounded by another 200+ alpine peaks, offers spectacular views of the most famous peaks of the Bernese Alps - Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

On our way up to the peak we can pause between cablecar changes at the Birg station. Take a walk out on the Skyline Walk, a viewing platform with a transparent floor that juts out over the abyss below, and for the more adventurous, try the Thrill Walk along a steel structure clinging to the rock face.

Continue on up to the peak where there are viewing platforms and a 360-degree revolving restaurant which exists today thanks to the 1969 James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"; the name Piz Gloria was used in the film and has just stuck (more info here). Also visit the James Bond Spy World exhibits and the Walk of Fame.

On our descent we will go from Mürren all the way down to Stechelberg in the Lauterbrunnen valley. This stretch of cableway opened in December 2024 after a $110 million revamp project and now can claim the title of "World's Steepest Cableway". It carries passengers between Stechelberg and Mürren over a distance of 1'194 m and overcomes an altitude difference of 775 m with a maximum incline of 159.4% (in degrees about 58°). Because it's so steep, the two cabins are each suspended from 11-metre arms.

From the cablecar we should have a good view of Switzerland's highest cascading waterfall, the Mirrenbach Falls, as it tumbles 417 m (1'370 ft) in 5 cascades down to the valley floor.

Trümmelbach Falls

Europe's largest subterranean waterfall. It carries the meltwater from the glaciers of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains down to the Lauterbrunnen valley - up to 20,000 liters (5,200 gal) of water per second. This ten-tiered waterfall cuts its way through the mountain, making it one of the most unique waterfall experiences. Take the funicular to the top and walk through a series of stairs and tunnels to viewing platforms.