Nowhere else are the Alps so near, so spectacular, so safe, and so accessible as they are in the Jungfrau Region of the Bernese Oberland. There are literally hundreds of possible destinations and thousands of hiking trails but I only had two days, so I chose the two that I’d heard the most about and that everyone, to a person, said were “must sees.”

On day one I caught the train from the Interlaken Ost station, bound for the Lauterbrunnen Valley. At 796 meters elevation Lauterbrunnen is the departure point for some of the most amazing mountain railways in Europe, but Lauterbrunnen itself is no slouch. Almost immediately upon stepping off the train one comes face to face with the awe-inspiring, 300-meter high Staubbach Waterfall, located literally at the southern end of Main Street.

Staubbach Falls streams off high cliff at the end of Main Street in the village of Lauterbrunnen

Staubbach Falls comes into view at the end of town

At the end of the town, Staubbach Falls stream off the mountain

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