The Schynige Platte chugs its way high into the Alps
(MySwitzerland.com)

BERNESE OBERLAND, SWITZERLAND — Switzerland's mountainous alpine region of the  Bernese Oberland is famous for its rail journeys to  the Jungfraujoch and the Schilthorn, which also includes transfers by cable car.

There is, however, another marvelous train that is  frequently overlooked by helter-skelter wanderers which has been known a local favorite for more than a century.

Over a century of rail travel
(Taylor)

The Schynige Platte Railway opened in May 1893 using steam traction before being electrified in 1914. The rack railway with a gradient of 25% connects the village of Wilderswil, near Interlaken, with the stunning wildflower gardens of the Schynige Platte, a small mountain ridge featuring three major peaks: the Gumihorn (6,886 ft), the Tuba (6,811 ft) and the Geiss (6,781 ft) which is the closest to the viewpoint.

In addition, there are also impressive views of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau as well as the town of Interlaken which derives its name because of its geographical setting between the lakes of Thun and Brienz.

The Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau are visible from Schynige Platte
(wikipedia)

When the original Alpenrose Hotel was no longer able to accommodate the influx of Swiss visitors, the Schynige Platte Mountain Hotel was built and opened in 1894. Just four years later, in the early morning hours of July 25, 1898, Hotel Schynige Platte was engulfed in flames and burned to the ground.

Mountain views at every turn
(Taylor)

Shortly before the turn of the 20th century, in 1899, the new hotel, which remains active today, opened to offer guests breathtaking vistas of the Bernese Oberland's big three: the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Along with views of the Lutschen Valleys and Lake Thun as well as an imposing glacial panorama it's an alpine treasure that is difficult to match.

Today, the hotel features alpine antiques that include chests of drawers with marble tops, rustic beds and duvets, charming porcelain basins and water jugs complete with furnishings that create old-world ambiance amid mountainous splendor. By design, telephones and televisions are not part of the accommodation appointments thanks to management's belief that visitors should have the opportunity to savor the sensational mountain sunrises and sunsets without the temptation of modern distractions.

The mournful sounds of alphorns is a Swiss tradition  (Taylor) 

A visit to Schynige Platte is a summertime outing operating from the beginning of June to the middle of October. The reason is due to heavy snows and occasional avalanches which impose their seasonal disruption in the upper section of the rail route between Breitlauenen and the summit.

In fact, once the last train of the season has ceased its operation, the overhead catenary on the upper section of track is dismantled and reconstructed the following year prior to the first run of the new season. The construction takes a day to complete, using the lone remaining steam locomotive and six employees to  finish the job.

Making tracks to the summit of Schynige Platte  (wikipedia)

Four electric engines, as well as the one original steam locomotive, are used to push trains up the mountain or to lead it down. During the season trains operate every 40 minutes with a traveling time of 52 minutes. Upon arrival at the terminus of one of the highest mountain railways in Switzerland, visitors disembark near the summit of the Schynige Platte mountain.

The alpine garden is a
favorite  (Taylor)

The most popular attraction, other than the magnificent scenery, is the Schynige Platte Alpine Garden which specializes in researching the high altitude flora of Switzerland. With more than 600 species of plants native to the Swiss Alps, the garden has operated an alpine-botanical course conducted by the Institute of Plant Sciences at the University of Bern since 1932.

Established in 1928, an area of over 86,000 square feet was fenced off and opened to the public after centuries of use as alpine pasture.

Schynige Platte overlooks Interlaken's two lakes, Thun and Brienz
(Taylor)

As might be expected, hiking, always a favorite pastime in Switzerland, is a popular activity with several short loop trails extending from the rail station to multiple viewing points that are all within a kilometer of each other.

Beginning at Wilderswil, the train ride itself passes through dense forests that includes a loop at Rotenegg. Once you "see the forest for its trees" the woodlands yield to rolling alpine pastures with views of the Bernese Oberland and Interlaken far below. Also visible are Lake Brienz and Lake Thun which frame Interlaken like a giant water-winged butterfly.

Breitlauenen is the only stop

en route  (Taylor)

 is the site of another passing loop as well as the rail line's only intermediate stop at an altitude of just over 5,000 ft.

Saving perhaps the best for last, the final ascent reveals the glistening snow-capped panoramas of the famed Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau Mountains.

The Schynige Platte is well-known to the Swiss, but  frequently overlooked by visitors to the country partly because of other better known destinations. If time permits, it's an outing that makes for a marvelous day trip filled with a variety of activities.

Every place in Switzerland is a photo op  (Taylor)

If time doesn't permit, it might be a good idea to re-do your itinerary or, at the very least, make plans to visit during your  next trip to  Switzerland. You won't be disappointed.