Eiger

One of a trio of famous peaks that dominate the Bernese Alps, the Eiger, along with the neighboring Jungfrau and Mönch, is one of Switzerland’s most recognizable mountains, towering 3,970 meters above the resort town of Grindelwald. Notorious among climbers, scaling the 1,800 meter near-vertical North Face of the Eiger is one of the country’s most challenging feats, first accomplished in 1938 and claiming a number of lives over the years. It’s perhaps for this reason that the mountain was named – ‘Eiger’ translates from the German word for ‘Ogre’.

Thankfully, less-skilled mountaineers can still enjoy a number of hiking and climbing trails on the Eiger, the most famous of which is the Eiger Trail, which runs along the foot of the famous North Face. The dramatic landscapes of the Eiger can also be viewed by taking the scenic train ride to Jungfraujoch, where Europe’s highest train station and observation deck is aptly nicknamed the ‘Top of Europe’.