Was really one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life. After you get up on the cogwheel train and then you start walking to where they have the Alpine garden and then you just look around at the Alpine pasture it's just insanely beautiful. I come from Canada where we have a lot of beautiful mountains as well but they're not as accessible as in Switzerland. In Switzerland they have trains or cable cars that go right up most of the mountains which makes them very accessible. I highly recommend this trip on the old fashioned cogwheel train.

Known as the Top of Swiss Tradition, Schynige Platte lived up to its nickname since I witnessed an alphorn concert here. The ascent was pretty slow, but honestly, it made me relax my mind a little since I had tight scheduling within the area. The railway had great views of the lakes and the city of Interlaken below! At the top, I hiked a little and of course since it was October, the plants are mostly dead. While hiking I heard the sound I was looking for, the alphorn was playing! Was curious where the sound came from, and upon going down the hill, I saw this couple dragging their alphorns and I felt bad asking if they could play the alphorn just for me. They accepted it without any hesitations, and they played two songs and passersby stopped over and stayed awhile. At the end, several people gave them tips, and so did I. They deserve it. They played it so well it gave goosebumps on me especially they played the alphorn with the Swiss Alps on the background. Nothing can get more Swiss than that!

The slow cogwheel train (built in 1893) up was a unique experience and if you're visiting in the summer months...book your train tickets in advance (this is a popular place). Use the Swiss half price pass to take advantage of a slight discount. There are bathrooms and some restaurants at the top. Many different hikes to choose from- we did #2 Panoramic Obergberhorn loop. Took us 3 hours with several long stops for pics. There are other family friendly trails as well. Glorious views of both lakes below and the surrounding alps, including the top of Europe Jungfraujoch. It's not a cheap experience but once in your life, something you must do if you enjoy nature & fantastic mountain views.