Schynige Platte Hiking & Travel Guide

Schynige Platte is a mountain in Gsteigwiler, Switzerland. The nearest service base is Matten, roughly 4 km away.

Schynige Platte at a Glance

• What it is: mountain (Hiking)
• Where it is: Gsteigwiler 3814, Switzerland — coordinates 46.6536, 7.9084
• Why it is listed: a source-verified entry in the CollabsTravel master database, matched against official gazetteer and geographic records before publication
• Time needed: two to four hours
• Best season: late spring to early autumn

Quick Facts

Place type	Mountain
Primary category	Hiking
Also good for	Hiking, Scenic
County / region	Gsteigwiler
Region / state	Bern
Country	Switzerland
Postal address	Gsteigwiler 3814, Switzerland
Nearest city	Matten
Coordinates	46.6536, 7.9084
Nearest base town	Matten (4 km)

Why Schynige Platte Is Worth Visiting

Schynige Platte earns its place in this guide for a simple reason: it is a verified hiking in Bern, Switzerland,. Its position 4 km from Matten also makes it an easy add-on rather than a detour that costs half a day. Visitors book it for hiking, scenic as much as for hiking. And unlike listicle recommendations, everything on this page - coordinates, category, sources - was checked against official records before publication.

About Schynige Platte

In plain terms, Schynige Platte is a mountain in the Gsteigwiler area of Bern, Switzerland that travellers book around hiking trips. Beyond its main draw, the record tags it for hiking, scenic too, so it rewards more than one kind of visit. Functionally it belongs to Matten - the town most maps and locals will reference when describing how to reach it. Everything stated on this page comes from that verified record; where background history is quoted, the source is named at the end of the section.

The Story of Schynige Platte: History & Background

The Schynige Platte (Scheinige Platte on the old Siegfried Map) is a small mountain ridge and a viewpoint in the Bernese Highlands and belongs to the Schwarzhorn group. The mountain range consists of three peaks: Gumihorn (2,099 m (6,886 ft)), Tuba (2,076 m (6,811 ft)), and the closest summit next to the viewpoint, Geiss (2,067 metres (6,781 ft)). The viewpoint lies at an altitude of about 2,000 metres (7,000 ft), at the western end of a prominent ridge of the Schwarzhorn group, which separates the valley of the Schwarze Lütschine from Lake Brienz.

It is notable for its hotel and, since 1893, its mountain railway, one of the highest in Switzerland. In good weather conditions there are views to many surrounding mountains, including the Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, and others giants of the Bernese Alps. Also, the town of Interlaken and the two great lakes of Thun and Brienz are visible to the north, 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) lower.

The area is accessible via the Schynige Platte railway, which runs from Wilderswil, where connection is made with Bernese Oberland railway trains from Interlaken. The railway reaches a height of 1,967 metres (6,453 ft) at the terminus station, on the south-facing slopes of Geiss summit. Southwest of the station is a hotel and mountain restaurant, at a height of 1,983 metres (6,506 ft). Northeast of the station is the Schynige Platte alpine botanical garden, specialising in the display of, and research into, the high altitude flora of Switzerland.

A number of short loop trails extend north from the train station, reaching several view points, all within one kilometre from each other. Directly above the station and hotel, and overlooking the valleys of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, is the Geiss summit (2,067 metres (6,781 ft)). Further north, and overlooking Interlaken and the two great lakes, are the Tuba (2,076 metres (6,811 ft)) and Oberberghorn (2,069 metres (6,788 ft)) summits. The highest summit in the Schynige Platte area, between the Daube and Geiss summits, the tower-like Gumihorn peak (2,099 metres (6,886 ft)), cannot be reached by pedestrians. The Schynige Platte is also the starting point for the popular hiking trails to Loucherhorn, Faulhorn or First which is connected to Grindelwald by a gondola lift.

Administratively, the area is shared between the municipalities of Gündlischwand and Gsteigwiler, the tripoint between the municipalities of Bönigen, Gündlischwand and Gsteigwiler being on the Tuba summit. All the municipalities are in the canton of Bern.

Lead passage from the Wikipedia article "Schynige Platte", reused under CC BY-SA 4.0 with a coordinate-verified name match; the source article carries the full referenced history.

The Beauty of Schynige Platte

What people mean when they call Schynige Platte beautiful is usually elevated, unblocked views - the kind of layered landscape that photographs badly from the road and perfectly from the first viewpoint. The light does most of the work: mid-latitude light gives the place two looks: clean blue summer noon and a low amber angle in spring and autumn. The seasons restyle everything around it - wildflower spring, deep-green summer, gold-and-rust autumn and, above the snowline, a winter version of the same scene. And the beauty compounds with context: with 8 other verified places nearby, the Gsteigwiler area reads as one continuous landscape rather than a single viewpoint, which is worth more than any filter on the photos you take here.

Getting There

Schynige Platte sits at 46.6536, 7.9084 in Gsteigwiler, Switzerland. Most visitors reach it by car, regional rail or local transit; pin the coordinates above rather than only the name - Schynige Platte names repeat across regions, and rural entries often lack street addresses.

Base yourself in Matten and make this a half-day trip; services, fuel and lodging are easiest there. The run from Matten is about 4 km (2 mi) each way, so allow Matten as your anchor for the day.

Best Time to Visit

Late spring to early autumn (May to September) brings the warmest and most reliable conditions across Switzerland. Shoulder months just before and after that window trade a little weather for noticeably lower prices and thinner crowds.

Schynige Platte Season by Season

• Summer (Jun-Aug) - peak season: the warmest, longest days and everything open, which also makes it the priciest and busiest window
• Autumn (Sep-Nov) - shoulder season: crowds drain away, the light turns photographic, and lodging rates typically fall
• Winter (Dec-Feb) - off-season: cheapest beds and empty viewpoints, but check for closures, snow or rain before committing
• Spring (Mar-May) - rebuild season: wildflowers, newborn wildlife and reopened facilities - the best balance if the weather holds

Things to Do

Planning what to actually do at Schynige Platte comes down to the setting it sits in:

• Arrive with the exact coordinates (46.6536, 7.9084) pinned in your maps app — rural place names repeat across states
• Walk the shortest signed loop first, then decide how far to push on with the lightest pack
• Check sunrise/sunset times before setting out; carry water for double the distance you plan
• Photography stops at the first viewpoint are usually the best framed ones
• Chain the stop with what is nearby — see the list below before fixing your day route

None of this needs a rigid schedule - the honest pattern at Schynige Platte is one anchor at the trailhead or first viewpoint, one longer stop, and the rest of the time left for whatever looks better from the car window. That flexibility is what separates a good half-day from a rushed one.

A Perfect Day in Schynige Platte

Morning (start early). Have breakfast at Matten and roll out before mid-morning - the light is softer, parking is open, and Schynige Platte is at its quietest before the day-trippers arrive. Give the main stop its full due first rather than saving it for later.

Midday. From Schynige Platte, Matten is only 4 km away - pair the two rather than driving home for lunch; a picnic beats a reservation near most of these spots.

Afternoon. Keep going to Interlaken (5 km) if the group still has legs; it is the standard second half of this loop.

Golden hour. End at the main viewpoint, waterfront or main street as the light drops; this is the hour Schynige Platte is genuinely famous for locally, and it costs nothing.

Evening. Sleep at Matten unless the road out is long - leaving at dusk is the one mistake that can flatten an otherwise perfect day.

Know Before You Go to Schynige Platte

• Save the pin (46.6536, 7.9084) offline - reception in Gsteigwiler is exactly as good as it needs to be and no better
• Check the official source listed at the bottom of this page for current hours, fees and closures before driving out
• Carry more water than the plan says; shade is usually optional on these routes
• Tell someone the turnaround time - help arrives slower than it looks from the trailhead

Nearby Places Worth Combining

Schynige Platte does not sit in isolation - these verified places are all within a short hop and combine into a full loop:

• Matten — city, about 4 km (3 mi) away
• Interlaken — city, about 5 km (3 mi) away
• Ringgenberg — city, about 5 km (3 mi) away
• Unterseen — city, about 6 km (4 mi) away
• Lauterbrunnen — city, about 7 km (4 mi) away
• Faulhorn — hiking, about 7 km (5 mi) away
• Kleine Scheidegg — hiking, about 9 km (5 mi) away
• Morgenberghorn — hiking, about 9 km (6 mi) away

Planning More of Your Trip

See everything in Switzerland on the Switzerland country hub, browse the full Hiking Switzerland collection, or take in the whole Bern region.