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Discover the Swiss Alps: Top 13 Fun Facts You Won't Believe!

illustration of the-swiss-alps
Get ready to embark on a thrilling journey as we unravel some of the most fascinating and little-known fun facts about the majestic Swiss Alps.

1. World's Highest Open-Air Concert

Where iPod meets Ice Pick: SnowpenAir at Kleine Scheidegg in Switzerland boasts the world's highest open-air concert, featuring renowned international and Swiss musicians against the breathtaking backdrop of the Swiss Alps since 1997.
Source => getlostmagazine.com

2. James Bond's Revolving Restaurant

When 007 isn't busy saving the world, he enjoys sipping martinis and admiring mountain peaks with his breakfast: Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant atop the Schilthorn mountain in the Swiss Alps, served as a filming location for the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," and boasts the longest aerial cableway in the area, offering diners stunning panoramic views of over 200 mountain peaks while they enjoy their solar-powered, rotating meal.
Source => jamesbondlifestyle.com

3. Uplifting Jungfrau Marathon

Who says running can't be an uplifting experience? Strap on your sneakers, gaze at the towering peaks, and prepare for your spirits (and heart rate) to soar like an Alpine ibex: Welcome to the Jungfrau Marathon! This annual race in September takes participants from Interlaken, and skyrockets them through a 6,407 feet (1,953 m) ascent, finishing at Eigergletscher. Eclectic mountain views of the Swiss Alps dazzle runners every step of the challenging route – including panoramics of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau mountains.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

4. Slowest Express Train with a View

Who needs speed? They've got a license to chill: The Glacier Express, reputed as the "slowest" express train in Switzerland, takes a leisurely 7-hour journey across 290 km (180 miles) between Zermatt and St Moritz, traveling through the scenic Engadin skiing area. But don't let the pace fool you: passengers are treated to breathtaking panoramic views from the comfort of modern coaches with massive windows and glass skylights, indulging in fine Swiss wine and dining, and for those in the swanky Excellence class, luxuriating in deluxe seating, a well-stocked cocktail bar, and a 5-course regional feast.
Source => seat61.com

Rhone Glacier's Ice Cave

5. Rhone Glacier's Ice Cave

You could say the Swiss Alps give you the ch-ice of a lifetime: At around 2300m above sea level, the Rhone Glacier Ice Cave offers a crystal-clear adventure, as it stretches over 100 meters and is carved anew each year since the 1870s, taking a frosty four weeks to complete.
Source => valais.ch

6. Edelweiss: The Beyoncé of Flowers

The edelweiss: the Beyoncé of the Swiss Alps, photogenic and with more aliases than a secret agent! In actuality, this velvety white flower, synonymous with alpine beauty, originated in the Himalayas and Siberia, migrating to the Alps during the Ice Age. It now enjoys protected plant status in several Swiss cantons due to its previously endangered state from souvenir collectors.
Source => houseofswitzerland.org

7. Deadly and Alluring Matterhorn

Scaling new heights with a killer fashion sense, the Matterhorn has been slaying alpinists since it first threw down the mountaineering gauntlet: Matterhorn – one of the deadliest peaks in the Swiss Alps – has claimed over 500 lives, making it a perilous yet alluring challenge for climbers, with the Hörnli ridge being the most popular (and treacherous) route to the summit; meanwhile, the less adventurous ones can opt for a 10-day trek around this magnificent yet deadly behemoth.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Spiderman Approved Via Ferrata Routes

If Spiderman had a Swiss vacation, he'd surely approve of these adventure spots: The Swiss Alps feature thrilling via ferrata routes like the extreme 527 Via Ferrata Farinetta in Saillon and the beginner-friendly 506 Via Ferrata Videmanette 1-2 in Rougemont, offering climbers of all skill levels an exhilarating experience as they traverse protected paths using steel cables and iron rungs, with jaw-dropping mountain views as their backdrop.
Source => viaferrata.com

9. Chocolate Train Adventure

If you've ever found yourself wishing for the golden ticket to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, buckle up buttercup: The Chocolate Train in Switzerland offers a scenic 7-hour-30-minute journey through the Swiss Alps with stops at the La Maison du Gruyère cheese factory and Nestlé Cailler chocolate factory, all aboard their vintage 1915 Pullman carriages designed with intricate details to whisk you away into a world of confectionary dreams.
Source => railwaytraveller.com

Aletsch Glacier: Icy Superstar

10. Aletsch Glacier: Icy Superstar

Rivaling the length of many celebrity marriages and boasting more fans than most B-listers, the paparazzi have nothing on this icy superstar: The Aletsch Glacier in canton Valais is the longest glacier in the Alps, measuring over 23 kilometers in length, but unfortunately has been shrinking at an accelerated rate over the past 40 years.
Source => swissinfo.ch

11. Whistling Alpine Marmots

Running on pure caffeine and sunshine, the Swiss Alps' phenomenal diggers, the alpine marmots, whistle while they work. Just don't expect to find seven dwarfs mingling near: their tuneful tunes are actually distress signals, notifying their buddies of lurking dangers in their mountainous abode.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Stunning Oeschinen Lake

As Fergie could attest, the Oeschinen Lake in the Swiss Alps is 'Fergalicious' with its turquoise hue and crystal clear waters, making nearby mountains green with envy: This natural stunner boasts a maximum depth of 56 meters, ranking it among Switzerland's deepest mountain lakes, and offering serene views of the Blüemlisalp, Oeschinenhorn, Fründenhorn, and Doldenhorn peaks.
Source => silkflowerartist.com

13. The World's Longest Stairway

Step right up, folks, and feast your eyes on the stairway to Swiss heaven – or you could call it Swiss cardio too! Either way, it's one heck of a leg workout, and only the bravest dare to conquer this towering climb: The Niesen Railway in Switzerland boasts the world's longest stairway, a whopping 11,674 steps. However, it's only opened for hikers one day a year during the spectacular Niesen Run. So, lace up your shoes, catch your breath, and make your way up this two-mile run with 5,475 feet of altitude gain, offering jaw-dropping views of the Swiss Alps.
Source => redbull.com

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