The rotating restaurant at 2970 metres is famous for being the destination where the James Bond movie was filmed! If you are a fan of James Bond? Then this makes this place even more appealing to visit.
Of course if you’re not a Bond fan, this place is a gem, this place is a must-visit with a spectacular 360-degree rotating panorama in the Alps! In this blog, we will inform you about how to reach Piz Gloria from Interlaken and what to expect.
What is Piz Gloria and Schilthorn?
The Piz Gloria is probably less known than the Schilthorn. The Piz Gloria can easily be reached by an aerial cable car which departs regularly from Mürren. The view on the way up or down is simply stunning. This is already an attraction on its own, the very deep ravines make it so spectacular.
The view of the Bernese Alps will keep you silent for a moment. At the summit, the viewing platform or the rotating restaurant creates a special touch to this destination. We love James Bond, which was the main reason we had to visit this place.
The James Bond exhibition and the amazing mountain trail at the mid-station Birg are fantastic too. Now you have some background information about this special place, let’s dive further into what Piz Gloria has to offer.
How to reach Piz Gloria from Interlaken
There are several ways to reach Piz Gloria, we will explain the two main ways to reach Piz Gloria from Interlaken. Although there is not a direct single connection from Interlaken to Schilthorn, there are several ways to still reach Schilthorn from Interlaken by public transport. Let’s start by travelling to Piz Gloria from Interlaken by public transport.
Arrive by public transport
The first, and easy way to reach Piz Gloria from Interlaken is by public transport. The first step to take is travelling to Interlaken. From Interlaken Ost, you can easily hop on the train to Lauterbrunnen. The views during this short little train journey were so beautiful. Non-stop looking out of the windows.
When you arrive in Lauterbrunnen you can take the Postbus (the local bus) with number 141 to the valley station of the aerial cable car. The bus ride takes around 20 minutes. This cable car is located in Stechelberg. This cable car departs every 30 minutes. Please view the timetable for the train here.
Arrive by car
Another way to reach Piz Gloria is by travelling by car. You can skip Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen if you are travelling by car, and just head towards the valley station in Stechelberg. It will take almost 40 minutes to reach Stechelberg from Interlaken.
These roads are well accessible the whole year round. You can take the Interlaken/Wilderwil exit and head towards via Lauterbrunnen to the valley station. Please view the road to the valley station here.
Parking at the valley station at Stechelberg
Luckily you can park easily at the valley station in Stechelberg. There is enough space to park your car here. Please find up-to-date parking information and ticket prices here. These are some closeby parking places as well:
- Parking Stechelberg | 350 meters from Schilthorn
- Lengwald 300B Parking | 350 meters from Schilthorn
Ticket prices
A cable car run from Stechelberg to Schilthorn return costs 108 CHF, when you travel from Mürren to Schilthorn it is slightly cheaper at 85.60 CHF. When you have a Swiss Half Fare card or Eurail pass there are discounts. Please view up-to-date prices here.
Interestingly, you can not and do not have to make a reservation for the cable car. To skip the queue, which is on busy days very useful at another 5 CHF you can get even faster up the mountain. It will take 32 minutes to reach the summit at 2970 meters by cable car.
What is the best month to visit Schilthorn?
The best months to visit are May, June, July and August. We love this time as the greenery is so beautiful. Nature is flourishing and you have the highest chance of getting beautiful views on the viewing platform and during the cable ride up to the restaurant.
We have to admit, this place is much more beautiful on sunny not so cloudy days. We had the luck, that it was full sunshine and no clouds during our visit.
It is good to mention, that during winter season, it is a great time to visit Schilthorn too. Of course, the sun appearance is less predictable and expected, but the scenery is different. With snow and probably more clouds it can still be a magical destination during your trip through Switzerland. So do not hesitate to visit this place when you are in Switzerland during the winter season.
Arrived at Piz Gloria, what to see and do?
We loved the viewing platform at the summit of Schilthorn. Also, the 360-degree rotating restaurant was amazing. We had lunch here, and it was fantastic. Later we explored the Bond World exposition. This is interesting, especially if you are into the Bond movies.
You can view movie scenes here, on a spectacular 12-metre wide screen. Also, if you’re not, it’s quite cool to watch movie scenes on such a large screen high up in the mountains.
What to see and do at the mid-station Birg?
At the mid-station Birg at around 2677 meters you can enjoy the terrace and have a cup of coffee or a nice cold drink on a summer day. There is a bistro, so a drink is possible or have some lunch.
The Thrill Walk
Enjoy the magnificent views and maybe think about this activity: the thrill walk. You can find the Thrill Walk on the other side of the Skyline Walk. This walk is a way to experience what real mountaineers experience, this steel path, pinned in the rocks is so cool. As you can see in the image below, there is a crawl-through tunnel, which is cool. There is a glass-bottomed floor and a rope and cattle grid, this is much recommended to do when you’re up at Schilthorn.
The Skyline Walk
This is an extension of the sun terrace, we went here to take a selfie. The view is unbelievably beautiful. The observation deck is suspended over the abyss. It fits so well in the landscape, highly recommended to check out when you’re at the Schilthorn. Good to know, the admission is free.
Why is the Schilthhorn often called James Bond Mountain?
This is because, in the year 1969, the James Bond Movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was partly filmed on this particular mountain. The place was called Piz Gloria for this movie. Still today, it holds the name Piz Gloria.
How long does a day trip to Schilthorn take?
We have spent quite some time at the summit, because of the lovely weather. Also, it depends on the weather and how long you can and want to stay. And some people find the exhibition particularly interesting so reserve some more time in these cases.
If you’d like to have lunch at the summit restaurant, take this into account as well when planning for a trip to Piz Gloria. On average, we think a half-day trip is enough to explore this beautiful destination.
Weather at Schilthorn and tips?
As you know, Switzerland is known for its unpredictable and rapidly changing weather conditions. It can be sunny and in a minute it can be cloudy and rainy. Especially when you’re higher up in the mountains it can start raining or clouds can start rolling in fast. This means you need to prepare yourself for these changing conditions.
We advise you to take some warm clothes with you, maybe take an umbrella and rain clothing with you. We say this because, in the valley station, it might be warm on sunny days, but at the summit, the temperatures drop significantly.
Also, proper hiking clothing and shoes are recommended. We wrote a whole blog about a visit to Switzerland in winter and what to pack. You can also read the other blogs about what to wear on our blog to prepare yourself fully for a visit. Read them here.
Also good to mention, please check the forecast. Schilthorn is much more pretty when it is not cloudy or raining. So prepare yourself and look at the forecast before going up. Big tip, check the webcams for up-to-date weather and check the weather shortly before leaving.
Is Schilthorn worth a visit?
Yes, Schilthorn is a must-visit. We would recommend visiting this beautiful place. The aerial cablecar views are stunning and when arriving at the Birg mid station or the final station Piz Gloria, there are many activities to do.
We do recommend you to carefully check the whether, as this destination is the most impressive when the weather is good, not many clouds and hopefully some sun.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Piz Gloria is easily reachable by car or by public transport. This place is magical, already the aerial cable car up to the summit is an experience. The spectacular views of the Alps are stunning. We hope you have a lovely trip to this exciting destination!
