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Visitors on the First Cliff Walk, Grindelwald, Switzerland. Boris-B/Shutterstock
In uber-gorgeous Switzerland, Grindelwald takes things to the next level. Here, colossal, near-4000m-high peaks send your gaze soaring – and your spirits, too. Inspiration awaits in the gnarly north face of Eiger (of mountaineering legend), the crown-like peak of Wetterhorn and the dagger-like summit of Schreckhorn.
Whether seen in the alpenglow pink of a summer sunset, with piny scents and cowbells on the breeze, or under a fresh blanket of snow in winter, Grindelwald makes a spectacular base for all the activities you can pursue in the Jungfrau Region of the Bernese Alps. Hiking, zip-lining, skydiving, glacier swinging, mountain biking, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing...name your adventure, it’s right here.
Read on for our guide to getting around and making the most of one of Switzerland’s most charismatic, adventure-mad mountain towns.
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When should I go to Grindelwald?
Grindelwald swings with the Alpine seasons. The winter season goes with the snow, with the town leaping to life roughly from December, when the first flakes start to fall, through early April, when the first rays of spring sunshine kick off the big thaw. In May, October and November, the resort town switches into rest mode, with many hotels, restaurants and cable cars closed.
In winter, the town is a ready-made Christmas card. Skiers and boarders whizz down slopes in the shadow of Eiger’s fearsome north face. Cable cars wing you effortlessly up to glacier-capped heights. And a raft of low-key, family-geared activities lies in store, from moonlit snowshoeing and sledding to winter walking and cross-country skiing in snow-iced forests. (Dodge school-holiday times and Christmas for better deals.) Crowd-pulling events include the ice-sculpting World Snow Festival in mid-January, and the crazy Velogemel World Championships in February, which showcases feats on a traditional wooden runner.
Summer looks different though just as lovely. Alpine meadows bloom and jangle with cowbells, family-run cheese dairies fling open their doors (great for picnics), and trails thread like veins up into the craggy surrounding peaks and lead to knockout views of steep mountain faces and crevassed glaciers. You can throw on boots for high-elevation hikes, tackle a big climb in the company of a guide, or test your nerve on pretty much every Alpine pursuit imaginable, from zip-lining to mountain biking, carting and canyoning. Street festivals, sunset cinema and July’s Eiger Ultra Trail race loom big on the events calendar.
If you prefer things more peaceful, September can be glorious. The biggest crowds have departed, room rates dip from summer highs and early autumn can bring golden days for hiking and biking.
How much time should I spend in Grindelwald?
Why rush? For if you book a couple of nights in Grindelwald, you’ll wish you had the whole week or longer. Grindelwald makes a great springboard for exploring the sky-high Alps of the Jungfrau Region. Much of the focus here is on outdoor action, so be sure to build in the odd rest day for the chance to unwind and spend some time just kicking back in an Alpine hut or wandering around the village.
With five days, you can get a taste of all Grindelwald has to offer. Hop in a cable car to nearby peaks like 1387m Pfingstegg for zip-lining, bobsledding and hiking to the dramatic Glacier Gorge. First, meanwhile, promises entrancing hikes, mountain lakes, zip-lining, and tearing downhill on a mountain cart or Trottibike scooter. Kleine Scheidegg (with its soul-stirring Eiger Trail), the family-friendly peak of Männlichen and a once-in-a-lifetime ride up to Jungfraujoch should also be high on the agenda.
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Tag on an extra few days and there’s time to hike and ski in pretty-as-a-picture villages like Wengen and Mürren, and see mist-dashed waterfalls plunge over vertical cliff faces in Lauterbrunnen.
Is it easy to get in and around Grindelwald?
Renting a car is pointless; public transport here is the way to go. Frequent, efficient SBB trains speed from well-connected Zurich International Airport to Interlaken in just over two hours; from Geneva Airport, the journey to Interlaken takes three hours. From wherever you’re coming, the train ride is so scenic you’ll be glued to the window the entire way. From Interlaken Ost station, half-hourly trains depart for Grindelwald, with the journey taking 35 minutes.
Getting around in Grindelwald is more than just about going from A to B – it’s part of the fun. The center is walkable, and heart-racingly beautiful trails lead along the river, detour through forests and twist ever higher into the mountains in every direction. The network of trains, cable cars and funiculars makes zipping about both a breeze and a pleasure. You can visit Europe’s highest train station, Jungfraujoch (3454m) on the tri-cable Eiger Express; hit slopes in the shadow of Eiger at Kleine Scheidegg; or go for a play on the adventure peak of First. Surrounding resorts like waterfall-splashed Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and pretty Mürren make easy half- or full-day trips.
Top things to do in Grindelwald
Hitch a ride on the Eiger Express to Jungfraujoch
You can’t help but gasp out loud in the Eiger Express. Grindelwald’s ultra-green, tri-cable gondola floats over pine, meadow and peak up to Eigergletscher station in just 15 minutes – getting so close to Eiger’s mile-high, glacier-encrusted north face you’ll feel you might smash straight into it. From here, switch to the nostalgic Jungfrau Railway, the red train that has been trundling up to the summit of Europe’s highest station – Jungfraujoch – since 1912. At the top, a Narnia-like wintry scene unfolds, with astonishing views reaching across the 23km ripple of the Aletsch Glacier and a host of 4000m peaks. Wander through the sparkling chambers of the Ice Palace, hacked out by mountaineers in the 1930s, or lose the crowds by stomping 45 minutes through the snow to the 3650m-high Mönchsjochhütte for a warming bowl of goulash or cheese raclette.
Feel nature’s force in the Glacier Canyon
Be sure to layer up in the cool depths of Grindelwald’s Glacier Canyon, where temperatures average just 10°C (50°F) even in the height of summer. The Lower Grindelwald Glacier, which has long since retreated, carved out this dramatic gorge, where the raging waters of the Lütschine River crash past towering 300m-high, spectacularly lit rock walls veined with pink and green marble. A walkable, web-like net spanning the gorge allows you to spider across it for dizzying views. To ramp up the action further still, take a run and free-fall jump from the 90m-high platform of the Canyon Swing. Only for the brave…
Discover the Alpine playground of First
If you only have time to tackle one peak in Grindelwald, make it 2184m-high First. Before launching yourself into all the activities up here, swoon over the panoramic of the Bernese Alps from the precipice-hugging First Cliff Walk, which juts out over the void.
Once you’ve reached the top, it’s all about getting back down the mountain in the most exhilarating ways possible. You can ping towards Eiger on the feet-first First Flyer and head-first First Glider zip lines. Then thunder downhill from Schreckfeld to Bort in a chunky mountain cart, with the Alps but a blur. In Bort, switch to a Trottibike scooter for the final speedy leg back down to Grindelwald. To give the crowds the slip, chuck your boots on for the two-hour, 6km return hike from the summit to Bachalpsee, a mountain-rimmed beauty of a lake that holds up a mirror to the 4078m fang of Schreckhorn.
Dash down Europe’s longest toboggan run
With a name like “Big Pintenfritz,” you might expect big things – and this epic 15km sled run doesn’t disappoint. But you have to earn your thrills here, tiptoeing away from the crowds and hoofing it uphill as you haul your sled for a good two hours through the snow from First to the 2681m summit of Faulhorn. Then the fun really begins, as you pinball down the mountain all the way back down to Grindelwald, careering around icy bends and through snow-daubed forests, with wow-eliciting views of the Bernese Alps. Pause to warm your frozen fingers over a mug of Glühwein (mulled wine) at Bergrestaurant Bussalp.
Take the kids up to Männlichen
A cable car whisks you from Grindelwald Grund to the 2343m-high peak of Männlichen in just 20 minutes; at the top, sensational views of the Jungfrau Alps open up wide. This is a terrific mountain for families, with nature-focused activities including a huge Alpine playground with a giant cow and a treetop path. On the Lieselotte Trail, action stations let kids can test out an alphorn and glimpse marmots through binoculars. There’s superb hiking up here, too, with top billing going to the easy-to-tackle, one-and-a-half-hour, 4.5km Panorama Trail, which twists through flowery meadows to Kleine Scheidegg. The scenery here is simply gorgeous: towering cliffs, glinting glaciers and up-close views of the “Big Three” (Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau).
My favorite thing to do in Grindelwald
Rent a Velogemel, a vintage wooden ski sled–bike hybrid that was invented by a Grindelwald carpenter in 1911 to make zipping around the Alps easy for everyone. The Velogemel looks like absolute madness, but with a little patience – and the odd snowy tumble – it’s pretty simple to get the hang if it and go flying down the mountain, digging your heels in to break. It’s such a legend these days, it even has its own wacky world championships in February.
I gave it a whirl at Kleine Scheidegg, but you could also take it up on the Eiger Run (for fabulous views) or the final 9kn of “Big Pintenfritz” starting at Bussalp.
How much money do I need for Grindelwald?
Since this is Switzerland, Grindelwald’s pleasures don’t come cheap. That said, if you’re prepared to forgo luxury in favor of hostels (try the lodge-style Swiss Youth Hostel Grindelwald or the green-minded, nature-focused Naturfreundehaus), camping (we love the riverside Gletscherdorf), and inexpensive hut meals or picnics, you can save plenty of francs.
At the other end of the spectrum are posh spa and boutique hotels with front-row Eiger views and slick restaurants where tasting menus whisper of Michelin stars to come. Price-wise, the sky’s the limit.
Dorm room in a hostel: 50 Swiss francs to Chf80 (US$58–93) per night
Double room in a boutique hotel: Chf250–600 per night
Self-catering apartment: Chf500–2500 per week
Train ticket to Interlaken: Chf10
Jungfrau Ski Pass adult/child: Chf79/38 per day
Heisse Schoggi (hot chocolate): Chf6–8
Cheese fondue at a mountain hut: Chf30
Five-course tasting menu at an upscale restaurant: Chf135
How to save on mountain transport in Grindelwald
Transport will likely take a hefty chunk of your budget, so it’s well worth investing in a pass – such as the 3- to 8-day, money-saving Jungfrau Travel Pass, which brings unlimited travel on most mountain railways and cable cars. If you want to include Jungfraujoch, opt for the Jungfrau Summer Pass or Jungfrau Winter Pass instead. For longer journeys beyond the region, the Swiss Travel Pass comes in handy.
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