A first-time guide to Grindelwald, Switzerland

All of Switzerland is crazily gorgeous, but Grindelwald takes this to a whole new level – it is eyes-on-stalks beautiful. All around colossal, near-4000m-high peaks (13,123ft) send your gaze and soul spiraling ever higher – the gnarly north face of Eiger of mountaineering legend and rope-breaking tragedy, the crown-like peak of Wetterhorn, 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 tossing yourself into all the outdoor activities the Jungfrau Region of the Bernese Alps has to offer. Hiking, ziplining, skydiving, glacier swinging, mountain biking, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing – name your adventure, it’s right here. Read on for our first-time guide to getting around and making the most of one of Switzerland’s most charismatic, adventure-mad mountain towns.

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 to early April, when the first rays of spring sunshine kick off the big thaw. In May, October and November, the resort flicks into rest mode, with many hotels, restaurants and cable cars closing.

In winter, the town is a ready-made Christmas card, with skiers and boarders whizzing down slopes in the shadow of Eiger’s fearsome north face, cable cars winging you effortlessly up to glacier-capped heights, and a raft of low-key, family-geared activities – 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 unmissables like the ice sculpting World Snow Festival in mid-January, and the crazy Velogemel World Championships in February.

Summer looks different, but 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 for knockout views of steep mountain faces and crevassed glaciers. You can whack 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 and carting and canyoning. Street festivals, sunset cinema and July’s Eiger Ultra Trail race star on the events calendar.

If you like things more peaceful, September can be glorious. The biggest crowds have departed, room rates are plunging and early autumn can bring golden days for hiking and biking.

How much time should I spend in Grindelwald?

Why the rush? If you book a couple of nights in Grindelwald, you’ll wish you had the whole week or longer – we swear. Grindelwald makes a cracking springboard for diving deep into 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 a some time just kicking back in an Alpine hut or wandering around the village.

With five days to hand, you can get a taste of all Grindelwald has to offer, hopping in a cable car to nearby peaks like 1387m (4550ft) Pfingstegg for zip-lining, bobsledding and hiking to the dramatic Glacier Gorge, and First for entrancing hikes to 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. 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?

Frequent, efficient SBB trains speed from Zurich International Airport to Interlaken in just over two hours. The airport is well connected to other European destinations, served by airlines including easyJet, British Airways, Swiss and Lufthansa. From Geneva Airport, the journey to Interlaken takes three hours. Either way, the train ride is so scenic you’ll be glued to the window the entire way. From Interlaken Ost station, there are half-hourly trains to Grindelwald (the journey takes 35 minutes). Renting a car is pointless – public transport here is the way to go.

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, through forests and twist ever higher into the mountains in every direction. The network of trains, cable cars and funiculars makes zipping about a breeze and a pleasure, whether you want to visit Europe’s highest train station 3454m (11,332ft) Jungfraujoch 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 are easily doable as half-day or day trips.

Top things to do in Grindelwald 

Find an Alpine playground at First

If you only have time to tick off one peak in Grindelwald, make it 2184m (7165ft) First. Before launching yourself into all the activities up here, swoon over the dress-circle views of the Bernese Alps from the cliff-hugging First Cliff Walk, jutting into the void.

Now 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. Or to give the crowds the slip, chuck your boots on for the two-hour, 6km (3.7-mile) return hike from the summit to Bachalpsee, a mountain-rimmed beauty of a lake that holds up a mirror to the 4078m (13,379ft) fang of Schreckhorn.

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 feel you’ll 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 (14 mile) ripple of the Aletsch Glacier and a host of 4000m (13,123ft) 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 (11,975ft) Mönchsjochhütte for a warming bowl of goulash or cheese raclette.

Feel nature’s force in the Glacier Canyon

Wrap up warm as temperatures average just 10°C (50°F) even in the height of summer in the cool depths of Grindelwald’s Glacier Canyon. 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 (984ft), 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. Or to ramp up the action further still, take a run and freefall jump from the 90m-high (295ft) platform of the Canyon Swing. Only for the brave…

Dash down Europe’s longest toboggan run

With a name like "Big Pintenfritz," you might expect big things – this epic 15km (9-mile) 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 (8796ft) summit of Faulhorn. Now the fun 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 lifts you from Grindelwald Grund to the 2343m-high (7687ft) peak of Männlichen in just 20 minutes. At the top, sensational views of the Jungfrau Alps crack open. 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, there are action stations where 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-going, one-and-a-half-hour, 4.5km (2.8-mile) Panorama Trail, which twists through flowery meadows to Kleine Scheidegg. The scenery is mind-blowing – towering cliffs, glinting glaciers and up-close views of the "Big Three:" Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

My favorite thing to do in Grindelwald

Rent out a Velogemel, a vintage wooden ski-sledge-bike hybrid that was invented by a Grindelwald carpenter in 1911 to make zipping around the Alps easy for everyone from doctors to postal workers. The Velogemel looks like absolute madness, but with a little patience – and the odd snowy tumble – it’s pretty simple to get the knack 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 9km (5.6 miles) of "Big Pintenfritz" starting at Bussalp.

How much money do I need for Grindelwald

This is Switzerland – Grindelwald ain’t cheap. That said, if you’re prepared to forego luxury in favor of hostels (try the lodge-style Swiss Youth Hostel Grindelwald or the green-minded, nature-focused Naturfreundehaus), camping (try 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: Sfr50–80 (US$58–93) 

• Double B&B in a boutique hotel: Sfr250–600 (US$289–694)

• Self-catering apartment per week: Sfr500–2500 (US$578–2891)

• Train ticket to Interlaken: Sfr10 (US$11.56)

• Jungfrau Ski Pass per day adult/child: Sfr79/38 (US$91/44)

• Heisse Schoggi (hot chocolate): Sfr6–8 (US$6.94–9.25)

• Cheese fondue at a mountain hut: Sfr30 (US$35)

• Five-course tasting menu at an upscale restaurant: Sfr135 (US$156)

Save on mountain transport

Transport is likely to be a hefty chunk out of your budget, so it’s well worth investing in a pass, such as the 3- to 8-day money-saving Jungfrau Travel Pass, offering unlimited travel on most mountain railways and cable cars. If you want Jungfraujoch included, opt for the Jungfrau Summer Pass or Jungfrau Winter Pass instead. For longer journeys beyond the region, the Swiss Travel Pass is really handy.