Grindelwald holidays

How to reach Grindelwald

Flight time:

• There are no direct flights to Grindelwald. Flights to Zurich or flights to Geneva airports take about 1 hour 30 minutes from London.

Transfer time:

• From Zurich, you can catch a direct train to Grindelwald, taking approximately 2 hours 40 minutes, with a change at Interlaken.

• If flying into Geneva, the train journey is a bit longer, around 3 hours 30 minutes.

Price:

• A standard train ticket from Zurich to Grindelwald costs around CHF 75 one-way.

• From Geneva, expect to pay around CHF 90.

• For a taxi from the airport to Grindelwald, fares are typically around CHF 400–500.

Best time to visit Grindelwald

December to March:

• High season in Grindelwald, so expect consistently large crowds and pricier accommodation, which will also need to be booked well in advance.

• Temperatures range between -5°C and 5°C, and you can expect consistent snow coverage on the slopes.

April to June:

• April to early June is Grindelwald’s shoulder season, when many chalets and private rooms close, as do shops, hotels, attractions, walking routes, mountain railways and cable cars, but it’s still a fantastic time for hiking some minor routes.

• Temperatures rise from around 10°C to 20°C, with moderate rainfall (40–80mm) and 6–8 hours of sunshine.

July to August:

• The ideal time for outdoor pursuits like hiking, mountain biking and lake swimming.

• Grindelwald’s mountains offer a cool escape, with temperatures between 15°C to 25°C and around 8–10 hours of sunshine daily.

September to November:

• The second shoulder season, with cooler temperatures between 5°C and 15°C, more frequent rain (70–100mm) and about 4–7 hours of sunshine.

• September, and even October, are still great times to venture into the mountains for some hiking.

Practical information

• Spoken languages: Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. Otherwise, most people speak English to a very high level.

• Local habits and customs: All bar, restaurant and hotel bills are calculated with 15 percent service included; staff are on proper salaries and tipping is officially abolished.

• Currency: Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc (CHF). Almost all Swiss banks have English-language ATMs which accept foreign debit and credit cards, and you can pay for most goods and services using plastic.

• Getting around: Grindelwald has an excellent public transport system, with regular buses and trains connecting the village to nearby towns and attractions. Many hotels provide free transport passes for local buses. Cable cars are widely used to reach hiking trails and ski slopes.

• Electricity and plug types: Switzerland uses Type J plugs, with a standard voltage of 230V. UK travellers will need an adaptor.

• Time zone: Switzerland operates on Central European Time (CET), which is 1 hour ahead of GMT.

Best things to do in Grindelwald

Tiered above the valley floor on a series of long terraces, Grindelwald is one of the most picturesque villages and popular resorts in the Swiss Alps, perfectly placed for its many visitors to take advantage of the hiking and skiing possibilities all around.

Viewpoints and panoramas

• First Cliff Walk: The First Cliff Walk is a sky-high walkway peering out over the cliffs, providing a panoramic view of the Bernese Alps - including the famous Eiger mountain - like no other.

• Schilthorn, Mürren: For a Bond-worthy panorama, take the cable car up to Schilthorn. The revolving restaurant Piz Gloria, made famous by the James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, offers 360-degree views of the Alps.

• Grosse Scheidegg: High mountain pass that offers stunning views of Grindelwald’s surrounding peaks, including Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn.

• Pfingstegg: For fantastic views over the valley and the village of Grindelwald, take the cable car to Pfingstegg.

• Sphinx Terrace: The panoramic views from the open-air terrace at 3571m to Germany’s Black Forest, the Vosges in France and across a gleaming wasteland to the Italian Alps are truly heart-thumping.

Museums

• Ballenberg Open-Air Museum: A huge area of rolling parkland which serves as a living showcase for traditional Swiss architecture and crafts. 13 separate areas contain several examples of traditional houses from different parts of Switzerland, transported here piece by piece from their original settings, reassembled and restored.

Parks and gardens

• Schadau Park, Thun: Home to perfectly tended flowerbeds, stunning views across the water to the mountains, and a 19th-century folly planted majestically on the waterside.

Historical monuments

• Eiger Nordwand (Eiger North Face): The Eiger mountain is one of the most iconic sights in the Swiss Alps, particularly for climbers and is, in its own way, a historical monument. You can admire the mountain from various points in Grindelwald or take the train up to Kleine Scheidegg for a closer look.

Day trips in the area

• Lauterbrunnen Valley: Breathtaking U-shaped cleft, its high, craggy walls doused by spectacularly high waterfalls such as the Trümmelbach.

• Aare Gorge: The sheer-sided Aareschlucht is threaded through by a path that snakes for 1.4km, linking the two entrances: a series of tunnels and walkways take visitors through the spectacular feature, which narrows to only a metre in one part.

• Thun and Lake Thun: Historic town whose fine castle allows for outstanding views towards the High Alps, beautifully ranged above Lake Thun, one of the prettiest in the country, a tranquil patch of misty blue loomed over by high shoreline mountains.

Activities for families in Grindelwald

Grindelwald is well set up for kids, especially those for whom the outdoors appeals. Whether summer or winter, there’s always plenty for families to do on their holidays to Grindelwald.

• Cable car rides: More cable cars run from Grindelwald than from anywhere else in the Jungfrau region, giving access to lofty viewpoints and numerous short- and long-distance trails. At the eastern edge of the village, a cable car rises to First, while a little further east another rises south to Pfingstegg; there are various walking suggestions from the upper station.

• Pfingstegg Toboggan Run: In the summer, the toboggan run at Pfingstegg is a huge hit with children. It’s a fun and fast way to enjoy the mountains, with a beautiful view of Grindelwald to boot.

• Indoor sports: If you need a break from the outdoors, the Grindelwald Sports Centre offers a variety of family-friendly options, including an indoor swimming pool and ice skating rink in winter.

• Lake Cruises: If you want to escape the mountains and get on to the water, both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz offer year-round cruises. Thun is the more picturesque of the two, overlooked by the pyramidal Niesen and the Stockhorn to the west, the wooded slopes of the Beatenberg to the east, and with the snowy peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau always in view to the south.

Nature and outdoor activities in Grindelwald

It goes without saying that the main focus of your holidays to Grindelwald will be the outdoors, and in that sense, this is one of Switzerland's most enticing destinations.

• Hiking and trekking: The area around First (2168m) has some particularly lovely hiking trails: the gondola rises in three stages, and from the hotel/restaurant on top relatively easy routes lead off in all directions – to the Schwarzhorn summit (3hr) passing through Schilt, renowned for its population of marmots; on a high-level route over the Grosse Scheidegg pass (2hr or so); back down to Grindelwald (2hr 30min); or, best of all, on a stunning ridge-top walk to the Bachalpsee and on to the Faulhorn summit (2hr 30min).

• Skiing and snowboarding: As part of the Jungfrau Ski Region, Grindelwald can offer some of the finest skiing and snowboarding in the Alps. Beginners are best served at Wengen and Grindelwald, both of which have nursery slopes and plenty of blue runs very close to the village centres. Red pistes run beneath the long Männlichen–Grindelwald gondola line.

• Sledging: Plenty of options for sledging include the section from Alpiglen to Brandegg in the shadow of the Eiger’s North Wall, and a huge 15km run from First round to Bussalp and down to Grindelwald.

Local dishes in Grindelwald

Whether you’re enjoying a gut-busting meal after a day on the slopes or relaxing with a drink by a warming fireplace, you can expect lots of good old-fashioned mountain food on your Grindelwald holidays.

Some typical dishes

• Fondue: A communal pot of melted cheese served with bread cubes for dipping, the classic style is a moitiémoitié (“half-and-half”), using either Gruyère and Vacherin Fribourgeois, or Gruyère and Emmental.

• Rösti: Shredded potato formed into a large patty and fried golden brown on both sides. This can either be an accompaniment to a main course or, with the embellishment of ham, melted cheese, a fried egg and/or bacon bits, be a comfortably affordable main course.

• Raclette: A large half-round of cheese is held in front of a fire, and as it melts it’s scraped (raclé) onto a plate, and served with boiled potatoes, pearl onions and pickles.

Meat dishes

• Zürcher Geschnetzeltes: Diced veal in a creamy mushroom sauce often served with rösti.

• Saucisson Vaudois: This pork and beef Vaud sausage is famous for its delicately smoked flavour, served boiled or steamed alongside papet vaudois, a purée of potatoes and leeks.

Street food

• Bratwurst: A popular street food across Switzerland, these juicy, meat-packed sausages are typically served with a side of bread or mustard.

• Pretzels (Brezel): Sold at markets and bakeries, these soft, salty breads are just the job for a quick bite on the run.

Sweets and desserts

• Chocolate: Today, more chocolate is sold in Switzerland per head of population than in any other country. The country has a long tradition of confectioners producing hand-filled luxury chocolates for special occasions, such as chocolate-covered chestnuts in autumn and chocolate bears, which are a Bernese favourite.

• Meringues: Invented in or near Meiringen, most Emmental and Bernese Oberland villages offer their own cream-laden meringue creations.

Local drinks

• Swiss wine: Switzerland’s wine industry is modest, but a couple of regions produce some impressive vintages, most notably Lavaux.

• Kirsch: The country’s most famous distilled spirit or liquor, this is a cherry spirit from Zug and around Lake Lucerne.

• Swiss beer: Beer (Bier, bière, birra) on draught (vom Fass, à la pression, alla pressione) comes as a flavourful lager-type brew, always served with a large head of foam.