Grindelwald
travel guides

Grindelwald sits at 1,034 metres in the Bernese Oberland, in a glacial valley directly beneath the north face of the Eiger. Around 3,800 people live here year-round, and the village runs on two seasons - hiking and cycling from June to October, skiing from late November to April. The Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks close off the head of the valley, and the massif belongs to the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Getting around without a car is straightforward. The Bernese Oberland Railway (BOB) runs from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald station and Grindelwald Terminal in roughly 35 minutes. Grindelwald Terminal is the base of the V-Bahn: the Eiger Express tricable gondola reaches Eigergletscher at 2,320 metres in 15 minutes, and a separate 10-seat gondola reaches Mannlichen in 19 minutes. The Firstbahn gondola from the village centre climbs to Grindelwald-First at 2,167 metres in 25 minutes.

Grindelwald is not a cheap destination and lift fares are the main expense, which is why most visitors staying longer than two days buy a Jungfrau Travel Pass. Summer fills the trails around Bachalpsee and the Eiger Trail; winter puts the village inside the 211-kilometre Jungfrau Ski Region. Late April to late May and late October to late November are the quiet shoulder weeks, when many lifts shut for maintenance.