Estimated duration: 75 minutes
Overview
Welcome to Grindelwald, a village that lives in the dramatic shadow of one of the most famous mountains in the world. The Eiger's massive north face, the Eigernordwand, rises nearly 1,800 metres above the valley floor, a sheer wall of rock and ice that has tested the courage of mountaineers for over a century. But Grindelwald is far more than a staging ground for climbers. It is a living Alpine village with a history stretching back to the twelfth century, a place of traditional wooden chalets, flower-filled meadows, and a church with views that can leave you speechless. On this walking tour, you will explore the village centre, learn the stories of the Eiger, discover the oldest tourism traditions in the Bernese Oberland, and find yourself surrounded by a panorama that has been drawing visitors since the days of the Grand Tour.
Let us begin.
Stop 1: Grindelwald Station and the Eiger Panorama
Start at the Grindelwald railway station. Step outside and face south.
Before you do anything else, simply look up. The view from the Grindelwald station is one of the most arresting in all of Switzerland. Directly ahead of you, the Eiger rises in a wall of dark limestone and ice, its north face filling the sky. To its right, the Mönch, the monk, and the Jungfrau, the maiden, complete the famous trinity of peaks that form the visual centrepiece of the Bernese Oberland.
Grindelwald sits at 1,034 metres above sea level in a broad, U-shaped valley carved by glaciers during the ice ages. The village has been inhabited since at least the twelfth century, and its name first appears in records in 1146 as Grindelwalt, meaning "the forested ridge" in Old German.
The railway on which you arrived has been operating since 1890, when the Berner Oberland-Bahnen, the Bernese Oberland Railway, extended its line from Interlaken to Grindelwald. The arrival of the railway marked the transformation of Grindelwald from a farming village into one of the most popular mountain resorts in the Alps.
Tourism in Grindelwald actually predates the railway by more than a century. As early as the 1770s, the village was receiving visitors attracted by the glaciers that then extended much further down the valley than they do today. The Lower Grindelwald Glacier, the Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, was a major attraction, and engravings from the late eighteenth century show visitors in top hats and crinoline dresses picnicking at the glacier's edge. The retreat of the glaciers due to climate change has been dramatic and visible within a single lifetime.
Walk from the station toward the village centre, heading south along the main road, Dorfstrasse.
Stop 2: The Village Centre and Traditional Chalets
Walk along Dorfstrasse into the heart of the village.
The centre of Grindelwald retains much of its traditional Alpine village character, despite the hotels and tourism infrastructure that have grown up around it. Along Dorfstrasse, you will see traditional Bernese Oberland chalets, wooden buildings with deeply overhanging roofs, carved balconies, and inscriptions giving the name of the original builder and the date of construction.
The traditional Grindelwald chalet is a masterpiece of Alpine vernacular architecture. Built almost entirely of local wood, typically larch and spruce, these houses were designed to withstand the brutal winters of the high valleys. The roofs are steeply pitched to shed snow, the foundations are often raised on stone plinths to protect against moisture, and the balconies, which run the length of the facade, serve as drying racks for hay and laundry as well as places to sit and enjoy the sun.
Many of the older chalets bear inscriptions in an old German script, recording the date of construction, the name of the builder, and often a short prayer or blessing. Look for these inscriptions as you walk, they are a direct connection to the families who have lived and farmed in this valley for generations.
Grindelwald's economy was traditionally based on farming, primarily cattle and dairy. The Grindelwald cheese, a hard mountain cheese similar to Gruyère, was produced in the alpine dairies above the village and was a valuable trade commodity. Today, farming continues alongside tourism, and the sight of cattle grazing in meadows with the Eiger looming behind them is one of the iconic images of the Bernese Oberland.
Continue along Dorfstrasse toward the church.
Stop 3: The Parish Church of Grindelwald
Walk to the Reformed parish church, visible by its distinctive steeple, near the centre of the village.
The parish church of Grindelwald, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, stands on a slight rise near the centre of the village, and from its churchyard you have an unobstructed view of the Eiger that is simply breathtaking. This is one of those views that makes you understand why people travel across the world to stand in this valley.
The current church dates from 1793, though a church has stood on this site since at least the fourteenth century. The building is a typical Bernese Oberland church: white-walled, with a distinctive slate-roofed steeple and a simple, dignified interior in the Reformed Protestant tradition. The Reformation came to Grindelwald in 1528, when the Bernese authorities imposed the new faith across their territories.
The churchyard is one of the most atmospheric spots in the village. The gravestones, many bearing the names of old Grindelwald families, are set in a small garden, and the backdrop of the Eiger gives the place a powerful sense of the relationship between the human and the geological, the brief span of individual lives set against mountains that are millions of years old.
From the church, walk east toward the Gletscherschlucht, or continue south through the village to explore the paths toward First.
Stop 4: The Eiger Trail and North Face Viewpoint
Walk south from the village along the well-marked path toward Pfingstegg or along the road to the Eiger viewpoint areas.
As you walk through the meadows south of the village, the Eiger's north face reveals itself in its full terrifying grandeur. The Eigernordwand, the north wall, is 1,800 metres of near-vertical limestone and ice, and it has been called the most dangerous face in the Alps.
The first successful ascent of the Eiger's north face was achieved on July 24, 1938, by a team of two Austrians, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek, and two Germans, Anderl Heckmair and Ludwig Vörg. The climb took three days and was watched by crowds of spectators using telescopes from the hotels of Kleine Scheidegg. The ascent was a sensation, and the mountain's reputation as one of the great challenges in mountaineering was sealed.
The history of attempts on the north face is marked by tragedy as well as triumph. Several teams perished on the face in the 1930s, and the Swiss authorities at one point attempted to ban climbing on it. The face has now been climbed by many routes and in many styles, including a solo ascent by Ueli Steck in 2008 that took just two hours and forty-seven minutes. But the Eiger's north face retains its aura of danger and difficulty, and it continues to command respect from the climbing community.
Looking at the face from below, you can pick out some of the famous features: the Hinterstoisser Traverse, named after the climber who first crossed it; the White Spider, the distinctive snowfield high on the face; and the Eiger's summit ridge, where successful climbers finally emerge from the shadow into the sunlight.
Stop 5: The Path to First
Walk toward the First gondola station, at the south end of the village.
The gondola lift to First, at 2,168 metres, is one of Grindelwald's premier attractions. The ride takes about 25 minutes and offers continually expanding views of the valley, the village below, and the surrounding peaks. At the top, a network of walking trails leads to viewpoints, alpine lakes, and the famous First Cliff Walk, a narrow walkway bolted to the cliff face that extends out over a precipitous drop with views of the entire Grindelwald basin.
The First area is also the starting point for the hike to Bachalpsee, a small, exquisitely beautiful Alpine lake at 2,265 metres. On calm days, the lake reflects the peaks of the Schreckhorn and the Wetterhorn with mirror-like perfection, creating one of the most photographed scenes in the Bernese Oberland.
Whether or not you ride the gondola today, the walk toward the First station takes you through some of the most beautiful meadowland in the valley. In early summer, the fields are carpeted with wildflowers: gentians, buttercups, alpine roses, and orchids, creating a tapestry of colour against the green grass and the dark mountain walls.
Stop 6: The Glacier Gorge (Gletscherschlucht)
Walk southeast from the village to the entrance of the Gletscherschlucht, about a 20-minute walk or short bus ride.
The Gletscherschlucht, the Glacier Gorge, is a spectacular natural formation carved by the meltwater of the Lower Grindelwald Glacier over millennia. The gorge is narrow and deep, and a series of wooden walkways and tunnels allows you to venture into its depths.
The walls of the gorge are polished smooth by the action of water and ice, and the colours, ranging from pale grey to deep blue-black, are mesmerising. The sound of the river echoing off the narrow rock walls is immersive and powerful. On a warm day, the gorge is refreshingly cool, the air damp with spray.
The gorge was first opened to visitors in 1865 and has been a popular attraction ever since. It offers a tangible encounter with the forces that have shaped this landscape: ice, water, and time operating on an almost incomprehensible scale.
Stop 7: Kleine Scheidegg Access and the Jungfrau Region
Return to the village centre. The railway to Kleine Scheidegg departs from the Grindelwald BOB station.
From Grindelwald, the Wengernalpbahn, a cog railway, climbs to the Kleine Scheidegg pass at 2,061 metres, the dramatic saddle between the Eiger and the Lauberhorn. From Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfraubahn continues upward through a tunnel bored inside the Eiger itself to the Jungfraujoch, at 3,454 metres the highest railway station in Europe. This extraordinary feat of engineering was completed in 1912 after 16 years of construction, and the journey through the heart of the mountain remains one of the most remarkable railway experiences in the world.
The Jungfraubahn was the vision of Adolf Guyer-Zeller, a Zurich industrialist who conceived the idea in 1893 while watching the sunset from a ridge above the valley. The construction was a monumental undertaking: workers blasted their way through solid rock for sixteen years, working in shifts around the clock, to create the tunnel that spirals upward inside the Eiger and the Mönch. Several workers lost their lives during the construction, and their sacrifice is commemorated at the Jungfraujoch station.
More recently, the Eiger Express, a state-of-the-art tricable gondola system, has been built from the Grindelwald Terminal directly to the Eigergletscher station, dramatically reducing travel time to the Jungfraujoch. The new terminal, opened in 2020, is one of the most modern mountain transport facilities in the Alps.
Stop 8: The Wetterhorn and Mountaineering History
Walk to the western end of the village for views of the Wetterhorn.
Looking west from Grindelwald, the Wetterhorn, at 3,692 metres, presents a dramatic profile of steep rock and hanging glaciers. This mountain holds a special place in the history of Alpine mountaineering. On September 17, 1854, an English party led by Alfred Wills climbed the Wetterhorn, and Wills's account of the ascent, published in his book Wanderings Among the High Alps, is often credited with launching the Golden Age of Alpinism, the period from roughly 1854 to 1865 when most of the major Alpine peaks were climbed for the first time.
Grindelwald was one of the principal bases for these early mountaineers. The local guides, men like Christian Almer, who made over 60 first ascents including the Eiger, the Mönch, and the Jungfrau, became legends of the climbing world. Almer, born in Grindelwald in 1826, was widely regarded as the finest guide of his generation, and his skill, strength, and judgment saved numerous lives on the mountains. A monument to him stands in the village.
The tradition of mountain guiding continues in Grindelwald to this day. The Bergführerverein Grindelwald, the Grindelwald Mountain Guides Association, is one of the oldest in Switzerland, and its members lead climbers on the peaks surrounding the valley throughout the summer season.
Stop 9: The Village in Winter and Four-Season Appeal
Walk back through the village centre, reflecting on Grindelwald's year-round character.
Grindelwald is a true four-season destination, and the village's character changes dramatically with the turning of the year. In winter, the valley fills with snow, and the village becomes one of the most popular ski resorts in the Bernese Oberland. The ski areas of First, Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen, and the newly developed Grindelwald Terminal provide access to over 160 kilometres of prepared slopes, plus extensive cross-country skiing and winter hiking trails.
The tradition of winter sports in Grindelwald dates back to the late nineteenth century, when British visitors introduced skiing and tobogganing to the valley. The Cresta toboggan run in Grindelwald, not to be confused with the more famous run in St. Moritz, was one of the earliest in Switzerland, and the village hosted some of the first international ski competitions in the Bernese Oberland.
Spring in Grindelwald brings the Alpaufzug, the ceremonial driving of cattle to the summer pastures, a colourful event accompanied by traditional music and elaborate floral decorations on the lead cows. Summer is the season of hiking, climbing, and the extraordinary display of wildflowers in the meadows. And autumn, often overlooked, brings golden larch forests, crisp mountain air, and a tranquillity that the busier summer months cannot match.
The village also hosts a number of annual events, including the Eiger Ultra Trail, a demanding mountain running race that circumnavigates the Eiger, and various traditional festivals that celebrate the agricultural and cultural heritage of the valley.
Closing Narration
Our walking tour of Grindelwald has taken you through a village where traditional Alpine life continues beneath one of the most dramatic mountain backdrops on earth. The Eiger, the Mönch, and the Jungfrau form a wall of stone and ice that defies adequate description, and standing in the meadows of Grindelwald, surrounded by the sound of cowbells and the scent of wildflowers, you experience the Alps at their most powerful and most beautiful.
Grindelwald is a place to linger. Walk the trails. Ride the gondola to First. Take the train to Kleine Scheidegg and sit on the terrace watching the Eiger's north face change colour in the afternoon light. And return in winter, when the valley fills with snow and the village becomes a wonderland of skiing, sledging, and cosy evenings by the fire.
Thank you for joining this ch.tours walking tour of Grindelwald. We look forward to guiding you again.