4 Days in Grindelwald: Eiger, Jungfraujoch & Alpine Trails
Four days under the Eiger: two mountain railways to the glaciers, a cliffside trail and a slow afternoon in the valley. Best from June to September.
Four days under the Eiger: two mountain railways to the glaciers, a cliffside trail and a slow afternoon in the valley. Best from June to September.
The Berner Oberland Bahn climbs out of Interlaken Ost through the Lütschental valley, and the Eiger's north face and the Wetterhorn open up together as the train rounds the final bends into Grindelwald.
🚆 ~35 min direct train from Interlaken Ost 💵 ~CHF 10 one way 🕐 Trains run roughly every 30 minutes, no reservation neededGrindelwald strings along a single valley road, so most hotels sit an easy walk or a short local bus ride from the station, with a flat path along the valley floor giving an easy first look at both peaks.
🚶 ~30 min flat walk along the valley floor 💵 Free to walk 🕐 Early afternoon, to settle in before dinnerA chalet-style restaurant along Dorfstrasse is the classic way to start a trip here, a pot of melted cheese shared at a wooden table while the last light catches the Eiger's summit ridge outside.
🚶 Flat walk along Dorfstrasse 💵 ~CHF 28 per person for fondue 🕐 Early evening, before restaurants fill upThe Eiger Express gondola crosses high above the valley floor from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletscher in well under 15 minutes, cutting what used to be a much longer approach before the final climb up through the mountain.
🚡 ~15 min gondola, then ~35 min cogwheel train through the Eiger 💵 ~CHF 220 round trip from Grindelwald 🕐 First departure of the day, before the crowds and cloud buildJungfraujoch sits at 3,454 meters, Europe's highest-altitude railway station, and the Sphinx Observatory's terrace looks south over the Aletsch Glacier, the longest ice stream in the Alps, curling away toward the horizon.
🚶 Elevator up to the Sphinx terrace 💵 Included in the rail ticket 🕐 Late morning, while the Aletsch side is typically clearestA short walk through the glacier's carved ice tunnels rounds out the summit before the train winds back down through Kleine Scheidegg, where the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau line up in a single frame.
🚞 ~1 hr descent via Kleine Scheidegg 💵 No extra cost on the same ticket 🕐 Early-to-mid afternoon, before the last trains back get busyA 25-minute gondola ride climbs to First at 2,168 meters, where the First Cliff Walk by Tissot juts out over the rock face on a steel walkway with the Bernese Alps spread out below.
🚡 ~25 min gondola from Grindelwald village 💵 ~CHF 75 round trip 🕐 Mid-morning, once the early cloud has burned offThrill-seekers zip down the First Flyer or steer a mountain cart back toward the valley, while a gentler option is the roughly hour-long walk to Bachalpsee, a small lake that mirrors the Wetterhorn on a still day.
🥾 ~1 hr walk to Bachalpsee, or a few minutes on the First Flyer 💵 ~CHF 39 for the First Flyer, Bachalpsee is free 🕐 Midday, leaving the afternoon open either wayFor a lower-key afternoon instead, the Wengernalpbahn train up to Alpiglen drops hikers at the start of the Eiger Trail, a quieter path tracing the base of the 1,800-meter north face back toward Eigergletscher.
🚞 ~15 min train to Alpiglen, then a ~3 hr hike 💵 ~CHF 14 one-way train fare 🕐 Early afternoon, to finish well before dinnerWith the big mountain days behind you, the Sportzentrum Grindelwald's pools and wellness area are a mellow way to ease legs tired from two days of altitude and gondolas.
🚶 ~10 min walk from the village center 💵 ~CHF 10 pool entry 🕐 Late morning, once the pools openA short train ride over to Lauterbrunnen puts you beneath Staubbach Falls, which drops almost 300 meters straight off the valley's cliff face right behind the village, with Trümmelbach Falls' glacier-fed cascades a short walk further on, or Wengen a quick cable car ride up the other side.
🚆 ~30 min train via Zweilütschinen 💵 ~CHF 12 round trip 🕐 Midday, leaving time to get back for departureRetrace the BOB line back to Interlaken Ost to connect onward to Zurich or Geneva airport, or add a short stop in Bern first if there's time to spare.
🚆 ~35 min train to Interlaken Ost, longer connections onward 💵 ~CHF 10 to Interlaken 🕐 Leave at least 4 hrs before an international flightDiscounted early-morning "Good Morning" tickets for the first trains up save a meaningful amount over walk-up same-day fares.
Buying food in the village before heading up saves considerably over the restaurant prices at Jungfraujoch or First.
A multi-day regional pass covering several of the area's trains and gondolas often beats buying each ticket separately across four days.
The alpine lake above First mirrors the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn on a calm morning, best reached before the late-morning gondola crowds arrive.
The smaller gondola on the opposite side of the valley gives quieter Eiger views along with a toboggan run back down to the village.
The gondola to Eigergletscher gets you well ahead of the day's tour groups heading up to Jungfraujoch.
Where to next
