Guide to Grindelwald, Swiss Alps

Grindelwald is both a traditional chalet-style Swiss village and a cosmopolitan ski resort, located in a narrow valley in the stunning Jungfrau region of the Bernese Oberland. It is reached via the lower village of Lauterbrunnen, which is also the main access point for the Mürren and Wengen resorts. Grindelwald's own First ski area is a good for beginners and intermediates, with magnificent panoramas to the Eiger and Schilthorn mountains. The skiing areas at Männlichen and beneath the Eiger north face at Kleine Scheidegg are shared with neighbouring Wengen. There is a great choice of long easy blue and red runs and a few black runs for experts. Grindelwald is connected to the rest of the Jungfrau region which has more than 200km of runs in total.

Mountain Information Grindelwald Jungfrau Region

	Resort Altitude	1035 m
	Top Lift	2970 m
	Lifts	42
	Total Runs	213 km
	Longest Run	15 km
	Advanced Runs	14%
	Intermediate Runs	61%
	Beginner	25%
	Cross Country	25 km

Getting to Grindelwald

The cheapest and quickest way to travel to Grindelwald ski resort is to first find one of the many cheap flights to, Zurich or Geneva airports.
The nearest airport to Grindelwald is Bern Belp airport, about 40 miles away. The drive by car from Bern Belp airport takes about 2 hours, take the motorway Bern - Interlaken, then another 12 miles climbing road up to Grindelwald. Travelling by train from Berne to Grindelwald also goes via Interlaken, from Interlaken Ost station there is a connecting train to Grindelwald station, journey time about 35 mins. You can also take the Skibus from Interlaken to the resort.
Travelling from Zurich or Geneva airports, catch a train from the airport to Interlaken. With a Swiss Card you will get return transport to Interlaken plus 50% discount on all train, postbus and boat journeys, and on most mountain railways including the Jungfraubahn and Schilthorn.

Accommodation in Grindelwald

Grindelwald has around 50 hotels, many are family owned and most have less than 100 beds. The cheapest rates are usually offered before the Christmas holidays. Lodgings vary from luxury to modest hotels, chalets, plus some 950 apartments with around 6000 beds and dormitories. Grund is closest to the slopes.
Grand Hotel Regina is the local 5 star; recommended 4 & 3 stars are Belvedere, Hotel Spinne, Sunstar, Kreuz & Post, Schweizerhof, Derby. Good smaller hotels are Bodmi, Caprice, Fiescherblick, Glacier and Alpenhof. For self catering, reports are good about apartments at Hotel Hirschen or Hotel Eiger. A few modest chalets are the centrally positioned Wetterhorn, or the Tschuggen with its great views. For possibly the cheapest budget accommodation try Kleine Scheidegg station which has basic dorms and rooms at low prices.

Bars, restaurants and apres ski

Grindelwald nightlife is fairly relaxed with 3 discos and a just a few late night bars. The Gepsi Bar and Espresso Bar are popular après-ski hangouts, Plaza Club and Mescalero are for late nights. Hotel Grand Regina and the Challi Bar have nightly live music and dancing. In Grindelwald you can choose from more than 50 restaurants, but mamy are in hotels and wine is expensive. Recommended are the Schmitte in Schweizerhof, the Kreuz und Post's Challi Stübli or the Adlerstube in the Hotel Sunstar; affordable places are Memory in the Eiger Hotel, the Alpina and the Glacier. The Latino does good Italian food.

Other activities

Spectacular scenery, excellent walking and the famous trip up the Jungfraujoch are the big attractions here. Many winter visitors to Grindelwald are non-skiers. Hiking, ice skating, curling, snow shoeing trails, toboggan runs, snow rafting, husky rides, plus an excellent sports centre are other activities. For snowboarders there is a large terrain park with half-pipe and bordercross course at Oberjoch and a super-pipe at Schrekfeld. In January there is the ice sculptures contest, during the famous "Festival International des Neiges" week.
Sightseeing trips can be taken by train to Bern and Interlaken. The Jungfraubahn mountain railway is also a great outing to a spectacular ice palace and observation platform with views over the glacier. Cable cars climb up to the Schilthorn, a tall snowy peak with stupendous views over the Alps.