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31.10.2024 - 17:33 / lonelyplanet.com
Oct 31, 2024 • 9 min read
All of Switzerland is crazily gorgeous, but Grindelwald takes this to a whole new level – it is eyes-on-stalks beautiful. All around colossal, near-4000m-high peaks (13,123ft) send your gaze and soul spiraling ever higher – the gnarly north face of Eiger of mountaineering legend and rope-breaking tragedy, the crown-like peak of Wetterhorn, the dagger-like summit of Schreckhorn.
Whether seen in the alpenglow pink of a summer sunset, with piny scents and cowbells on the breeze, or under a fresh blanket of snow in winter, Grindelwald makes a spectacular base for tossing yourself into all the outdoor activities the Jungfrau Region of the Bernese Alps has to offer. Hiking, ziplining, skydiving, glacier swinging, mountain biking, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing – name your adventure, it’s right here. Read on for our first-time guide to getting around and making the most of one of Switzerland’s most charismatic, adventure-mad mountain towns.
Grindelwald swings with the Alpine seasons. The winter season goes with the snow, with the town leaping to life roughly from December, when the first flakes start to fall, through to early April, when the first rays of spring sunshine kick off the big thaw. In May, October and November, the resort flicks into rest mode, with many hotels, restaurants and cable cars closing.
In winter, the town is a ready-made Christmas card, with skiers and boarders whizzing down slopes in the shadow of Eiger’s fearsome north face, cable cars winging you effortlessly up to glacier-capped heights, and a raft of low-key, family-geared activities – from moonlit snowshoeing and sledding to winter walking and cross-country skiing in snow-iced forests. Dodge school holiday times and Christmas for better deals. Crowd-pulling events include unmissables like the ice sculpting World Snow Festival in mid-January, and the crazy Velogemel World Championships in February.
Summer looks different, but just as lovely. Alpine meadows bloom and jangle with cowbells, family-run cheese dairies fling open their doors (great for picnics), and trails thread like veins up into the craggy surrounding peaks for knockout views of steep mountain faces and crevassed glaciers. You can whack on boots for high-elevation hikes, tackle a big climb in the company of a guide, or test your nerve on pretty much every Alpine pursuit imaginable, from zip-lining to mountain-biking and carting and canyoning. Street festivals, sunset cinema and July’s Eiger Ultra Trail race star on the events calendar.
If you like things more peaceful, September can be glorious. The biggest crowds have departed, room rates are plunging and early autumn can bring golden days for hiking and biking.
Why the rush? If you book a couple
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