MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Winter hiking in Feb – based in Mürren and Kandersteg
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We have just returned after 8 days of fun filled winter hikes in Switzerland from 15th to 23rd February and here are the highlights of our trip:
General Travel, Stay, Food & Weather
- We stayed 2 nights at Hotel Alpenruh, Murren (https://www.myswissalps.com/accommodation/hotels/murren/) followed by 5 nights at Hotel Bernerhof, Kandersteg and 1 night at Holiday Inn Express, Zurich. We would highly recommend Hotel Bernerhof for its majestic views over the Kander valley.
- We carried the 8 day Swiss Travel Pass which was very convenient for inter-city ticket free transport and also allowed 50% discount on mountain transports.
- For our picnic meals, we purchased supplies from Coop & Migros supermarkets. We found that combination of Zweigel Paprika wafers, Kambly biscuits, Frey chocolates, Mov’n’Pick Ice cream and pure chilled mountain spring water was perfect on the long hikes.
- In terms of restaurants, we would highly recommend Spiga at Zurich Bahnof, Mountain Restaurant Fluhalp at Zermatt, Berghaus Toni at Rideralp, Café Riggenberg at Grindelwald and Hotel Adler at Kandersteg.
- The weather this year was quite warm for February. Snow was only on mountain tops & the valleys were barren. Most of the days were sunny, but we faced light snowfall during our trip to Aletsch region.
Hikes & Experiences
I have listed our trips in the order of best to least:
- 9km hike from Sunnbuel to Gemmipass
This was by far the top experience of our trip. The hike starts at the top of Sunnbuel cable car station in german speaking region of Kandersteg and ends at top of Gemmipass cable car station in french speaking region of Leuk. The trail passes through tranquil high altitude valleys laden with pristine snow.
During the initial 500 meters, the hiking trail is shared with skiers, but thereafter the skiers branch off to their dedicated ski runs. There were very few fellow hikers with us and we were pleasantly surprised by lack of crowds on such a scenic trail. We practically had the whole of valley to ourselves. The entire hike is upward sloping requiring moderate physical fitness, but you are rewarded with such exhilarating views of the mountains. The final portion of the trail is especially steep, but there is the option of taking the small Daubensee gondola up to Gemmi if you are feeling exhausted. While the sign boards mention 3 hours as the total hiking time, it took us around 4.5 hours to complete it. A few photos are attached, but the true majesty of the views can only be experienced in person.
- 2km hike from Blauherd to Fluhalp
This hike which starts at the intermediate station of Blauherd on the Rothorn cable car, gives you gorgeous views of the Matterhorn. Just check out the photo. It took us 1 hour 15 min as against sign posted time of 45 min. The hike is mostly flat with minor ups and downs. Again, there were very few hikers on this path with majority of tourists heading to Gornergrat/Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, we enjoyed the quiet solitude on the hike. While the prospect of a tasty meal at the end of the hike at Mountain Restaurant Fluhalp kept us going on the way out, the return leg was much more difficult to walk back the same 2 kms after a heavy meal. On the whole, it was a very memorable experience.
- 5km hike in Aletsch Arena: Moosfluh – Hohfluh – Riderfurka – Rideralp
We had light snowfall on the day of this hike. The clouds partially obstructed the views over the Aletsch glacier, but on the other hand, it was a magical experience to watch the sun and clouds play hide and seek with us walking in the freshly falling snow. The entire way is downward sloping with viewing points at Hohfluh & Riderfurka giving sweeping views over the Aletsch glacier. The sign posted time was 2hours 30 min for this hike, but we took a leisurely 3 hours 30 mins enjoying the beautiful weather.
- 5km Lager Oeschinensee hike + 1km Ice-Walk
The Oeschinensee lake is the most popular tourist spot in Kandersteg. We had done a hike around the lake during summer in one of our earlier trips, this was the 1st time we were going to see the lake completely frozen in the winter. From the top of Oeschinen gondola, there are 2 pathways to take down to the lake: the 2.5 km Lager route or the 1.5km direct Winteregg route. We took the Lager route and enjoyed the snowy vistas of the mighty Blumisalp towering over the frozen lake. We also did the Ice-walk on the frozen lake surface. Once you start walking on the lake, only then you realise the enormous size of the frozen lake. This hike was full with tourists, but nevertheless our overall experience was good.
- 5km Enstligenalp rundweg
This charming hike in Adelboden region is at top of the Unter-dem-Birg cable car station. This was the easiest of all the hikes we did during the trip. It is a well prepared trail, completely flat and offers stunning views of panoramic mountains in all directions. We also loved the cute looking village of Adelboden and would definitely like to explore this region in detail on our future visits. The bus journey from nearest station of Frutigen on the narrow winding roads to the Adelboden valley itself was very picturesque and well worth the visit.
On our last day, since the weather forecast was cloudy, we decided to skip the mountains and go to Lausanne. We had some difficulty locating lockers at the station to store our bags as all of the lockers were showing status as “occupied”. We enquired at the main station office & were told that most of the locker facility at the station is undergoing repairs/upgrades and helpfully directed us to another section of the station where we found vacant available lockers. As it was raining lightly, we decided to visit the Palace Du Rumine museum. The underground metro is very convenient to travel from the main station to Riponne Bejart station. The museum is located just outside the metro station and entry is free. We saw many interesting artefacts in geology, zoology & archaeology sections. Located right next to the museum is the enormous Lausanne Cathedral with intricately carved statues and colourful glass patterns. The Chateau St Marie terrace provides a breath taking bird’s eye view of the entire city & lake Geneva. Later in the afternoon, we again took the metro to Ouchy station to visit the docks and promenade. Boats operate only during summer, so we had the entire lake front to ourselves. We took a long stroll on the promenade reaching the magnificent golden Thai pavilion at the end of the city. Overall, a very enjoyable day.
- Other hikes
During our stay at Murren, we also did the Murren-Gimmelwald, Grutschalp-Murren and Mannlichen Royal Walk hikes. Except for Mannlichen, we found no snow on the lower trails and the views were very much “summer like” with barren mountains and valleys. However, we did get great views of the snow covered Eiger from the Mannlichen summit.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip & this fabulous country always provides something new to discover. We can’t wait to come back again.
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Hi corporal,
I enjoyed reading your trip report very much! Great descriptions, lots of tips and practical details and gorgeous photos.
This will be a great resource for others! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.
Alpenrose
Hello there corporal,
Thank you so much for your trip report. Lovely photos that you shared and you certainly had good weather 🙂
I agree, some very handy tips that I am sure fellow travellers will benefit from.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hello Corporal, This is the best travel report I have ever seen, such a beautiful place and am definitely visit it.
Thank You all for the kind comments.
Switzerland is truly a beautiful country in any season of the year. A special Thank You to the moderators for maintaining this excellent forum to keep providing us with inspiring travel ideas.
Best regards.
Wow, it sounds like you had an incredible adventure in Switzerland! Your detailed itinerary and experiences are inspiring, especially the hikes you described. The Sunnbuel to Gemmipass hike seems like a dream with its panoramic views and tranquil atmosphere. And I agree, Hotel Bernerhof in Kandersteg is a gem with those majestic valley views. For someone who loves outdoor activities like hiking, Switzerland is indeed a paradise. By the way, have you ever considered exploring evening desert safari dubai? It’s a completely different experience but equally captivating.
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