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Region: Jungfrau Region
Recommended season: early January to early March and early May to late October
Altitude: 1034 m (3392 ft)
This is a winter sports resort
Town size: Small
Local language: German
There is a train stationThings to see and do in Grindelwald 
Find your Grindelwald day trips
3 things you shouldn't miss when staying in Grindelwald
If time is limited, we recommend not to miss this:
- The Jungfraujoch is very easy to reach from Grindelwald. If you prefer a budget variant without the Jungfraujoch, make this scenic round trip: Grindelwald-Kleine Scheidegg-Wengen-Lauterbrunnen-Zweilütschinen-Grindelwald.
- Visit at least one other mountain: Männlichen, First or Pfingstegg.
- Do at least one high-altitude hike. Walking to the Bachsee is a good option, or hike from First to Schynige Platte if you're up for a challenge.
Bad weather activities
Grindelwald is in the mountains, and that's where the weather can change quickly, for the better or the worse. These are good excursions if it rains in Grindelwald:
- The Glacier Gorge just outside of Grindelwald
- The indoor sports center
- The Wellness & Spa in the Sunstar Hotel
- Shopping in Interlaken
- Great for kids: Heimwehfluh in Interlaken
- Great for kids: JungfrauPark Interlaken
Check price & details:
Grindelwald summer activities
The main summer excursions in Grindelwald are hiking, mountain biking, and mountain visits.
Several mountains offer fun family activities, such as toboggan runs and zip lines. Examples are Grindelwald-First and Pfingstegg.
Grindelwald winter activities
If you're in Grindelwald during winter, you can enjoy lots of skiing, sledding, and other snow-fun options.
Four ski areas are within easy reach:
- Grindelwald-First
- Grindelwald-Wengen
- Mürren-Schilthorn
- Meiringen-Hasliberg
Together, they offer more than 265 km of pistes.
Apart from skiing, you can enjoy winter hiking, snowshoe hiking, curling and skating at the indoor ice rink. There are lots of sledding runs, including the longest one in the world: from Faulhorn (near First) to Bussalp and Grindelwald.
Each January, Grindelwald hosts the World Snow Festival. You can watch beautiful ice sculptures made by international artists.
Traveling to and in Grindelwald, plus map
How to travel to Grindelwald by train
Public transport in Grindelwald and the entire Jungfrau Region is excellent, and we recommend using it. You can reach the village by train from Interlaken Ost in about half an hour.
Note that the same train also heads for Lauterbrunnen. It's split into two separate sections at the rail station of Zweilütschinen. Information boards on the train and at the platforms clearly indicate where you have to be seated to reach Grindelwald (this is mostly sector B of the train and platform).
How to reach Grindelwald by car
You can park your car at the railway station of Interlaken Ost and continue your journey to Grindelwald by train.
Grindelwald itself can be reached by car too, and several parking lots are available: a few smaller ones in the village, and a large one near the railway station "Grindelwald Terminal".
There are frequent train and bus services between "Grindelwald Terminal" and the main rail station in the town center.
How to reach Grindelwald from the airports
You'll probably fly in to Zurich Airport or Geneva Airport. Some flights land at the EuroAirport near Basel too. From the airports, you can continue your journey by public transport.
Train travel times to Grindelwald are:
- 2h55 from Zurich Airport
- 3h40 from Geneva Airport
- 3h10 from Basel EuroAirport
The 3 train stations of Grindelwald
Grindelwald has 3 train stations. You can find each in the timetable.
- "Grindelwald". This is the main station in the village, where shops, hotels and holiday homes can be found. Trains from Interlaken arrive here. From the station, you can reach the valley stations of First and Pfingstegg on foot or by bus. Buses to Bussalp, Grosse Scheidegg, the Rosenlaui Valley and Meiringen depart here too.
- "Grindelwald Terminal". This is west of the town center. The gondolas to Männlichen and the Eiger Express to Eigergletscher/Jungfraujoch depart here.
- "Grindelwald Grund". This station is situated lower than Grindelwald and it's not in the town center. It's one of the stops on the cogwheel train route from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg/Jungfraujoch.
Getting by in Grindelwald: on foot and by bus
Grindelwald isn't that big, but it is hilly. If you have accommodation in the outskirts, you may need to count on some light descending or ascending on foot. Alternatively, you can take a bus.
Discounts on local trips with the Grindelwald Guest Card
The hotels provide a free Guest Card when checking in. The card provides various discounts on local attractions and cableways.
Rail passes for your stay in Grindelwald
If you own a rail pass, you will usually get a better discount than those of Grindelwald's Guest Card. We advise looking into these passes for Grindelwald:
- The Berner Oberland Pass is a great choice if you plan to explore not only the immediate surroundings of Grindelwald, but other parts of the Bernese Oberland too.
- The Jungfrau Travel Pass. This one's suitable if you'll be making trips in the Jungfrau Region only.
- The Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card. These are usually best if your itinerary includes several regions of Switzerland.
Use our free tools to determine which pass is best for your plans.
Map of the town Grindelwald
The best time to visit Grindelwald
The best months to visit Grindelwald are early January to early March and early May to late October.
Grindelwald in spring, summer and fall
Due to its altitude of over 1000 meters, snow in the surrounding mountains can occur in early spring (April) and late fall (November-December). During these months, mountain trails can be too muddy to properly hike. This is low season for some cable cars too.
That's why Grindelwald can best be visited from May to October. Nature is prettiest during these months, and most attractions are available. High-altitude hiking can best be done in July, August and early September.
Grindelwald in winter
Grindelwald is a great destination for winter holidays. Its altitude at 1034 m means that snow is likely in winter, especially in the mountains near the village. January and February are the best winter months.
Grindelwald is a charming village in winter. It can feel touristy and crowdy, especially during Christmas season and Swiss school holidays.
Weather in Grindelwald
What weather in Grindelwald is like
Grindelwald is at over 1000 m altitude and surrounded by high mountains. This means that weather can change quickly.
Snow in Grindelwald during winter is likely, and enough snow in the surrounding mountains for skiing and other winter activities is very probable. Temperatures in the town are typically around freezing point.
From spring to autumn, all sorts of weather can occur near Grindelwald: from clouds and rain showers at 10°C, to long sunny spells with temperatures of 25°C or more.
5-day weather forecast for Grindelwald
Accommodation in Grindelwald
Many hotels in Grindelwald are at a less than 15-minute walk from the rail station. Quite some have rooms with gorgeous views of the Eiger North Face.
Rental chalets are widely available too in Grindelwald. Check the location if you want to avoid ascending and descending between the town center and your accommodation.
Find an overview of accommodation throughout the Jungfrau Region here.
Grindelwald hotel list
Hotels in Grindelwald - easy access to attractions and splendid views
Grindelwald’s location, scenery and layout
Location and scenery
Apart from Interlaken, Grindelwald is the largest village in the Jungfrau Region. It’s situated at the end of the valley of the river Schwarze Lütschine and at the foot of high mountains.
There are breathtaking views of the mountains Eiger and Wetterhorn from many locations in town.
The layout of Grindelwald
The town center is situated along the main street, called “Dorfstrasse”. It stretches out between the main rail station and the First cable car station, about 800 m up the road. There are supermarkets, shops and all the other facilities you need as a tourist.
Outside of the town center, Grindelwald mainly consists of chalets in hilly meadows, spread out across a pretty large area.
The pros and cons of Grindelwald
Grindelwald is touristy
Grindelwald is a tourist center. Some would say the town isn’t as authentic as it used to be. That’s true, but we think that Grindelwald has become a tourist center for a good reason: it’s a stunning location that is not only beautiful, but convenient as well.
Cable cars and trains take you right into the high mountains surrounding the town, and you can start hiking or biking right from your hotel or chalet. There are lots of winter sports facilities too.
Grindelwald can be busy
Grindelwald can be busy at times, but we feel that should not scare you off. Grindelwald is a very nice alternative for anyone who does not want to stay in a busy town such as Interlaken, but still wants some shops, restaurants and sports facilities around. Smaller villages generally have limited facilities.
More about winter activities
Winter activities
Other websites of interest
- grindelwald.ch: Grindelwald Guest Card
- www.jungfrau.ch: Grindelwald car park
- www.grindelwald.ch: Grindelwald Glacier Gorge
- www.sportzentrum-grindelwald.ch: Grindelwald sports centre
Our blog posts related to Grindelwald
Hike First-Grosse Scheidegg
Hike First-Bachsee
Hike Grosse Scheidegg-Meiringen
About the Grindelwald area
Jungfrau Region
Interlaken
Mürren
Wengen
