This tour covers the Alpine Pass Route across the Bernese Oberland in style, with luxurious hotels, 1st class service, and your own private guide.
Private Guided Deluxe Bernese Oberland Traverse
Private Guided Deluxe Bernese Oberland Traverse
This tour covers the Alpine Pass Route across the Bernese Oberland in style, with luxurious hotels, 1st class service, and your own private guide.
- Private Guided,
- Inn-To-Inn,
- Moderate to Challenging,
Prepare to be blown away. The mountains of the Bernese Oberland are that impressive.
Not only that, the meadows burst with flowers and the waterfalls are unreal. This is the fairytale Switzerland. The Bernese Oberland is our home away from home in Switzerland, the tour that started it all through the heart of the Alps, and we absolutely love this deluxe version of our classic itinerary, with deluxe 4-star hotels, quiet trails and thrilling discoveries.
Your private guide will be there every step of the way, taking care of all the details and making sure you have everything you need. This is an adventurous trip. You’ll hike to 5 different locations, crossing numerous passes, as you hike from Grindelwald to Kandersteg. Extra nights allow you to explore hidden valleys where you find the real magic in this region. And you’ll do it in style, stopping in the finest hotels in each village, with one night in a cozy mountain inn, in a private room with hot showers just down the hall. As with all of our deluxe tours, you’ll have your luggage every night, so you can hike with the freedom of a small daypack. It’s perfect.
Itinerary At a Glance
Days 1-3
Grindelwald to Wengen
Hello Switzerland! This is the heart of the Jungfrau region, nestled right at the base of the astounding Eiger North Face. Hikes include panoramic balcony walks and adventurous dives deep into the mountains. The Eiger, scenic Grindelwald, car-free Wengen with 4-star hotels each night.
Days 4-5
Murren
You’ll hike from Wengen to Murren, our home away from home in the Alps, and an absolute paradise for hikers. Stunning views of the Eiger and Jungfrau are a little hard to believe, but they’re real. Quiet trails into forgotten valleys are blissful and memorable.
Days 6-9
Murren to Kandersteg
Now the hiking gets real, with two big passes. Heading west from the Jungfrau region, you trek through the less-visited valleys of Kiental and Kandertal. One night in a cozy remote inn, countless waterfalls and one stunning blue lake later, finish with two luxurious nights in a 4-star hotel in Kandersteg. Depart by train after breakfast.
Included
Your tour will be led by an experienced Alpinehikers guide, with guided hikes daily. All transfers to and from trailheads are included. You’ll stay 6 nights in 4-star hotels, 1 night in a 3-star superior hotel, and 1 night in a mountain inn, with all breakfasts and dinners included. Luggage transfers to all stops are also part of your tour, as well as a 1st class 3 day Swiss rail pass for arrival and departure.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Grindelwald
Arrive in Switzerland, and transfer by train to the Grindelwald, at the base of the famous Eiger North Face. It’s a scenic trip, passing through farms and along lakes as the mountain giants of the Bernese Oberland get closer and closer.
Although it’s the largest mountain village in the region, Grindelwald is still quite small. After checking into our deluxe 4-star hotel, you might enjoy a stroll through the village or a drink in the views from a scenic restaurant terrace. In the late afternoon, you’ll meet your guide and the rest of your group to start the Deluxe Bernese Oberland tour.
- Dinner
Day 2
Grindelwald
After a hearty breakfast, we’ll take a short bus ride up to the Grosse Scheidegg pass and enjoy sweeping views of the Eiger, Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn mountains and of the Grindelwald valley.
With 10,000 vertical feet separating valley from peak, Grindelwald sits at the base of one of the most impressive vertical mountain walls in the world. Perhaps we’ll detour via the postcard-perfect Bachsee lake before winding back down to Grindelwald.
HIKE: 6-8 hours, 10 miles; Elevation: 2750 ft up, 2390 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 3
Wengen
Today we’ll start with a short train ride out of Grindewald to a mellow mountain inn near the top of tree line. Our morning today is dominated by great close-up views of the Eiger North Face – perhaps the most notorious mountain wall in the Swiss Alps.
We’ll hike up to the famous Kleine Scheidegg pass under the Eiger North Face, where the Mönch and Jungfrau mountains also come into view. After a break for lunch, we’ll descend on quiet side-trails with incredible waterfall and glacier views to the car-free village of Wengen for a restful night.
HIKE: 6-8 hours, 10 miles; Elevation: 1720 ft up, 2840 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 4
Mürren
Our trail from Wengen starts downhill to Lauterbrunnen and then leads past countless waterfalls along the lush Lauterbrunnen valley floor. After a break for lunch, we’ll hike up a steep trail through a quiet, wooded valley into one of the most spectacular corners of the Alps.
Our trail winds up through sleepy Gimmelwald to Mürren, a postcard-perfect car-free village perched on the edge of a cliff with unparalleled views of the surrounding mountains. Stay in the impeccable 4-star Hotel Eiger.
HIKE: 5-7 hours, 11 miles; Elevation: 3600 ft up, 2590 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 5
Mürren
There are numerous dayhike possibilities around Mürren. One beautiful trail leads up to the Lobhorn hut and nearby Sulsee mountain lake, for superb all-around views. Shorter hikes traverse the meadows above town, with numerous mountain inns along the way inviting you to stop and linger.
Or feel free to just unwind in one of the most scenic and relaxing villages in the Alps. Our hotel has a delightful pool and spa, and the Schilthorn cable car is a memorable daytrip to a scenic peak.
HIKE: 5-7 hours, 8-10 miles; Elevation: 1850 ft up, 1850 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 6
Griesalp
Our trail meanders back into the deep recesses of the Sefinen valley before crossing the first of two major passes, Sefinenfurke, into the tiny hamlet of Griesalp.
A moderate but long climb past Rotstock hut and over the pass, followed by a very steep descent, is rewarded by a friendly welcome at our rustic but pretty inn. You’ll have a private room and hot showers, and our luggage will meet us at the inn.
HIKE: 6-8 hours, 10.5 miles; Elevation: 3320 ft up, 4180 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 7
Kandersteg
We’ll need an early start for our most challenging day of the tour. Crossing the second major pass, Hohtürli, you’ll hike past glaciers and high mountain peaks to the jewel-like Oeschinen lake – an emerald-green lake surrounded by cliffs which has to be seen to be believed.
For bad weather, or if you simply don’t feel like tackling the pass, you can take a bus around to Kandersteg and enjoy a mellow dayhike up to the lake instead. We stay in a deluxe 4-star hotel on the edge of Kandersteg.
HIKE: 7-9 hours, 10 miles; Elevation: 4590 ft up, 5350 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 8
Kandersteg
For our grand finale, we’ll head up on a quiet path leading south towards the Klus gorge. The power of the Kander river is impressive as you climb through this narrow gorge and emerge into the hidden Gasterntal valley.
This is a picture-perfect hideaway – a small, U-shaped valley, carpeted with wildflowers and guarded by savage cliffs. Waterfalls bursting from the sides of cliffs add to the scenery. We’ll stop at a mountain inn for lunch and explore the back of the valley before returning by van to Kandersteg for our final celebratory dinner.
HIKE: 5-7 hours, 10 miles; Elevation: 1840 ft up, 630 ft down
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Day 9
depart
Today we say good-bye to the Bernese Oberland and depart for Kandersteg and our post-tour destinations.