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 your deluxe 4-star hotel, you might enjoy a stroll through the village or a drink taking in the views from a scenic restaurant terrace.  We’ll include dinner tonight at your hotel or another nearby restaurant.

Arrival: Zürich or Geneva. Plan to arrive by the day your tour starts. There is a train station in both the Zürich and Geneva airports, with hourly departures for this region. Travel time, 3 hrs (Zürich) or 4 hrs (Geneva)

After a hearty breakfast, you’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. Your trail will be a looping traverse high above the valley with nearly constant views.

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. For a shorter day you can stop at the First gondola and ride back down to town. If you’d like a longer hike, our route notes will send you on an optional detour via the postcard-perfect Bachsee Lake before winding back down toward the valley floor through quiet meadows.

Today starts with a short train ride out of Grindewald to a mellow mountain inn near the top of tree line. This morning is dominated by great close-up views of the Eiger North Face – perhaps the most notorious mountain wall in the Swiss Alps.

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 steer you onto quiet side-trails for the descent. Pass through one of our favorites alps (a mountain meadow), with incredible waterfall and glacier views. Afterwards, a long woodsy traverse brings you to the car-free village of Wengen for a restful night.

Your trail from Wengen starts downhill to Lauterbrunnen and then leads past countless waterfalls along the lush Lauterbrunnen Valley floor. After a break for lunch, hike up a steep trail through a quiet, wooded valley into one of the most spectacular corners of the Alps.

The 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 a beautiful 4-star hotel.   Dinner will be on your own in town tonight.

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. The hike passes through a quiet farming valley and leads to some of the more classic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau views (from a more northerly aspect). Lobhorn is a great place to buy lunch and relax at one of their outdoor tables. If it’s a hot day, wander back to the lakes for a refreshing swim before hiking back to Mürren.

For an easier day, shorter hikes traverse the meadows above town, with numerous mountain restaurants 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.  Relax at the spa at your hotel, or the Schilthorn cable car is a memorable daytrip to a scenic peak.  Dinner will be on your own tonight.

Today’s trail leads up and back into the deep recesses of the Sefinen Valley. A steep climb is followed by a long, flatter stretch along a sunny, south-facing trail to the Rotstock hut, where you can stop for drinks and perhaps an early lunch. Crane your neck to see the revolving restaurant atop the Schilthorn high above you.

If you’d like a big day today, the trail continues, leading you up to the quiet recesses of the rocky Sefinenfurke pass.  Return to Rotstock and then veer off across a minor ridge to vary the descent back to Murren.  Dinner will be on your own in town tonight.

You’ll hop on the train to Kandersteg today, a beautiful journey that takes just over 2 hrs.  After checking in to your Kandersteg hotel, you’ll have plenty of time to head off on a hike!  The best hiking destination in Kandersteg is the jewel-like Oeschinen Lake – an emerald-green lake surrounded by cliffs which has to be seen to be believed.

An optional gondola can speed you up the lake quickly, then you can either relax at the lake, or take a bigger hike high above Oeschinensee for perfect birds-eye views.  Return to Kandersteg, where you stay in a deluxe 4-star hotel on the edge of town. Dinner included at your hotel.

For the grand finale, our route notes will lead you up on a quiet path through Klus Gorge and into the hidden Gasterntal Valley, one of our favorite Bernese Oberland secrets. The power of the Kander River is impressive as you climb through this narrow gorge and emerge into the 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. You can stop at a mountain inn for lunch and explore the back of the valley – this can be a very big finale hike if you like (and we’ll tell you how to do that. Return by van to Kandersteg for your final celebratory night. Dinner will again be at your hotel tonight.

Today say good-bye to the Bernese Oberland, and depart for your post-tour destinations.

Departure: Zürich or Geneva. It is 2:30 hrs from Kandersteg to Zürich, 3:30 hrs to Geneva by train.  Trains start at 6 am if you need an early start, and leave hourly throughout the day.