Ski Grindelwald by Train

160 km of piste between 1049-2500m

Truly one of the world's greatest and oldest winter sports destinations. The legendary mountain railways make this area one of the most accessible to get to, and the range of skiing, snowboarding and winter walking options is huge. Underneath the North face of the Eiger, Grindelwald is the busiest and most substantial of the Jungfrau resorts. It has a wide range of accommodation, including a couple of good backpacker hostels, and plenty of activities for those who do not ski or snowboard. For the 2019/20 season a new, high-speed gondola now takes skiers from Grindelwald Grund up to Mäannlichen and access to the slopes of Wengen. On the other side of Grindelwald are the usually uncrowded, pistes at First where the best parks in the Jungfrau are located, including an 850m park at Bärgelegg, another at Oberjoch and a half-pipe usually set up at Schreckfeld.

The 15km Big Pintenfritz from the Faulhorn is the longest toboggan run in Europe, named after the innkeeper who inaugurated the run as a bet.

Ski Grindelwald by train

Every January for six days at the ice rink in the centre of the village, Grindelwald hosts the spectacular World Snow Festival in which artists carve exotic and imaginative sculptures out of snow.

Sky and Rail

The nearest airport to Grindelwald is Zurich. There is a railway station in the airport.

Best of the Slopes at Grindelwald

From Kleine Scheidegg the Lauberhorn chairlift takes you to the start point of the eponymous race, and you can pretty much follow the race circuit down to Wengen. From there you can either take the train back or take a short walk across the village to take the Männlichen cable car. The Männlichen run to Grindelwald Grund is suitable for intermediates and covers 12km.

Where to Eat and Party in Grindelwald

Bergrestaurant Bussalp, overlooking the Eiger, is a casual restaurant halfway down the longest toboggan run in Europe - but also accessible by bus or skis. The TiPi tent at Kleine Scheidegg tends to be quite lively when the resort is busy. People also stop off at the Holzerbar towards Grund. The main apres bars in town are the Avocado bar and the Espresso bar. Gepsi bar is recommended for a drink before or after dinner. Challi bar is like a cross between a bar and a club and tends to be better from 9pm onwards. Several eateries do meal deals for around ten francs per person: on Sunday it is burger day at the Eiger and the cafe lounge there and Pizza night in the Espresso bar, on Mondays it is Burrito night at the Memory bar in Hotel Eiger, Tuesday is Toastie night in Gepsi bar and Thursday is the excellent Salad day in the Eiger and the cafe lounge.

Getting to Grindelwald by Train

The best destination to access the downhill slopes by public transport in this ski area is Grindelwald. Get lift pass at Grindelwald, then take mountain railway to Kleine Scheidegg or take bus to First (stop adjacent to gondola).

Piste Map for Grindelwald

Ski and Snowboard on the pistes at Grindelwald