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.
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).
Downtown Lodge, Grindelwald (Hostel) Located in the town centre, 10 minutes walk from the station. $ Tel: +41 338287730 http://www.swissbackpackers.ch
Mountain Hostel, Grund (Hostel) Situated next to Grund station, a huge car park and the Männlichen gondola. $ Tel: +41 338543838 http://www.swissbackpackers.ch
Chalet Stella, Wengen (Chalet) Dating from 1885, but fully modernised, this attractive chalet has flexible booking arrangements and is only 3 minutes from the lifts . $ https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2976921
Hotel Bellevue des Alpes, Kleine Scheidegg Rated a historic hotel by the Swiss Tourist Board. $$$ http://www.scheidegg-hotels.ch/
Did you ski Grindelwald or snowboard in Grindelwald? What did you think? Have you taken the train to Grindelwald? Do you have any tips on accommodation in Grindelwald or the apres ski? Is there anywhere else you have taken the train to ski? if so, please contact us and share you experiences using the contact link at the foot of the page. For more details on Swiss resorts visit our sister site at Swiss Winter Sports.
