Grindelwald is one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland with stunning vistas of Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch, the three tallest mountains of Switzerland. I fell in love with Grindelwald on my first visit and since then I come here almost every summer for a few days to hike.
This blog is my personal experience and has all the information that you should know before visiting this breathtaking village.
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To get to Grindelwald by train is only possible via Interlaken. Arrive at Interlaken Ost (Interlaken have two train stations and Ost is the main station) and from there take the train to Grindelwald. It is a 33-minute train and there are two trains every hour. The Grindelwald train station is right in the town centre. For ticket and time schedule visit the Swiss Railway website. There are also lockers at the Grindelwald stations to leave your luggage if you are here only for a day.
There is another small train station called Grindelwald Grund which is almost 2 km from the centre and there is a train between Grindelwald Grund and main station.
Grindelwald is around 2 hours drive from Zürich and less than 30 minutes drive from Interlaken. The drive is very beautiful but during the summer holidays and on weekends the roads can get very busy especially near big cities traffic jams are very normal. Therefore, you should keep in mind that it can take much longer than normally planned.
Finding a Parking is usually not a problem in Grindelwald but expect to pay between 16 to 25€ for a day. It will be better to find a hotel/hostel or apartment with free Parking.
The mountain views from Grindelwald are breathtaking and just in front of the main train station is the main street with all the shops, supermarket, cafes, restaurants etc. Walking from one end of the street to the other end is a perfect way to get a glimpse of why this village is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Some of the pictures which I took from the street can give you an idea of what to expect there.
Grindelwald itself is very beautiful and have breathtaking views from the main walking street but if you are in Grindelwald then you should get out of the town to enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery. Over the years, I have visited a number of beautiful places around Grindelwald and I'll write here some of my favourite which might be helpful for you as well.
First is probably my absolute favourite place in Grindelwald due to stunning panoramic mountain scenery and magnificent cliff walking platform by Tissot. First is easily accessible by taking a Gondola from Grindelwald (in the town centre). The Gondola costs around 30€ one way and 60€ return. For actual prices and timetable a look at their website.
Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg two hilltop stations easily accessible by cable car or train. Both have similar views and costs (have a look at their website for actual prices) also the same to get there. Männlichen is reached by taking the cable car not far from the Grindelwald Grund train station and to get to Kleine Scheidegg take the train from Grindelwald Grund. You can also take a Gondola to Männlichen then hike to Kleine Scheidegg and take the train back to Grindelwald. The views from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg are stunning on a clear day.
Jungfraujoch also is known as Top of Europe at an elevation of 3572m is very popular among tourists. From Grindelwald Grund take the train which also stops along the way at Kleine Scheidegg. You can also make a stop at Kleine Scheidegg. It is one of the most expensive train rides in Switzerland without a discount. Have a look at the website for actual prices.
Grindelwald is Mecca for outdoor lovers and there are hundreds of hiking trails with various difficulty levels. If I have to choose only one hike in Grindelwald it will be Bachalpsee hike.
Bachlapsee hike is probably the best hike in Grindelwald and I have written a detailed blog about it.
Grindelwald is very popular among tourists and has only limited budget accommodation. I suggest booking as early as you can especially if you are on a budget. There are a couple of youth hostels which also provide some discount on cable cars. Have a look at Downtown-Lodge which offers 30% discount on Schilthorn, 50% discount on First Funicular so for those who want to visit these places it is a great option to save some money considering how expensive cable cars are in Switzerland.
Besides, you can also opt from a list of Grindelwald camping sites. I camped a couple of times at Camping Eigner Nordwand. The location of the camping site is stunning and it provides clean toilets and showers.