Berner Oberland Tour
Duration: 8 Days
Difficulty: Moderate
If you are looking for a distance hike in a region that looks just like a picture-perfect postcard of the Alps showing dramatic glaciated peaks dropping into verdant valleys, the Berner Oberland is the tour to consider. The region comes replete with herds of big, fat brown Swiss cows playing their best cowbell tunes. And you get to see some of the most famous mountains in the Alps — the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. The Swiss make travel and hiking extremely easy. There are trains and lifts to almost anywhere you would like to go and the majority of Swiss speak good English. What is not to like? Well, for one, this area has become very popular and some towns such as Grindelwald see hordes of tourists in the peak season. The Swiss have developed parts of this area considerably, meaning that it is not the place to go for unspoiled mountain tranquility. Finally, just be aware that Switzerland is expensive, noticeably more so than France or Itlay. That being said, this linear tour is still a classic and nothing short of awesome. Credit is due to Marcia Lieberman who writes the best guide books I know of for hiking in the Swiss Alps.
View from the Mannlichen cable car station above Grindelwald
Day 0 Engelberg
Engelberg is a lovely town from which to start your tour and is easily accessible by train. Stay at the Engelberg International Hostel. I don’t often stay at “youth hostels” since there are usually more charming places to stay that are still affordable. But sometimes a hostel is just the ticket and this is one of those occasions. It’s clean (is there anything in Switzerland that isn’t), comfortable, offers a good breakfast and some double rooms with shower.
No better home for a cow
Day 1 Engelberg to Meiringen to Rosenlaui
It’s always nice to have a moderate first hiking day in case you are not in your best shape yet and today falls into that category. Take the lifts from town to reach the Jochpass since the walk out of Engelberg is not too interesting. Then enjoy the rest of your hike which is beautiful, the only detraction being some surrounding ski development. Today also offers a series of lifts for the descent (starting at Planplatten), something that always interests me. Upon arriving in Meiringen I suggest you catch the bus heading south about 30 minutes to a wonderful hotel called Hotel Rosenlaui. This allows you to avoid the following day’s relatively mundane three-hour hike closely following the road to Rosenlaui. This lovely old Victorian-era hotel is a gem and not to be missed. The setting is spectacular and there is not much else around, so you will want to enjoy dinner here as well. You must reserve ahead. It has a reputation and a following.
Day 2 Rosenlaui to Grindelwald
The main Berner Oberland trail follows closely along the road which gradually ascends to Grosse Scheidegg and then down to Grindelwald. I much prefer to turn off instead at Schwarzwaldalp and follow the trail to the First lift station just above Grindelwald. This keeps you much higher and farther away from the road. This is again a very short day so take the time to enjoy a picnic lunch if the weather is nice. Then drop down 1100 meters on the lifts into the popular town of Grindelwald. No matter what time of the summer you are in Grindelwald, it will be bustling with tourists from all over the world. As overwhelming as that can be, it’s still worth a side trip here in order to take advantage of the shops, restaurants, and location. Like any popular tourist town, get off the main thoroughfare a ways and things immediately become calmer and more pleasant. Once again I recommend staying in the Hostel International, not so much for its affordability as for its character and setting. It is an old Swiss hostel with wood interiors that still maintains a great deal of charm. And it has a deck with the most amazing views of the north face of the Eiger. My hiking buddies and I joke about youth hostels always being at the top of a big hill no matter what city they are in. This one is definitely an example of that so save a little energy at the end of your day for that final uphill surge. Restaurant Kreuz & Post offers good food that won’t break the bank. I hope you will spend 2-3 nights in Grindelwald in order to take advantage of some of the best day hikes you’ll find anywhere in the Alps. One of these is the hike from the First lift station to Faulhorn and Schynige Platte. Much of the walk is a high traverse with the most amazing views of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. You are aiming for the tiny station at Schnige Platte where you take a wonderful one-hour ride down the mountain in a narrow-gauge cog train. At Wilderswil you catch the “regular” train back to Grindelwald. This is a long hike at high elevation so don’t proceed in bad weather and plan enough time so as not to miss the final train of the day.
Little red cog train coming down from Schynige Platte
Day 3 Grindelwald to Lauterbrunen
If you chose not to do the day hike out of Grindelwald to Schynige Platte, you might want to take that route today via the First lift, Schynige Platte, and then train to Wilderswil. Then you can easily get to your ending destination of Lauterbrunen via train. Otherwise take a nice, gradual uphill hike out of the Grindelwald valley to Kleine Scheidegg. From there you take the train all the way into Lauterbrunen (around $45/person) or you can walk down. The descent is not to be taken lightly at over 1400 meters but the views are terrific if you have the knees to do it. Stay at Chalet Im Rohr which is the only place in town that gives a warm reception and a reasonable price. They don’t provide breakfast but they do give you free use of a kitchen with some cooking supplies. It is easy enough to buy your own coffee and pastries. Eat dinner at the Hotel Oberland Restaurant.
Lauterbrunen Valley from Wengen
Day 4 Lauterbrunen to Murren (Blumental)
You can do a great day hike from Lauterbrunen farther up the valley to the Hotel Obersteinberg and beyond. But I prefer to build this in as part of the onward hike to Murren. Take the morning bus which heads south to the end of the valley road at Stechelberg. Then follow the lovely wooded path (the lower trail that stays close to the river) to Obersteinberg where there is an old Swiss hotel in a drop dead gorgeous setting — a good stop for lunch if it is that time already. You can actually continue farther up the valley to the small Oberhorn lake, but the time I made the journey, I didn’t consider it worth it. Return back down the valley on the higher trail which eventually branches off left to Murren. Murren is a small resort perched on the side of the mountain with the most amazing views of the Monch and Jungfrau. It is all the more special because no automobile traffic is allowed here. Lodging here is expensive so we continue our walk a little farther to Blumental (also called Murrenberg). Here you find one of the most delightful places to stay on this tour, Pension Sonnenberg. Remote, beautiful setting, warm hospitality, good food, and reasonable prices by Swiss standards. It doesn’t get much better.
Day 5 Murren (Blumental) to Griesalp
Our hiking thus far has not been too strenuous, especially if you’ve been taking advantage of the multitude of lifts available. Well, don’t become too complacent because the next two days are longer and more challenging. They are also my favorite stages of the tour. We leave the somewhat Disneyland feel of the Grindelwald area for a much more peaceful and pristine area. When I look back at my notes for these two days, I see frequent mention of words such as spectacular, fantastic, and beautiful. Today’s hike to Griesalp takes you by the privately owned hut, Rotstockhutte, where you can refill on water. Your destination for the night is is a little place just outside of Griesalp called Pochtenalp where you find Hotel Waldrand. This hotel is absolutely wonderful in all respects. That pretty much sums it up.
Alphorn players in Kandersteg
Day 6 Griesalp to Kandersteg
You pass over the highest pass of the route today, the Hohturli at 2780 meters. The day is long and challenging as you have to climb 1400 meters and descend 1200 meters. Thank goodness for the chairlift that runs from Oeschinensee down to the valley and saves around 400 meters of descent. Kandersteg is a pleasant village with several hotels to choose from. But there is only one place to head for the best lodging of the trip and that is a small B&B called The Hayloft. It is run by a wonderful couple from the area who provide as much warmth and charm as the building itself does. I always like to look in on TripAdvisor ratings as a double-check. It’s not often that I come across a place with 128 Excellents, 4 Very Goods, and nothing below Very Good, like The Hayloft has. It makes me wonder if Kerry and Peter were disappointed over their 4 Very Goods (I doubt it). It has only a few rooms and is becoming known so you must book well in advance. Two nights might be the minimum stay here so just plan on it. This is a wonderful town to take a rest day or a day hike. Another reason to spend an extra night in Kandersteg is a great restaurant called Nico’s. It’s expensive but so worth it. Restaurant Post is a good option for simpler and less expensive fare.
Day 7 Kandersteg to Gastere Valley
Some hikers choose to end this tour in Kandersteg. Some choose to extend it another two days by staying on the primary route which continues westward to Adelboden and Lenk. I found the trail to Adelboden to be nice but not spectacular and the trail to Lenk to be very ho-hum, so I don’t recommend this extension. What I DO recommend is hiking southeast out of Kandersteg to Fafleralp via the Gastere Valley and Lotschenpass. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful the hike is from Kandersteg to the Gasteretal. You pass through an amazing gorge with a raging river dropping precipitously from the mountains above. It is hard to make progress along the trail because you want to stop all the time and gaze in awe. You know when a path is particularly stunning when the Swiss decide to call it a panoramaweg (panorama trail) — this one they have named the Lotschberg Panoramaweg. Your lodging in this remote valley is the Steinbock Inn. The food is only average but the place is pleasant. If you don’t want to continue over the pass and into the next valley, you can easily make this a day hike.
Day 8 Gastere Valley to Fafleralp
You have a steep 1200 meters to climb to reach the Lotschenpass today. Fortunately, the downhill is only 900 meters and takes a more gradual heading. You are now in the Lotschen Valley which is, unfortunately, more stark and not as beautiful as the terrain you are leaving. Fafleralp is really just a spot at the end of the valley road with one hotel, Hotel Fafleralp. The spot is peaceful and pleasant in a wooded setting and there are certainly not many tourists to spoil the experience. But the hotel, although very nice, is also very expensive (they do have a detached building with less expensive dormitory-style accommodation which is not at all appealing). Overall, I didn’t find the hotel to be charming enough to be worth the splurge. I recommend instead catching one of the late afternoon/evening buses from Fafleralp to Brig, a main Swiss transportation hub. There you can choose from several good places to stay and eat, and be well-positioned the next morning to move on to your next destination, wherever that might be.
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