Grindelwald is the golden child of Jungfrau. Anyone who is going to Jungfrau is probably going to Grindelwald, and most of them are probably staying there, too. It’s the largest of the resort towns and home to some of the area’s most popular attractions. Aptly nicknamed “Top of Adventure,” Grindelwald is full of attractions to keep you busy from day to night.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the best things to do in and around Grindelwald, Switzerland. Specifically, we’ll share things to do in town or within walking distance, and things that are a single transit connection away. Whether you’re staying in Grindelwald or just spending the day there, this post has something for you.
Read more! Trying to plan your exact Jungfrau itinerary? It can be overwhelming. Check out this Jungfrau Itinerary: Perfect Summer Trip with Kids. It has the best activities organized by location, with hiking details and transportation instructions in one, easy-to-follow, printable PDF. I hope it helps!
Related Posts
Before we get too far, it’s worth noting that this post is part of an ongoing series on the greater Jungfrau region. The area is full of amazing hikes, sights and attractions. You can realistically get to all of the regional attractions from any of the nearby towns or villages.
To make planning easier, I’ve chosen to organize the attractions and hikes based on the town they’re closest to. This particular list includes all of the must-dos that are in or near Grindelwald. If you’re planning to explore all of Jungfrau, be sure to check out these other posts for more inspiration.
Read more! Confused about how to get around Junfrau? You might want to start with our How to get everywhere in Jungfrau post.
About Grindelwald
Grindelwald is a valley town, located below First (mountain). It’s the largest resort town in the area, with guesthouses, restaurants and shops abound. It dances between story book and touristy, and it’s charm and energy cannot be understated. (For any New Yorkers reading this, we referred to it as the Lake George of Jungfrau. Take from that what you will.)
The village is also very well connected to the rest of the region. Grindelwald has cable car service to nearby peaks including First, Männlichen, Eigersgletscher and Pfingstegg. It also has two train stations with service in opposite directions to Zweilütschinen and Kleine Scheidegg, each with multiple stops and connections.
For all of these reasons and more, Grindelwald is a great option for a home base in Jungfrau. You could easily fill an entire itinerary without leaving the Grindelwald area, but it’s also very convenient if you do plan to bop around to the other villages in the region.
If Grindelwald had a grindel-fault, it would be its size and popularity. Its definitely more crowded and lively than the other towns, which isn’t always a good thing. The town’s larger geographical size also means that you’ll have a lot of ground to cover. Some cable cars and train stations are over a mile apart. That’s a stark difference from the bite-size village of Wengen where you can walk the entire main street in less than 4 minutes.
Best things to do in Grindelwald
Grindelwald is interesting when it comes to this series. I always break it up with the things to do in town versus within a single connection. Grindelwald is so well connected that most of the main attractions that Grindelwald is known for actually require a connection.
I’m still going to start with the things that are accessible on foot from the village center of Grindelwald, but definitely don’t stop here. Many of the best things to do in this area are in the next section.
Wander Dorfstrasse
Dorfstrasse, between the main train station and First cable car station, is the main artery of Grindelwald. Along this main street, you’ll find lots of shops, restaurants, and hotels. Sure, it’s touristy, but if you’re reading this, you’re a tourist and that is okay.
The street is usually pretty busy because it’s the main walking route between two popular stations. That makes it really easy to incorporate this activity into your day. After a morning up on First, enjoy a meal with a view at BaseCamp Restaurant, relax in the park, pick up a trinket at Grand Bazar Brunner (the staff here are SO nice), grab a coffee and do some light people watching at QRAFTwerk. Before you know it, you’ve spent a delightful hour or two and ended up at the train station.
Even if you don’t go in a single shop, the street is still a delight. There’s mountains in the background, flowers on the chalet windowsills, and this energy that only comes from crowds of people on vacation in the crisp mountain air.
Catch a Movie
The only thing better than a summer outdoor movie, is one that has Eiger as a backdrop. That is exactly what you’ll get with Grindelwald’s Summer Sunset cinema.
You can catch a movie on most Thursday evenings in July and August at the main square in town. There is a kid’s movie that starts at 5:45 and an adult movie that starts at 7:45. You can find the schedule and details here.
Grindelwald Playground
If you’re in Switzerland with kids, you’re probably just used to finding a playground that’s great at every turn. So of course Grindelwald has a playground and it’s right off the main street.
This one is not the best in the region, but that’s a pretty high bar. This playground has a pretty sweet slide, ropes course, balance obstacles, and space to run, all set with a background of the Swiss Alps. So yeah, it’s still better than most playgrounds not in Switzerland.
Read more! We compiled five of our favorite Hike + Playground combinations over in this post.
Snack on some Swiss Chocolate
You hiked in Switzerland. You deserve a little sweet treat. You’re on vacation with your family? Treat. You woke up this morning? Treat. I didn’t have to try that hard to come up with excuses to pick up some chocolate any chance I had in Switzerland.
The best spot in Grindelwald is definitely Swiss Chocolate Chalet. They have packaged chocolate, confections by the pound, and souvenir set options. If you get one thing here, get the dark chocolate champagne truffle (called a Polka Dot here.)
I’m going to pull a complete 180 here and tell you that my second favorite place for sweet treats is the COOP. It’s a Swiss supermarket chain that you’ll find all over Switzerland. It was always packed in Jungfrau because everyone is getting their snacks for hikes (and because restaurants are so gosh darn expensive!) Anyway, they have a large candy section that has some regional and local packaged treats.
I know these are not as fancy as the chocolate shops, but coming from the US, it’s always fun to try new treats that you can’t get a home. (It’s technically still Swiss chocolate.) I discovered Ovo Rocks, which I quickly fell in love with! I also really liked these off-brand Toblerone bars. Plus, Kinder Eggs from Europe are always better than the US version.
Replenish your gear or do some shopping at Grindelwald Terminal
If you are taking the cable car to Männlichen or Eigergletscher, you’ll have to venture away from the tourist center of Grindelwald over to Grindelwald Terminal. (You can walk it or take a bus; it’s about a mile.)
The cable car station is adjacent to a shopping center, that has a few shops that might be worth your time. There’s an Intersport, which is a great place to pick up an extra layer or grab an emergency rain jacket or sunglasses. There’s also a COOP for some last minute snacks.
It’s not worth going out of your way for, but if you’re waiting on a bus, you can fill some time.
Note: If you happen to be hiking the Lieselotte Trail (which we’ll get to later in this post), you can get one of your stamps and even redeem your prize at Grindelwald Terminal.
Best things to do near Grindelwald
Now we get to the really good stuff! As we mentioned, Grindelwald is in a valley, so to get to most places nearby, you have to go up. That’s why most of the attractions near Grindelwald require at least one mode of transportation; and usually it’s a cable car. (That’s also why we didn’t list any hikes from Grindelwald town — almost all of them are categorized as Hard and are usually better to do in reverse.)
In this section we’re going to highlight the best attractions and hikes that are accessible from Grindelwald on a single mode of transit. (Plus a select few that require a single transfer.) Of course, there is plenty more to Jungfrau and you can easily reach the rest of the region with a few extra transfers. But for the sake of this post, we’re sticking to the close ones.
First Cliff Walk
How to get there: Take the cable car from Firstbahn (lower Grindelwald station) to First (final stop).
Other than Jungfraujoch, this is probably the single most popular attraction in Jungfrau. Unlike Jungraujoch though, this one happens to be free. (The cable car up there isn’t free, but it is included with the Jungfrau Travel Pass.)
The Cliff Walk itself is a one-way path that wraps around the literal side of a cliff. From the see-through grate flooring to the precarious bridges, this experience is not for the faint of heart. There’s an optional pier of sorts at the end that’s a popular photo op (with a very long line usually) that feels like you’re floating on thin air. The views from the entire pathway are breathtaking.
It only takes about 15 minutes to stroll the approximately quarter mile pathway. To round out your day, there’s also a restaurant (quick service and table service), gift shop and a couple different observation areas. There’s also a few hiking trails from here, including the most popular one to Bachalpsee, which we’ll get to shortly.
Tip! The cable car gets very crowded. Try to get there before 10 for a shorter queue.
First Adventure Activities — First Flyer, First Glider, Mountain Cart, Trottibike
How to get there: Take the cable car from Firstbahn (lower Grindelwald station) to First, Shreckfeld or Bort (depending on the activity).
The First mountain area is referred to as the Top of Adventure, so of course they have some big adventure activities. These activities start and end at various stops on the First cable car.
Tip! All of these attractions are popular and can have ridiculously long lines. Go early (before 10AM) and book in advance if you want to be sure to get on these attractions.
- First Flyer (First to Schreckfeld): This is a seated swing of sorts that flies above the ground down hill, kind of like a free-falling chairlift.
- First Glider (Shreckfeld to First and back): For this one, up to four people are lying on their bellies and suspended above the ground. It flies background up to First and then forward back down to Shreckfeld.
- Mountain Cart (Schreckfeld to Bort): These little carts look like tricycles without pedals. They rely on gravity and a downhill course, and you can control the speed using the hand breaks.
- Trottibike (Bort to Grindelwald): This is a standing scooter with bike wheels and breaks. It’s another fun way to ride downhill between towns.
These attractions all have height or age restrictions. Our kid wasn’t big enough to participate in any, so we didn’t have the chance to personally try these. (We did see the wait times though, and would not have done them anyway.)
Hike: First Cliff Walk to Bort
How to get there: Take the cable car from Firstbahn (lower Grindelwald station) to First (final stop).
This was my favorite hike in Jungfrau! It’s a downhill hike with epic mountain views, flower-filled meadows, cows, alpine lakes and it ends at a playground with a cafe.
The hike starts at First Cliff Walk. Then follow trail signs to Bachalpsee. This part of the hike is extremely popular with people visiting First Cliff Walk. It starts uphill, but quickly levels out. It is mostly flat the rest of the way to Bachalpsee, which is a stunning alpine lake.
If you can though, don’t stop there! Continue on past Bachalpsee and follow signs to Waldspitz. This stretch cuts through a meadow below First Cliff walk that is absolutely stunning. There’s a stretch along a road into Waldspitz, which is a tiny bit boring and then Waldspitz down into Bort does get steep. Overall though, it’s so worth it and beautiful the entire way. The trail ends in Bort, where there’s delicious food waiting for you and a playground if you’re kid isn’t completely zonked.
In total, this hike is about 5 miles, mostly downhill, and takes about 3 hours.
Read more! We have a complete guide to the hike from First Cliff Walk to Bort over here. It includes a very important tip to avoiding crowds on the cable car, too.
Bort Alpine Playground
How to get there: Take the cable car from Firstbahn (lower Grindelwald station) to Bort.
The Bort Playground ranked third in Jungfrau for my kid. (And honestly, it would have ranked higher if they didn’t completely clothesline on a wooden rail right before we were ready to leave.)
Kids will love it because it’s a sweet playground. It’s a classic alpine playground with ropes and balance obstacles (which are honestly pretty hard!) There’s also a smaller kids area, plus a stream and some mini trampolines.
Parents will love it because the views are unreal and there is a restaurant, bar and snack stand nearby.
Männlichen Cow Playground
How to get there: Take the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Männlichen.
This is the best playground in Jungfrau. It is home to the absolutely iconic and beloved cow slide and that’s just the beginning! This playground has trampolines, a merry-go-round, a wide variety of swings, a manual bowling lane and more.
There’s a full restaurant nearby, which has tons of indoor and outdoor seating. Plus, it’s surrounded by incredible views of surrounding peaks, including the big three (Eiger, Jungfrau, Mönch).
Kids will definitely want to come back multiple times, which is great because there are also three different hikes that start from here. (The next three hikes listed below.)
Read more: If you love the idea of combining hiking and playgrounds (aka the two best things about Switzerland), be sure to check out our 5 Perfect Hike + Playground Pairings in Jungfrau, Switzerland
Hike: Royal Walk from Männlichen
How to get there: Take the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Männlichen.
This 1-mile, out-and-back hike goes between Männlichen (you can pick it up anywhere between the two cable car stations and playground) and the peak above. It is short, but pretty steep (+400 feet), and takes about 30 minutes round trip (plus whatever time you spend at the top). It’s totally worth it for the 360-degree views from the top.
This trail also has a few little activity stations along the way. You can learn some things about the area and play a few games as you go. These make great stops on the way up to break up the climb.
Hike: Lieselotte Trail
How to get there: Take the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Männlichen.
The Lieselotte Trail is a kid’s themed trail that starts in Männlichen and goes 2.5 miles downhill to Holenstein. It starts at the Männlichen playground and ends at the Holenstein playground (which has the region’s most intense zip line, according to me), with tons more fun in between.
You can pick up a free map/activity book at the Männlichen restaurant. Along the trail, there are 13 activity stations. Each one has something for kids to play and learn as they follow along with the story. If they collect the stamp at each stop, they can get a small prize back in Grindelwald (or Wengen if you’re heading there.)
This trail is so fun for kids. It’s not the most scenic of the three trails from Männlichen, but it’s definitely the most fun for little ones.
Read more! If you’re interested in this trail, be sure to check out 10 Things To Know About the Lieselotte Trail, which is packed with insider tips and tricks. (Including a map to finding one of the hidden spots.)
Hike: Panorama Trail (Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg)
How to get there: Take the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Männlichen.
A more scenic (I think) alternative to the Lieselotte Trail is the Panorama Trail. This is a 3.5 mile, mostly flat hike between Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg. It’s generally considered an easy hike and takes about 2 hours.
You can hike it in either direction technically, but starting from Männlichen means that you’re staring down the most epic mountains most of the way. You’ll also enjoy sweeping views over the Grindelwald valley below.
Just before Kleine Scheidegg, there’s a restaurant, Grindelwaldblick. It has amazing views, and is the perfect place for a lunch break. Or you can wait till you get back to Kleine Scheidegg, and there’s a restaurant in the train station that makes amazing Käsespätzle and has Jungfrau views from the patio.
From Kleine Scheidegg, there’s a train that runs straight back to Grindelwald. Alternatively, you can take a short train (or walk uphill) to Eigergletscher and then pick up the Eiger trail.
Reminder: Be sure to check out our other guides for things to do in and around the other towns and villages in Jungfrau if you’re up for taking a few extra connections.
Hike: Eiger Trail
How to get there: Take the train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, then walk or take the train to Eigergletscher.
This one is maybe a stretch to my single transit rule, but it’s worth it so I’m including it. It’s a single connection from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, but the hike technically starts at Eigergletscher. To get there, you can either take a second short train (recommended) or you can hike (1 mile, uphill.)
The Eiger Trail runs between Eiger Glacier and Alpiglen, past the iconic Eiger North Face. It’s a net downhill hike that hugs the North Face, crosses streams, passes waterfalls and gorges, and eventually descends through a beautiful, cow-filled meadow. It’s a 3-mile hike and rated moderate (for steep downhill portions and some semi-technical bits). It took us about 2.5 hours.
This hike is incredible. The views are epic, the trail is just the right amount of challenging, and it’s also oddly empty compared to some of the trails in the area. If you want a good, longer hike in Jungfrau, this one is a great choice.
The trail ends in the little village of Alpiglen. There is a nice little playground for kids, a few restaurants, and a train station with service right back to Grindelwald.
Visit Jungfraujoch
How to get there: Take the train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, then take the train to Jungfraujoch.
This is another one that requires a second transfer, but it feels criminal to omit this major attraction.
Jungfraujoch — aka the Top of Europe — is a tourist attraction on the ridge between Jungfrau (the actual peak) and Mönch (another 4000-er peak). You can only get there by train, and the terminus station is the highest train station in Europe at 3,454 meters. At the top, there is a handful of activities, including shops, restaurants, sledding/snow park, an ice palace, some nearby hiking, and of course, views for days (if it’s clear of course).
People are pretty divided on Jungfraujoch. Some people love it, and consider it a must-do in Jungfrau. There are definitely a lot of these people because the trains there and the attraction itself are known to be quite crowded. Those crowds though — and the high price tag — are why many other people argue that it’s just not worth it. Costing over CHF 200 per person, we personally opted out of this one.
Note: The train to Jungfraujoch is not included with the Jungfrau travel pass. It also requires a timed seat reservation, which you might need to book in advance.
Holenstein Playground
How to get there: Take the cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to Holenstein
I mentioned this one already in the Lieselotte Trail section, but it deserved it’s own section.
The Holenstein Playground is another one of the top five playgrounds in Jungfrau. This one is nicknamed the Treetop Playground, because of its web of nets and tunnels that climb up into and through the trees. In addition to the nets course, there’s a massive slide, teeter totter, playhouse, and an epic zip line.
This playground is tons of fun. As far as alpine playgrounds go, this one is particularly great for littler kids. (Some of the ropes course elements at some alpine playgrounds can be tricky for smaller kids.) The only exception to that, though, is the zip line. That one comes to a halt extremely quickly, and I’m honestly amazed my kid didn’t fly off.
Even if you don’t hike here, it’s worth jumping on the cable car to play at this playground.
Pfingstegg — Tobaggan & Fly-Line
How to get there: Take the cable car from Pfingsteggbahn (lower Grindelwald station) to Pfingstegg.
These last two we didn’t personally experience. They were penciled into our original itinerary and are great options, but we ran out of time.
Pfingstegg is a mountain area above Grindelwald, opposite First. There’s a mountain hut restaurant and two adventure activities, all of which highlight the stunning views over Grindelwald and the surrounding Alps.
The Tobaggan is an alpine coaster where you ride downhill on a metal track in a cart low to the ground with manual breaks to control your speed. The Fly-Line is somewhere between a zip line and a chair life. You sit in a chair-type seat, suspended from above, and glide down the mountainside. Both options have a return lift, so you don’t have to hike back up to where you started.
There are several similar activities in Grindelwald and Jungfrau. What makes this one special is also the thing that makes it annoying: the cable car from Grindelwald is not on the Jungfrau Travel Pass. The cable car to Pfingstegg costs CFH 29-34 (you get a discount if you have the Travel Pass), plus you also have to pay the cost of the Tobaggan and/or Fly-Line. The prices effectively act as a deterrent, and this attraction consistently has lower wait times than similar attractions on First.
Note: You can also hike 1 hour to the starting points, but by most accounts it’s not worth it. It’s steep and not super scenic. To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t even an AllTrails route for the segment.
Glacier Canyon
How to get there: Take the 122 Bus from Grindelwald Station to
Grindelwald, Gletscherschlucht (Glacier Canyon).
This was definitely the thing in Switzerland that I was most disappointed to have personally missed. There’s just so much to do in Jungfrau that it’s hard to fit it all in, despite my best efforts!
Glacier Canyon is a 1.25-mile looped trail through a 300-foot gorge carved by a glacier over hundreds of millions of years. The path winds through caves, clings to the rock face along the river, and at one point becomes a web that passes over the roaring gorge from above.
It’s a relatively short activity, taking only an hour or so. It definitely seems like something worth tacking on if you have some extra time in Grindelwald.
More Switzerland Content
And that’s a wrap on the best things to do in and around Grindelwald! Hungry for more Switzerland content? Check out our other posts!
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