Full Description
Discover the awe-inspiring landscapes of Switzerland's Bernese Oberland, where the iconic peaks of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau tower above glistening lakes, deep valleys, and vibrant alpine meadows. Highlights include classic panorama trails, ascents to accessible summits, and visits to alpine lakes and huts, all offering unforgettable views of the Wetterhorn, Schynige Platte, Bachsee, and the cascading waterfalls plunging into the Lauterbrunnen valley.
Ideal for fit walkers accustomed to days out in the hills, this comprehensive Cicerone guidebook features 50 exceptional day walks through Grindelwald, Wengen, the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and Mürren in the Bernese Oberland. Each route reveals the chocolate-box beauty and dramatic scenery at the heart of the Swiss Alps. Walks are graded by difficulty, making it easy to find the perfect adventure for your experience and ambitions. Many routes take advantage of the region's extensive network of buses, mountain trains, and cable cars, offering easy access to high-altitude trails and breathtaking panoramic viewpoints.
Explore celebrated Bernese Oberland destinations, including Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, and through routes from Meiringen to Griesalp, each a gateway to unforgettable mountain days. Routes range from gentle 5km (3-mile) strolls to challenging 23km (14-mile) treks, with walking times from 1 to 10 hours.
The Bernese Oberland is best enjoyed between early June and mid-October, as lower and mid-altitude walks become accessible when the snows melt and wildflowers bloom.
Features 1:50,000 maps and downloadable GPX tracks for every walk in the Bernese Oberland, ensuring straightforward navigation and clear route-finding, even in the high Alps. Each route description includes an at-a-glance information box with distance, ascent and descent, estimated time, grade, start and finish points, public transport access, and main refreshment opportunities, perfect for planning your days in the Alps.
Practical advice covers everything you need for your Bernese Oberland trek: essential equipment, preparation, travel, discount cards and passes, mountain safety, accommodation, mountain huts, berghotels, and refreshment stops, so your time in the Jungfrau region is enjoyable and worry-free.
Features summary tables for quick route comparison, including highlights, distance (km), ascent (m), descent (m), grade (1-4), and time (hr/min), making it easy to evaluate and plan your Bernese Oberland walks at a glance.
Walks are graded into three levels: easy hiking trails (yellow), mountain hiking trails (red-and-white), and alpine routes (blue-and-white), so you can choose your Bernese Oberland walk, from relaxed balcony walks and lakeside rambles to exposed mountain traverses and summit ascents.
Plan your adventure in the Bernese Oberland with the definitive Cicerone guidebook and discover a region of limitless variety, where every trail leads to a new wonder and the spirit of Swiss mountain adventure awaits.
Contents
Map key
Map of the valleys
Route summary table
Introduction
Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
The shape of the mountains
The main centres and valleys
Plants and wildlife
When to go
Getting there
Travel in the region
Discount cards and passes
Accommodation
Mountain huts, berghotels and restaurants
Other local facilities
Weather
Maps
GPX tracks
Apps
Preparation
Equipment
Using this guide
Schynige Platte to First
1 Schynige Platte Panoramaweg
2 Schynige Platte - Faulhorn - First
3 First - Bachsee - Faulhorn - Bussalp
4 First - Spitzen - Bussalp - the Höhenweg 2200
5 Bussalp - Waldspitz - First - the Höhenweg 2000
6 Bort to Bussalp - the Höhenweg 1600
7 Bussalp to Grindelwald
8 Bort - Alpenvogelpark - Hotel Wetterhorn
9 First - Grosse Scheidegg - Hotel Wetterhorn - Grindelwald
10 First - Bachsee - Waldspitz
11 The Schwarzhorn Circuit: First - Wart - Grosse Scheidegg
Grosse Scheidegg and Meiringen
12 Grosse Scheidegg to Schwarzwaldalp
13 The Rychenbach valley: Schwarzwaldalp - Rosenlaui circuit
14 Meiringen - Grosse Scheidegg - Grindelwald on the Via Alpina
Routes into the mountain wall
15 The Gleckstein Hut
16 Grindelwald - Pfingstegg - Hotel Wetterhorn circuit
17 Pfingstegg - Bäregg Hut
18 The Schreckhorn Hut
Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg
19 Grindelwald - Kleine Scheidegg - Wengen - Lauterbrunnen
20 Grindelwald to Alpiglen the hard way
21 The Eiger Trail - Alpiglen to Eigergletscher and Kleine Scheidegg
22 Männlichen to Alpiglen, the Romantic Way - the Höhenweg 1900
23 Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg Panoramaweg - the Höhenweg 2100
Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg
24 Kleine Scheidegg and Wengernalp
25 Eigergletscher to Wengen by the moraine
26 Wengen - Leiterhorn circuit
27 Wengen to Männlichen - the Gemsweg
28 Wengen and the Mendelssohn memorial
29 Wengen - Stalden - Allmend - Wengen
30 The Trümmelbach falls: Wengen - Stalden - Trümmelbach
Lauterbrunnen and Isenfluh
31 Saxeten to Isenfluh
32 Sulwald to Mürren by the Lobhorn hut
33 Grütschalp to Sulwald and onward routes
34 Lauterbrunnen, Trümmelbach Falls and Stechelberg
35 Lauterbrunnen to Mürren on the Via Alpina
Mürren
36 The Mountain View Trail to Grütschalp
37 Mürren, the Blumental and Chänelegg
38 The North Face Trail - Allmendhubel to Mürren via Schiltalp
39 The 'easy' way up the Schilthorn from Allmendhubel
40 The Schilthorn via Schiltalp and Grauseewli
41 Mürren - Gimmelwald - Mürren
42 Mürren to the Stutz waterfall and Spielbodenalp
43 Mürren, Bryndli and the Rotstock hut
44 The Sefinental and Rotstock Hut
45 Mürren to Griesalp on the Via Alpina
Stechelberg and Upper Lauterbrunnen valley
46 Stechelberg - Gimmelwald - Mürren
47 Mürren to Obersteinberg via the Tanzbödeli
48 Stechelberg to Obersteinberg
49 Obersteinberg - Oberhornsee - Stechelberg
50 Obersteinberg - Oberhornsee - Schmadri Hut - Stechelberg
Appendix A Useful contacts
Appendix B Trains, lifts, buses and discount options
Appendix C Further reading
Appendix D English-German terms
