Highlights of the Bernese Oberland

This tour offers 3 days of classic alpine walking, with a choice of varied hikes, whilst staying at family-run chalet-style hotels in 3 picture-postcard alpine villages. A fantastic network of trains, cable cars funiculars and buses will whisk you up and down the mountains, allowing you to explore and hike as little or far as you like.

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveller this holiday would be suitable for is: 12 Years

This trip is graded ‘easy to moderate’ overall, as the walks are around 4-14km, but many you can shorten with mountain transport (payable locally or you can opt to purchase a Jungfrau Travel Pass in advance) or skip altogether.

The routes and footpaths are not technically difficult, but a good level of fitness is recommended so you can relax and enjoy the scenery.  Our routes follow wide tracks, paths and sometimes narrower mountain paths occasionally with steep slopes above and below—as with most Alpine walking a good head for heights and sure-footedness is required. Cable cars and trains can be used to avoid the steepest ascents and descents, but some steep sections are unavoidable— the Eiger Trail and the First to Bachalpsee hikes are the most demanding days, with ascents and descents ranging up to 1050m of ascent/descent, in your route notes we have detailed how these days can be made easier.

Please be aware that earlier in the season there may be some residual snow lying in patches, but this will not require any special equipment or skills; walking poles are recommended.

Stay 4 nights in traditional Swiss chalet-style hotels (of a 3-star standard). The accommodation we normally use is detailed below, however is subject to availability and therefore alternatives of an equal standard may be offered.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is available to solo walkers and a supplement is payable as some of the costs are not shared. Single rooms are on request and a supplement is payable.

Meals

All the hiking trails in Switzerland are very well marked with yellow route signs, indicating distances and directions to all destinations. The network of paths and trails in the Bernese Oberland is also comprehensively way-marked as are all the variations we suggest. We provide you with detailed route notes, maps, GPX tracks and access to the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app, so you will have no problem finding your way.

This trip is available to start daily, from the end of June to early October. The best months for walking are in the summer months between June and mid-September when the wild flowers are in bloom and the weather is generally fair.

Grindelwald is hosting the famous Eiger Ultra Trail race (12th to 16th July). We recommend avoiding the Via Alpina at this time as the area is extremely busy, and most accommodations are full.

The best way to reach Mürren is by train; just 55 mins from Interlaken.  You can fly into Bern (2 hrs away), Zurich or Basel (3 hrs), or Geneva (3h45). Train timetables and details of public transportation in Switzerland are available via the excellent travel planner at www.sbb.ch. 

From Grindelwald most train connections are via Interlaken Ost (35 mins).  Travel times are as follows from Grindelwald to city train stations (Hauptbahnhof/HB): to Bern (1h40), Zurich (2h40), Basel (2h40), or Geneva (3h30); Again, please see SBB’s website for timetable planning. Further information regarding travel advice will be in your comprehensive pre-departure information pack.

Your bags will be transferred between your accommodation as per your itinerary. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person. Please note that, if heavier than the limit, your bags might be refused by the luggage handlers. 

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.