Switzerland
Grindelwald occupies one of the most coveted positions in the Swiss Alps — a sun-drenched terrace at 1,034 metres, directly beneath the towering north face of the Eiger, one of mountaineering's most feared and celebrated walls. The village has been drawing travellers since the earliest days of Alpine tourism in the nineteenth century, when British climbers and Romantic poets arrived by mule and carriage to gaze at glaciers that seemed to pour from the sky. Today, Grindelwald remains the quintessential Swiss mountain village: chalets with carved wooden balconies, meadows embroidered with wildflowers, cowbells chiming across the valley, and a dramatic ring of peaks — the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau — that form one of the most recognisable skylines in the world.
The Jungfraujoch, marketed as the "Top of Europe," is Grindelwald's most famous excursion — a rack railway that climbs through tunnels carved inside the Eiger itself to emerge at 3,454 metres on a saddle between the Monch and the Jungfrau. The views from the observation terrace are genuinely staggering: the Aletsch Glacier, the longest in the Alps, flows away to the south in a river of blue-white ice, while on clear days the horizon extends to the Black Forest and the Vosges. The recently opened Eiger Express, a tri-cable gondola, has cut travel time dramatically and added a breathtaking aerial approach that soars over cliff faces and glacial valleys.
Grindelwald's culinary scene reflects the hearty, dairy-rich traditions of the Bernese Oberland. Fondue — golden, bubbling, fragrant with garlic and kirsch — is the communal ritual that defines Swiss mountain dining, best enjoyed in a wood-panelled Stube with a glass of crisp Fendant from the Valais. Raclette, that gloriously simple preparation of melted cheese scraped over boiled potatoes and cornichons, is equally essential. For something lighter, the local Alpine cheese — Grindelwalder Mutschli, a semi-hard variety produced from the milk of cows grazing the high pastures — makes a superb snack with dark bread and dried fruit. Meringues with double cream from the Bernese Oberland, known as Grindelwalder Meringue, are the definitive dessert.
The outdoor activities available from Grindelwald span every season. Summer offers over 300 kilometres of hiking trails, ranging from gentle valley walks to demanding high-Alpine traverses that connect mountain huts across glacial terrain. The First Cliff Walk, a narrow steel walkway bolted to the cliff face at 2,168 metres, delivers vertigo-inducing views for the brave-hearted. The First Flyer zipline and the First Glider paragliding experience add adrenaline to the Alpine panorama. Winter transforms Grindelwald into a skiing and snowboarding destination with access to 160 kilometres of piste across the Jungfrau region, complemented by toboggan runs, snowshoe trails, and the ethereal beauty of the frozen Aletsch Glacier.
Grindelwald is accessible as an excursion on Avalon Waterways river cruise itineraries, typically reached by scenic rail from the Rhine or Moselle. The journey is part of the experience — the Swiss rail system is a model of precision and panoramic design. The best time to visit is June through September for hiking and summer scenery, and December through March for skiing. Grindelwald is a village that earns every one of its superlatives: the mountains are genuinely magnificent, the cheese is genuinely extraordinary, and the combination of the two is genuinely life-affirming.