Grindelwald broke my brain. I mean that in the most wonderful way possible. There I was, standing in a Swiss mountain village at 1,034 meters above sea level, surrounded by peaks so massive and dramatic that my eyes couldn’t process what they were seeing. The north face of the Eiger — one of the most famous and deadly mountains in the Alps — loomed directly above the village like a wall of stone and ice, and I just stood there, mouth open, wondering how any place this beautiful could possibly be real 🇨🇭🏔️.

I reached Grindelwald from Interlaken by the Bernese Oberland Railway, a 35-minute scenic train ride that climbed through increasingly dramatic Alpine scenery — green meadows giving way to steep valleys, waterfalls cascading down cliffsides, and the iconic trilogy of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau gradually filling the entire horizon. When the train pulled into Grindelwald station and I stepped out onto the platform, the mountains literally surrounded me on every side. I’ve traveled a lot, but this was the first time a landscape genuinely made me emotional 🚂.

Getting There & First Impressions

My first adventure was the Grindelwald-First gondola, an aerial cable car that rises to 2,168 meters. The 25-minute ride floats over Alpine meadows dotted with wildflowers and grazing cows wearing actual bells (the sound carries across the valleys and it’s absolutely magical). At the top, I did the First Cliff Walk, a narrow metal walkway bolted to the cliff face that extends out over a sheer drop with views of the Eiger glacier, the valley below, and snow-capped peaks in every direction. It’s not for the faint of heart, but the views are indescribable 🦅.

The Jungfraujoch — the “Top of Europe” — was the bucket-list highlight. From Grindelwald, the new Eiger Express gondola (opened in 2020) takes you to the Eiger Glacier station in just 15 minutes, from where you transfer to the Jungfrau Railway that tunnels directly through the Eiger and Mönch mountains to reach Europe’s highest railway station at 3,454 meters. At the top, the Aletsch Glacier — the largest in the Alps at 23 kilometers long — stretches out before you like a frozen river. On a clear day, you can see as far as Germany’s Black Forest and France’s Vosges Mountains. The air is thin, the sun is blinding off the snow, and the silence is total. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life ❄️.

Top Highlights & Must-See Spots

Back in the village, Grindelwald itself is charming beyond words. Traditional Swiss chalets with flower-filled window boxes line the main street, which offers stunning mountain views from virtually every angle. I wandered to the Grindelwald Glacier Gorge (Gletscherschlucht), a narrow canyon carved by glacial meltwater over thousands of years. Walking along wooden platforms through the gorge, with walls of rock rising 30 meters on either side and glacial water roaring below, felt like entering another world 🌊.

The Bachalpsee hike from First was another highlight — a relatively easy 50-minute walk through Alpine meadows to a crystal-clear mountain lake at 2,265 meters that perfectly reflects the Schreckhorn and Wetterhorn peaks on still mornings. I arrived early and had the lake almost entirely to myself. The reflection was so perfect that I couldn’t tell where the mountains ended and the water began 🏞️.

Swiss food in the mountains is exactly what you need after a day of hiking. I had rösti (crispy grated potato cake) topped with melted cheese and a fried egg at a mountainside restaurant that was the most satisfying meal of my trip. Älplermagronen (Alpine macaroni with cheese, potatoes, cream, and caramelized onions) at a rustic hut was pure comfort food at altitude. And the hot chocolate — thick, rich, made with real Swiss chocolate — warmed me from the inside out on a chilly mountain evening ☕.

More Things to See & Do

Grindelwald is also the starting point for the famous Eiger Trail, a hike that traverses directly below the Eiger’s notorious north face. Walking along the trail with that massive wall of rock and ice above me, knowing the history of the climbers who attempted it (the first ascent wasn’t completed until 1938, after many tragic failures), was humbling. The scale of these mountains is something you simply cannot understand until you stand beneath them 🥾.

Final Thoughts

I left Grindelwald changed. There’s something about being surrounded by mountains of that magnitude that puts everything in perspective — your problems feel smaller, your sense of wonder feels bigger, and the beauty of the natural world hits you with a force that stays with you forever ❤️.

Planning a trip to Grindelwald? 👉 Check out my full Grindelwald travel page for all the details and tips!