Swiss Alps hiking tours put a guide beside you on a mountain trail, in a group of 8 to 15. Some carry the lifts in the fare and some leave them to you, and one is a gentle valley walk rather than a climb.
Meet outside the Coop Pronto at the east station. Your rail pass for the day and the First gondola are in the fare, then a local guide walks up to 15 of you to the Bachalpsee, about 6 km in all. Lunch can be bought by card at First.
From $363 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Start at 7:30 at the east station, or opposite Lauterbrunnen station. You hike three hours from Grütschalp to Mürren with up to seven others, then spend an hour inside the falls with entry paid. The gondola and train cost CHF 28 more.
From $271 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The gentle one: about three hours on the valley floor past the waterfalls, an hour inside the falls with entry paid, and 20 minutes in Mürren. Hiking poles and your guide's photos come with it; the three lifts cost CHF 25 on top.
From $283 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The day's trains, the First gondola and a local guide for up to 15, at $363 a person.
Check availabilityIt is a guided walk on a mountain trail, with the transport to the trailhead sorted. You carry a daypack and your own lunch money. The guide carries the route, the timing and the weather call.
The First and Mürren days are hikes in the full sense. The First hike rides the gondola up from Grindelwald and walks to the Bachalpsee, about 6 km in all. The Mürren hike walks the path from Grütschalp to Mürren for three hours, high above the Lauterbrunnen valley. The valley walk is gentler: about three hours on the valley floor, past the waterfalls.
Every one of them asks for moderate fitness, and every one needs good weather to run.
On a mountain trail the forecast decides the day. On these days the guide decides for you. If the operator calls a hike off for weather, you are offered a new date or a full refund.
The Mürren hike and the valley walk take up to 8 people. The First hike takes up to 15. You walk at a pace the group can hold.
Both valley days include the entry to Trümmelbach Falls, where ten glacier waterfalls thunder down inside the rock. An adult pays CHF 18 at the gate; on these days you just walk in with the guide.
If a three-hour climb sounds like too much, the valley walk stays low. It lends you hiking poles, and your guide takes the photos.
If you want the same valleys with less walking, there are two other ways in. Here is how they compare with a guided hike.
| A guided hike | The e-bike day | The Mürren rail day | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you move | On foot, 3 hours or so | On an e-bike, from Interlaken up the valley | By train and cableway, with a short walk |
| Group | 8 to 15 | Up to 12 | Up to 15 |
| Who can join | Moderate fitness | 16 and over, after a riding test | Most people; strollers accepted |
| Lifts | In the fare on the First hike; CHF 25 to 28 extra on the valley days | None needed | In the fare |
| Food | Your own | A Swiss mountain picnic | Your own |
| Fare | $271 to $363 a person | $319 a person | $319 a person |
The hike is the one that gets you onto a mountain path. The e-bike day covers more ground and feeds you, but you must be at least 16 and pass a riding test. The Mürren rail day is the one to pick if walking is the part you would rather skip.
Three hours on the valley floor, an hour inside the falls and 20 minutes in Mürren, for up to 8, at $283 a person.
Check availabilityWhich hike pairs with which summit over two or three days is in one, two or three days from Interlaken.
Anyone with a heart condition or another serious medical condition. The valley days rule it out. The Swiss Alps train tour from Interlaken reach the same villages sitting down.
Wheelchair users. None of these days is wheelchair accessible.
Anyone who wants to stand on a glacier. These trails stay below the high summits. The Jungfraujoch day from Zurich and the Interlaken summit days take you to the snow.
Anyone who wants the valley on wheels. The e-bike day covers the same ground, with a picnic, if you are 16 or over.
Hikes, trains and summit days from every start point sit side by side on Swiss Alps Tours.