Switzerland | Eiger Trail
Hike to the base of the famous Eiger.
Trip Highlights:
-
A full week of honest hiking through fairytale Switzerland. Experience storybook chalets, high mountain passes, glaciers, snowcapped peaks and full days on the hiking trail.
-
A delicious sampling of traditional Swiss alpine accommodations. Spend 6 nights in well-appointed, superior inns and 2 nights in remote mountain berghauses situated in spectacular mountain environments.
-
An in-depth exploration of the Bernese Oberland region. Hit the popular highlights and the hidden trails of the quieter side, too.
Classic scenery is the hallmark of the Eiger Trail trek that begins in Gstaad and ends in the heart of the beautiful Bernese Oberland, where the famous trio, the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, dominates not only the landscape, but also the imagination of the traveler. Most feel this is the Alps’ most classic route. Charming glimpses of the active Bernese pastoral culture, villages of Swiss perfection, and high mountain passes beneath ice blue glaciers all conspire to make a route that epitomizes Swiss trekking and justifies the fame of the Swiss mountain scenery. The Eiger Trail is a fabulous introduction to hiking in the Alps for those with a good level of fitness.
The Bernese Oberland in central Switzerland is one of the most stunning mountain ranges on earth. High, glaciated peaks and vertical rock walls ascend thousands of feet above tumbling waterfalls, pristine valleys, and flower-filled meadows sporting the world’s happiest cows.
Our nine-day hiking tour begins on the west side of the Berner Oberland in the fashionable resort village of Gstaad. Hiking eastward, you wander past perfect little chalets huddled around magnificent gardens. Cross airy mountain ridge lines like the Wasserngrat and Ammertenpass, and overnight in a simple mountain hut at Engstligenalp, drifting to sleep above tree line with the smell of wood smoke and tinkling cowbells in the distance.
The topography ramps up considerably as you hike out of your luxurious hotel in Kandersteg. Cross the lofty Hohtürli Pass, meaning “the high little door”, in German. Drop into the remote and mysterious Kiental, a valley with the steepest post bus route in Europe, and climb over the Sefinenfurgge, offering eye-popping views over Europe’s most famous mountains, the Eiger (13,025 ft), Mönch (13,474 ft), and Jungfrau (13,642 ft), among many others.
The hiking mellows out a bit during the last part of the trip, but the scenery explodes. You hike at the very foot of the Eigernordwand, the vertical north face of the Eiger, and bed down in famous Swiss destinations like Mürren, Wengen, and Grindelwald. Glaciers, iconic mountains, and quintessential Swiss scenery provide the finale for your tour.
Trip Itinerary
Choose from our standard itinerary or customize the trek by adding or subtracting days.
Enjoy your first night in a lovely, four-star, chalet style hotel on Gstaad’s main street.
Begin the next morning with a lift to the fabulous Wasserngrat. Enjoy panoramic views of the pastoral Saanenland. The trail winds through enchanting meadows and limestone outcrops. The scenery changes to showcase the emerging glaciated peaks of the Oberland. Descend to idyllic Lenk by cable car.
Distance: 9 miles. Elevation gain: 3700 ft without lift.
Today’s hike begins by the raging headwaters of the Simme as you climb to the remote Ammertenpass. After an airy crossing, descend into the hanging valley of Engstligenalp.
Distance: 8 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 4200/2200 ft.
Ascend to the lush pastures above Engstligenalp, then hike underneath the Tschingellochtighorn and across Chindbettipass to Berghotel Schwarenbach. From there, descend into the pastoral village of Kandersteg.
Distance: 9 miles. Elevation gain: 3000 ft.
Enter the very heart of the high peaks of the Oberland with a scenic gondola ride out of Kandersteg to Oeschinensee, a beautiful lake that sits in an amphitheater of rock beneath the dramatic Blümlisalp massif. Pass through the Hohtürli (German for “high door), right beneath glaciers tumbling from the region’s highest summits. Upon descending to the hamlet of Griesalp, enjoy expansive views of the Berner Oberland’s peaks and glaciers.
Distance: 9 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 3900/4440 ft with gondola (5570 ft without).
Today, you ascend out of the remote and lovely Kiental, a pastoral gem beneath the impressive walls of the Blümlisalp massif. When you cross the challenging Sefinenfurke you begin to witness amazing views of the Eiger. Descend into the Lauterbrunen Valley for a night in Mürren.
Distance: 10.5 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 4150/3400 ft.
Enjoy a long ramble down the Lauterbrunnen Valley, with views of the thundering falls and the vestiges of pastoral culture in this picture-perfect valley. You hike to the lovely car-free village of Wengen, perched on the cliff opposite Mürren.
Distance: 9 miles. Elevation gain/loss: up to 1800/3200 ft.
A most classic hike lies before you today as you cross the Kleine Scheidegg, the saddle beneath the infamous Eiger Nordwand, where you enjoy almost constant views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau while descending to Grindelwald, a mecca for mountaineering.
Distance: 10.5 miles. Elevation gain/loss: 3860/2800 ft.