bernese oberland
This region is full of jaw-dropping scenery, world-famous mountain railways, and cable cars. There are lakes of the most startling blue and classic mountain passes along with plenty of outdoor activities all year round. With this in mind, it is no wonder this page is still, well and truly, a work in progress. I will continue to search out the regions out of the way places and keep adding to this page.
Tschubby (talk | contribs) Verwaltungsregion Oberland Map drawn by Tschubby Oberland {{GFDL}}. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
South of Thunersee and Brienzersee
Kandersteg and the Gemmi Pass – breathtaking landscapes
In and around Kandersteg Village
Kandersteg – Copyright by Tourismus Adelboden – Lenk – Kandersteg By-line: swiss-image.ch/Michael Sieber
Landgasthof Ruedihus – found in the rolling meadow land between Kandersteg village & Sunnbüel. Photo by A.Leggett
Gasterntal Valley, seen from Sunnbüel cable car
When travelling down the Kander Valley by train, the landscape becomes more and more typically Swiss. Chalets are dotted on sloping meadows on each side of the valley and rugged mountains tower above. Before getting to Kandersteg you wind in and out of tunnels in the mountainside and the valley narrows.
The village itself is very attractive with a holiday feel full of new and very old chalets, and several of inviting restaurants and cafes.
Things to do around Kandersteg in Summer:
- Hiking through the valleys – Gasterntal and Kanderstal
- Activities around the spectacular Oeschinensee lake (cable car is walking distance)
- Hike to Oeschinensee (see my separate page for more details).
- Paraglide
- Toboggan run
- Rent a row-boat
- Mountain Biking
- Visit the Arvenseeli Lakes & protected Arven Forest found up the Sunnbüel cable car (Gemmi Pass, see below)
- Climbing & Via Ferrata Allmenalp – one of the most beautiful climbs in Switzerland
- Minigolf
- Fishing & grilling
- Swim in the local pool in the village
Things to do around Kandersteg in Winter:
- Cross-country skiing in the village, surrounding valleys
- Winter hiking and snow shoeing – see below for a suggested snow shoe trail in the Gemmi Pass
- Skiing in the Oeschinensee area
- Winter walking trails
Getting Here:
Public Transport: Hourly train from Interlaken to Kandersteg – takes 1 hr 10 mins, changing at Spiez.
Car: From Interlaken it will take about 45-50 mins, or 35 mins from Spiez, travelling down the Kandertal (Kander Valley) via Frutigen to Kandersteg. Drive through the town centre to the cable car Kandersteg-Sunnbühl. Parking: at the cable car station.
Gondola: Sunnbüel cable car runs every 30 mins except at busy times (more frequent) or quiet (less frequent). They accept guest cards and half-tax travel cards. Warning: the Sunnbüel cable car mountain station currently (08/21) only excepts cash.
Status of Pass & Gondolas:
Bus to Sunnbüel Talstation runs hourly and takes about 12 mins. See sbb.ch for the timetable. Sunnbüel cable car – Go here for info on operating times.
A Swiss Hiking Classic – The Gemmi Pass
The Gemmi is a historical crossing of the northern Alpine chain. This north/south crossing – between Kandersteg and Leukerbad, was once a significant route used by the Celts, Romans, and the Alemanni (Germanic tribes). For hundreds of years, it was also a crossing point for nobility, writers and artists alike. Attractions such as its incredible wild beauty, the thermal baths in Leukerbad, and its convenience as a crossing all played parts in its popularity.
Today it is considered to be the “Klassiker der Schweizer Wanderklassiker,” which translates as the classic of the Swiss hiking classics.
Below is my experience of the Gemmipass – from Leukerbad in canton Valais to Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. Click on the photo to see my post.
Winter – Gemmi Pass snowshoe trail
Kandersteg is a great base for many winter sports – they have wonderful cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoe trails. A special snowshoe area is up the Sunnbüel cable car, on the sweeping landscape of the Gemmi Pass.
The snowshoe trail information is provided by Berner Wanderwege, a non-profit organisation.
They are responsible for signaling the 10,000 km network of hiking trails on behalf of Canton Bern. Their website for further information is www.bernerwanderwege.ch
Discover Grindelwald’s two Glaciers
Oberer and Unter Grindelwaldgletschers (Grindelwald Glaciers)
These two mighty glaciers have been withdrawing and pushing forward since the middle ages – like frozen waves of ice, reaching for high tide, they creeped down towards the valley. In the 19th century Grindelward’s mighty glaciers pushed up close to the settlement from both sides of the Mattenberg. The tongue of the Upper Grindelwald Glacier ended at around 1200 m, that of the Lower Grindelwald Glacier at 1000 m. Nowhere else in the world could the impressive force of the ice be experienced closer and more intensely than here. Grindelwald was aptly named the glacier village. Over the course of the 20th century, they began to melt again -slowly to begin with, but since the 1990s with rapidly increasing intensity. Their decline changed the landscape drastically from an icy mass of peaks and crevasses to rock fragments and moraines.
Unterer Grindelwald Glacier – Through the glacier river gorge
a glimpse at the Oberer Grindelwaldgletscher (upper Grindelwald Glacier) in retreat
This view is of the Bernese Alps from Grindelwald: Parts of Wetterhorn to the left, the pyramids of Schreckhorn and Klein Schreckhorn in the centre with Mättenberg in the front. The glacier Oberer Grindelwaldgletscher is between Wetterhorn and Mättenberg
Hiking trail: Via Chalet Milchbach – once a front-seat viewing point for the Oberer Grindelwaldgletscher – to the Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher Gorge
Click on Learn more above to find out the details about this walk. I have condensed the information here:
It starts from the bus stop at the Hotel Wetterhorn, and from there, along a gravel track leading to Chalet Milchbach – the old restaurant was once right next to the glacier.
A narrow but well-developed path follows the flank of the Mattenberg and leads through wild and romantic block debris, over alpine meadows rich in flowers, and through a mountain forest. A zone at risk of falling rocks is made safe by a tunnel specially created for hikers. After another short ascent, you reach the Pfingstegg, from which you can enjoy a beautiful view of the entire Grindelwald valley and the craggy rock towers on the eastern slope of the Eiger.
You are already approaching the cut that the Lower Grindelwald Glacier has created. At the Wysseflue, leave the Höhenweg and quickly descend to a marble quarry. A short stretch of asphalt road leads to the glacier gorge, which is crossed on a spectacular bridge. It goes steeply down again to the bus stop Gletscherschlucht.
