Eiger Trail in Grindelwald

This trail traverses underneath the famous north face of the Eiger, where many climbers have died trying to reach the peak. Unlike the rock face, this trail is safe for casual hikers and children. It’s mostly easy walking, with a few switchbacks and rocky sections to navigate. It’s not too long, just enough to make you feel like you’ve done a proper hike.

The whole journey has fantastic views of the Grindelwald valley and surrounding peaks. Since you are in the shadow of the Eiger, it can be a bit cold in the mornings and late fall when the sun is low. So this trail is better in the afternoon when the sun can warm you up.

Gallery

Location

This trail is located in Grindelwald in the Jungfrau region. See on Google Maps.

This trail is best reached with the Eiger Express gondola from Grindelwald. From Grindelwald Terminal, you ride the Eiger Express gondola to Eigergletscher (15 mins ride) and start the trail here. The trail ends at Alpiglen, where you can catch the cogwheel mountain train down to Grindewald.

If you are coming from Lauterbrunnen, you ride the take the mountain train from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. Then transfer to the Jungfraujoch train and ride one stop up to Eigergletscher (or hike up, that variation is described below). Exit the train and start the Eiger trail here.

At the end of the trail at Alpiglen, you can take the mountain train down to Grindelwald and train back to Lauterbrunnen. Or mountain train back up to Kleine Scheidegg and back down to Lauterbrunnen/Wengen. 

Trail Map

The trail is 6 km and is posted for about 2 hours walking time. We spent about 5 hours on the trail, including some slow walking, lots of breaks and picnic time. One of my boys insisted on carrying a few kilos of rocks for most of the hike, which made us even slower. Good times!

See trail on Komoot • SchweizMobil • AllTrails • OutdoorActive

Trail variations

Longer hike

Instead of forking off to Alpiglen, you can keep following the trail across the mountain and descend at the Gletscherschlucht (aka glacier gorge). This is about 10.5 km, descending 1525 m, a little much for me. But maybe you’ll like it. See that trail map.

Start at Kleine Scheidegg

You can start this trail from Kleine Scheidegg instead of Eigergletscher. In this case, you’ll hike up to the trail, which adds about 1 km and 170m of ascent to the hike (see trail map). With this version, you get to visit the Fällbodensee lake, which is a lovely photo spot with the mountain peaks reflected in the water.

This variation is good for those who have ridden the mountain train from Wengen or Grindelwald and don’t want to transfer trains to Eigergletscher. Also good for those who are continuing hiking after doing the Panorama trail from Männlichen.

However, it is straight up and I didn’t want to tire out my young boys before getting on the Eiger trail. So my brother hiked this section while I rode up with the kids and waited at the Eigergletscher stop for him.

Trail conditions

This trail is a mountain trail with narrow rocky paths, definitely no strollers. It is mostly downhill, descending about 800m. In some sections, it is quite steep with loose rock. In general, it is safe for children, no cliffs or steep drop-offs. But it can be slippery at times, with shale rock on the trail. There are a couple sections with steep “stairs” where small children will need assistance.

We went the first week of October and it had recently snowed. Luckily the snow on the trail had already melted but it was icy cold in the shade. In fall when the sun is low, this trail gets a lot of shade, so check the weather report and come prepared with warm layers just in case.

How to get there

This is a one way trail. To start, you ride up the Eiger Express gondola from Grindelwald to Eigergletscher. The trail ends at Alpiglen, where you ride the mountain train down to Grindelwald. Here are some travel options depending on where you are staying. 

From Grindelwald:

If you are staying in Grindelwald, walk or take bus 121/123 to Grindelwald Terminal, where you can catch the Eiger Express gondola to the start of the trail. At the end, ride the mountain train to the Grindelwald train station and walk or take a bus back to your hotel.

By train to Grindelwald:

Take a train to the Grindelwald Terminal train station. The Eiger Express gondola leaves from here. At the end of the trail, ride the mountain train from Alpiglen to Grindelwald train station (not Grindelwald Grund), where you can catch a train to Interlaken.

By car to Grindelwald:

The best place to park for this hike is the metered parking lot next to the Grindelwald Grund, Bahnhof train station. This is the least expensive parking and where your train will drop you off at the end of the hike. When you arrive, pay for your parking and do the short walk to the Grindelwald Terminal station (as shown below), where you can catch the Eiger Express to the trail start. There is also parking at Grindelwald Terminal, but it’s more expensive.

From Lauterbrunnen/Wengen:

If you are staying in Lauterbrunnen or Wengen, take the mountain train from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. Then transfer to the Jungfraujoch train and ride one stop up to Eigergletscher. Exit the train and start the Eiger trail here. At the end of the trail at Alpigen, you can take the mountain train back up to Kleine Scheidegg and back down to Lauterbrunnen/Wengen. Or you could ride the mountain train down to Grindelwald and take the regular train around the mountain back to Lauterbrunnen.

Tickets

For this hike, you’ll need a one way gondola ticket on the Eiger Express from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletscher. And a one way ticket for the mountain train from Alpligen to Grindelwald Grund.

Just tell the ticket agent that you want to do the Eiger trail and show them on the map where you want to go. They will sell you the right ticket.

The online prices are a little confusing and vary based on season. As far as I can tell, in 2023, this ticket will cost you about CHF 52/adult, about CHF 26/child (6-15), under 6 free. 

Discounts

Mountain railways for this hike are free with the Jungfrau Travel Pass and Berner Oberland Pass. Discounts with Swiss Travel Pass, SBB Half-fare, GA, SBB Day Passes. Children with a SBB Junior card ride free with a parent.

Timetable

The Eiger trail is typically open starting mid-June but can be covered in snow as late as mid July. Check the trail status here.

The Eiger Express gondola is open for summer season from early May to late October. During summer holidays (late June to mid August), it runs 7:15 to 17:45. The journey takes about 15 mins. See current timetable here.

The mountain train from Alpigen to Grindelwald typically runs every hour on the xx:15. The total journey takes 18 mins. Schedules can change without notice, so check current schedule on SBB.ch before heading out.

Photo story

Riding up to Eigergletscher

At Grindelwald terminal, you board a large gondola car as shown here.

The view of the Eiger as you ride up the mountain.

The gondola drops you off at the Eigergletscher station. There are toilets here and a café. Walk about to the viewing area shown here and enjoy the glacier for awhile before starting your hike.

Starting the trail

Walk the opposite way along the tracks until you can cross and follow signs to the Eiger Trail and Alpiglen as shown below.

The trail starts by walking under this ski lift and joining the path under the tall cliffs. 

The trail traverses the slopes in the foreground with a view of Grindelwald in the distance. This pic was taken in July as we rode up the the gondola. Most pics in this post are from a hike we did in October.

This wall had handprints of famous climbers who have attempted the Eiger.

You can see the lift in the distance were we started this trail. It was chilly in the shade.

We were so happy for the clear day. It was lovely in fall and even better in summer.

My brothers said that rock climbers camp on this little meadow while waiting for the perfect time to climb. The sign shows a common climbing route up the north face. My brother was full of climbing stories he had read, mostly tragedies. You might want to read one before your hike, or maybe not.

Hiking in the shadow of the Eiger.

Looking across to the panorama trail between Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg (see trail details).

Looking up at the north face. I have no desire to climb that.

Looking down to the Grindelwald valley and across the First, where you can hike to the Bachalpsee.

Glad to be in the sun, looking at the Schreckhorn peak.

One of the picnic areas.

Down to Alpiglen

Most of the way, there is only one trail. After 5km, the trail splits. Go left toward Alpiglen. Only one more km to go.

Headed down the mountain.

Some waterfalls and rivers cutting through the rock.

One short section where my youngest needed a little help getting down these steps.

Almost done.

Waiting at the Alpiglen train station. We rode down to Grindelwald and walked back to our car.

FAQ

Where to eat

At Eigergletscher and Kleine Scheidegg, there are cafes and toilets. There are not huts or services along the trail. At the end of the trail in Alpiglen, there is a mountain hotel with a restaurant just before you reach the mountain train station. The small Alpiglen train station has a bathroom but no ticket office. 

Take everything you need along the trail, especially water. There are three picnic areas with benches along the trail but no grill pits and definitely no wood for a fire. 

Where to stay

Grindelwald is the closest village to this trail. On a budget side, you might try the youth hostel in Grindelwald that has private rooms and family rooms in addition to the traditional dormitories. For a nicer stay, we really enjoyed the Boutique Hotel Glacier, which had fantastic views of Eiger. It also has a fantastic restaurant serving a beautiful, delicious 7 course meal (a treat for our wedding anniversary). I would definitely go back there.

If you are staying in the Jungfrau Region for more than 3 days, I’d suggest staying somewhere more central like Interlaken that enables you to more easily access a variety of destinations, not just Grindelwald. In Interlaken, I’d choose something within a 5-10 min walk of the Interlaken Ost train station to reduce travel time. On the budget side, there is the Interlaken Youth Hostel, which also has rooms for families and single travelers, not just dormitories. For mid range, you might try Hotel Interlaken or Hotel Weisses Kreuz.

Wilderswil, at the end of the hike, would also be a good option, only a 3 min train ride from Interlaken Ost, 38 min from Grindelwald. Accommodations tend to be more affordable here than the other more popular villages. Historic Hotel Steinbock is a relaxed guesthouse on the river that looks adorable. People seem to enjoy the restaurant and fantastic views from the Jungfrau Hotel.