8-Day Best of Via Alpina Guided Hiking Trip

Want to ease into your Swiss adventure? Add a pre-tour overnight stay in Lucerne, one of Switzerland’s most charming and walkable cities.

Your experience begins the moment you land: enjoy a warm welcome at Zurich Airport with a personal meet & greet by one of our local English-speaking guides.

Then arrive in Lucerne and wander the cobblestone streets, cross the iconic Chapel Bridge, and soak in lake and mountain views before your tour officially begins.

Just connect with our experts, and we’ll make it happen seamlessly.

Accommodation: Hotel Walstätterhof (or comparable lodging). 

Welcome to Switzerland.

Our Guide will meet you outside the customs area at Zurich Airport. After a warm welcome, the Guide will help you carry the luggage and guide you to the airport train station. They will also assist you with the train transfer to Engelberg and help you get to your hotel comfortably.

Your adventure begins with an itinerary briefing and a Q&A session from your Guide at 1 pm. It would be a perfect opportunity to meet your fellow travellers and clarify any questions you might have about the journey ahead.

The rest of the afternoon, your Guide will show you the best walking routes around Engelberg.

Accommodation: Hotel Schweizerhof (or comparable lodging).

Our Guide will meet you at the hotel at 8:15 am.

Place your luggage by reception with My-Mountains Tags in place. It will be transferred to your next hotel in Melchsee-Frutt.
Pack light – just sufficient things for the day.

Today’s Hike

The hike is flexible, and your Guide can adjust the route depending on the fitness level.
Shortest route:

• Distance: ~9 km (5.5 miles)

• Elevation Gain: ~280 m (918 ft)

• Elevation Loss: ~324 m (1,063 ft)

• Time: ~3-4 hours (depending on pace & stops)

• Hiking Difficulty Level: Moderate (varied terrain with steady ascents and descents)

After your first full day of hiking, relax and recharge at your comfortable hotel with an indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms.

Tip: bring your swimming suit with you as your luggage will arrive around 6 pm the latest.

Meals included: Breakfast. 

Accommodation: Frutt Mountain Resort (or comparable lodging).

At an elevation of 1,920 mt/6,300 ft Melchsee-Frutt offers you that “Swiss Alps experience” you envisioned. It’s nestled in between green mountain pastures, the air is filled with clanging cowbells and the air smell impossibly clean and fresh. Now wonder: this place is only accessible on foot or by a cable car.

Today’s hike will be gorgeous. There will be alpine peaks in the distance and green valleys and pastures below. One of the Swiss hiking guides describes this segment as a “Hike near to heaven”, with Swiss peaks of the Wetterhorn, Mittelhorn and Rothorn in your sights.
First we will hike from Melchsee-Frutt to Mägisalp cable car station and take a ride down to Meiringen. Next we will take the local postal bus from the Meiringen train station to the resort of Grindelwald. The hiking route can be adjusted depending on the fitness level. 

Today’s Hike

The hike is flexible, and your Guide can adjust the route depending on the fitness level.
Shortest route:

• Distance: ~6.6 km (4 miles)

• Elevation Gain: ~510 m (1,643 ft)

• Elevation Loss: 187 m (613 ft)

• Time: ~2-3 hours (depending on pace & stops)

• Hiking Difficulty Level: Moderate (gentle terrain, stunning views)

In the afternoon we reach the alpine village of Grindelwald, surrounded by the majestic trio: Mönch, Jungfrau and Eiger. 

Your luggage will be delivered not later than 6 pm. 

Meals included: Breakfast.

Accommodation: Hotel Alpina (or comparable lodging)

Today’s hike starts with a scenic 30 minute gondola ride to the First summit at 2,158 mt/6,500 ft while enjoying views over the beautiful Bachalp lake.

The trail descends gradually from First to Bussalp, which is at 1,792 mt/5,879 ft, with some uphill and downhill sections along the way.

Along the route, you will be treated to breathtaking views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks, along with alpine meadows, streams, and small lakes. After reaching Bussalp, we will take the PostAuto down to Grindelwald to conclude this memorable journey.

Today’s Hike

The hike is flexible, and your Guide can adjust the route depending on the fitness level.
On avarage:

• Distance: ~8.8 km (6 miles)
• Elevation Gain: ~449 m (1,473 ft)
• Elevation Loss: ~817 m (2,680 ft)
• Time: ~3-4 hours (depending on pace & stops)
• Hiking Difficulty Level: Moderate (mostly downhill with some undulating terrain)

Meals included: Breakfast

Accomodation: Hotel Alpina (or comparable lodging).

Today you’ll experience one of the most breathtaking hikes in the Bernese Oberland – from Grindelwald to Wengen – through the iconic Jungfrau region, surrounded by the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau peaks.

We suggest following the classic alpine route: start in Grindelwald, surrounded by the drama of the Eiger North Face. Take the cable car up to Eigergletscher, and continue to Kleine Scheidegg, a mountain pass with views so epic it feels like a movie set. Then descend into Wengen, a stunning car-free village perched above Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Today’s Hike

The hike is flexible, and your Guide can adjust the route depending on the fitness level.
Shortest route:

• Distance: ~11 km (8 miles)
• Elevation Gain: ~/ m (/ ft)
• Elevation Loss: ~776 m (905 ft)
• Time: ~2-3 hours (depending on pace & stops)
• Hiking Difficulty Level: Moderate to Challenging (longer duration with sustained uphill and downhill sections)

Arrive in Wengen and unwind at your hotel.

Your luggage will be delivered not later than 6 pm. 

Meals included: Breakfast.

Accommodation: Hotel Shönegg (or comparable lodging).

Today you will depart via train to Lauterbrunnen valley, famous for its 72 waterfalls. While here, we’ll visit the Trümmelbach falls gorge. Unlike most waterfalls, Trümmelbach Falls is unique because it’s hidden within a mountain and is accessible via a network of tunnels, paths, and viewing platforms carved into the rock.

Afterwards we continue our hike to the beautiful village of Gimmelwald:

This is a beautiful and moderate hike in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, offering stunning waterfalls, alpine meadows, and traditional Swiss mountain villages.

Today’s Hike

The hike is flexible, and your Guide can adjust the route depending on the fitness level.
Shortest route:

• Distance: ~7-8 km (4-5 miles)
• Elevation Gain: ~515m (1,689 ft)
• Time: ~2-3 hours (depending on pace & stops)
• Hiking Difficulty Level: Moderate (some steep sections)

Depending on the fitness level we’ll ride a cable car to Gimmelwald and continue our hike to Mürren. This mountain village located at 1,661 mt/5,450 ft not only provides an eye level view of the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau, but also presents you with a panorama of more distant mountain peaks.

Optionally, you can take the gondola up to the 2,969 mt/9,744 ft Schilthorn and enjoy one of the most amazing Swiss Alps summit views. 

Your luggage will be at your Mürren hotel by 6:00p.m.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Accommodation: Hotel Edelweiss (or comparable lodging).

We’ll have a full day to experience the beauty of Mürren and its surroundings. Your Guide will suggest some of our favorite hiking options in the region depending on your fitness level of the day.

If you didn’t have time to do it the day before, today you will have time to visit Schilthorn, the mountain peak above Mürren. Here the James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, was filmed.

Enjoy a 360 degrees panorama through the window of the peak’s restaurant, which rotates on its axis. If the weather is good, here you can admire the best Alpine vistas in the region. 

Meals included: Breakfast. 

Accommodation: Hotel Edelweiss (or comparable lodging).

Prior to departure, your guide will make sure to give you all the details you need to reach your next destination. 

Take the train to Grütschalp and the cable car down to Lauterbrunnen. From here you can take the train to Interlaken and other destinations. Your Swiss Travel Pass is valid on all Swiss public transportation.

For those continuing on to Zermatt, plan about a 3 hour train ride with easy connections in Interlaken Ost, Spiez, and Visp.
For those traveling to the Zürich airport, also plan a 3 hour train ride with connections in Interlaken Ost and Bern.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Not ready to go home?

The Post-Tour option extends your Via Alpina Hiking Tour with 3 nights in Zermatt. Via Apina Post-Trip Information and Pricing.

Please note: The Via Alpina Post-Tour Extension is available exclusively to guests booking the Via Alpina Hiking Tour. During the booking process, the post-tour extension will appear as an optional add-on that can be selected before checkout.