Summary: Grindelwald, a quaint village located just a 25-minute drive away from Interlaken where we were staying, serves as a popular tourist spot with easy access by railway. It is renowned as the starting point for experiencing some of Switzerland's iconic mountain vistas. Despite the uncooperative weather during our visit, which obscured much of the views during our two-part hike (involving two gondola rides), we were able to enjoy glimpses of the lush green hillsides once we descended to lower elevations.
[This blog is part of a 10-days in Switzerland Trip].
From our AirBnB in Interlaken, we drove 25 minutes to the town of Grindelwald. Our morning plans were to take the Grindelwald-Männlichen cable car so we could hike the popular Panorama Trail. We arrived for the first lifts up to the top of the mountain.
Prior to buying the tickets, we were warned that the weather was not great that day and that the trail was likely closed. However, online forums had indicated that people were still using the trail so we thought we'd go see the conditions ourselves. At first, it didn't seem so bad.
Then as we climbed towards the top, the weather turned.
Stepping off the gondola, we thought maybe the weather would change so we grabbed some coffee in the cafe, but things were not improving so we set out on foot. Real quick, we turned back and decide to just hike down the hill instead.
This proved to be challenging. Who knew there would still be so much snow in June?
As we headed down the mountain, the conditions became more manageable. Our plans didn't go as we had hoped but at least the area provides some good views as you head out of the clouds.
Eventually we made it back to town where we returned to our car to try another lift, Grindelwald-First, to see if the visibility and conditions were better there.
When we got to the top, the plan was to first stop at the First View Platform. Alas, the fog had not yet passed, so this was what we could see.
We next tried to hike in and around the area but found the lack of visibility kind of frightening, given the trail's proximity to cliffs.
So after another failed attempt to hike the beautiful Swiss Alps, we gave up and decide to make the roughly 5 mile trip back down the mountain on foot, where we were greeted by the locals.
As we came out of the fog, the area once again offered some views.
We even eventually came out of the clouds altogether. Note that this is a steep hike all the way down. By this time, we started to get hungry so about mid-way we stopped on the side for a picnic lunch.
We eventually made it back to town. The trail passes through some neighborhoods before reaching the town center again.
Grindelwald. Back in town, we did just a little shopping before picking up some sweets for the road at this fantastic local bakery. Grindelwald has a small population of just ~4,000 residents, most of which caters to the tourist economy. For this reason, we headed back to Interlaken to pick up a meal to go, and enjoy a quick evening in our romantic little AirBnB.
Not all travel days are perfect days. Looking back at the photos, it's difficult to imagine that we were actually disappointed on that day. This was probably due to our specific plans to witness Switzerland's renowned panoramic mountain views, only to encounter dense fog instead. It seems that the region experiences fog only 30-50 days a year on average, and somehow we happened to visit during one of those days in June. Nonetheless, upon reflection, we did have an enjoyable day. The lower altitudes were adorned with charming cows, green hillsides, and traditional Swiss homes. Nevertheless, I can't help but wish we had seen those views! Perhaps we'll just have to return someday!
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