Search trip reports
PXL_20250715_113136806.jpg

Trip Report    

Global Adventure - Trek Across the Swiss Alps on the Via Alpina: Part 1, East (Sargans to Grindelwald)

This stunning 12-day walking adventure took our valiant group of 12 people from the sights of Zurich to the Lichtenstein border in the ancient town of Sargans by train, and then on foot to Grindelwald, the Eiger trail and the wonders of the Jungfraujoch. We experienced a wide range of lovely Swiss countryside, villages and cities, staying in hostels, small mountain guest houses, small family-run hotels and charming family dairies/B&Bs as we went. Trails were well marked and generally good terrain, though we did get lost a couple of times when our Gaia map didn't match recent Via Alpina re-routes. Lots of road sections (gravel, occasionally pavement) but not busy. Our outfitter Alpenventures Unguided did a great job with lodging bookings and we also took advantage of some of the frequent cable cars, trains and buses to avoid less appealing sections, catch up when we got behind, and make large elevation gain days more reasonable. The SBB app (Swiss transport) was invaluable. Rain can happen anytime in the Swiss Alps, even in high summer, and we walked through periods of rain on multiple days, but temperatures were moderate.

Cheryl Talbert Cheryl Talbert
September 01, 2025
  • Road suitable for all vehicles

  • The Gaia tracks for this adventure can be found at this link (thanks to Joe Rodriguez for keeping the tracks!).    

    We booked the lodgings for this trip through the excellent self-guided outfitter Alpenventures Unguided, though you could very likely book all the lodgings yourself (Alpenventures prices are very reasonable though, and saves you a lot of work!)

    The route for the full Via Alpina can be found on many blogs and in the Cicerone guide "Trekking the Swiss Via Alpina".  It's important to use the latest 2023 version of this Cicerone Guide because it updates the recommended route in a couple of places.  In general, on the Via Alpina hikers spend the night at a hotel or hostel in a valley town and walk up and over one or more passes each day, then back down to a town (and there are many many choices of lodgings in the town!).  It is strongly recommended to stay in small family dairies and guest houses between the towns whenever it's possible to do so, but there are very few mountain huts serving this route without detouring far from the main track.  In some places it's possible to book 'half pension' (which means breakfast, dinner and a bed are included) but there are also many places where only breakfast and a bed are included.

    In general this is a very well marked route that includes extended sections of road (gravel and paved, never busy) and trail.  In general the signage is very good but there are plenty of alternative route options, though, so look for signs marked with the number 1 which is the Via Alpina and generally this is the best way (even when Gaia tells you there might be a short-cut!).  There are a few trail sections that are VERY steep and slippery when wet (or when covered with sheep poop) but only very few scrambly sections requiring use of hands.  Speaking of poop, there are cows everywhere along this route, along with the accompanying cow patties and aroma.

    The standard route for the Via Alpina includes some very arduous days with over 10-12 miles and greater than 4500 feet of elevation gain, so we moderated some of the most difficult days by building in a number of cable cars, funiculars and buses at the front and/or back ends of the days.   It's also important to note that most lodgings along the Via Alpina require you to check in by 6PM, especially if you plan to have dinner at the lodging, so we had to do take advantage of cable cars and buses on longer days just to arrive in time.

     The Swiss Alps are known for summer rainfall and we were faced with fog and rain on multiple days for at least part of the time.  Still, it would often clear out for at least part of the day.  Temperatures were sometimes quite hot on sunny days, with long exposed sections of trail, but mostly temperatures were moderate, and even nighttimes were seldom cold.   Umbrellas were universally appreciated, because rain combined with warm temperatures and steep uphills made it very hot to wear a rain jacket!

A photo journal for this adventure, also including daily route maps on google earth and distance-elevation profiles, can be found at this link.  

The group flew into Zurich and we stayed at Hotel Felix near the Hauptbahnhof (main bus station, easily accessed by train from the airport).  The group had a couple of very nice dinners in Zurich as well as a guided city tour.   Some participants used the handy service offered by the SBB (Switzerland's excellent transport service)  to send their luggage forward to Attinghausen (where we had our free day) and then on to Grindelwald.  Be aware that shipping luggage means that you have to buy a train ticket between the towns where you are sending your luggage even though you won't be riding with that ticket.  There must be rail or road to a place to send your luggage there.  For details on shipping your luggage go to this link.  

Day 1.  Sargans to Alp Vorseiz.  10.9 miles, 3154 feet gain.  We started with a train from Zurich Hauptbahnhof to Sargans and then began walking straight from the train station.  This day was warm and had a number of VERY STEEP gravel road and trail sections that knocked us for a loop - but we had to keep pushing because of the late start and a need to reach our accommodation by 6pm to hold dinner spots!    Alp Vorseiz was one of three different small family dairies with dorm beds that we stayed in on the Swiss Via Alpina, and was well worth the stop, with good food and a big room with rows of mattresses, and bathrooms downstairs and across the walkway (private rooms were also apparently available).

Day 2.  Alp Vorseiz to Elm.  11.5 miles, 3663 feet gain.   Another long challenging day but good trail through flower fields and over our first big pass, then long descent to the town.  Note that we followed a Gaia route near the end instead of following a Via Alpina sign, and though Gaia showed a way through, it turned out to be a dead end, so we had to go cross country to get to the road we needed to be on.  Beware that Gaia may not capture the latest re-routes!!  Stayed at Gasthaus Sonne in Elm, private rooms with bath down the hall and good food!

Day 3.  Elm to Linthal.  9.6 miles, 2275 feet gain (and 5678 feet of challenging descent!!!)   We started this day with a bus ride up to Skihutte Obererbs (get your free transport pass from the hotel!) and another gorgeous wander through flower fields and over one unnamed pass, through a lovely bowl with a hunters' cabin at the bottom, and then over the main pass - Reichtlipass.  The descent from there was VERY muddy and slippery with grass and barely defined trail, heavily trodden by sheep (who had to be coaxed off the trail as we descended), then on road in the rain.   Hotel Adler - a very nice spot with a kind and funny gentleman who ran the hotel and also was the main chef!

Day 4.  Linthal to Braunwald to Urnerboden.   8.3 miles, 1735 feet gain.  A pretty relaxed day that began with a fun funicular ride from Linthal to Braunwald (free pass from our hotel!).  Then we rambled on our own route trying to stay as high as we could until descending at the end to walk by the river (foot soak!) to the lovely little town of Urnerboden on a hilltop!  NaTuri Urnerboden was a dorm-style lodging with a most wonderful hostess and patio in the back with great views of the valley around it!

Day 5.  Urnerboden to Fisetengrat to Klausenpass and bus to Attinghausen.  5.6 miles, 1448 feet gain.  This day started with a very fun cable car ride straight up the cliff to the south, to Fisetengrat, and then an incredible view-walk on good but very rocky well-marked trail (one steep cabled section) along a high bench way above the valley to a glacier lake, and finally down to the hectic Klausenpass where we had a tasty lunch on the deck.  From there we took a (hugely crowded, standing room only) bus to Attinghausen.  (Note that you can book tickets on a bus with the SBB app but it doesn't actually guarantee you a seat!!)  Hotel Krone, double rooms with bath down the hall.  

Day 6.  Free day out of Attinghausen.   Some people explored around Attinghausen and Altdorf, while others took the train to Lucerne to see the sights.  Well worthwhile!

Day 7.  Attinghausen to Alp Hohbiel.  7.5 miles, 2800 feet gain.  One of the prettiest days on the whole Via Alpina!  We started with the Brusti cable car, and from the top station we hiked to Surenenpass on good trail with a multitude of flowers and curious cows (the cows around here can be inclined to lick you for your salt, so be careful!).  Then we descended the Surenen valley (a gorgous, quintessential Swiss valley) and across a high bench pn good trail to a charming family dairy (Alp Hohbiel, highly recommended!) where we were able to watch the family milk their cows and listen to Grampa give a blessing to the mountain Gods before eating a hand crafted dinner and retiring to a big dorm above the cow barn.

Day 8.  Hohbiel to Engelberg to Tannalp.  11.3 miles, 1625 feet of gain.  Dumping rain this morning so we set out with raingear, and after a short walk we took advantage of the Furenalp cable car and then a free bus to get down to Engelberg.  There we found the huge Titlis Cable Car complex and rode a cable car up to Jochpass (cafe with hot drinks and great pastries!) followed by a foggy, then clearing hike past a couple of lakes, up the side of a beautiful valley, and then rolling along a high meadow to the dairy complex that is Tannalp.  This is a famous hiking area known for its series of lakes, and the trails were excellent, very easy to follow, and the descent from Jochpass was straightforward.  Tannalp is a cluster of small family dairies, a big guesthouse and a cheese factory.  We had unfortunately been assigned to a single big dorm room right above the cheese factory down the road from the guesthouse, which meant a lot of aromas and loud noise starting at 5AM!  Tannalp is lovely and a great place to stay for this night, but  if you book Berggasthaus Tannalp and pay the extra for rooms in the main guest house!

Day 9.  Tannalp along PlanPlatten to Bidmi to Meiringen.   11 miles, 1330 feet gain.    We were in deep fog this day, obscuring the amazing views promised along Planplatten ridge, but it still was an incredible ridge-walk.  The LONG descent from the ridge took us through pretty farms and then into forest, from which we grabbed the Bidmi cable car down to Meiringen and a short walk to the Simons Herberge (youth hostel), a comfortable dorm-style spot with included hearty breakfast and dinner.

Day 10.  Funicular to Reichenbach Falls, then up a LONG valley to Grosse Scheidegg and around to First.  12.3 miles, 5453 feet gain.  After the funicular and a visit to the falls (famously where Sherlock Holmes met his demise), this day was a steady climb mostly in forest and through a long steadily climbing valley, usually paralleling a road.  We found an opportunity to take a bus up a 2000-foot section of winding road on the last stretch to Grosse Scheidegg, had a fantastic lunch on the hill looking out across the Grindelwald valley and the huge peaks looming over it, and then traversed up and around to the adventure complex of First high on a balcony above Grindelwald to the north (cable cars, ziplines, parasailing, a cliff walkway with glass floor) with a hostel and restaurant which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Day 11.  First Cable Car Down to Grindelwald, meet the West group, Walk up to Alpiglen.  4.2 miles, 2226 feet gain.  We awoke to very thick fog and rain.  After breakfast some of the group took a wet walk up to the little Backalpsee lake above the First complex, then we all descended on the three-stage cable car to Grindelwald.  There we shopped for lunch food for our last two days, met the five people coming in from Zurich for the West part of the Via Alpina, and then we all walked together STEEPLY (in the rain all the way) up from Grindelwald to Alpiglen, where we all stayed at Berghaus Alpiglen in two dorm rooms with included dinner and breakfast in a pretty mountain guest house right under the Eiger.

Day 12.  Along the Eiger Trail to Eigergletcher, up to the Jungfraujoch.  3.6 miles, 2525 feet gain.   The fog continued with us on this day climbing up from Alpiglen to reach and then traverse under the northern cliff wall of the Eiger to reach the cable car-train complex of Eigergletcher.  There we bought tickets for the amazing cog train that takes you through the mountain rock to the Jungfraujoch, an incredible engineering feat and museum-adventure complex at the top of the Aletsch Glacier between the Jungfrau and the Monch.  The place was PACKED but it would be hard to find a more impressive vantage point with glaciers and high peaks circling the complex and endless views.  Expensive but you'd be sorry to miss this!  From the Jungfraujoch, the people in the Via Alpina East group rode the train back to Eigergletscher, took the Eiger Express cable car from there back down into Grindelwald and walked up the other side to Naturfreunde Hostal where then spent the night before catching trains back to Zurich and flights home. 

{The people in the Via Alpina West group walked steeply down from Eigergletcher to Kleine Scheidegg, and around on the Panoramaweg to Mannlichen and a cable car down to Wengen (in the dumping rain...sadly no views).  From the base of that cable car we walked down o the Lauterbrunnen station and road the cable car up to Grutschalp and train from Grutschalp to Murren where we spent the night.  Note to future travelers - this is an overly ambitious day and we barely made it to Murren in time to check in and have dinner at 6:30!}