The High Route

An excellent varied holiday, with each hotel uniquely different. The routes are each a pleasure to walk, with in good weather tremendous views. At Golderli, on a clear night do look up outside after dark. The view of the star filled sky and the Milky Way, were one of the many highlights of the trip.

As expected this holiday was a great experience as the scenery is stunning - the backdrop of iconic mountains such as the Eiger and Matterhorn is an absolute joy. We were also blessed with fantastic September weather - apart from the first day in Grindelwald when we found ourselves walking in knee high snow between First and Schynige Platt. A timely reminder that mountains demand respect and that you need to be prepared for all sorts of weather!

We largely followed all the suggested walks, although we walked the Mannlichen & Kleine Scheidegg walk (Wengen) in reverse i.e. walking up the Lauberhorn rather than down and continuing on to the summit. This meant that we were able to see the full Lauberhorn ski run, which has really good information boards, and the fantastic views from the summit. Faster walkers might also like to extend the Daubensee walk (Kandersteg) to include a circuit of Daubensee, which offers the opportunity to take lunch in the Gemmi Lodge restaurant with its breath-taking views over Leukerbad and towards the Matterhorn. Make sure that you go anticlockwise to take advantage of the little gondola to skip the climb at the far end of the lake!

We'd also recommend extending the Blatten walk to Zum See if you choose the Zermatt add-on, as Zum See is an even more charming historic hamlet than Blatten and has a beautiful courtyard restaurant in the centre. It's worth a detour into the gorge (5,50 CHF) on route; we were treated to an entertaining display of acrobatics by a black squirrel on our visit.

Make sure to download the SBB app to your phone as this has info about bus and cable car routes and times as well as the train info, and also allows you to book tickets online to skip any queues. Our other practical tip is to make good use of the Coop grocery stores in each town. They are well stocked with a fantastic array of local foods, so your picnics need never be dull.

A moderately challenging but hugely rewarding and memorable holiday.

Another wonderful holiday with Inntravel. The most spectacular scenery, not at all diminished by the variable weather - watching the mist move up the valleys was itself a pleasure even when it limited visibility. The high point was walking up to (and over) the Sefinafurgga pass: as we gained higher ground it started snowing and for our last stretch the zigzagging black slate path on the white snow started getting covered with frozen slush. But it was incredibly atmospheric, including looking back down to a frozen lake. The long descent to Griesalp then led us to our favourite place to stay in the trip, the welcoming Berggasthaus Golderli set in a beautiful situation, with fantastic views from the bedroom windows, and a herd of Alpaca's next door. We've been working our way through the Inntravel grade 3 routes, and initially the walking did not seem especially challenging, even though it offered spectacular views and some gorgeous quiet sections on these largely well-populated paths; but the Sefinafurgga pass and even more so the Hochtuerli pass the next day made up for that. They were demanding walks and satisfying to complete, and within the predicted timings. Throughout we were treated to the most spectacular views, alpine meadows, cows with cowbells, and the dark grey of the glacial mountains behind. Weather was mixed - rain, hot sun and snow, which meant we saw the mountains in different ways. The integrated transport system is very impressive and we enjoyed the multiple modes of travel - trains, cable cars, gondolas - used in the trip, and certainly benefitted from the half fare card we were issued. Overall a memorable and very enjoyable trip, and to be recommended. 

Don't forget your waterproofs! Lots to enjoy even in poor weather. 

The High Route was a great holiday and we wish we could do it all again. We were there in mid September and it snowed half way through our holiday which was fantastic in many ways but meant we couldn't do the high passes to and from Grisealp. We did the option B walk to Griesalp, which was really enjoyable and added variety to the holiday and didn't feel like a second best option. And we still enjoyed waking up in the Berggasthaus Golderli and getting out early and exploring a bit of the mountains without going over the pass. We saw lots of wildlife such as marmots and golden eagles. 

This was a fantastic holiday with wonderful mountain views. Our favourite days walking was the Sefinenfurgge Pass, and all the hotels were lovely and the logistics worked seamlessly. From Grindelwald the Eiger express connection is now open to the Jungfraujoch and could be a good experience for anyone adding an extra day in Grindelwald.

An amazing challenging route with fantastic breath taking scenery which we enjoyed enormously, It is a tough route and particularly the hike through Hohturli Pass is vertiginous in many segments with the additional difficulty of scree slopes on the initial steep moraine. But the reward was amazing. We took the advice of the owners of the guesthouse Golderli and set off at 7am to allow plenty of time for breaks. Overall we found we spent longer descending most days than the walking notes suggested.

The accommodation overall was excellent, good service and food. Our favourite was the Bellevue in Murren with that amazing sun terrace. We were blessed with the weather which was perfect for walking. Swiss travel was so efficient and the half fare card was very useful.

Overall a truly wonderful holiday with great organisation as usual by the Inntravel team, with excellent walking notes. We finally did this great route having initially booked in 2020. 

Personal highlights:

- Breathtaking views

- Good food and a high standard of accommodation

- For my son, the Grindelwald-First zip wire and go-karting

Recommendations:

- If you are on a family holiday, check out the Grindelwald-First activities as an alternative to the first day's walk, but go in the morning before the queues build up.

- Go for a room with a view at the Hotel Alpenrose

Another excellent holiday. Stunning scenery every day (apart from the two cloudy wet days !) Each day was different and enjoyable. Whilst some of the walks were very steep there was plenty of time to rest and admire the breathtaking views. It certainly wasn't as difficult as I was anticipating.  Swiss train half card very useful. All meals were very good. Great meeting fellow walkers from Inntravel in the evenings. Would encourage anyone who enjoys walking to do this holiday. 

This holiday was such an enjoyable challenge, set in amongst the most stunning scenery. It was everything we wanted from our first walking holiday and Inntravel just made it all happen for us. It gave us the opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life enjoying nature, the incredible views and the clean, fresh air! Thank you for a wonderful experience.

Highlights: so many to mention - this was an outstanding holiday in so many ways. The final walk to Kandersteg was an absolute highlight - a big climb, great views, a beautiful lake for swimming and a fitting final day to the holiday. We also enjoyed the additional walk provided at the end (to fill our two days in Kandersteg) and managed to sneak in a final half day before a late flight home. The hotels were all welcoming and we felt they looked after us well. The walks were suitably challenging (given the heat!) but we were more than capable of completing them but also feeling like we'd been challenged. 

Useful recommendations: on the first day we walked from 'First' to Schnyige Platte and only just made the last cog train home. We aren't slow walkers and I think it would be good to publish the last train times to make sure no one is caught short. We kept an eye on it on the very useful app, but it was a lot earlier than we had imagined! 

Secondly, the potential diversion mentioned on the route to Murren is no longer a diversion as the cable car is very much built and operational! In fact, it's really rather impressive. 

The final route down from Oeschinensee is down a road which has been washed away and new roads built. We worked it out and just walked down the (un-sexy) road, but it may be worth reflecting this in the route notes. 

Other than that, everything was absolutely brilliant and we will be booking again! 

Our holiday was very well-organised by Inntravel, who made the whole trip very easy - the only challenge we had was the walking, in a good way! We had some amazing days, especially the day we went over the Hohturli Pass. Our favourite hotel was the Bellevue in Mürren - the room was extra lovely, and the staff and food were excellent too. Inntravel enabled us to relax into an active holiday, leaving us nothing to worry about - thank you!

We would never describe ourselves as professional hikers, so were a little apprehensive when booking our first Grade 3 walking holiday with Inntravel, having done another Grade 2 with them before. Our apprehension was completely misplaced.

The scenery and food, was, as you would expect phenomenal, but the joy and difference for us, was on the detailed Inntravel itinerary and choice of routes where there are options to short circuit particular routes that were very challenging on certain days if we chose to. This helped manage our apprehension a lot, especially with the variable weather of the mountains. We, however, had almost perfect weather conditions in Switzerland and therefore managed to rise to this spectacular Grade 3 holiday. Every aching muscle was worth it. 

Due to Covid we had waited 2 years for this holiday and it fully lived up to our expectations.  Fantastic Swiss mountain scenery, perfect weather, excellent food and accommodation and some seriously tough walking - the hardest of the numerous Inntravel holidays which we have undertaken.

Challenging walking, magnificient scenery, and lovely hotels.

The Bernese Oberland route is a classical trek following the Via Alpina through lush alpine meadows and spectacular mountain ranges. This holiday allows you to walk from alpine village to village over the high passes on good paths with excellent signposts. The hotels are traditional family run businesses, and it is a pleasure to stay in them after a long days walk.

We were a mother - daughter combination and this was the perfect holiday for spending time together - but also separately - in the most gorgeous places. The route was perfectly designed to give us the most beautiful scenery we have ever seen. Great maps, notes and travel arrangements from Inntravel. The walking was very challenging but that was part of the satisfaction. I would say, prepare well, but if you are worried, there are always ways of reaching the next inn using public transport, so that is reassuring. We had the time of our lives.

My Dad and I had the most amazing holiday in the Bernese Oberland with Inntravel. The walks were well researched and planned out and the scenery was the most beautiful I have ever seen. Each of the hotels was charming and the food excellent without exception. I would definitely consider another holiday with them.

For those who are prepared to take on a challenging walk like this, it will be the best Switzerland experience you can imagine. Beautiful empty valleys, a quaint mountain hotel and rugged paths with chances of seeing wildlife and as a reward at the end the elegant Kandersteg made for tea and cakes!

The High Route is a magnificent, majestic hike - for seasoned hikers. We were all in our 60s and in good shape but we were challenged (in a good way) on the uphills here. If you are not a frequent hiker, look for some of the other Inntravel offerings in Switzerland.  Each of the hotels was beautiful, clean, offered delicious food and easy to navigate. Switzerland is a lovely land with wonderful people. The Zurich add-on is a much needed rest after a challenging, rewarding effort!

We had a fantasic holiday with Inntravel. A beautiful choice of routes, first class accomodation and flawless logistics. When something did go wrong (and it always does) Inntravel responded with first class service and speed. I warmly recommend them!!