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The Swiss Alps

Bernese Oberland – classic walks from valley to valley
 
Explore some of Switzerland’s most beautiful scenery on this self-guided walking holiday, with luggage transported. There is a good choice of routes – all featuring magnificent Alpine views – and both of your friendly, welcoming hotels offer an indoor pool.
The Swiss Alps. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
The Swiss Alps. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A walking break in the Bernese Oberland

The Bernese Oberland is probably one of the most beautiful regions of Switzerland. In summer, the combination of fresh air, sunshine, rolling green hills, flower-filled meadows, shady forests and pretty villages will delight and enchant you. And at its heart lies idyllic Lake Oeschinen, a glittering jewel surrounded by sheer cliffs and snow-capped mountain peaks...
Well-waymarked paths offer thrilling views at every turn, with vivid green meadows – carpeted in flowers from mid-June to mid-July – giving way to dramatic, snow-capped peaks. Walking from, and then between, two delightful mountain villages, you will discover magnificent scenery, welcoming hoteliers and excellent cuisine.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights. 
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    The best time for flowers is late June and early July.
     
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 0 1 4 8 12 16 19 18 15 10 4 1
    mm 84 80 80 99 119 142 130 153 108 85 100 86
  • Arrival in Kandersteg
    Night 1: at Belle Epoque Hotel Victoria (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of exploration.
  • Choice of walks from Kandersteg: 9.5km to 13km
    The mountains around Kandersteg are a paradise for walkers and we offer a choice of routes for your day here.

    Oeschinensee – grade 2-3 option: 9.5km, 3.5hrs; ascent/descent 490m
    To see the area's jewel in the crown, beautiful Lake Oeschinen, take the gondola into the mountains above Kandersteg, then make the steep climb to a panoramic ‘balcony’ path high above the north side of the lake for superb views over its turquoise waters and the peaks beyond. We also provide notes for a shorter, easier walk near the lake (7km), if you prefer a more leisurely introduction to your week.

    Kander Gorge and the Gasterntal – grade 2-3 option: 13km, 5hrs; ascent 740m/descent 390m
    A short bus ride from your hotel takes you to the lower end of the spectacular Kander Gorge, through which you climb to emerge into the Gastern Valley, known for the steep rock walls of its southern side, with spectacular waterfalls. Head up the valley to the remote hamlet of Selde before making a circuit of the upper river, enjoying views of the impressive head of the valley. Arriving back in the hamlet, you return to Kandersteg by minibus shuttle.

    Gasterntal and the Kanderfirn – grade 3 option: 11.5km, 5.5hrs; ascent/descent 870m
    Another way to enjoy the Gasterntal is to take the minibus shuttle to the hamlet of Selde, then follow an out-and-back route along the upper river before climbing the head of the valley to reach the blue ice of the Kanderfirn (a glacier), and stunning views along the Gasterntal itself. Return to Kandersteg on the shuttle bus from Selde.

    Sunnbuel and Lake Dauben – grade 2 option: 12.5km, 4.5hrs; ascent/descent 550m
    Travel by bus and cable car to Sunnbuel, then walk around a high-altitude pocket of forest to reach a hotel whose former guests include Mark Twain and Conan Doyle. From here, it is well worth detouring to the shores of Lake Dauben, before returning to Sunnbuel along an ancient trading route.
    Oeschinensee (grade 2-3): 9.5km
    Gasterntal
    Gasterntal and the Kanderfirn (grade 3): 11.5km
    Sunnbuel and Lake Dauben (grade 2): 12.5km
  • Choice of walks from Kandersteg to Adelboden: 14km or 17km

    Kandersteg to Adelboden via Bunderchrinde Pass – grade 3 option: 17km, 7.5hrs; ascent 1450m/descent 1280m
    Leaving Kandersteg, there is a choice of routes, the most challenging and rewarding of which follows a high-level path up to and over the rocky Bunderchrinde Pass. Here, at over 2,000 metres, the views often stretch as far as distant Lake Thun, and you can look right along the Gasterntal glacial valley. Once in Adelboden, you spend two nights at the superb Hotel Adler.

    Kandersteg to Adelboden via Frutigen – grade 2 option: 14km, 5hrs; ascent 295m/descent 680m
    For a lower level walk, head along the east side of the Kander Valley, enjoying evolving views as you pass through forest, alpine farming country and hamlets of traditional Bernese farmhouses to reach Frutigen, from where you catch the bus up to Adelboden.
    Kandersteg to Adelboden (grade 3): 17km
    Bunderchrinde Pass
  • Circular route from Adelboden – grade 2: 12km, 4.5hrs; ascent/descent 660m
    One of the most rewarding walks from Adelboden is to follow an undulating path across meadows and through woodland to the breathtaking – and famous – waterfall at Engstligen. You return to Adelboden along a pleasant riverside path.    
    Circular route from Adelboden (grade 2): 12km
    Wonderful views
 

Accommodation

Two friendly, 3-star hotels wait to warmly welcome you each evening, both serving excellent local dishes.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
Currency converter

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  • 4 nights: 10 June 2023 - 08 October 2023 & 15 June 2024 - 06 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    10 Jun - 3 Jul 2023 £855 £160
    4 - 15 Jul 2023 £885 £160
    16 Jul - 5 Aug 2023 £905 £160
    6 - 23 Aug 2023 £885 £160
    24 - 31 Aug 2023 £855 £160
    1 - 30 Sep 2023 £805 £155
    1 - 4 Oct 2023 £795 £155
    15 Jun - 3 Jul 2024 £945 £180
    4 - 15 Jul 2024 £975 £180
    16 Jul - 5 Aug 2024 £1000 £180
    6 - 23 Aug 2024 £975 £180
    24 - 31 Aug 2024 £945 £180
    1 - 30 Sep 2024 £890 £175
    1 - 2 Oct 2024 £875 £175
    3rd & 4th person discount £0
    Single traveller supplement £0

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Included travel: return rail/bus travel from any Swiss airport

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Belle Epoque Hotel Victoria, Kandersteg
    Mini-suite: 10 Jun - 08 Oct 2023 £44
    Mini-suite: 15 Jun - 06 Oct 2024 £48
    Hotel Adler, Adelboden
    South-facing: 10 Jun - 08 Oct 2023 £44
    South-facing: 15 Jun - 06 Oct 2024 £48

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Belle Epoque Hotel Victoria, Kandersteg (with dinner) Double room Single room
    10 Jun - 04 Jul 2023 £132 £146
    05 Jul - 23 Aug 2023 £154 £166
    24 Aug - 13 Sep 2023 £132 £146
    14 Sep - 08 Oct 2023 £124 £138
    15 Jun - 04 Jul 2024 £150 £165
    05 Jul - 23 Aug 2024 £170 £183
    24 Aug - 13 Sep 2024 £150 £165
    14 Sep - 06 Oct 2024 £140 £155
    Hotel Adler, Adelboden (with dinner) Double room Single room
    10 Jun - 17 Jul 2023 £144 £178
    18 Jul - 07 Aug 2023 £152 £186
    08 Aug - 08 Oct 2023 £144 £178
    15 Jun - 17 Jul 2024 £160 £197
    18 Jul - 07 Aug 2024 £170 £207
    08 Aug - 06 Oct 2024 £160 £197
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Zürich, Geneva or Basel
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Zürich or Geneva. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Aberdeen - Zurich (via Paris) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Zurich Swiss 
    Birmingham - Zurich (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Bournemouth - Geneva easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Basel easyJet 
    Bristol - Geneva easyJet 
    Bristol - Geneva (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Bristol - Zurich Swiss 
    Bristol - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Basel easyJet 
    Edinburgh - Geneva easyJet 
    Edinburgh - Zurich Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Geneva easyJet 
    Glasgow - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Basel (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Geneva easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Geneva British Airways,  Swiss 
    London City - Zurich British Airways,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Basel easyJet 
    Gatwick - Geneva British Airways,  easyJet,  Swiss 
    Gatwick - Zurich easyJet,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Basel British Airways 
    Heathrow - Geneva British Airways,  Swiss 
    Heathrow - Zurich British Airways,  Swiss 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Basel easyJet 
    Luton - Geneva easyJet 
    Luton - Zurich easyJet,  Vueling 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Basel easyJet 
    Manchester - Geneva easyJet 
    Manchester - Zurich Lufthansa,  Swiss 
    Manchester - Zurich (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Manchester - Zurich (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Geneva easyJet 
    Newcastle - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Zurich (via Paris CDG) Air France 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Zurich (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Zürich or Geneva. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Basel

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    bus Basel airport to Basel SBB (0h20), rail Basel SBB to Kandersteg (2h10), walk to hotel (0h05) included 1530
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    walk to bus station (0h02), bus Adelboden Post to Frutigen (0h30), rail Frutigen to Basel SBB (2h), bus Basel SBB to Basel airport (0h30) included 1400

    Connecting travel options - flying via Geneva

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Geneva airport to Kandersteg (3h15), walk to hotel (0h05) included 1630
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    walk to bus station (0h02), bus Adelboden Post to Frutigen (0h30), rail Frutigen to Geneva airport (3h) included 1400

    Connecting travel options - flying via Zürich

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Zürich airport to Kandersteg (2h25), walk to hotel (0h05) included 1730
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    walk to bus station (0h02), bus Adelboden Post to Frutigen (0h30), rail Frutigen to Zurich airport (2h20) included 1400
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 4 dinners
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported (1 bag per person)
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • return rail/bus travel from any Swiss airport
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from A to B, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Switzerland, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official languages are German, spoken in the majority of the country; French, spoken in the south-west; Italian, spoken in the south-east; and Romansch, mostly limited to the Engadine valley. The currency is the Franc. Swiss time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
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