Classic Swiss Alps Walk

Name: Classic Swiss Alps Walk
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)

2 reviews

Activity Level

Moderate

Activity

Walking & Trekking

Overview

Breathtaking natural beauty: snow-capped peaks, emerald-green slopes, amazing turquoise lakes, meadows thick with flowers

The pretty village of Kandersteg sits in the heart of the Bernese Oberland, where the great arc of the Alps culminates in some of its highest and most spectacular peaks. Awe-inspiring and dramatic, the area epitomises the ‘chocolate-box’ Alps: lush green pastures and lowland slopes carpeted bright with wildflowers against a backdrop of rugged mountains – all topped off with sun-glistening glaciers.

A stay here uncovers the very best of the region: the stunning Oeschinensee mountain lake enclosed by towering cliffs; the hidden Gasterntal Valley with its glacial meltwaters thundering down a narrow gorge, and an Alpine pass that has been used since Celtic times.

Did we mention the spectacular views? One moment you will be spellbound by the glacial legacy, whilst in another it will be the cobalt blue of the Oeschinensee that will take your breath away. Woodlands, pine forest and open meadows are decorated with lady slippers, fire lilies and more than 25 varieties of scented orchid, where you walk to the the tuneful ringing of cowbells. With the company of the occasional swooping eagle, it is easy to feel on top of the world. Amazingly, all this is accessible on well-defined paths directly from the hotel or after a short bus or cable car ride.

On arrival at the 3 star Seiler’s Vintage Hotel (formerly known as the Hotel Alfa Soleil), your hosts, the charming Seiler family, will provide you with a full introduction to the area, including insider tips on where to spot the best alpine flowers!

When you feel like a rest from walking, there’s an elegant lounge, swimming pool, sauna, solarium and gym to keep you entertained.

NB: Some gondolas/cable cars do not operate in early/late season when alternative walks will be proposed.

Key Information

Trip Code: W07AF
Ways to Travel: Self-Guided Holidays
Countries: Switzerland

What's Included

All breakfasts and 6 picnic lunches
Briefing at the start of your trip
Headwater Navigation App
Kandersteg Guestcard (for discounts at local sites and attractions)
Reduced entry to the Blausee (Blue Lake) Nature Park

6 days of Walking & Trekking

Terrain:

Mountain walking on good (though sometimes narrow) paths with occasional steepish climbs.

Day 2: 10 km / 6.2 miles
Day 3: 12 km / 7.5 miles
Day 4: 12 km / 7.5 miles
Day 5: 10 km / 6.2 miles
Day 6: 18 km / 11.2 miles
Day 7: 10 km / 6.2 miles

Highlights

Have spectacular views of the region: Eiger, Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Monch
Hike along well-marked trails amongst stunning Alpine flowers
Relax in a friendly, family-run hotel with heated indoor pool and sauna

Itinerary

First Destination: Kandersteg
Next Destination: Kandersteg

Meals included:None

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Kandersteg
Next Destination: Kandersteg

Arrive at the 3 star Seiler’s Vintage Hotel and enjoy a welcome drink. Below is a suggested itinerary for the week but you are free to pick and choose when and where you walk each day.

This easy-going walk to start your week begins with a spectacular cable car ride (included) up to the Allmenalp, a colourful meadow brimming with rural mountain charm. There are stunning views across the valley to towering cliffs, snow-capped peaks and glaciers. Continue into the pastures of the Alpbach, sheltered by a colossal mountain bowl where marmots ‘cohabit’ with farmers and their cattle. An afternoon descent of the Alpbach Gorge takes you down to the valley floor for a relaxed stroll along the River Kander to the hotel.

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

This super walk begins with an exhilarating 20-minute minibus ride (fare included) along a narrow road carved out of the rock wall. The UNESCO-recognised Gasterntal is Kandersteg’s ‘hidden valley’, with snow-fed waterfalls splashing down sheer cliff faces. After an optional, loop-extension further up the valley, you meander down the River Kander, through woods and open meadows to the Waldhaus Nature Reserve – look out for lady slippers, fire lilies and more than 25 varieties of orchid. With the mighty rock walls of the Balmhorn, Tatlishore and the Atels towering high, follow the spectacular Klus Gorge where glacial meltwater rushes down over thunderous waterfalls.

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Widely regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Bernese Oberland, Oeschinensee is one of the most beautiful Alpine lakes in Switzerland. After a short ride up on the gondola lift (included), follow a marvellous mountain path up to the Heuberg Viewpoint and picnic spot. The cobalt blue water of the lake, surrounded by the snow-capped, razor-edged peaks of the Doldenhorn (3,638m) and the Bluemlisalphorn (3,663m) towering 2,000m above, will be a lasting memory. Call in at the mountain chalets at Obberbargli and Underbargli for refreshments and soak up this unforgettable scenery as bell-toting cows munch at the grass in the pastures below, while dainty waterfalls trickle down from the Frunden Glacier.

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

A gentle hour’s stroll takes you down to the Natural Park of Blausee – the Blue Lake (50% discount on entry with short boat ride). Here you can wander through verdant woodland around the little lake, visit the organic trout farm and enjoy a drink on the lake terrace before returning to the hotel.

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

The Sunnbuel cable car (included) whisks you up to nearly 2,000m to begin today’s walk. Enjoy refreshments at the renowned Schwarenbach Hotel, where Lenin and Picasso have signed the visitors’ book. It’s then on to the Daubensee and the famous high Gemmi Pass (2,322m), a major Transalpine route first used by the Celts. The extraordinary panorama of the Valais Alps to the south includes the Weisshorn (4,506m) and the Matterhorn (4,478m).

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Today starts with a 25-minute train ride (payable locally) through the Lotschberg mountain rail tunnel (14km long) to Hohtenn. The walk takes you high above a youthful River Rhone, through a landscape of gorges and hidden side valleys – and small hillside villages boasting traditional wooden chalets built on the upper edges of this fertile, vineyard-adorned valley. You follow part of the Lotschberger-Sudrampe railway trail – superb railway engineering, viaducts, tunnels and bridges – but you don’t need to be a train buff to enjoy this great little hike.

Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

If pre-arranged, return to Zurich via Kandersteg rail.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, dates that suit you, 24-hour support, loyalty discounts, and peace of mind for delays or disruption.

Call us on 1 844 462 4317

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Accommodation

Seiler's Vintage Hotel

The Seiler’s Vintage Hotel (formerly known as the Hotel Alfa Soleil) is a traditional, cosy and family-run hotel on the edge of the village (only 5 minutes’ walk from the centre) with a wonderful view over fields to the mountains behind.

There are 30 rooms on three floors; all rooms are en-suite and have a television, telephone and hairdryer.

For the evenings, the hotel has a cosy lounge bar with a pool table and music desk which is open to both hotel guests and the general public. There is also a large lounge area for residents with an open fire where you can relax for a quiet chat or with a book, or to play one of the hotel’s board games.

Essential Information

Activity Level: 3 (Moderate)
Average daily distance: 13km (9.3 miles)
No. of days walking: 6
Terrain and route: good (though sometimes narrow) paths with occasional steep climbs

This is a self-guided tour, as such there will be no group or tour leader and you are free to complete the walks at your own pace and in whichever order you choose. Please bear in mind that although this is a self-guided holiday, the atmosphere in the hotel tends to be quite social. We have suggested that 8yrs is the minimum age for this trip, but as it is self-guided and you will be leading your own family we will ultimately leave this decision up to you.

A week’s stay here uncovers the very best of the region: a huge turquoise lake enclosed by towering cliffs, a hidden valley headed by a glacier, a sheer gorge carved out by glacial meltwaters, an Alpine pass that has been used since Celtic times and an abundance of wildflowers. Did we mention the spectacular views? The impressive white peaks of the 3970m Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and Matterhorn dominate the skyline with a plethora of other summits and glaciers close at hand. Amazingly, all of this is accessible on well-defined paths directly from the hotel (with excellent signposting) or after a short bus or gondola ride.

The walking is of moderate difficulty and includes mountain walking on good (though sometimes narrow) paths with occasional steep climbs. NB: Some gondolas/cable cars do not operate in early/late season when alternative walks will be proposed.

For flight inclusive bookings transfers are included from Kandersteg train station at 16:41 on your arrival day, and back to Kandersteg train station at 10:00 on your departure day. For land only bookings a transfer can be arranged for a supplement.

The air-rail prices for this holiday include our standard travel arrangements: British Airways Heathrow to Zurich 09:25/12:20, then rail from Zurich airport to Kandersteg (via Bern) 14:13/16:41 (transfer to hotel, 5 mins, provided). Return: Kandersteg to Zurich airport (via Bern) 10:13/12:50, then air Zurich to Heathrow 15:45/16:40.

In addition, alternative flights, onward rail to your holiday area, and connecting private transfers can be arranged from most UK airports. We can also offer the opportunity to upgrade to a superior service (business/club/first class) with most of our featured airlines. If you would like to use one of the many ‘low cost’ airlines, we can book these on your behalf (£30 admin fee per person applies).

Switzerland

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Switzerland. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/switzerland
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/switzerland
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/switzerland/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Switzerland.html

At the beginning of each set of notes we advise on the lunch situation and suggest good picnic spots. You can obtain supplies daily from the hotel’s picnic buffet. We suggest you to carry 1-5 litres water per person, there are often benches for resting and admiring the views. There are also mountain restaurants with sun-trap terraces.

June through to August have the nicest weather, pleasant for walking. On average July is the warmest month. The rainy season falls between May and September, so rain is expected, remember to take your waterproofs. A word of caution – Switzerland can be hot in high season and so serious walking should be started early – remember your sun hat and suncream and take plenty of water with you. Our minimum recommendation is 1.5 litres per person per day. Please refer to the ‘All you need to know guide’.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Reviews

Add new review

Katie Woodson

Added September 2018

Recommend

I was a bit hesitant to take a self guided tour, but I am glad I did. The hotel staff was great and the fact that food was included with the package made it a fantastic affordable going abroad trip. The trails are well marked and the areas are beautiful. The train ride from Zurich to Kandersteg is actually 2.5 hours but the scenery on the route is amazing. If you like the outdoors and hiking this is the package for you.

Most Inspirational Moment

Nature! Living in the city the fresh air and green felt good.

Nandita Nelson

Added July 2018

Alpine adventure with gourmet delights

A wonderful weeks walking in the Swiss Alps, azure lakes nestled amidst towering ice-capped crags and gourmet dining. Even with mixed weather a wonderful getaway.

Most Inspirational Moment

The first glimpse of the sparking cobalt blue Oeschinensee lake in the sunshine, with the toerung cliffs around with waterfalls cascading down. The trains running unfailingly and strictly on time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

This was self-guided.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The walks on the Headwater trip notes were not necessarily the most inspiring. They suggest Blausee on Day 1. This is a gravel track that farmers use there and back, not challenging, and a waste of a sunny day. Blausee itself was VERY touristy, coaches arrive. Worth seeing the lake and trout farm, but save this one for a rainy day as we did. The Klus Gorge walk can be done as a half day activity by going to the bottom of the Sunnbuel cable car on the 241 bus from Kandersteg (free with the Wanderpass you are issued), cross the bridge, walk up to Waldhaus and back. Don't bother with the other section..again gravel track. This means you can use the voucher for the trip to Selden to do the Kanderfirn glacier walk which is MUCH nicer. Otherwise it is 13CHF each way on the bus to Selden. Other good walks not mentioned are from Oeschinensee to Freundenhutte (other side of the lake from Heuberg). This has an interesting path, crossing several waterfalls (bridges provided) and slabs of rock. We discovered it on the day we were leaving, and only managed half of it, as we had to leg it to Zurich airport. Also another in the Alpbach region up to First was highly rated by someone in our group, though we did not have time to try it. The Sudarampe walk was deemed only OK by those who did it, we did not.

Suggestions

The wine at the hotel was ridiculously expensive. we stuck to the house wine, which was actually quite good. The food was superb---varied, fresh and utterly delicious. Try the pool, the unexpected jacuzzi style jets at one end were great for tired muscles.

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