Jungfrau + Matterhorn (Village-based walking/hiking tour)
Visit: Murren, Grindelwald, Zermatt, Zinal
Length: 13 days, 12 nights in 3-star hotels
Hike Rating: Moderate - Strenuous, 5-7 hours/day, 1000'-3500' elevation gain/loss
| 2008 Departures: | July 7-19 |
| July 28 - August 9 |
| Tour Cost: | $3995 (double) |
| $300 (single supplement) |
The Jungfrau + Matterhorn tour provides perhaps the perfect combination of pretty villages and premier hikes. We'll spend 4 nights in Mürren, 2 nights in Grindelwald, 4 nights in Zermatt, and 2 nights in Zinal in one of our signature tours. We'll stay in comfortable and classy 3-star hotels in each village, enjoying some of the finest hiking in the Alps on our 5-7 hour dayhikes, returning to the same hotel each night. This tour encompasses most of the main sights that you won't want to miss, such as the Jungfrau, Eiger, and Matterhorn mountains, and many small, off-the-beaten-path places as well. In general, we like to avoid the more crowded areas, and seek out the more peaceful trails. As a former year-round residents of Mürren, we enjoy showing off my favorite spots, often hidden gems you won't find in a guidebook.
Our typical day starts with a continental buffet breakfast at our hotel - delicious fresh baked bread and croissants, local meats and cheeses, cereal, fruit, coffee and juice - which gives us the energy needed for the task ahead. Soon we'll be out on the trail, where you'll get to choose between an easier or more strenuous hike for the day. Each morning, you'll be handed a lunch to carry, and at a mid-point along the way we'll choose a beautiful spot to stop and enjoy our picnic. We get a lot of compliments on our imaginative lunches - making them something to look forward to as well!
We should finish our hike around 4 pm, giving you time to wash up, relax, or perhaps do a bit of shopping in town. After that, we'll enjoy dinner together at our hotel or another local restaurant. These are multi-course feasts, often centered on local specialties like bratwurst, rösti, or cheese fondue, but may also feature chicken, fish, or other continental specialties. Our hotels all serve fabulous food, and dinners will be hearty, filling, well-earned and very delicious.
We have dozens of hikes to choose from each day, but here are some of our favorites:
Day 1 Arrive in Switzerland, and transfer by train to our meeting point in Mürren. There is a train station in both the Zurich and Geneva airports, and transferring to Mürren will be an easy introduction to Swiss precision and friendliness. The trip itself is incredibly scenic, and takes about 4 hours. Mürren is an idyllic, car-free village, perched atop a sheer 3000ft. cliff above the waterfall-filled Lauterbrunnen valley (picture Yosemite with a Swiss village on top). We'll meet and talk about our tour before settling in for our welcome dinner at the Hotel Jungfrau. (Hotel Jungfrau)
Day 2 One of our favorite hikes starts in town, and gently meanders up the hills to the pastoral setting at Spielboden. Here we cross the Schiltbach stream, and start a steep and invigorating ascent to the local peak of Bryndli. We'll take our lunch enjoying birds-eye views of Mürren and the Lauterbrunnen valley, perhaps with a soaring golden eagle for company. From here the trail levels off, and becomes a relaxing stroll through flowery meadows to a quiet alpine hut at Bogangen. The trail back leads over a small ridge for more great views, before dropping back down to Mürren. (Hotel Jungfrau)
Day 3 The Upper Lauterbrunnen valley curls back beneath the white-capped Breithorn - considered by many to be the most perfect mountain in the region. It's also a nature preserve, and contains many wonderful hiking trails.  One of our favorites takes us to the small farm at Obersteinberg, where the proprietors keep cows and make cheese by the same simple methods that have been used for centuries. This part of the valley also contains some of the area's prettiest waterfalls. (Hotel Jungfrau)
Day 4 We may start with a morning stroll through the sleepy village of Gimmelwald. From here a wooded trail leads down past impressive waterfalls to the floor of the Lauterbrunnen valley. After a relaxing picnic lunch, a flat hike takes us through the center of this amazing valley. 3000' cliffs tower on either side of us, boasting some of Switzerland's most famous waterfalls. After arriving in the town of Lauterbrunnen, we can transfer by funicular train back to Mürren. (Hotel Jungfrau)
Day 5 A morning transfer brings us to the classic resort village of Grindelwald. Fronted by the impressive rock wall of the Bernese Alps, the ridge behind Grindelwald hosts some of the greatest panorama hiking in the Alps. The Bachalpsee, a small glacial lake, provides the perfect mirror for enjoying the surrounding mountain scenery. We'll follow less traveled trails through rocky fields and old pine forests to this lake and other favorite viewpoints. (Hotel Wolter or Derby)
Day 6 Another energetic hike takes us right into the heart of the Grindelwald mountains. It starts with a densely wooded climb to the impressive Gletscherschlucht - a steep narrow gorge gouged out by the lower Grindelwald glacier. From here, our path continues up, out of the woods, along an airy trail to Bäregg. This sunny perch sits in a cirque among the mountains, and is a wonderful place to watch birds soar as avalanches crash onto the glacier far below. (Hotel Wolter or Derby)
Day 7 After breakfast together, we'll say good-bye to Grindelwald, and board the train for Zermatt. You'll have a chance to check out the town, take a short walk around Zermatt, or enjoy the wonderful pool and spa before settling in for our welcome dinner at the very friendly Hotel Europe. (Hotel Europe)
Day 8 It's nice to start with a walking tour of the village that takes you past 400 year-old houses and into the history of this fascinating town. Then perhaps up to the Findeln glacier, hiking through larch forests and passing numerous small lakes with the Matterhorn towering in the distance. Afterwards, we'll enjoy exquisite food and great Matterhorn views from our hotel on the outskirts of town. (Hotel Europe)
Day 9 Taking quiet trails through fields and forest, we have a range of choices up to the wide ridge of Gornergrat, past marmots and small glacial lakes, to what has to be one of the finest viewpoints in Europe. The jumbled mass of the Gorner glacier stretches out before us, and behind that, Dom, Monte Rosa, the Breithorn, and the Matterhorn form a spectacular backdrop. (Hotel Europe)
Day 10 There are many peaceful trails criss-crossing the larch forests outside of Zermatt. We can take one that 
leads us to a suspended wooden walkway through a narrow river gorge. After a harrowing walk through the gorge, we emerge and continue on to the enchanting, centuries-old hamlets of Zum See and Zmutt. Perhaps we'll make the strenuous climb to the Schwarzsee lake, or even up to the Hornli hut (a sort of Matterhorn base camp) to enjoy fabulous, close-up views of the Matterhorn and and a sweeping look back at the valley below. (Hotel Europe)
Day 11 A scenic train and bus ride in the morning brings us to the end of the neighboring valley of Anniviers and the quiet village of Zinal. Here we'll enjoy the slower pace of this tiny village to go with our gorgeous mountain scenery. One hike takes us to a grassy ridge high above the valley for views of the Weisshorn, Zinal Rothorn, and other surrounding mountains.
Day 12 A long and dramatic hike leads us to the end of the valley and up to a mountain hut set amid a sea of mountains and glaciers.
Day 13 After breakfast at our hotel, we'll say our good-byes and leave for our post-trip destinations.
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| Arrive: | Plan to arrive the day the tour starts at the latest (flights from the US would depart the day before). The closest airport to Murren is Zurich, but Geneva is also a reasonable choice. There are train stations in each airport that will take you to Murren. The Swiss Card railpass is definitely recommended for this tour. |
| Depart: | Plan departure for the day after the tour finishes at the earliest. The closest airport to Zinal is Geneva, but Zurich works as well. Plan on one night at a hotel in your departure city if you have a morning departure, which we can help arrange if you like. |
Jungfrau + Matterhorn Self-guided: $2490 (13 days)
If you're an independent hiker and prefer to go at your own pace, or have travel dates that don't match up with our guided tours, you may prefer to do the Jungfrau + Matterhorn tour as a self-guided hiking tour. This is a 13-day tour at a price of $2490 per person based on two people sharing a double room. This tour can easily be lengthened or shortened to fit your schedule.
Our self-guided tours include prepaid hotels with breakfast and dinner, a 2nd class Swiss Card railpass for 2 free days of rail travel plus 50% discounts on other trains and cablecars, hiking maps, detailed route descriptions (including longer, shorter, and rainy day options), and lots of useful information that will help your trip run smoothly.
Not included are lunches, drinks with your meals, extras (such as laundry, phone calls from the room, etc), transportation not covered by your rail pass, or the cost of luggage transport.
In addition, customized guided and self-guided hiking tours are available at surprisingly affordable prices. If you'd like to lengthen or shorten an existing tour, upgrade hotels (or go rustic), or create a customized tour of the Swiss Alps from scratch, let us know. We have extensive experience in many parts of the Alps, and will be happy to work with you to build the hiking vacation that best suits your needs.
Learn more about custom and self-guided tours
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