grindelwald in winter
Mar 15th, 2008, 02:39 PM
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grindelwald in winter
hi digby dog and all the other wonderful Grindelwald experts! We are travelling to Grindelwald for Christmas 08 with 13 11 7 yo boys. we have enquired for available apt at Gletschergarten. Waiting on reply. i was wondering if any of you seasoned Swiss travellers can give an easy to understand overview of the village and the proximity of cable cars and lifts to the chalet Hohturnen. How does this hotel and apt relate to the rest of town. Is there easy access for kids carrying ski gear to get to the lifts or should we be staying closer to Gondola? any advice would be much appreciated as well as any tips on good family restaurants. Where would you book for Christmas Dinner? tough one!! thanks
Mar 17th, 2008, 08:48 AM
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Hello travellingsparkies,
Since we were unable to book Chalet Hohturnen, I am not sure where it is located in relation to the lifts. Hopefully my reply will bring this to the top so others will see it.
Grindelwald has 2 main lifts, the First lift in town, and the Mannlichen lift below town at the other end. Both are gondola lifts holding 4 to 6 persons. Both provide access to easy and intermediate slopes.
We have stayed at Hotel Alte Post, which is right next to the First gondola station. If Chalet Hohturnen does not work out or appears to be too far, you might try there---I believe they have an apartment (above the restaurant) as well as the hotel rooms (which are quite spacious).
As for Christmas dinner, if you end up staying in a hotel you might like to dine there---they will probably offer a special Christmas dinner for their guests (often a buffet or set menu). Otherwise, you might try the Mercato restaurant in Hotel Spinne:
http://www.spinne.ch/SiteSpinne.html
It is their more casual restaurant, and suitable for family dining. The teenage boys in our group enjoyed their meal there (as did the rest of us). Spinne is well-located right in the middle of the town. There are other nice choices for a celebratory meal (Hotel Bodmi, Hotel Kirchbühl), but they are farther out from the center.
Since we were unable to book Chalet Hohturnen, I am not sure where it is located in relation to the lifts. Hopefully my reply will bring this to the top so others will see it.
Grindelwald has 2 main lifts, the First lift in town, and the Mannlichen lift below town at the other end. Both are gondola lifts holding 4 to 6 persons. Both provide access to easy and intermediate slopes.
We have stayed at Hotel Alte Post, which is right next to the First gondola station. If Chalet Hohturnen does not work out or appears to be too far, you might try there---I believe they have an apartment (above the restaurant) as well as the hotel rooms (which are quite spacious).
As for Christmas dinner, if you end up staying in a hotel you might like to dine there---they will probably offer a special Christmas dinner for their guests (often a buffet or set menu). Otherwise, you might try the Mercato restaurant in Hotel Spinne:
http://www.spinne.ch/SiteSpinne.html
It is their more casual restaurant, and suitable for family dining. The teenage boys in our group enjoyed their meal there (as did the rest of us). Spinne is well-located right in the middle of the town. There are other nice choices for a celebratory meal (Hotel Bodmi, Hotel Kirchbühl), but they are farther out from the center.
Mar 17th, 2008, 09:58 AM
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Hello travellingsparkies 
Grindelwald at Christmastime - how lovely!
The ski area of First will be just a short walk from the Gletschergarten. However, to get to the other areas involves a longer (maybe 10 minutes down a gently-sloping street) to the main train station.
From there, going to Mannlichen, you'd take the train (<5 minutes) to Grund, then walk (flat, 5 minutes max even with skis) to the lift up the hill.
To Kleine Scheidegg, take the same Grindelwald main train again to Grund, which then continues onto Kleine Scheidegg (if you want to sit facing uphill on this leg, be sure to grab a seat going downhill to Grund as the train changes directions at Grund).
As you can probably tell, the Gletschergarten is not that far from the main town or the train station. However, coming home after a long day of skiing, I'd certainly get pooped walking back up to the apartment. Others here (hi enzian
) would probably think it's a skip in the park, lol!
Grindelwald at Christmastime - how lovely!
The ski area of First will be just a short walk from the Gletschergarten. However, to get to the other areas involves a longer (maybe 10 minutes down a gently-sloping street) to the main train station.
From there, going to Mannlichen, you'd take the train (<5 minutes) to Grund, then walk (flat, 5 minutes max even with skis) to the lift up the hill.
To Kleine Scheidegg, take the same Grindelwald main train again to Grund, which then continues onto Kleine Scheidegg (if you want to sit facing uphill on this leg, be sure to grab a seat going downhill to Grund as the train changes directions at Grund).
As you can probably tell, the Gletschergarten is not that far from the main town or the train station. However, coming home after a long day of skiing, I'd certainly get pooped walking back up to the apartment. Others here (hi enzian
) would probably think it's a skip in the park, lol!
Mar 21st, 2008, 11:04 PM
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Hi swiss Experts! thanks heaps for your views and reviews. I am always concerned about the walk back to the hotel AFTER the days skiing! the kids are always worn out and a long walk to crowded bus ride is sometimes the 'straw that broke the camels back'! Can you recommend a chalet style small hotel or apartment close to First Gondola? Needless to say it has to have family rooms for 5 pax. Thanks again. Cheers. Sparkies
Mar 23rd, 2008, 04:36 AM
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Hello again sparkies
Have you checked out grindelwald.com? They've got a very large listing of apartments and hotels.
I cannot really personally recommend any hotels or apartments right in the center as we generally stay up or down the hills.
However, there is a place called Abendrot Chalet that is very close to the First lift. Don't know your budget, but they do have apartments of varying sizes. Their website even says they have a game room with ping-pong for the kids.
I didn't see interior pictures on the grindelwald website, but a google search came up with some.
Happy travels!
Have you checked out grindelwald.com? They've got a very large listing of apartments and hotels.
I cannot really personally recommend any hotels or apartments right in the center as we generally stay up or down the hills.
However, there is a place called Abendrot Chalet that is very close to the First lift. Don't know your budget, but they do have apartments of varying sizes. Their website even says they have a game room with ping-pong for the kids.
I didn't see interior pictures on the grindelwald website, but a google search came up with some.
Happy travels!
