Discover the very heart of Switzerland June 2026

SUMMARY

WalkingWomen Treks

Dates: Saturday June 20th to Thursday June 25th 5 nights/5 days of walking as we hike across the very centre of Switzerland. You will visit hidden villages – this is a real gem of a hike.

LUGGAGE IS CARRIED FOR YOU FROM HOTEL TO HOTEL

Arrive: at Sarnen Bahnhof by 17:00 which is approximately 1.5 hours from Zurich by train. Overnight at Hotel Krone, Brunigstrasse 130 in Sarnen which is a 5 minute walk from the train station. You start your hike on Sunday after breakfast. Our walk is expected to be a leisurely 6 hours to start at a steady pace

Departure: on Thursday after a walking day. Finish 16:00 approx.

If you have flights to catch we suggest staying locally another night or  in Zurich overnight and getting flights on Friday or Saturday – we can help with accommodation. You may want to spend more time in Switzerland and we can give you advice. We can also buy your train tickets which will give you half price fare on all trains for 1 month – useful if you would like to stay longer.

If guests would like to arrive earlier or stay longer to explore more of Switzerland just let us know and we can help organise.

Guide:  Local Guide, Sabine, English and German speaking.

Walking Grade: 4 goats at a very steady pace. For those women who are looking to stretch themselves and have a challenge in very supportive company. This is one of those lifetime experiences. We do use Gondolas and local buses and trains to help us over some of the higher ascents. Bring sturdy walking boots/shoes and make sure you are ok to hike at altitude and with lots of ascent ( high mountains)

Max elevation: The highest ascent is 145om/4750 feet with steepest descent 960m. We climb high on this trip. We walk steadily!

Terrain: Varied paths with some rocky bits, sometimes some snow patches and other good forest paths. if you need poles bring them.

Max distance:10.5km/7 miles 

Average altitude: this is around 1350m(4429ft) above the sea which is one of the highest in Europe. There are 48 mountain peaks in Switzerland that reach at least 4,000m (13,000 feet).

Be prepared for hiking at altitude being harder. If you are travelling a long distance we recommend arriving a few days before to adjust. YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE PRACTICED SIMILAR ASCENTS AND BE FIT TO HIKE.

Climate: June is a good month for hiking as usually not too hot or too cold. Temperatures do vary in the mountains and you can expect between 12 and 22 degrees Celsius. We always say pack layers and always a rain jacket.

Base: Accommodation is different village hotels each night as we walk from Sarnen to the Bernese Alps. We are not staying in mountain huts – they are small mountain hotels.

The price is solo occupancy rooms.

Price: £2,900  per person for the holiday to include:

If you share a room there is a £150 per person discount. Price £2750 PP.

• Experienced english speaking local guide
• 5 nights bed and breakfast accommodation
• Luggage transfer
• Local travel needed for your journey
• All evening meals
• Entrance fee to national parks
• WalkingWomen personal support as you plan

Not included:

• Travel to the starting point in Switzerland and return travel from end point. People may come by different routes so we have left this flexible. WE can buy tickets for you for an additional cost. 
• Packed lunches, snacks, drinks for our picnics which we will buy enroute
• Tips.

This video was made in 2024 and gives you a flavour of what you will see …do watch

DETAILS

This is a wonderful hike through an area of Switzerland that is not one of the usual locations for tourists so not too busy.

We can arrange this as a private Trip if you prefer.

We will provide a kit list but make sure you have a water bottle, sun hat, sandwich wrap (something light to carry sandwiches) and layers of clothes.

We hike from the centre of Switzerland to the “giants” of the Bernese Oberland. The view extends from Pilatus and Rigi in Central Switzerland with views of the mountains of Susten and Grimsel to Rosenlaui, Schreckhorn, Finsteraarhorn, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. For thousands of years, the River Aare has made its way through the rocks in the Aare Gorge – prepare to be impressed. This is a stunning hike.

Our meeting point:

The hike starts in Sarnen – a small town about 1 hour  30 minutes by train south from Zurich. You could arrive at a different airport and we can help with travel plans.

Return trip:

We return from Grindawald,  connects with the Bernese Oberland railway trains from Interlaken. You can make connections to return to Zurich in approximately 2 hours. We end this hike at approx 4pm.

Programme:

This hike is one for those who would love to see some stunning, breathtaking landscapes of central Switzerland and enjoy both walking up and down and along ridges. We walk from place to place and walks will be between 3 and a half hours to 7 hours a day. The highest ascent is 1,350m with steepest descent 960m. These are Goat 4 walks or T2 and T3 if you are familiar with Swiss grading. All paths are clearly marked and the pace will be steady. You do need to have strong legs and stamina.

You will get to hike the great Eiger Trail.

Bring with you: Picnic, drink, snacks, layers of clothes, spare clothes, rain protection, sun protection, sunglasses, gloves, headband, hut sleeping sheet, small towel, toothbrush, etc.

Insurance:  All participants are responsible for adequate travel, accident and health insurance.

Safety:

BergFrau, our local partner, has the legally prescribed permit as a hiking and snowshoe guide and the required liability insurance. BergFrau works with mountain guides for high-altitude tours.

ITINERARY

The following programme is to give an indication of what to expect. It may change due to weather conditions and at the discretion of our guide. We always trust our guides!

At WalkingWomen we hike in many countries around the world and use our own Goat Levels. In each country we check the local grading systems and to read more about Switzerland and this trek click on the link below.

Further detail.

Swiss Hiking Level Information

Saturday  – arrive in Sarnen approx 17.00 for a night in a hotel. Local Dinner together. There is a train from Zurich taking 1hr and 30mins.

Sunday  – 4 hours /6.5km. 870 m up and 300m down. The bus takes us to the small Melchtal valley. From here we climb along a lonely valley through a lovely forest. We reach the centre of Switzerland, Ällgi. There is an option to do an higher walk to a viewpoint in the afternoon.

Overnight stay in Älggi – a small farming community with cheese makers and cow herders.

Monday  – 5 hours/10km.900m up and 300m down. On the Älggi Alp we watch the dairymen of the Alpine cooperative making cheese in the old traditional way. The hike leads to the Seefeldsee and to the Abgschütz. We will climb over a pass where we our gaze wander as far as Rosenlaui and Wetterhorn. Descend to a valley and climb to the second pass. Continue to the Gondola lift which will bring us down.

Overnight stay in Goldern.

Tuesday – 3 hours/10.5km 1050m up and 350m down. Descent to the Aare Gorge. We hike through this natural wonder and go to Meiringen. The Aare Gorge has eaten its way into the limestone cliffs for 10,000 years. The gorge is up to 200 meters deep and sometimes only 2 meters wide. In Meiringen we encounter the stories of Sherlock Holmes.

Over night stay in Meiringen

Wednesday – 5 hours/10.5km 1050m up and 350m down. First we have a spectacular ride with the local bus. We have fabulous views all day – the north face of the Eiger right in front of us,as well as the Monch and the JungFrau. The Rosenlaui massif looms nightly above us. We climb up to a small lake, Hornseeli which invites us to cool off. We  continue on a panoramic trail that leads us to First. We take the cable car down to Grindelwald.

Overnight stay in Grindelwald.

Thursday – 5.5 hours/9km 1450 up and 160m down. We spend our last hiking day directly below the 1600m high world famous Eiger North Face. With a little luck we will see the climbers in the middle of the wall. The Eiger Trail offers wonderful views as we walk very close to the Glacier and enjoy the power of the mountains.

Journey home from Grindelwald. Train connections to Interlaken and on to Zurich or to other major cities for airports.