Trip at Christmas so it doesn’t get boring.

I hope you all started your Christmas holidays (or at least Fridays) with your loved ones, lots of good food and relaxing hours. I wish you a Merry Christmas and at the same time I would like to present three Christmas excursion ideas for all those who spend this time in Switzerland.

Excursion at Christmas #1: Tobogganing fun in Grindelwald

For years, one of our Christmas family traditions was the trip to Grindelwald to whiz down Europe’s longest toboggan run on a sleigh in a fast-paced and incredibly fun ride. Grindelwald is located in the Bernese Oberland and is known for its large ski area and the starting point for the “Top of Europe” – the Jungfraujoch. From Interlaken Ost station, Grindelwald can be easily reached by half-hour by train.

In Grindelwald, you can choose either the comfortable or the sporty tobogganing option. For the more comfortable option, take the bus up to Bussalp, rent a sledge there (if you don’t have one with you) and then drive the 8 km down to Grindelwald. Depending on the weather and the day of the week, there can be quite a lot of people on this section of the route.

If you like a sporting challenge before the fun, you can take the gondola lift to the First mountain station, rent a toboggan there and then walk for about 2.5 hours to the Faulhorn summit at 2,680 m above sea level. The magnificent mountain panorama and the subsequent 15 km long descent to Grindelwald reward the effort duly. On the first half of the route to Bussalp you are practically alone on the road. A really great experience!

Excursion at Christmas #2: Winter hiking fun in the Gantrisch Nature Park

The nature park is a little gem above the Bernese Mittelland and although so close to the Mittelland, the landscape is quite alpine. From the city of Bern, the natural paradise can be reached by train and post bus in an hour. In addition to cross-country ski trails and ski lifts, there are also extensive winter hiking and snowshoe hiking trails. The nice thing about the Gantrisch area is that the infrastructure does not allow mass tourism and you can enjoy nature almost undisturbed. If you want to quickly escape the lowland fog or the Christmas family stress, you will certainly find your peace up here.

Excursion at Christmas #3: Bathing fun in the Leukerbad

Leukerbad in Valais offers one of the largest selections of thermal baths, high up in the mountains. Actually, you could also go skiing here, but I have to admit, so far I have only ever visited the Leukerbad to relax in the warm thermal water. The great thing here is that the thermal baths are a pleasure both in good weather (thanks to the mountain panorama) and in the worst snowstorm.

In my opinion, a visit to one of the baths is an ideal day trip to escape the Christmas hustle and bustle. The Burgerbad offers a wide range of activities with ten different thermal baths including bubble and massage jets, Kneipp facilities and steam grottos. The Walliser Alpentherme & Spa is another, slightly smaller spa. The advantage of this bath is that it usually has fewer visitors and the relaxation effect is somewhat higher.

 

What excursions do you do in the period from December 25th to December 31st?