Hut-to-Hut Hike · Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Via Alpina — 10-Day Hike

The finest section of the Swiss Via Alpina (Route 1) — Engelberg to Gsteig through the heart of the Bernese Oberland: the Eiger wall, Mürren's balcony, Hohtürli, and Oeschinensee, one pass a day.

~177 km
Distance
~10,500 m
Elevation Gain
10 Days
Hiking
2,778 m
High Point

Route Map

East → west, Engelberg to Gsteig — stages 11–20 of the Swiss national Route 1. Numbered markers = overnight stops · triangles = passes.

Start (Engelberg)
Overnight stop
Finish (Gsteig)
▲ Pass

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Click any day to expand full details · Pick a start date above

Day0
Arrival — Zurich → Lucerne → Engelberg
Travel Day 🇨🇭 Switzerland Rest · Gear check · Early dinner
▾

✈️ Getting There

Fly into Zurich (ZRH). Train Zurich → Lucerne (~45 min) → Engelberg (~45 min on the Zentralbahn) — roughly 2 hr door to door, trains every 30–60 min. Buy a Half-Fare Card (1 month, ~CHF 120) if you'll use lifts/trains along the way — pays for itself fast in Switzerland.

🏠 Night 0 Lodging

Engelberg hotels & hostels Booking.com →
Full resort town — everything from Ski Lodge Engelberg to the hostel. Monastery (12th c.) worth a visit. Stock trail snacks at the Coop.
💡 Notes: Cards work everywhere in Switzerland — even most mountain huts take Twint/cards — but carry some CHF cash for small buvettes. Check the SwitzerlandMobility Route 1 stage pages for live trail conditions.
TypeArrival day
HikingNone
Transfer time~2 hr by train
CurrencyCHF · cards OK
Overnight
Engelberg (1,000 m)
Booking.com →
Day1
Engelberg → Jochpass → Engstlenalp
Moderate Jochpass 🇨🇭 Obwalden → Bern ~15 km · 5–6 hr
▾

Highlights

Trübsee Jochpass (2,207 m) Engstlensee Titlis views
💡 Notes: Gentle warm-up day. Climb past Trübsee under the Titlis glacier to Jochpass, then descend past the trout-blue Engstlensee to Engstlenalp — a historic alp with a wonderful 1890s mountain hotel. Short day on purpose: settle in, eat the alp cheese.
Distance~15 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,250 m
Elev Loss↓ ~400 m
Hiking Time5–6 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Hotel Engstlenalp (1,834 m)
Website / Book →
Day2
Engstlenalp → Planplatten → Meiringen
Moderate Balcony ridge 🇨🇭 Bern ~19 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Tannalp Planplatten ridge Reichenbach Falls Aare Gorge (evening option)
💡 Notes: Long balcony ridge over the Haslital — the Planplatten traverse has nonstop views to the Wetterhorn wall you'll cross tomorrow. Big knee-friendly descent option: Planplatten gondola → Meiringen if legs complain. In town: Reichenbach Falls (Sherlock Holmes' "death"), and Meiringen claims the meringue.
Distance~19 km
Elev Gain↑ ~700 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,900 m
Hiking Time6–7 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Meiringen (595 m)
Booking.com →
Day3
Meiringen → Grosse Scheidegg → Grindelwald
Hard Rosenlaui 🇨🇭 Bern ~23 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Rosenlaui glacier gorge Grosse Scheidegg (1,962 m) Wetterhorn wall Grindelwald + first Eiger view
⚠ Notes: Longest day of the trip. Climb the Reichenbach valley past the Rosenlaui hotel and its glacier gorge (worth the 30-min detour), then under the huge Wetterhorn face to Grosse Scheidegg. First view of the Eiger as you descend to Grindelwald. The pass road carries only the yellow PostBus — a bail-out in either direction.

🍽 Lunch: Hotel Rosenlaui (~10 km) — belle-époque time capsule.
Distance~23 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,600 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,150 m
Hiking Time7–8 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Grindelwald (1,034 m)
Booking.com →
Day4
Grindelwald → Kleine Scheidegg → Wengen → Lauterbrunnen
Moderate Eiger North Face 🇨🇭 Bern ~21 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Eiger North Face Kleine Scheidegg (2,061 m) Wengen (car-free) Staubbach Falls Lauterbrunnen valley (72 falls)
⭐ Notes: The postcard day. Climb beneath the Eiger north face — the trail passes directly under the 1,800 m wall — to Kleine Scheidegg with Eiger–Mönch–Jungfrau lined up overhead. Descend through car-free Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, the valley of 72 waterfalls that inspired Tolkien's Rivendell. Touristy, deservedly.

🍽 Lunch: Kleine Scheidegg station buvettes — bratwurst with the north face as wallpaper.

Optional: Trümmelbach Falls (glacier water thundering inside the mountain) — 45 min from Lauterbrunnen.
Distance~21 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,100 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,350 m
Hiking Time6–7 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Lauterbrunnen (795 m)
Booking.com →
Day5
Lauterbrunnen → Mürren → Sefinenfurgge → Griesalp
Hard Sefinenfurgge 🇨🇭 Bern ~21 km · 7–8 hr
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Highlights

Mürren balcony village Sefinenfurgge (2,612 m) Gspaltenhorn cirque Griesalp / Kiental
⚠ Notes: Steep climb out of the Lauterbrunnen trench to Mürren — the car-free balcony village staring across at the Jungfrau. Then the wilder country begins: up the Sefinental to Sefinenfurgge, a narrow notch with wooden-staircase scree on both sides, and down to the road-end hamlet of Griesalp.

🍽 Lunch: Mürren cafés (~7 km) — last real village until Kandersteg.
Distance~21 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,850 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,250 m
Hiking Time7–8 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Berghaus Griesalp (1,407 m)
Website / Book →
Day6
Griesalp → Hohtürli → Oeschinensee → Kandersteg
Very Hard High point 🇨🇭 Bern ~16 km · 7–8 hr
▾

Highlights

Hohtürli (2,778 m) — trip high point Blüemlisalphütte Oeschinensee Kandersteg
⚠ Notes: Queen stage. Relentless climb — the last stretch on wooden staircases bolted into the moraine — to Hohtürli, highest point of the whole Via Alpina. The Blüemlisalphütte sits 100 m above the pass: soup with a glacier view. Descend past turquoise Oeschinensee (swim if you dare — or paddle a rowboat) into Kandersteg.

⛈ Weather rule: This is the pass to protect — if storms threaten, wait a day in Griesalp rather than cross wet.

Alternative overnight: Sleep at the Blüemlisalphütte itself for sunrise over the icefall — then a short Day 7.
Distance~16 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,650 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,900 m
Hiking Time7–8 hr
DifficultyVery Hard
Overnight
Kandersteg (1,176 m)
Booking.com →
Alternative
Blüemlisalphütte SAC (2,840 m)
Website →
Day7
Kandersteg → Bunderchrinde → Adelboden
Hard Bunderchrinde 🇨🇭 Bern ~16 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Bunderchrinde (2,385 m) Üschene valley Adelboden chalets
💡 Notes: Rocky notch day. Climb through the quiet Üschene valley to the Bunderchrinde, a slot in the ridge with scree switchbacks either side, then descend into Adelboden — classic chalet village and World Cup ski town. Legs feeling Day 6? The Allmenalp cable car shortcuts the first 400 m of climbing.
Distance~16 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,300 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,150 m
Hiking Time6–7 hr
DifficultyHard
Overnight
Adelboden (1,350 m)
Booking.com →
Day8
Adelboden → Hahnenmoos → Lenk
Moderate Recovery day 🇨🇭 Bern ~14 km · 4–5 hr
▾

Highlights

Hahnenmoos (1,950 m) Simmenfälle waterfalls Lenk im Simmental
⭐ Notes: Deliberate easy day after two passes. Gentle grassy saddle at Hahnenmoos (gondolas both sides if you want a half-rest day), descend to Lenk in the wide Simmental. Afternoon options: Simmenfälle waterfall walk, or the Lenkerhof spa if the budget says yes.
Distance~14 km
Elev Gain↑ ~700 m
Elev Loss↓ ~950 m
Hiking Time4–5 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Lenk (1,068 m)
Booking.com →
Day9
Lenk → Trüttlisbergpass → Lauenen → Gstaad
Moderate Trüttlisberg 🇨🇭 Bern ~17 km · 6–7 hr
▾

Highlights

Trüttlisbergpass (2,038 m) Lauenen & Lauenensee Gstaad promenade
💡 Notes: Rolling pastoral day over the grassy Trüttlisbergpass into the Lauenen valley (detour to the reed-fringed Lauenensee if time allows), finishing in Gstaad — the incongruous glamour stop: Michelin restaurants and paparazzi-grade chalets after nine days of cowbells. People-watch on the promenade with a well-earned Rösti.
Distance~17 km
Elev Gain↑ ~1,050 m
Elev Loss↓ ~1,100 m
Hiking Time6–7 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Gstaad / Saanen (1,050 m)
Booking.com →
Day10
Gstaad → Chrine → Gsteig — Finish!
Moderate Les Diablerets views 🇨🇭 Bern ~15 km · 5–6 hr
▾

Highlights

Chrine pass (1,659 m) Les Diablerets glacier wall Gsteig village
🎉 Notes: Victory lap. Easy forest-and-pasture climb over the Chrine and down to Gsteig, the last Bernese village under the glacier wall of Les Diablerets. Celebration dinner at the 18th-century Hotel Bären, or PostBus back to Gstaad for something fancier.

🚆 Getting home: PostBus Gsteig → Gstaad (~20 min), then the GoldenPass / MOB panoramic train Gstaad → Montreux (~1.5 hr, one of Switzerland's great rail rides) → Geneva Airport (~1 hr more). Or back via Zweisimmen → Spiez → Zurich.
Distance~15 km
Elev Gain↑ ~900 m
Elev Loss↓ ~800 m
Hiking Time5–6 hr
DifficultyModerate
Overnight
Gsteig (celebration!)
Booking.com →

Route Highlights

The best of the Bernese Oberland, one pass at a time.

Day 1
Hotel Engstlenalp
1890s alp hotel by a trout-blue lake — creaky floors, alp cheese, zero traffic. The right first night.
Day 2
Planplatten ridge
Hours of balcony walking above the Haslital with the Wetterhorn wall growing ahead.
Day 3
Rosenlaui
Belle-époque hotel and a glacier gorge carved into polished marble-smooth rock.
Day 4
Eiger North Face
The trail passes directly beneath 1,800 m of the most storied wall in the Alps. Kleine Scheidegg serves lunch with the view.
Day 4
Lauterbrunnen valley
72 waterfalls off sheer glacial walls — Tolkien's Rivendell, drawn from life.
Day 5
Mürren
Car-free village on a 800 m cliff shelf, eye-to-eye with the Jungfrau.
Day 6
Hohtürli + Blüemlisalphütte
Highest point of the whole Via Alpina — wooden staircases up the moraine, glacier soup at the hut above the pass.
Day 6
Oeschinensee
Impossibly turquoise lake ringed by 2,000 m walls. Rowboats and a swim for the brave.
Day 7
Bunderchrinde
A slot notch in the ridge — scree switchbacks, then the green bowl of Adelboden opens below.
Day 9
Lauenensee
Reed-fringed lake in the quietest valley of the trip — five minutes off-route, worth every one.
Day 9
Gstaad
Nine days of cowbells, then Michelin stars and chalet-glamour. The contrast is the entertainment.
Day 10
GoldenPass finish
Les Diablerets overhead at Gsteig, then the MOB panoramic train to Montreux — the victory ride home.

Trip Planning

Everything needed to make it happen.

Total Distance

~177 km
~110 mi · Engelberg → Gsteig

Total Elevation Gain

~10,500 m
~34,400 ft cumulative

Daily Average

~18 km / day
4–8 hr hiking per day · TMB pace

High Point

2,778 m
Hohtürli — highest of the whole Via Alpina

Best Season

Jul–Sep
Hohtürli holds snow into early July

Lodging Style

Hotels + huts
Village hotels most nights · alp hotels twice

Permits

None
Book lodging, show up

Bail-outs

Daily
Rail, PostBus, or cable car nearly every stage

Stages 11–20 of the Swiss national Route 1 (Via Alpina) — the Bernese Oberland heart of the full Vaduz→Montreux traverse. Paced to match the TMB 10-day itinerary (~18 km/day with time for detours and long lunches). One well-marked pass per day, village comfort most nights — the most infrastructure-rich long hike in the Alps.

✈️ Access

In: Zurich (ZRH) → train Lucerne → Engelberg (~2 hr total, SBB).

Out: Gsteig → PostBus to Gstaad (~20 min) → GoldenPass/MOB panoramic train to Montreux (~1.5 hr) → Geneva Airport. Or Zweisimmen → Spiez → Zurich.

💳 Half-Fare Card (~CHF 120/month) halves every train, bus, and most cable cars — worth it for this trip alone.

⚠️ Route notes

🥾 Trail grade: Everything is white-red-white mountain trail — superb Swiss waymarking, no scrambling. The three big passes (Sefinenfurgge, Hohtürli, Bunderchrinde) have wooden stairs/chains on the steep scree sections.

⛈ Storms: Same rule as everywhere in the Alps — passes before early afternoon. Hohtürli (Day 6) is the one to protect; wait out weather in Griesalp if needed.

🚡 Shortcut culture: Nearly every stage has a gondola or PostBus bail-out — knees, weather, or motivation, there's always an exit. Zero shame, it's the Swiss way.

💧 Water: Fountains in every village and most alps — the easiest resupply of any long route. 1 L capacity is fine.

🧭 Navigation: GPX from SwitzerlandMobility on GAIA, but honestly the signage alone would get you there.

💶 Money

Switzerland is expensive: hotels CHF 120–200/night double, hut half-board ~CHF 80–95, mountain lunch CHF 20–30. Cards/Twint accepted almost everywhere including most huts — carry ~CHF 100 cash for buvettes. Budget CHF 150–200/person/day all-in.
📅 Booking Timeline
Easier than TMB or AV1 — village hotels have depth. But the two single-option nights (Engstlenalp Day 1, Griesalp Day 5) and high-season Grindelwald/Lauterbrunnen/Gstaad need 2–4 months ahead for July–August. Book the chain once dates are set.
Day0
Engelberg
Obwalden 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
Easy — resort town
Day1
Hotel Engstlenalp
Engstlenalp, 1,834 m 🇨🇭
Website / Book →
Only option — book first Historic alp hotel
Day2
Meiringen
Haslital 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
Easy — town
Day3
Grindelwald
Jungfrau region 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
High-season crunch — book early
Day4
Lauterbrunnen
Jungfrau region 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
High-season crunch — book early
Day5
Berghaus Griesalp
Kiental road-end, 1,407 m 🇨🇭
Website / Book →
Only option — book first Hotel complex, several price tiers
Day6
Kandersteg or Blüemlisalphütte
Kander valley 🇨🇭
Kandersteg → Hütte →
Hut = sunrise over the icefall
Day7
Adelboden
Engstligental 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
Easy — resort town
Day8
Lenk
Simmental 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
Easy — spa town
Day9
Gstaad / Saanen
Saanenland 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
Saanen = same valley, half the price
Day10
Gsteig (finish night)
Below Les Diablerets 🇨🇭
Booking.com →
Historic Hotel Bären in village
Also✈
Flights + trains
Zurich in · Geneva out (open-jaw)
SBB → GoldenPass →
Half-Fare Card pays for itself
Hotel-to-hotel hiking — the lightest packing of any big alpine route. Target pack: 30–40 L, 7–9 kg including water. Full gear reference: Travel Packing List.
👟 Footwear & Poles
🧥 Clothing
🛏 Hut Kit (2 nights max)
🗺 Navigation & Safety
📄 Documents & Money
🍫 Food & Water