Interlaken or Grindelwald in Winter: Where to Stay?

Interlaken or Grindelwald in winter: for three nights without skiing, sleep in Interlaken. Grindelwald has the Eiger and the livelier evenings, but its station sits in the mountain's shadow, and on a clear day it gets 0 minutes of direct sun from 12 to 31 December. Interlaken Ost gets 5 h 23 on the shortest day.

That number comes from our own calculation with the real mountain horizon, not from a brochure. Below, Pierre Vetsch, who skis in Grindelwald every Tuesday of the winter, gives his verdict for non-skiers and for a ski week, the mistake people make once they have booked Grindelwald, and the last train home.

Should you stay in Interlaken or Grindelwald in winter?

Stay in Interlaken if you have three nights or fewer and you do not ski every day. Stay in Grindelwald only if you want the village evenings and a ski week on its own slopes, and even then Pierre would send a skier to Wengen or Mürren. The train between the two takes 36 minutes, twice an hour.

Pierre Vetsch, founder and head guide, says: "Interlaken." That was his whole answer to three winter nights without skis.

Interlaken sits at 567 m on the flat ground between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Grindelwald station sits at 1,034 m, at the foot of the Eiger. From Interlaken, every winter day trip leaves from your door: Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen with Mürren and Wengen, Lake Brienz, Lake Thun. When Pierre plans a stay of five nights or more for friends, he answers "Interlaken as a base for day trips": Grindelwald with First and the Eiger, Lauterbrunnen with Mürren and Wengen, Brienz and Iseltwald. Our guide to the best winter day trips from Interlaken lists them with times.

Staying in Lauterbrunnen instead? That is a different trade-off, covered in Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken for your stay.

How much winter sun does Grindelwald get compared with Interlaken?

Far less. On a clear day, Grindelwald station gets no direct sun at all from 12 to 31 December, 1 h 56 on 15 January and 7 h 01 on 15 February. Interlaken Ost gets 5 h 23 on 21 December and 6 h 02 on 15 January. The Eiger and the Mettenberg block the low winter sun.

Pierre says: "There's never any sun in Grindelwald."

We wanted to check Pierre's line before printing it, so we measured it. For both stations we read the real horizon from the swisstopo elevation model, one bearing every 2 degrees over 20 km, and ran the sun's path for each day of the winter. Due south of Grindelwald station, the mountains rise 28.6 degrees above the horizon; at midday on 21 December the sun only climbs to about 20 degrees. Due south of Interlaken Ost, the ridge rises 11.2 degrees.

The table, date by date, on a clear day: on 1 December, Grindelwald 1 h 12 and Interlaken 5 h 48. On 12 December, 0 h 00 and 5 h 31. On 21 December, 0 h 00 and 5 h 23. On 1 January, 0 h 01 and 5 h 34. On 15 January, 1 h 56 and 6 h 02. On 1 February, 3 h 48 and 6 h 59. On 15 February, 7 h 01 and 8 h 03. On 15 March, 8 h 06 and 9 h 52.

Two honest limits. The model works for the station, at the bottom of the village: chalets higher on the slope towards First see more sun, as the photo at the top of this page shows. And Interlaken often sits under a layer of fog in December and January, so its sun is clear-sky sun. The answer to fog is the same from both places: go up. Our article on Interlaken in winter explains where the sun is when the valley is grey.

Fun fact: from 12 to 31 December 2026, Grindelwald station gets 0 minutes of direct sun on a clear day. The first minute comes back on 1 January 2027, and by 10 January it is already an hour.

Interlaken or Grindelwald: which is better if you don't ski?

Interlaken, for winter visitors who don't ski. Our sunset sledding evening picks guests up in Interlaken, the trains to every valley leave from Interlaken Ost, and the town has the sun the valley floor of Grindelwald lacks in December. Grindelwald wins on scenery from your window and on lively evenings.

Choose Interlaken if you want variety: sledding at Isenfluh or Mürren one evening, a snowshoe tour above Interlaken the next day, a lake the day after. Every one of these is closer from Interlaken. Mürren, for example, is 50 minutes from Interlaken Ost and 67 minutes from Grindelwald, by the timetable of 13 January 2027.

Choose Grindelwald if you want one place, the Eiger outside your window, and you plan to walk, sled and eat there. The Eiger Run and the First gondola start from the village. Our guide to the best sledding runs covers the Grindelwald runs.

Our verdict: for a first winter in the region, Interlaken. Do Grindelwald as a day trip, by the 36-minute train, on a sunny day.

Insider tip: staying in Grindelwald does not rule out our evening tours. Pierre's answer when we asked if guests based in Grindelwald join the sunset sledding: "Yes, often." The pick-up point is confirmed by message before the tour.

Where should skiers stay: Grindelwald, Wengen or Mürren?

Pierre would not pick Grindelwald for a ski week. His answer: Wengen or Mürren. Both sit on terraces above the Lauterbrunnen valley, with their own slopes from the village. A ski instructor in Grindelwald gave him the counterpoint: he loves First, the sunny ski area above the village, though the snow there is not as good.

Pierre says: "Wengen or Mürren: there's never any sun in Grindelwald."

The instructor's words, as Pierre reported them: he loves First "because it's always in the sun", but "the snow is not as good". So a Grindelwald skier gets the sun by going up, and loses it again on the way back to the village in December. The moment Pierre picks from his Tuesdays there: stepping out into the sun at the top.

Between Wengen and Mürren, Pierre picks Mürren in winter, for more to do and a better exposure; the full comparison is in Wengen or Mürren. For ski areas, beginners' slopes and passes, read our guide to skiing near Interlaken. An earlier interview gave one more line from a ski instructor: Mürren is calmer than Grindelwald.

What mistakes do visitors make when they stay in Grindelwald?

The one Pierre names first: not going to ski in Mürren. The second comes from his ski interview: renting skis in Interlaken instead of at Grindelwald Terminal. The third is the timetable: the last train from Grindelwald to Interlaken Ost leaves at 22:17, by the timetable of 13 January 2027.

Pierre says: "Not going skiing in Mürren."

On renting, his words from an earlier interview were to rent "directly at Grindelwald Terminal", above all if you have only one day. Grindelwald Terminal is 29 minutes from Interlaken Ost by train.

On the timetable: from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald, trains leave at :04 and :34 and take 36 minutes. The last train up leaves Interlaken at 23:05. The last one down leaves Grindelwald at 22:17 and arrives at 22:54. A dinner in Grindelwald from an Interlaken base works; a late bar does not.

On the Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald does save time: 75 minutes from Grindelwald station against 97 minutes from Interlaken Ost, both on 13 January 2027. Whether the summit is worth it in winter is covered in our Interlaken in winter guide.

What are the evenings like in Interlaken and Grindelwald in winter?

Grindelwald is livelier in the evening, in Pierre's view. It is the one real point for Grindelwald in this comparison, and it counts if your evenings matter as much as your days. From Interlaken, a dinner in Grindelwald works as long as you catch the 22:17 train back.

Pierre says: "Grindelwald, livelier."

If you stay in Interlaken, plan your evening around a meal: our list of where to eat fondue in Interlaken gives the addresses, and our sunset sledding evening ends with a cheese fondue in a mountain restaurant.

On price, Pierre sees no winner. His answer when we asked which is cheaper to sleep in: "The same." We did not compare hotel prices for this article, so we give you his view and no figure.

Your Questions About Interlaken or Grindelwald in Winter

How far is Grindelwald from Interlaken?

Grindelwald is 36 minutes from Interlaken Ost by train, with departures at :04 and :34 past the hour, by the timetable of Wednesday 13 January 2027. Grindelwald Terminal, where the Eiger Express and the Männlichen gondola leave, is 29 minutes away on the same line. Interlaken sits at 567 m and Grindelwald station at 1,034 m, so the ride climbs almost 470 m. The last train back from Grindelwald leaves at 22:17, which is enough for dinner in the village but not for a late night out. Two trains an hour run in both directions through the day.

Is Interlaken or Grindelwald cheaper?

Pierre's answer is that they cost the same to sleep in. We did not run a hotel price comparison for this article, so we will not print a figure we have not checked. What does change your budget is transport: from Interlaken, the trip to Grindelwald and back is a train ticket every day you go up, while a Grindelwald base saves that ticket if you ski or sled there all week. If you split your days between valleys, Interlaken is the base that costs the least time on trains, since Mürren is 50 minutes from Interlaken Ost against 67 from Grindelwald.

Is Interlaken part of Grindelwald?

No. Interlaken and Grindelwald are two separate villages, 36 minutes apart by train. Interlaken lies at 567 m on the plain between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz; it is the transport hub of the region, with two stations, Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost. Grindelwald lies at 1,034 m in its own valley, at the foot of the Eiger, the Mettenberg and the Wetterhorn. "Is Interlaken in Grindelwald?" is a question people really type into Google, and the answer shapes your stay. For your stay, the difference is real: lake town on the valley floor, or mountain village in the shadow of the Eiger.

Is the Jungfraujoch closer from Grindelwald or Interlaken?

Closer from Grindelwald. By the timetable of 13 January 2027, the trip to the Jungfraujoch takes 75 minutes from Grindelwald station and 97 minutes from Interlaken Ost, using the Eiger Express from Grindelwald Terminal both ways. That saves about 20 minutes each way, which matters if the summit is the reason for your trip. It matters less for a stay of three or four nights, where the other days come out shorter from Interlaken: Mürren, Lauterbrunnen and the lakes. Check the summit webcam before you buy your ticket.

Base yourself in Interlaken, sled at sunset

The worry behind this question is losing hours on trains or missing the mountain village feel. For a short winter stay, the numbers point the other way: Interlaken has the sun, the trains to every valley and our evening tours at the door, and Grindelwald is a 36-minute day trip on a clear day. If you ski all week, look at Wengen or Mürren before Grindelwald.

Then book the Sunset Sledding and Cheese Fondue evening: CHF 139 per person, CHF 129 from 6, departure at 15:30, never more than 8 guests, sled, cable car and fondue included. Pierre's verdict on going with a guide or alone is in sledding with a guide or on your own.

How we made this: based on Pierre's interview of 14 October 2026, facts and timetables checked at the official sources and sun hours calculated from swisstopo data on 14 October 2026, written with AI assistance.

Source: swisstopo elevation profiles, search.ch timetable, and Tuesday ski days in Grindelwald, winters 2024-25 and 2025-26.

*Written by Pierre Vetsch, founder and head guide at Swiss Local Adventures