Grindelwald Information

Apres-ski

Besides hotel bars, Grindelwald has a good selection of night spots and can provide a full-on après-ski experience. The Espresso Bar in the Hotel Spinne (tel: +41 338 548 888; www.spinne.ch) is one of the most popular bars in town. A younger crowd can be found at Avocado (tel: +41 799 552 704; www.facebook.com/avocadobargrindelwald) as well as at the Challi Bar in the Hotel Kreuz & Post (tel: +41 338 545 492; www.kreuz-post.ch), which sometimes features DJs and live bands and even has its own signature cocktail to sample.

For those looking to stay out a little later, the Mescalero Disco, also in the Hotel Spinne, sometimes has late-night live acts.

Eating out

There is an excellent choice of more than 60 restaurants in Grindelwald that can be subdivided into the usual categories of Swiss, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, fast food and gourmet. In this case it's also possible to add to this a 'cheese' category, with a choice of seven restaurants specialising in cheese dishes.

A handful of restaurants can be classed as gourmet havens. Among these, the restaurant in Hotel Aspen (tel: +41 338 544 000; www.hotel-aspen.ch) offers high-quality food, including one of the best fondues in town.

Other options include Barry's in the Hotel Eiger (tel: +41 338 543 131; www.eiger-grindelwald.ch) with its Swiss and international cuisine, and the atmospheric La Marmite at Hotel Kirchbühl (tel: +44 338 544 080; www.kirchbuehl.ch).

The best of the non-Swiss restaurants is probably Golden India (tel: +41 338 535 555; www.goldenindia.ch), which serves up sublime Indian dishes from its large menu, while the Pizzeria Da Salvi in the Hotel Steinbock (tel: +41 338 538 989; www.steinbock-grindelwald.ch) makes an excellent pizza.

Resort Information

Beyond the slopes

Indoor attractions in Grindelwald include a local museum, several games rooms, a bouldering area, indoor rope park and an ice skating and curling rink at the sports centre (tel: +41 338 541 230; www.sportzentrum-grindelwald.ch). The sports centre is also home to the resort's public indoor pool with a 70m-long (240ft) slide, as well as a spa with saunas and steam baths. Several of the larger hotels also have swimming pools, saunas and fitness facilities that are open to non-residents.

Outdoor activities include sleigh rides and the world's longest (15km/9 mile-long) sledge run. Then there's tubing, marked and cleared winter hiking routes (80km/50 miles), snowshoe trails (20km/12 miles), cross-country tracks (25km/16 miles), and winter climbing and ski touring courses.

For extreme sport junkies, there's adrenaline-inducing heli-skiing or tandem paragliding – the latter offering stunning views of the Jungfrau region and beyond.

Family fun

The Snowli Sunshine Kids club (tel: +41 338 541 290; www.maennlichen.ch) based at the top of the Männlichen cable car can look after babies from six months old, and can arrange collection directly from accommodation. In addition, the Swiss Ski and Snowboard School (tel: +41 338 541 280; www.skischool-jungfrau.ch) provides drinks, small snacks and nappies free of charge.

Once ready to progress to snow sports, Snowli Children's Club (tel: +41 338 541 280; www.grindelwaldsports.ch) – organised by the local Swiss Ski School in the Bodmi area at Terrassenweg – accepts children aged three and over during the week.

Off the slopes, a rare facility is the resort's free games and toy library, which was established in 1996 by a few local ladies and is still going strong today.

Retail therapy

With 60 shops to choose from, Grindelwald is one of the better choices for shopping-focused skiers in the region. Beyond sports, mini-supermarket, newsagents and souvenir shops, there's a good selection of fashion boutiques and jewellers in the resort centre.

Before leaving, don't forget to purchase some of the local cheese from one of the well-stocked delicatessens in the resort.

Splashing out

Receive VIP treatment on the slopes by hiring a private ski instructor and guide from Privat Ski (tel: +41 795 556 699; www.privat-ski.ch). Guides will collect clients from their accommodation and treat them to exclusive service and attention, including VIP access to the First ski lifts so you can skip the queues.

Hotels

The main village is made up of old, traditional chalet-style buildings that offer everything from luxurious hotel-style comforts to more modest choices. There are also plenty of apartments for those looking for self-catering options, while for the budget conscious, a choice of hostels and cheaper bed and breakfast accommodation is available a little further out.

Luxury

Moderate

Cheap