Swiss Alps Classic Walk

Arrive at Seiler's Vintage Hotel in Kandersteg, a comfortable three star base, and raise a glass to the week ahead with a welcome drink. A suggested programme is provided for the coming days, yet you are free to choose when and where you walk.

The nearest physical airport to Kandersteg is Bern Airport (BRN), located about 58 km away, though major international hubs like Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Geneva Airport (GVA) are much more commonly used due to better flight options and direct train connections.

Begin your trip with the included cable car to Allmenalp, lifting you to a colourful meadow full of rural mountain charm and wide views across the valley to towering cliffs, snow capped peaks and glaciers. Continue through the Alpbach pastures, sheltered by a colossal mountain bowl where marmots share the slopes with farmers and cattle, then descend the Alpbach Gorge to the valley floor for a relaxed stroll along the River Kander back to the hotel.

Distance: 13 km / 8.1 miles

Take a 20 minute minibus ride (not included, payable locally) along a narrow road cut from the rock wall to the UNESCO recognised Gasterntal, Kandersteg's hidden valley where snow fed waterfalls pour down sheer cliffs. You can add an optional loop further up the valley before you meander beside the River Kander through woods and open meadows to the Waldhaus Nature Reserve, looking out for lady slippers, fire lilies and more than 25 varieties of orchid. With the Balmhorn, Tatlishore and the Atels soaring above, follow the dramatic Klus Gorge where glacial meltwater thunders over waterfalls.

Distance: 12 km / 7.5 miles

Revered as the jewel of the Bernese Oberland, Oeschinensee is a stunning Alpine lake. You can glide up by the included gondola and follow the path to the Heuberg viewpoint and a fine picnic spot, where the cobalt blue water lies beneath the razor edged ramparts of the Doldenhorn at 3,638 metres and the Bluemlisalphorn at 3,663 metres, rising some 2,000 metres above.

You can call in at the mountain chalets at Obberbargli and Underbargli for refreshments and linger over the scene as cowbells chime in the pastures and delicate waterfalls thread down from the Frunden Glacier.

Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles

Enjoy a gentle hour's stroll to the Natural Park of Blausee, the Blue Lake, where there is a 50% discount on entry with a short boat ride. You can wander through verdant woodland around the clear little lake, visit the organic trout farm and relax with a drink on the lakeside terrace before returning to the hotel.

Distance: 11 km / 6.8 miles

The Sunnbuel cable car – included – carries you to nearly 2,000 metres to start today's walk. Pause for refreshments at the historic Schwarenbach Hotel, whose visitors' book bears the names of Lenin and Picasso, then continue to the Daubensee and the famed high Gemmi Pass at 2,322 metres, once a major Transalpine route used by the Celts. The panorama of the Valais Alps to the south is extraordinary, taking in the Weisshorn at 4,506 metres and the Matterhorn at 4,478 metres.

Distance: 18 km / 11.2 miles

Begin today with a 25 minute train ride (payable locally) through the 14 km long Lotschberg mountain rail tunnel to Hohtenn, then walk high above the youthful River Rhone through gorges, hidden side valleys and small hillside villages of traditional wooden chalets set on the upper edges of a fertile, vineyard clad valley. Follow part of the Lotschberger-Sudrampe railway trail to admire excellent engineering – viaducts, tunnels and bridges – on a rewarding hike that appeals well beyond dedicated rail enthusiasts.

Distance: 10 km / 6.2 miles

Your tour ends after breakfast and check-out. Make your own way to your next destination.