Resort height: 1035m
The mountains
Grindelwald shares its ski area with Wengen and Mürren, and relies on an old-fashioned mix of mountain railways, chairs and drags for its lift system. This is charming and frustrating in equal measure, and anyone who wants a go-go-go ski holiday, spending more time on the snow than the lifts, should think twice about coming to Grindelwald. The queues to get out of Grindelwald on Saturday and Sunday mornings can also be very long - get up early, or late, to miss them.
That said, there are some classic runs to be enjoyed in Grindelwald. In all there are 213km of pistes on offer, and the best of the terrain suits competent and athletic intermediate skiers. There are two highlights. First is the Lauberhorn down into Wengen, one of the men's downhill courses on the World Cup skiing circuit. That sounds intimidating, but on most days it's fairly easy, and it's great fun to check out the kind of terrain the world's fastest skiers have to tackle. The other run is the long, wide, swooping Tschuggen red down into Grindelwald - a real contender for a top ten of intermediate skiing.
One other must-ski is Mürren, at the top of which is the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant. The James Bond movie “On Her Majesty's Secret Service” was filmed there, and it's the best spot to soak up the scenery.
Getting there
Some tour operators fly their guests into Berne, which is only a 90 minute transfer away, but most visitors come in via Zurich airport and take the train.: The rail journey is spectacular, but lasts nearly four hours.
Rating: 
6/10
Après-ski
Grindelwald is a resort that suits older skiers and families best, so don't expect full-throttle nightlife. Still, there are several cute laid-back huts and restaurants at which you can enjoy a drink on the way down the mountain. Some are little more than shacks, such as Holzerbar towards the bottom of the Tschuggen red into town - but on a sunny day, with the adrenaline pumping, you'll rate them amongst the best on the planet. Later on, night owls gravitate towards the Mesclero club in the Hotel Spinne. For a special dinner in Grindelwald, the Fiescherblick (which scores 15/20 in the gastronomic Gault Millau guide) is the usual choice, but is closed for the winter, so try the Challistübli in the four-star Hotel Kreuz and Post instead.
Rating: 
8/10
Non-skiers
There isn't much in the way of shopping here - but in all other respects, Grindelwald suits non-skiers very well. The scenery is worth the journey on its own, and the mountain railways mean pedestrians get to range freely across the area as well as skiers. There's a wide-range of activities such as tobogganing to sample, too.
Rating: 
7/10
Cost of living
Grindelwald is neither a luxury, nor a bargain-basement destination. Most of the accommodation in town is in three and four star hotels.
Rating: 
9/10
Attractiveness of the resort
The village itself is an odd mix of cute chalets and austere-looking hotels, but there's no denying the power of the scenery.
