Christmas in Grindelwald

Switzerland · Christmas week 19 Dec – 26 Dec 2026

A village beneath the Eiger north face with two ski areas, open views and plenty to do off the slopes.

Quick answers about Christmas in Grindelwald

Is there usually snow in Grindelwald at Christmas?
Usually, yes. At the Grindel weather station on the slopes (1,950 m, 4.1 km from Grindelwald), there was at least 30cm of snow on the ground on Christmas morning in 23 of the 30 years measured since 1996; the thinnest was 0cm in 2016. At village height, at Grindelwald (1,107 m, 2.7 km from Grindelwald), snow was lying on 20 of 27 Christmas mornings. Grindelwald scores 47 out of 100 on our Christmas Snow Score. That is how often there has been snow, not a forecast: conditions vary every season and nobody can promise them.
What is Christmas actually like in Grindelwald?
Good. A large village in a spectacular setting, with the Eiger above and snow on the chalets. The tourist office's 2026 programme has Santa Claus arriving in the village on 6 December and a New Year's Eve celebration on 31 December.
When is Christmas week in Grindelwald this season?
For Christmas 2026, Christmas Day is a Friday, so the Christmas week runs from Saturday 19 to Saturday 26 December. Most chalets in Grindelwald are let by the week, so that is the week to search for.

Grindelwald spreads across a wide green bowl directly beneath the north face of the Eiger, with the Wetterhorn at the head of the valley. It is a proper working village as well as a resort, reached by road and railway from Interlaken, and was the first place in the Bernese Oberland to take winter visitors. The main street is busy with hotels and shops, and the farms and chalets scattered across the slopes give it a looser, more rural feel than Wengen.

There are two ski areas. First, on the sunny side of the valley, is reached by gondola from the village and has open, rolling runs; across the valley, the Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg link with Wengen. Both suit intermediates and families more than experts. The trade-off at Christmas is altitude: the village is low, the runs back down need a good December, and neither area reaches the heights of the big Valais resorts. The views and the choice of things to do off the slopes make up a good deal of the difference.

Christmas in Grindelwald

Good. A large village in a spectacular setting, with the Eiger above and snow on the chalets. The tourist office's 2026 programme has Santa Claus arriving in the village on 6 December and a New Year's Eve celebration on 31 December.

Our Christmas atmosphere rating: 4 out of 5

If you are not skiing

Excellent. Winter walking trails, some of the longest sledging runs in Europe from the Faulhorn and First, the First Flyer and First Glider rides, the First Cliff Walk, and the railway up to Kleine Scheidegg and on to the Jungfraujoch.

Christmas Snow Score

47/ 100

1,034m2,500m

Weather-dependent

47 out of 100 — more weather-dependent than most in late December. The strongest factor here is the measured Christmas snow record. At least 30cm of snow on the ground on 23 of the last 30 Christmas mornings at the Grindel station (1950 m). Scored on 88% of our inputs; the rest are still being verified. Snow in the Alps varies from one December to the next, and no resort can promise cover on a given week.

What went into it

Measured Christmas snowAt least 30cm of snow on the ground on 23 of the last 30 Christmas mornings at the Grindel station (1950 m)
45% weight77
Village altitudeThe village sits at 1034 m and loses its snow first
20% weight16
Top of the ski areaThe skiing reaches 2500 m, and high ground holds cover in a thin December
15% weight26
Glacier accessNo glacier
8% weight0

Still to verify: snowmaking coverage. These carry no weight until they are sourced, so the score is calculated across the 88% we hold.

The Christmas Snow Score compares resorts on how often there has been snow on the ground on Christmas morning, measured at weather stations over the last thirty years, with altitude, snowmaking and glacier access. It describes how reliable a resort tends to be, not what the snow will do this year — Alpine conditions vary every season and nobody can guarantee them. How the Snow Score works and how every resort compares

Resort figures from the source we checked on 21 September 2026.

Snow on Christmas morning in Grindelwald

How much snow was on the ground on 25 December, every year since 1996, measured at the nearest weather stations. This is what the resort’s Christmas Snow Score is built on.

On the slopes: Grindel, 1,950 m

4.1 km from Grindelwald. At least 30cm on the ground on 23 of 30 Christmas mornings measured since 1996. Typical depth 65cm; least 0cm in 2016; most 160cm in 2011.

0cm100cm200cmChristmas 1996: 115cmChristmas 1997: 68cmChristmas 1998: 77cmChristmas 1999: 65cmChristmas 2000: 32cmChristmas 2001: 61cmChristmas 2002: 85cmChristmas 2003: 50cmChristmas 2004: 58cmChristmas 2005: 62cmChristmas 2006: 28cmChristmas 2007: 95cmChristmas 2008: 88cmChristmas 2009: 55cmChristmas 2010: 65cmChristmas 2011: 160cmChristmas 2012: 104cmChristmas 2013: 25cmChristmas 2014: 20cmChristmas 2015: 15cmChristmas 2016: 0cmChristmas 2017: 114cmChristmas 2018: 49cmChristmas 2019: 102cmChristmas 2020: 69cmChristmas 2021: 87cmChristmas 2022: 19cmChristmas 2023: 90cmChristmas 2024: 129cmChristmas 2025: 24cm30cm1996200020052010201520202025
Christmas morning snow depth at Grindel, year by year
ChristmasSnow on the ground
202524cm
2024129cm
202390cm
202219cm
202187cm
202069cm
2019102cm
201849cm
2017114cm
20160cm
201515cm
201420cm
201325cm
2012104cm
2011160cm
201065cm
200955cm
200888cm
200795cm
200628cm
200562cm
200458cm
200350cm
200285cm
200161cm
200032cm
199965cm
199877cm
199768cm
1996115cm

Measured on the morning of 25 December by WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF (CC BY 4.0).

In the village: Grindelwald, 1,107 m

2.7 km from Grindelwald. At least 30cm on the ground on 9 of 27 Christmas mornings measured since 1996. Typical depth 22cm; least 0cm in 2013; most 70cm in 2011.

0cm50cm100cm1996: no reading1997: no readingChristmas 1998: 32cmChristmas 1999: 23cmChristmas 2000: 11cmChristmas 2001: 13cm2002: no readingChristmas 2003: 23cmChristmas 2004: 32cmChristmas 2005: 30cmChristmas 2006: 7cmChristmas 2007: 25cmChristmas 2008: 47cmChristmas 2009: 22cmChristmas 2010: 22cmChristmas 2011: 70cmChristmas 2012: 38cmChristmas 2013: 0cmChristmas 2014: 0cmChristmas 2015: 0cmChristmas 2016: 0cmChristmas 2017: 38cmChristmas 2018: 8cmChristmas 2019: 10cmChristmas 2020: 30cmChristmas 2021: 29cmChristmas 2022: 0cmChristmas 2023: 0cmChristmas 2024: 50cmChristmas 2025: 0cm30cm1996200020052010201520202025
Christmas morning snow depth at Grindelwald, year by year
ChristmasSnow on the ground
20250cm
202450cm
20230cm
20220cm
202129cm
202030cm
201910cm
20188cm
201738cm
20160cm
20150cm
20140cm
20130cm
201238cm
201170cm
201022cm
200922cm
200847cm
200725cm
20067cm
200530cm
200432cm
200323cm
200113cm
200011cm
199923cm
199832cm

Measured on the morning of 25 December by MeteoSwiss (CC BY 4.0).

Chalets in Grindelwald you can book now

These links open our partners’ own Christmas availability for Grindelwald, with Christmas week already selected.

These are commercial links: we may earn a commission if you book, and it never changes your price. How this works.

Chalets in Grindelwald

On 21 September 2026 we checked 22 chalets here for Christmas week (19 Dec – 26 Dec 2026): 4 were still available on Booking.com, from £2,494 for the week.

Some links below are commercial. If you book through one we may earn a commission, and what you pay is unchanged. How this works.

10 more chalets in Grindelwald

Compare Grindelwald for Christmas

Common questions about Christmas in Grindelwald

How high is Grindelwald?

The village sits at 1,034m, and the lift-served ski area reaches 2,500m. Top figure is the Oberjoch in the Grindelwald–First area, which the lift company gives as 2,500 m. The Kleine Scheidegg–Männlichen area, shared with Wengen, tops out at the Lauberhorn chairlift (2,394 m). Piste kilometres are not given per area; the Jungfrau Ski Region total of 211 km includes Mürren–Schilthorn. Altitude matters at Christmas because high ground holds snow in a thin December; the measured Christmas record on this page shows how that has played out year by year. Figures checked on 21 September 2026 against the source listed on this page.

Is Grindelwald good for families at Christmas?

Grindelwald is one of the better family choices we cover. The beginner terrain is good, which matters with children. It also does Christmas itself well, which children notice. This is our editorial judgement rather than a measurement, and the resort page explains the reasoning.

Can a beginner learn to ski in Grindelwald at Christmas?

Yes — Grindelwald has good beginner terrain. One thing to weigh at Christmas specifically: nursery slopes are the lowest terrain in any resort and therefore the first to be thin in December. Here, that is worth taking seriously in a poor December.

Which airport do you fly into for Grindelwald?

The usual arrival airports are Zurich (ZRH), Geneva (GVA), Basel (BSL). We do not publish transfer times, because they swing widely with traffic and road conditions on a Saturday in Christmas week — ask your transfer company for a figure they will stand behind.

Can I book a chalet in Grindelwald through this site?

We list 22 chalets in Grindelwald, but we do not take bookings ourselves: we are not a travel agent and we take no bookings or payments. We link to partners who do, and the links on this page go to their live Christmas availability. If you book through one we may earn a commission, which never changes your price.

Other Switzerland resorts

Zermatt

Switzerland

A car-free village beneath the Matterhorn with year-round glacier skiing.

Village 1,608m · top 3,883m

88

/ 100

Exceptionally snow-sure

Saas-Fee

Switzerland

A car-free village at 1,800m ringed by thirteen four-thousand-metre peaks, with glacier skiing above it.

Village 1,798m · top 3,457m

85

/ 100

Exceptionally snow-sure

Verbier

Switzerland

A sunny south-facing resort known for serious off-piste and the liveliest nights in Switzerland.

Village 1,490m · top 3,329m

79

/ 100

Very snow-sure

St Moritz

Switzerland

The original winter resort: a high, cold Engadine town above a frozen lake, with sunny skiing and plenty of glamour.

Village 1,822m · top 3,030m · 155km of piste

72

/ 100

Very snow-sure

Davos

Switzerland

A high, snow-sure town with the Parsenn above it, the Spengler Cup over Christmas and a character all of its own.

Village 1,560m · top 2,844m · 255km of piste

70

/ 100

Very snow-sure