Coach Hire Across Switzerland

A Coach and Driver for Grindelwald Groups

One road leads into Grindelwald. It leaves the Lauterbrunnen road at Zweilütschinen and winds up the valley, with snow and black ice in winter. The drive from Interlaken takes 30 to 40 minutes.

Terminal first, village second

Grindelwald Terminal is the stop most groups need. Both the Eiger Express and the Männlichen gondola start here, and its multi-storey car park has 1,032 spaces. The village itself has two smaller garages, Eiger+ and Sportzentrum, plus open car parks at Grund.

No rules for coach parking or set-down are published anywhere in Grindelwald. The partner operator agrees the coach stop before the trip. The Jungfrau railways show live car-park occupancy online, which helps on a busy day.

Setra 49-seat touring coach, exterior
Setra 49-seat touring coach, exterior

Up one way, down the other

Counting the change, the Terminal to the Jungfraujoch takes about 50 minutes by gondola and rack railway. Going the traditional way, by the Kleine Scheidegg, takes nearer 90. A booked group gets reserved seats without numbers and a separate boarding lane.

A good plan for a full day is up by the Eiger Express and down over the Kleine Scheidegg to car-free Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. The coach drives round empty and picks everyone up in Lauterbrunnen; by road that is roughly 25 minutes.

Airports for a group arriving in Grindelwald

Stadiums and arenas a coach can reach

  • Sportzentrum Grindelwald — Ice rink and sports centre in the village centre, with a public multi-storey car park below it (access from the Endweg)

Coach day trips from Grindelwald

  • Grindelwald Terminal (Eiger Express and Männlichen gondola) — about 2 km, about 10 min
  • Lauterbrunnen (trains to Wengen and Mürren) — about 16 km, about 25 min
  • Interlaken — about 20 km, about 35 min
  • Stechelberg (Schilthornbahn to Mürren and the Schilthorn) — about 21 km, about 35 min
  • Brienz — about 39 km, about 50 min
  • Ballenberg, Swiss Open-Air Museum (Hofstetten entrance) — about 39 km, about 55 min
  • Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht) near Meiringen, via Interlaken — about 49 km, about 1.25 h
  • Thun — about 49 km, about 1.25 h
  • Bern — about 74 km, about 1.25 h
  • Luzern (over the Brünig pass) — about 86 km, about 1.75 h
  • Zürich — about 137 km, about 2.5 h

Where a coach can stop in Grindelwald, and other rules

  • Bern Airport (BRN) is about 69 km by road from Grindelwald station, about 1.5 h in light traffic. Zurich Airport (ZRH) is about 152 km (about 2.75 h), EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL) about 176 km (about 3 h) and Geneva Airport (GVA) about 231 km (about 3.5 h). Journeys take longer at peak times.
  • Railway stations: Grindelwald has three stations on the Berner Oberland-Bahn from Interlaken Ost: Grindelwald Terminal (Eiger Express and Männlichen gondola), Grindelwald Grund and Grindelwald, the terminus in the village. The train from Interlaken Ost splits at Zweilütschinen; the rear part goes to Grindelwald (about 29 minutes to Grindelwald Terminal).
  • Road: the only road into Grindelwald leaves the Interlaken–Lauterbrunnen road at Zweilütschinen. It is winding in places, takes about 30 to 40 minutes from Interlaken by car and can be snow-covered, with black ice, in winter.
  • Parking is limited, especially at peak times, and the tourist board recommends the Park+Ride sites at Matten (day parking) and Wilderswil station (open day and night), with the train on. In the village there are three public multi-storey car parks: Grindelwald Terminal (Grundstrasse 54, 1,032 spaces), Eiger+ (252 spaces) and Sportzentrum (160 spaces), plus open car parks at Grund; the Jungfrau railways show live occupancy online. No official coach-parking or set-down rules for Grindelwald were found, so the operator confirms the coach stop in advance.
  • Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe (3,454 m): from Grindelwald Terminal the Eiger Express and the Jungfraubahn take about 50 minutes, changes included; the traditional route over the Kleine Scheidegg by the Wengernalpbahn takes about 90 minutes. A seat reservation on the Jungfraubahn was compulsory from 1 May to 31 October 2026 and is strongly recommended at other times; booked groups have reserved, unnumbered seats and board through their own marked lane.
  • Car-free Wengen and Mürren: Wengen is reached by the Wengernalpbahn from Grindelwald over the Kleine Scheidegg or from Lauterbrunnen; Mürren from Lauterbrunnen (cable car to Grütschalp and train) or from Stechelberg (Schilthornbahn). A coach can set down in Lauterbrunnen and collect the group there.
  • Lauberhorn ski races in Wengen: 15 to 17 January 2027 (super-G on Friday 15, downhill on Saturday 16, slalom on Sunday 17 January); trains over the Kleine Scheidegg and car parks in the valley are very busy on race days.
  • Lötschberg car train (BLS, Kandersteg–Goppenstein): the trains for large vehicles run once an hour and take buses with at most 22 seats (vehicles up to 12 m long, 2.5 m wide and 28 t); a full-size coach is not carried. A full coach between the Bernese Oberland and the Valais goes round by road: over the Grimsel pass in summer, or by the motorways via Bern and Lausanne all year.
  • Cabotage: under Article 20 of the EU-Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, a coach operator established in an EU state may not carry passengers between two places in Switzerland. A group journey that starts and ends in Switzerland therefore needs a vehicle from an operator established in Switzerland. Coaches may carry groups across the border in both directions; these occasional services need no authorisation, but the coach carries a journey form (Fahrtenblatt).
  • Road charges: coaches and other buses over 3.5 tonnes pay the flat-rate heavy vehicle fee (pauschale Schwerverkehrsabgabe, PSVA) for every day they are in Switzerland, on all public roads, and need no motorway vignette; foreign-registered coaches pay the PSVA online through the BAZG "Via" portal or app before entering Switzerland. Minibuses and cars up to 3.5 tonnes need the motorway vignette (the e-vignette linked to the number plate, or the sticker) to use motorways and expressways (Autobahnen / autoroutes / autostrade).
  • Speed and driving bans: on motorways and expressways coaches may drive at up to 100 km/h (articulated buses and scheduled buses with standing places excepted); heavy vehicles are otherwise limited to 80 km/h. The Swiss night driving ban (22:00 to 05:00) and the Sunday and public-holiday ban for heavy vehicles do not apply to vehicles carrying passengers.
  • Drivers' hours: coach drivers follow the Swiss ordinance ARV 1, aligned with the EU rules: at most 9 hours of driving a day (10 hours twice a week), a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving and at least 11 hours of daily rest, recorded by tachograph. Drivers of foreign-registered coaches must keep the same driving, break and rest rules in Switzerland. In domestic traffic, professional drivers of cars and of minibuses with up to 16 seats besides the driver follow ARV 2 instead.
  • Winter: Switzerland has no general winter-tyre obligation, but a vehicle must be fit for the road conditions and the driver must keep control of it at all times; the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) recommends winter tyres from October to Easter. Where the sign "Schneeketten obligatorisch" / "chaînes à neige obligatoires" / "Catene per la neve obbligatorie" (sign 2.48) is shown, at least two drive wheels on the same axle must be fitted with snow chains.

First, Männlichen and quieter days

The First gondola starts in the village and serves the Cliff Walk and the First Flyer. The Männlichen gondola starts at the Terminal, and the panorama trail runs on to the Kleine Scheidegg. Both suit a group that splits up: walkers go up, the rest stay below.

Peak days and winter driving

When the garages are full, the local advice is to leave vehicles at Matten or Wilderswil and continue by train. The Berner Oberland-Bahn takes about 29 minutes from Interlaken Ost to the Terminal. Large groups often sleep in Interlaken for the same reason.

Switzerland has no legal winter-tyre date, but the vehicle must suit the road. Chains go on where the snow-chain sign is shown. Ask for a winter-equipped coach from October onwards.

What organisers ask us

Can a full coach reach Grindelwald?

Yes, the valley road is open all year. With no published coach rules, though, the operator confirms where the coach sets down and waits, at the Terminal or in the village.

How long is the transfer from the airports?

About 1.5 hours from Bern Airport, about 2.75 hours from Zurich Airport and about 3.5 hours from Geneva Airport, all in light traffic. Peak days take longer.

What about the Lauberhorn weekend?

The races in Wengen run from 15 to 17 January 2027. Expect crowded trains up to the Kleine Scheidegg and full car parks down in the valley, so build in spare time on both legs.

More group trips by coach

Vehicles, each with a driver