Europe,  Hiking,  Switzerland

Discover Adelboden Switzerland in Summer

August 3, 2021 / 28 Comments

I’d like to share with you another magical place I discovered in Switzerland. A couple of weeks ago I went to Adelboden for two days. It was a quick getaway to take advantage of the warm sunny weather. We’ve had a strange summer this year with lots of rain and cooler temps. So when they forecasted great weather, I put together a last-minute itinerary to check out this new area of Switzerland. Read on to Discover Adelboden Switzerland in Summer!

Walking path and view of Engstligen Falls

Adelboden is less than a two-hour drive from where we live. This quaint swiss village is situated at the end of a valley and close to the bigger towns of Thun and Interlaken. Adelboden is a popular ski resort in winter and is the site of the World Cup races each year. In summer, you can enjoy the many hiking paths and an amazing waterfall.

Looking down on the village of Adelboden

The reason I chose this destination was to see one of the highest waterfalls in Switzerland. I love waterfalls and this one was easy to get to, either by car or foot. Engstligen Falls is in the Bernese Highlands and is made up of two waterfalls. The top waterfall is 97 meters (318 feet) and the lower one is 165 meters (541 feet). The total height is 415 meters.

Some websites state that Engstligen Falls is the second-highest in Switzerland at 600 meters, but I found the below list of the highest waterfalls in Switzerland.

  1. Seerenbachfälle (585 meter)
  2. Cascade du Gietro (560 meter)
  3. Laubbachfall (540 meter)
  4. Engstligenfälle (415 meter)
  5. Giessbachfälle (391 meter)

If you like waterfalls as much as I do, you’ll want to see my blog posts that describe some others in Switzerland.

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  • 3 Day Itinerary in Ticino Switzerland

    • Engstligen Waterfall off in the distance

    We booked a nice chalet-type hotel that allowed dogs. The place we stayed was called the Boutique Chalet-Hotel Beau-Site. We wanted to try a mini-vacation with our 8-month-old cocker spaniel puppy (Tilly). She has finally outgrown car sickness and was ready for a road trip with us.

    View from our hotel restaurant

    The first day we arrived, we were able to check in early around 1 pm. We then set off to do an easy downhill hike from the top of a nearby mountain. Tilly is a good walker but still too young to do strenuous hikes. I planned our activities with her limitations in mind.

    Typical chalet house with window curtains

    We walked to the center of town and took the cable car up to the top of Tschentenalp. We received a guest pass from the hotel to get discounts on the nearby gondolas. We were able to save some money with that!

    On the gondola to the top of Tschentenalp

    The gondola ride to Tschentenalp was a short 5 minutes and a first for Tilly. Before starting our walk, we decided to have a late lunch at the restaurant with amazing views from the terrace. 

    Terrace at top of Tschentenalp

    I had seen on Instagram the Giant Swing at the top of this mountain and had to do it. I love swings, especially ones with a breathtaking backdrop. I did a similar swing last year in the Tessin region of Switzerland. You can check that out in my blog post 3 Day Itinerary in Ticino Switzerland.

    Swinging at the top of Tschentenalp

    Because it was not the weekend, there were hardly any people around. We were able to get on the gondola and do the swing without any waiting. After taking lots of pics and videos of us swinging like fools, we set off to do our 2.5-hour hike down the mountain and back to town.

    Tilly and I on the Tschentenalp walk

    It was an ideal walk with lovely views of the surrounding area. We passed many cows and saw marmots living around an old chalet. If you are not familiar with marmots, they are basically large ground squirrels that live in high altitudes in Switzerland. We didn’t approach them because of our dog, but we loved seeing their cute faces peeking out.

    My zoomed-in shot of the Marmots on the Tschentenalp walk

    We also saw a few self-service small huts where local foods were sold. These are such a great concept and based on the honor system of course. For selling cheese, they use a mini-refrigerator!

    We passed this self-service stand with cheese and caramels

    Once back in town, we found a modern hotel/restaurant called Revier to have a drink. They had a terrace on the back that overlooked the mountains and the waterfall in the distance. I noticed there were dogs inside the restaurant so I asked if we could reserve dinner for the next night. It’s strange that some restaurants allow dogs and others don’t. We didn’t want to leave Tilly alone in the hotel room on this trip.

    View from the terrace at Revier Restaurant

    On the way back to our hotel, we found an open terrace restaurant where we could have dinner. The name of this hotel/restaurant was Adler. It felt so good to be in the mountains and to be having a mini-vacation.

    Adler Restaurant in Adelboden

    For the next day, I had planned to visit the famous waterfall. I initially thought to drive there but we found a flat walking path along a river. It took us only an hour or so to reach the waterfall on foot. The river water was calming and scenic.

    River path to Engstligenalp

    Although there is a steep trail to reach the top of the waterfall, we opted for the easy 3-minute ride in the gondola. The price was 32 swiss francs per person for the roundtrip. You could see parts of the waterfall from the gondola ride. From the platform at the top, you could see a bit of the upper waterfall (see below picture).

    View of Engstligen Falls from the top of the gondola

    I had read that the best way to see the falls was to walk down about 20-30 minutes from the top. The path was a bit steep but not difficult. You can see the trail in the photo above.

    When we reached the lower lookout point, I was amazed at the size of the waterfall. It was huge and gorgeous! We took lots of photos and sat down for a while to have a snack and take in the scenery. Engstligen Falls is said to be the most beautiful waterfall in Switzerland. I have to agree!

    My partner walked further down the hill to get some special videos and shots of the waterfall. I stayed high as I didn’t want to tire out our puppy. I got a great picture of him standing closer to the fall.

    My partner Mike standing next to the falls

    We finally headed back up to the top and stopped at one of the chalet restaurants for a refreshing beer. The view of the snow-covered mountains was worth the pause. 

    Our beer break at the top of Engstligenalp

    Engstligenalp is essentially a plateau at 2000 meters high where farmers bring their cows in summer. There is an oval-shaped 4.5-kilometer path around the pasture which is wheelchair and stroller friendly.

    Friendly cows at Engstligenalp

    After taking the gondola back down, we returned to town on the same walking path by the river. It was a lovely day!

    River path with Engstligenalp and Falls in the background

    We got cleaned up for dinner at the Revier restaurant. This place was hopping and I’m glad we reserved the day before. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. If you are looking for a nice hotel with great views, you should check out the Revier hotel.

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    Our short trip to Discover Adelboden Switzerland in Summer had come to an end but it was so much fun! The weather was turning cloudy and rain was forecasted, so it was wise to be leaving after our two-day getaway. I do love mini-vacations. I’ve done a few of them this summer. You can read about my other trips here:

    E-Biking in Switzerland

    Best Towns in Alsace France

    I want to plan at least one or two more short trips in the next months. I’m not sure where we’ll go but I’m looking for new places to discover either here in Switzerland or in a nearby country.

    If you are looking for other ideas on what to see in Switzerland, you will want to see my other posts below!

    If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

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