Via Alpina - Green Trail

The Via Alpina is a network of five long-distance hiking trails that cross the entire Alpine region – and thus the most diverse natural and cultural environments –. The Grüne Weg is the shortest of the five, at just over 300 km. From the Principality of Liechtenstein with its capital Vaduz, we first cross the Rhine Valley and then enter the Glarus Alps. Via winding roads from valley to valley, we finally reach Altdorf on Lake Lucerne, the home town of Switzerland's most famous national hero, William Tell. Through the panoramic mountain world of the Uri Alps, the route leads to chic Engelberg and on to Meiringen. Past the Reichenbachfällen – where Sherlock Holmes defeated his arch-enemy Moriarty in the novel – the Grüne Weg leads into the Bernese Alps. We hike over the Grosse Scheidegg pass to the mountain village of Grindelwald, where the spectacular panorama of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau awaits us. The trail continues west past the Schilthorn and Lake Oeschinen to Kandersteg.