Hiking the Via Alpina: Mürren to Griesalp

Hike from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp

Mürren (1638m) – Spielbodenalp (1813m) – Rotstockhütte (2039m) – Sefinenfurgge (2612m) – Alp Bürgli (1617m) – Griesalp (1408m)

The hike from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp is suited for expert hikers only. The hike is 22km long and takes you 2000 meters uphill and 1400 meters downhill. It took us about 7 hours to complete. It starts in the picturesque village of Mürren and ends in Griesalp. On this hike you will cross one of Via Alpina’s 14 mountain passes, the Sefinenfurgge. This hike is considered as a classic among Swiss hikers.

Solène hiking on the Via Alpina from Mürren to Sefinenfurgge. In the background mount Jungfrau massif.
Solène hiking on the Via Alpina from Mürren to Sefinenfurgge. In the background mount Jungfrau massif.

+ 2000m
– 1400m

7h

22 km

Expert

No

Map

GPX

5/5

Free and interactive map for the hike on the Via Alpina from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp

Please find here a free and detailed map of the hike from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp. Check out this interactive map from Komoot. You can move the slider at the bottom left and right to check out the altitude on the hike:

Our experience hiking the Via Alpina from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp

We hiked on the Via Alpina from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp in June 2020. This is one of the most beautiful hikes in Switzerland. We call it Switzerland unfiltered because hikers experience the country in the purest form: Green fields with hundred of cows; amazing views over the Swiss Alps, e.g. the Jungfrau and the Schilthorn; and a sporty climb to Sefinenfurgge mountain pass. Read more about our hike on the Via Alpina from Mürren to Griesalp below.

Mürren to Rotstockhütte is Switzerland unfiltred

We were nervous that morning. We knew that this was gonna be the toughest, steepest and longest hike we did so far. We left Mürren at 7am. What followed from Mürren to Rotstockhütte is Switzerland unfiltred: Forrests, green fields with hundreds of cows and behind them rocks, cliffs and snowy mountain peaks. The leg from Mürren to Rotstockhütte is one of the most beautiful hikes in Switzerland and we highly recommend you to do it.

Rostockhütte seen from the Via Alpina hiking trail.
Rotstockhütte, Switzerland

Climbing up to Sefinenfurgge mountain pass

We took a break in Rotstockhütte and tried their housemade siroop. While zipping on the straw we were suprised to still see so much snow on the mountains. It was early June. We left the hut. It took us about an hour to get to the foot of the Seffinenfurgge mountain pass. We stood in front of a “stone wall – snow field” and just held one thought: attack! At times we sank deep into the snow. Luckily, we could step into the traces other hikers left behind. We were thankful for the good gear, shoes and the not too heavy backpacks!

Matthias hiking through the snow to Sefinenfurgge mountain pass
Matthias hiking to Sefinenfurgge mountain pass

We climbed the wooden stairways on the last meters and finally stood on Sefinenfurgge mountain pass. What a great feeling! We sat peacefully on 2612 meters eating our picnic and looking back to where we came from: Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfrau, the village of Mürren and mount Schilthorn. On the other side of the pass we could see what’s next: the Blüemlisalp. We stamped our Via Alpina hiking passes and started the descent direction Griesalp.

View of Schilthorn (left), the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau from Via Alpina hiking trail to Sefinenfurgge mountain pass.
View to Schilthorn, Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau from the hiking trail to Sefinenfurgge

The descent from Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp

The descent turned out to be tricky as one of the staircases was damaged. We climbed around it. This trail lies in high alpine territory so for the next hour we hiked on gravel. Solène slipped at some point and fell – luckily nothing happened. Watch your steps when you are doing this hike.

Cows on the Via Alpina from Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp, Switzerland. Bad weather approaching.
Cows waiting for the storm on the Via Alpina

6 hours in. Our legs were getting really tired at this point. And there was a bad weather front approaching. We increased the speed. The cows looked like they were calmly expecting the storm. All we wished for was to reach our hotel in time but the bad weather was faster. 2 km before Griesalp it started raining heavily. Luckily, there were no flashes. Safe and sound, tired and proud, we arrived at our hotel in Griesalp.

Profile picture of Solène Stucker, co-founder of Hike&Dine
Solène’s Dine Pairing

Dine at Hotel Regina in Mürren

“The dining room of this Art déco hotel struck me. Through the high windows I watched the last sunbeams of the day caress the mountains on the other side of the valley. What happened in the halls of Hotel Regina over the last century? I discarded the thought and ordered another glass of Champagne.”  


Hiking Philosophy

The offical Via Alpina route suggest to start this hike in Lauterbrunnen. We met some people who made it from there to Griesalp in a day. They all looked 10 years older 🙂 and told us that they were exhausted for days. Well, where is the fun in that?

In good old Hike&Dine tradition we recommend to split this hike up to maximise full enjoyment.

Starting in Mürren is smart. By doing so you gain elevation: Mürren lies on 1638 meters. Mürren is a beautiful village and has good restaurants. Mount Schilthorn offers great views of the Bernese Alps and a James Bond exposition. We promise you won’t get bored. You can eat cheese fondue at every corner or take a Belle Epoque train ride in the Swiss Alps. We suggest to spend a night or two in Mürren and soak in Switzerland unfiltred before you start this hike.

And for all the slow hikers out there we actually suggest another stop: a night in Rotstockhütte. Why? Because we have all the time in the world, don’t we, Mister Bond.

Prepare your hike on the Via Alpina from Mürren to Griesalp

Get to Mürren by train and cable car from anywhere in Switzerland. Look up trains and cable cars directly on the site of Swiss National Railway (SBB) by typing in the starting point and Mürren as the destination.

Mürren is a car free village. Park your car in Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg and use the public transport to get to Mürren. You can find more information on how to get there by car here.

Send your extra luggage from Mürren to your next stop. There is no need to carry everything. Go to the train station Mürren and they transport the bags to your next stop. We sent our bags to Kandersteg.

Spend a night in Rostockhütte and enjoy a magical night in the Swiss mountains. Pricing and more information can be found here. You can make the reservation on that site as well.

This hike is though and only suited for expert hikers. You must be in great shape and be able to walk for 8 hours and more.

On the site of SwitzerlandMobility you can download an altitude profile and find a map of the hike (from Lauterbrunnen).

Pack your bags wisely. Bring food and enough water. Don’t overpack – you will regret it when you hike up to Sefinenfurgge mountain pass. There is no restaurant up there and not restrooms either. Rotstockhütte is your last pit stop (about 1 hour walking time before Sefinenfurgge).

As always, check the weather conditions. Make sure if there is still snow on Sefinenfurgge. We went there end of June and there was still a lot of snow on the pass.

Make sure to book your hotel in Griesalp. It’s a small hamlet. You can find an overview of the hotels here.

More images and videos from our hike from Mürren to Sefinenfurgge

We also made a short movie from our hike from Mürren to Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp. You can watch it below. It will help you figuring out if this hike is something for your. Watch the whole video; at the end, you will see scenes from our hike through the snowfield that we are mentioning above.

Find here a Pinterest Pin with videos and pictures from our hike from Mürren to Sefinenfurgge. We hope that this will help you when planning the hike from Mürren over Sefinenfurgge to Griesalp.

Hiking Griesalp Mürren
Solène hiking from Mürren – Sefinenfurgge – Griesalp
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