Classic Swiss Alps Walk

• Breathtaking natural beauty: snow-capped peaks, emerald green slopes, amazing turquoise lakes, meadows thick with flowers
• Views of the Eiger, Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Monch
• A walker's paradise: 1000's of kms of well-marked trails, stunning Alpine flowers; rare birds of prey; marmots and deer
• Friendly family-run hotel with heated indoor pool/ sauna; excellent cuisine; superb value - virtually all meals included
• Superb mountain transport: cable cars, funiculars, chairlifts

Kandersteg is in the heart of the Bernese Oberland, where the great arc of the Alps culminates in some of its highest and most spectacular peaks. This is 'chocolate-box' Alps: lush green meadows bright with wildflowers against a backdrop of rugged, wild and beautiful mountains, topped by glistening glaciers.

A weeks' stay here will allow you to discover the very best of the region: a huge turquoise lake enclosed by towering cliffs, a 'hidden' valley headed by a glacier you can touch, a sheer gorge carved out by glacial meltwaters, an Alpine pass that has been used since Celtic times and more wild flowers than you even knew existed. And what views! The 4,000-metre Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau and Matterhorn all display their white peaks proudly, and a plethora of other summits and glaciers is closer to hand. Amazingly, all of this is accessible on well-defined paths directly from the hotel or after a short bus or cable car ride.

The excellent Swiss signposting and path marking, together with the Headwater notes, makes all of the walking accessible even for people with little, or no, experience of walking in the high Alps. On arrival, your hosts will provide you with a Guest Card giving you unlimited use of the village bus and a reduction on local cable cars. You do, however, need to be a confident walker.

Having based our Swiss cross-country skiing holidays here since 1996, the *** Hotel Alfa Soleil is now a firm Headwater favourite. There's an elegant lounge, lively bar, traditional restaurant, swimming pool, sauna, solarium and gym. New, for 2012, we are including 5 lunches - choose from picnics or a light buffet at your hotel.