Besides being home to the international Scout centre, close to the Reichenbach falls (where Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty met their fabled fate) and home to the Dhammapala Bhuddist monastery, Kandersteg is a fabulous winter destination.
In a valley surrounded by UNESCO protected peaks, this is a village of traditional Swiss wooden chalets, where ancient brick and stone bridges cross the river Kander and a charming chapel peers over all.
If that’s not enough to make you feel like you’ve gone back in ti...
There are two small ski areas, which can be accessed from the Oeschinen gondola (about a 15 minute walk from the centre) and the Sunnbüel cable car (reachable by bus).
Oeschinen is the bigger of the two, home to Oeschiland with its children’s and beginner’s slopes and a total of 12km of red and blue pistes. Confident skiers and snowboarders can glide right back to the cable car base station. The Sunnbüel area’s higher, with three blues and a longer red.
Whether you want to have a go at ski jumping...
A lot of the restaurants and bars here are part of hotels – like the Bernerhof which is brilliant for a sophisticated supper (save room for the Meringue Chantilly dessert). It’s connected to the Kota hut, which you can book for a rustic fondue. Nico's is great for fine dining, while Cafe Schweizerhof does big portions of European favourites for a good price.
If you like to have a go at different activities, there are plenty on offer here. We love the fast 3.5km sled run to the Oeschinen gondola base stati...