Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

You’re met with staggering panoramas at every turn in this town, but for a vertigo-inducing scenic ogle, take the cable car up to Tschentenalp – Adelboden’s resident mountain and watch the town shrink before you as you ascend. At the top, nab a spot on the restaurant’s terrace and admire the valley sprawling below.

Arts and culture

Adelboden’s little village church is the town’s centrepoint and still looks just as it did in when built in 1433. It’s worth checking out both for the frescoes beside the entrance, and Augusto Giacometti’s stained-glass windows. Folklore evenings are scheduled in the summer months between June and August, featuring displays of Alpine traditions such as yodelling, wrestling and dance.

Something for nothing

If you’ve a head for heights, hike the riverside trail from Frutigen to Rohrbach and make the dizzying crossing over the longest suspension bridge in Europe.

Shopping

Adelboden’s main (and pretty much only) street, Dorfstrasse is lined with ski shops selling everything the discerning snowsports enthusiast could possibly need – try Crazy Sports (+41 (0)33 673 3000) for snowboarding gear, Oester Sports (+41 (0)33 673 1625) for skiwear. Le Tricot (+41 (0)79 400 8474) sells preppy woollens à la Fat Face, and Couture Schwarz (+41 (0)33 673 43 68) is the outlet of Adelboden’s own Armani, bespoke designer Heidi Schwarz.

Daytripper

Take the short train ride from Frutigen to the ancient and beautiful Lake Thun, where you can explore the Beatus Caves (www.beatushoehlen.ch), take a boat trip on the lake itself (www.bls.ch), or ride the Niesen funicular (www.niesen.ch) to the top of the ‘Swiss Pyramid’ to enjoy 360º views of the Bernese Alps, the Interlaken, and Jura. Visit on a Sunday and have brunch at the restaurant at the top. In Thun town, keep an eye open for the regular markets, which sell everything from fruit to furs, and crafts to cattle.

Perfect picnic

Engstligenalp and its plunging 600m waterfall – the second largest in the country – are an hour and a half’s hike from Adelboden along the valley floor (more adventurous types can follow the Nordic walking trail along the mountainside). Pick up some pastries at the Haueter bakery on Dorfstrasse and enjoy them at the base of the falls – or take the cable car and picnic on the peak.

Walks

Follow the Tschentbach river as it carves its way through the Choloren Gorge – a 100-metre gully lined with steps and walkways. At the end you can take an invigorating (okay, freezing) dip in the ‘Fountain of Youth’. Not the real one, sadly.

Children

Adelboden’s Swiss Snowsports School (www.skischule-adelboden.ch) is particularly good if you have kids in tow and will soon have your ankle-biters sliding the slopes like pros. In summer, kids can learn to climb and abseil (www.alpinschule-adelboden.ch), or sign up to the Adlis Children's Club (+41 (0)33 673 80 80) which provides day-long activity programmes for six–12-year-olds, including circus acts and llama trekking. On Wednesdays there are free handicraft days for children over four.

Activities

Ski, ski, and more ski. Adelboden has more than 185km of pistes and is criss-crossed with ski lifts and cable cars to shuttle you from one piste to another, and the ski-supply-shop-to-people ratio is one of the highest on earth. Most shops have equipment rental too. If you’re a first-timer on the slopes, get lessons at the Swiss Snowsports School (www.skischule-adelboden.ch). If you’re ready to hang up you skis and try snowboarding, the Official Snowboard School (www.crazy-sports.ch) can teach you all you need to know about falling down a mountain strapped to some wood. Even in summer, you’ll find alpine activities aplenty – there are numerous walking and biking trails around the area, and climbing and abseiling are highlights on the adventurer’s agenda (www.alpinschule-adelboden.ch).

And

Adelboden is also home to a mineral spring, from which it produces Adelbodner, a bottled water brimming with calcium, magnesium, and general mineral goodness.