Kandersteg is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.

It offers outdoor activities year-round, with hiking trails and mountain climbing as well as downhill and cross-country skiing.

In 1511 the parish built a chapel in Kandersteg, which survived the iconoclasm of the Protestant Reformation in 1530.

The new railroad line and tunnel allowed ever increasing numbers of tourists to visit Kandersteg.

A chair lift to Oeschinen Lake opened in 1948, followed by a cable car to the valley floor in 1951.

[3] Kandersteg is located on the northern side of the Bernese Alps at an altitude of 1,200 meters (3,900 ft) above sea level at the foot of the Lötschen and Gemmi Passes.

The Bunderchrinde Pass (2,385 m [7,825 ft]) connects Kandersteg to Adelboden, whilst the Hohtürli Pass (2,778 m [9,114 ft]) on the east connects Kandersteg to Griesalp in the Kiental valley.

Part of the municipality is located within the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and extended in 2007.

[7] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Foot-bridge in pale Or and in chief Argent an Eagle displayed Sable.

[11] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (1,022 or 89.9%) as their first language, Portuguese is the second most common (32 or 2.8%) and English is the third (13 or 1.1%).

The hotel and restaurant or Gasthof Ruedihaus is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

In the tertiary sector, 50 (11.5%) were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 58 (13.4%) were in the movement and storage of goods, 264 (60.8%) were in a hotel or restaurant, 6 (1.4%) were in the insurance or financial industry, 7 (1.6%) were in education and 20 (4.6%) were in health care.

[11] From the 2000 census[update], 840 or 73.9% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church, while 154 or 13.5% were Roman Catholic.

The wettest month was July, when Kandersteg had an average of 147 mm (5.8 in) of rain or snow.

The month with the most days of precipitation was June, with an average of 14.1, but with only 131 mm (5.2 in) of rain or snow.

The driest month of the year was February with an average of 68 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation over 9.6 days.

This is followed by three years of obligatory lower secondary school where the students are streamed according to ability and aptitude.

[19] A broad spectrum of accommodation characterises the village: from 5-star hotel to holiday apartments and camp sites.

Several mountain huts belonging to the Swiss Alpine Club are located in the valley.

The most famous routes lead to the canton of Valais, across the Gemmi Pass straight to Leukerbad (with cable cars operating at each end) or through the wild Gastern valley across the higher Lötschen Pass to the Lötschental.

Lake Oeschinen[23] is considered one of the most attractive in Switzerland and can be accessed by the Kandersteg-Oeschinen cablecar which replaced the chairlift that operated until 7 September 2008.

In winter over 50 kilometers (31 mi) of cross-country skiing trails (classic and skating) are available in the valley floor and higher up.

Small downhill ski areas are located near Lake Oeschinen and Sunnbüel.

A winter trail network connects the village to Blausee and to the Gemmi Pass.

Kandersteg owes its development as a tourist destination to its good transport links at the northern end of the Lötschberg Tunnel, which is part of the Lötschberg line, a major railway line across the Alps.

Road vehicles can be carried through the tunnel to Goppenstein by open sided car shuttle trains.

The municipality is also served by PostAuto bus services down the Kandertal to Mitholz, Blausee, Kandergrund and Frutigen, and up the Gastertal to Selden.