I'd go with the the winter tyres myself, but I'd also carry chains too just in case.

We are planning to visit Grindelwald Switzerland in Dec. The local driving school recommends to put on winter tyres although this isn't mandatory in Swiss.

I tried xdrive performance in a muddy carpark previously and wasn't quite convinced by its 4-wheel control at all. May I ask if it is essential to chain the tyres or winter tyres shall be sufficient in this part of the world? Thank you!

It would be foolhardy not to fit winter tyres, although I think you are saying that you intend to. I live in Austria and they are as good as mandatory here, inasmuch as if you have an accident in the winter and are on summer tyres, your insurance will be invalid with all the ramifications that it entails. So for all intents and purposes, they are mandatory.

As to chains, you only fit them when necessary, you don't drive on them all the time. The rule here is that they should only be used when the road surface is completely covered by ice and/or snow. I have only fitted chains once in the 13 years we have lived here, and don't even own a set for our current car (Honda CR-V AWD). In general, you would only need them if you are going to a high altitude ski resort. They are available to hire in the UK which might be a cheaper option, but do take specialist advice as some cars need special chains.

Lastly, if you decide to buy/hire, practice putting them on before you leave, on a dry warm day - believe me, you wouldn't want to crawl around on the ice and snow trying to fit them for the first time!

HTH.

Even if they aren't mandatory in Switzerland, they might well be in the countries you pass through to get there, depending upon which route you take!

There is a massive difference between summer and winter tyre performance when it is icy/snowy/cold&wet. I'd definitely not plan to go to Switzerland in December in summer tyres. You might compromise with all-weather tyres (Michelin CrossClimates or similar) which meet the M&S winter driving requirement in most countries. You can then leave them on all year if you wish - or pay a smallish charge to a friendly garage to swap them over before the summer. Take a look at this if in doubt:

www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Reviews-All-...m

As for chains... if there is any chance of proper snow on the roads, then they are probably essential. I don't know how often I've seen cars unable to exit the hotel car park after a heavy overnight snow drop, even with winter tyres on, and with the drivers panicking about getting home/to the airport on time. Or you could try snow-socks for that one-off emergency.

Having driven only 2 wheel drive cars with normal tyres to Swiss ski resorts in the past, I can assure you that in a 4x4 there will be absolutely no need for either chains or 'winter' tyres, unless you have to access a remote chalet up a winding track. They may be mountain roads but they are so well engineered that nowhere are gradients particularly steep. They are also cleared quickly after a big snowfall, especially on such a busy road as that from Interlaken to Grindelwald. In December, unless you travel immediately after a snowfall, there is unlikely to be much snow around at all. I certainly wouldn't bother with such an unnecessary expense. I do wonder if the more cautious posters here so free with their expensive advice have any direct experience of Alpine motoring.

Slightly different approach, you will have family in the car, possibly children, getting a second set of wheels and running with winter tyres will give you peace of mind. Certainly have some chains too, but these are not likely to be needed unless the conditions are unusually severe. Also consider stopping distances, this is even more important than not getting stuck.

I went to the French Alps in December 2010 (remember the snow & ice that winter), put on 4 winter tyres (2 wheel drive), drove on snowy roads, slushy roads, icy roads, granted I capped my speed on motorways in the blizzards, never a troubled moment, no skids, never stuck, I had a set of chains with me but never needed to use them, even in snowy car parks. I swapped the winters with the summers, the outlay was recovered with longer life of all tyres, when I sold the car I sold the wheels. Nowadays I use crossclimate tyres, just waiting for snow in Kent to put hem to the test!

Don't wait for local law to dictate, local driving school has it's finger on the pulse of what is best.