The 1981 European Curling Championships were held from 7 to 12 December at the Sportzentrum arena in Grindelwald, Switzerland. The Swiss men's team skipped by Jürg Tanner won their third European title, and the Swiss women's team skipped by Susan Schlapbach won their second European title. For the first time, the men's team of Austria and Finland and women's teams of Austria and Luxembourg took part in the European Championship.