We present a new modelling strategy for improving the efficiency of computationally intensive flow problems in environmental free-surface flows. The approach combines a recently developed semi-implicit subgrid method with a hierarchical grid solution strategy. The method allows the incorporation of high-resolution data on subgrid scale to obtain a more accurate and efficient hydrodynamic model. The subgrid method improves the efficiency of the hierarchical grid method by providing better solutions on coarse grids. The method is applicable to both steady and unsteady flows, but we particularly focus on river flows with steady boundary conditions. There, the combined hierarchical grid-subgrid method reduces the computational effort to obtain a steady state with factors up to 43. For unsteady models, the method can be used for efficiently generating accurate initial conditions on high-resolution grids. Additionally, the method provides automatic insight in grid convergence. We demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of the method using a schematic test for the vortex shedding around a circular cylinder and a real-world river case study@en