Grindelwald First: Cliff Walk, paid thrills and the walk to Bachalpsee

What First actually is

Grindelwald First is a 2,168 m ridge above Grindelwald, reached by a modern gondola from the Grindelwald Terminal in about 25 minutes, with a mid-station at Bort. It is the more theme-park end of the mountain excursions from Interlaken: a cliffside viewing platform, four separate paid activities, and a walking trail on to one of the region’s most photographed lakes. None of that is a criticism — it does exactly what it sets out to do — but it is worth knowing before you buy a ticket that First is built around add-ons, not included in the base fare.

The base ticket is the return gondola ride itself. From Interlaken, the trip means getting to Grindelwald first, either on the direct train (about 35 minutes from Interlaken Ost) or via the Eiger Express and Grindelwald Terminal, which is the newer, faster route built for Jungfraujoch traffic but also serves First travellers heading to the same terminal building.

The First Cliff Walk by Tissot

The Cliff Walk is included in the standard gondola ticket, which makes it the best value thing at First by a wide margin. It is a steel platform bolted directly onto the cliff face at the top station, ending in a horseshoe-shaped viewing loop that projects out over the drop. There is no charge to walk it and no time limit, though on a busy midsummer afternoon the platform itself gets crowded enough that photographs without other people in them take patience.

The view from the platform takes in the Eiger’s north face more or less head-on, with the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn visible to the side on a clear day. It is not a long visit — most people are on and off the platform in 15 to 20 minutes — but it is the one part of First that everyone should do regardless of budget.

The four paid attractions, and which are worth it

First’s adventure activities are bookable on site (often with a wait) or in advance online, which avoids the queue on busy days. Prices below are approximate; expect them to move a little year to year, but the relative gap between the cheapest and most expensive stays roughly the same.

Activity	What it is	Approximate price	Worth it?
First Flyer	Seated zipline, feet first, reaching around 84 km/h over roughly 800 m	CHF 39	Yes — short, fast, and the best photo of the Eiger you’ll get from a moving object
First Glider	Zipline in a prone, flying position, longer and gentler than the Flyer	CHF 25	Only if the Flyer is sold out or you specifically want the flying posture
Mountain Cart	Self-driven three-wheeled cart, ridden downhill from First to Bort	CHF 29	Yes for families — genuinely fun, low skill barrier, good value over the distance
Trotti bike	Scooter-style descent on the same downhill path as the Mountain Cart	CHF 25	Skip if you’ve already tried a scooter descent elsewhere in the Bernese Oberland

None of these four are included in the gondola ticket, and none of them are required to enjoy First — they are the reason families with children tend to spend three or four hours here rather than one. If you are short on both time and money, the Flyer is the single activity worth prioritising; it is the fastest to queue for and the one most people remember afterwards.

a combined attraction ticket covering entry and one of the paid rides at First can work out cheaper than paying for the gondola and an activity separately, particularly if you’re travelling from Interlaken rather than already holding a regional pass.

Walking to Bachalpsee

The walk from the First top station to Bachalpsee is the best reason to allow a full half-day here rather than treating First as a two-hour stop. It takes 45 to 60 minutes each way for most walkers, gains around 200 m, and is wide and gravelled for the first stretch before narrowing over rockier ground closer to the lake. In good conditions it needs nothing more technical than sturdy shoes; it is not a route for trainers with smooth soles once the path turns to loose stone.

Bachalpsee itself sits at 2,265 m, backed by the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn, and on a still morning the lake reflects both peaks clearly enough that it has become one of the most reproduced images from the Bernese Oberland. Arrive early — by mid-morning in July and August the shoreline near the best reflection spot is genuinely crowded, and the calm water that makes the photograph work is more reliable before the wind picks up later in the day. The path is snow-free from roughly mid-June to October in a typical year; outside that window, check conditions before setting out, since snow patches on the narrower sections can be more serious than they look from a distance.

Walkers who want more than the there-and-back to Bachalpsee can continue toward the Faulhorn and Bussalp loop, a longer route that adds several hours and a substantial amount of ascent — worth checking against your fitness and the time of the last gondola down before committing.

Combined tickets and passes

There is no First-specific combo ticket that bundles the gondola with the paid adventure activities — each of those is booked separately regardless of what pass you’re travelling on. What the regional passes do cover is transport to and up the mountain:

• The Jungfrau Travel Pass and Berner Oberland Pass both include the First gondola in their coverage area, which matters if you’re already planning to ride the Jungfraujoch railway or several other Bernese Oberland lifts in the same trip.
• The Swiss Travel Pass gives a discount on the First gondola rather than free travel, since it sits outside the core national rail network the pass is built around.
• Without any pass, a standard return ticket from Grindelwald Terminal is the only thing you need to buy for the gondola and Cliff Walk.

If First is one stop on a longer day rather than the whole plan, it slots naturally into the wider Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren tour style of itinerary, or you can combine it with Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen on a two-mountain day if you start early enough.

a Grindelwald gondola and Mount First package that covers the ride up and one activity is the simplest way to book the whole visit in one go rather than juggling separate tickets on arrival.

What closes, and when

First is exposed ridge terrain, and wind closes things here more often than it does at lower-altitude attractions around Interlaken. Three separate thresholds are worth knowing:

• The zipline attractions (First Flyer and First Glider) close at relatively modest wind speeds, since they run on exposed cable across open terrain.
• The Mountain Cart and Trotti bike descents close in wet conditions more readily than in wind, since the surface becomes unsafe when slick.
• The gondola itself closes only in genuinely strong wind, which happens less often but does happen — usually a handful of days a year, concentrated in autumn and spring.

On top of daily weather, the whole system closes for scheduled maintenance for one to two weeks each spring and again each autumn — check when the mountain railways open and close before booking a trip in April, May, October or November, since this is the single most common reason visitors arrive at Grindelwald Terminal to find First shut for the season rather than for the day. If the forecast for your date shows strong wind, it’s worth having a backup: Harder Kulm sits lower and is far less wind-sensitive, and doesn’t require a booking to fall back on.

a day trip from Interlaken to First built around the Eiger views typically includes transport, which removes one variable if you’d rather not manage train connections on a day when the weather is uncertain.

First versus the other Grindelwald-area viewpoints

First is not the only high point reachable from Grindelwald, and it is worth being clear about what makes it different from Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg, the other two ridges most visitors compare it against. See First versus Männlichen versus Kleine Scheidegg for a fuller comparison, but the short version: First has the Cliff Walk, the paid thrill rides and the walk to Bachalpsee; Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg sit closer to the Eiger’s classic ridge line and connect directly onward toward the Jungfraujoch railway, which First does not.

Families weighing up a single mountain day often ask whether First or Grindelwald First itself compared with a broader day trip makes more sense — if children are along and time is short, First’s cluster of activities in one place usually wins over a day that tries to cover more ground.

a guided tour taking in Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren in one day is worth considering if First is one stop among several rather than the whole day’s focus, though note that a tour itinerary of this kind rarely leaves enough time for the full walk out to Bachalpsee.

Getting there and practical notes

From Interlaken Ost, trains to Grindelwald run roughly every half hour and take about 35 minutes. From Grindelwald station it’s a short walk to the Grindelwald Terminal, where the First gondola departs from the same building used for Jungfraujoch traffic via the Eiger Express, so signage in high season can be confusing — check the departure boards for First specifically rather than following the crowd toward the Jungfraujoch platforms.

Pack for altitude, weather and what to pack even on a day that looks warm in Interlaken: at 2,168 m the temperature at First is routinely 8 to 10°C cooler than at lake level, and the exposed platform at the Cliff Walk catches whatever wind there is. Sturdy footwear matters more for the Bachalpsee extension than for the Cliff Walk itself, where the platform surface is flat, metal decking.

There are no lockers at the First top station, so travellers arriving with luggage should sort that out in Grindelwald or Interlaken first — see luggage and lockers for where that’s actually possible. A café and self-service restaurant sit at the top station; prices are what you’d expect for a mountain terminus, and there’s nothing wrong with bringing your own food for the Bachalpsee walk instead.

Grindelwald First questions answered

What does the ticket to Grindelwald First include?

The standard return gondola ticket from Grindelwald Terminal to First includes access to the First Cliff Walk by Tissot, the cantilevered viewing platform bolted to the cliff face. The First Flyer, First Glider, Mountain Cart and Trotti bike are all booked and paid separately, on site or in advance.

Which paid attraction at First is worth doing?

The First Flyer is the most memorable for most visitors: a short, fast zipline with genuinely good views of the Eiger north face. The Mountain Cart is good value for families heading down from Bort. The First Glider is a longer, tamer ride at a higher price, and the Trotti bike is fun but not distinctive if you have already tried a scooter descent elsewhere in the region.

How long does the walk from First to Bachalpsee take?

Around 45 to 60 minutes each way for most walkers, with roughly 200 metres of ascent. The path is wide and well maintained at the start, narrower and rockier in the final stretch, and it is usually snow-free from mid-June to October.

Does the Grindelwald First cable car close in bad weather?

Yes. The cable car and the Cliff Walk close in high wind, and the zipline attractions close at lower wind speeds than the cable car itself, so it is possible to ride up and still find the Flyer or Glider shut. All of First’s lifts also close for scheduled maintenance for one to two weeks in spring and again in autumn.

Is there a combined ticket for Grindelwald First and other attractions?

The Jungfrau Travel Pass and the Berner Oberland Pass both cover the First gondola, and holders of the Swiss Travel Pass get a discount rather than free travel on this line. There is no First-specific combo that bundles the paid adventure activities with the gondola ticket.

Can you see the Eiger from Grindelwald First?

Yes, and from further along the Bachalpsee path the view opens further to the Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn as well. First itself faces the Eiger’s north face directly, which is why the Flyer and Cliff Walk both use that outlook.

Is Grindelwald First better than Männlichen or Kleine Scheidegg?

First suits visitors who want an easy lake walk and one adrenaline activity in a single trip. Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg sit closer to the Eiger’s classic ridge views and connect directly onward to the Jungfraujoch railway, which First does not.