Grindelwald-First

First, at 2,168 m above Grindelwald, is an adventure mountain before the backdrop of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The First Cliff Walk, a walkway suspended from the rock face, and attractions such as the First Flyer and Trottibike complement classic high trails. A popular destination is the mountain lake Bachalpsee.

Highlights

• First Cliff Walk on the rock face
• View of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
• Hike to the Bachalpsee
• First Flyer and Trottibike

Good to know

Practical info

Background & History

Grindelwald lies in a wide valley basin of the Bernese Oberland, framed by the walls of the Eiger and the ice masses of the surrounding glaciers, which once reached far down into the valley and gave the place an almost arctic character. As early as the 19th century the village was among the early destinations of the emerging Alpine tourism, when English travellers marvelled at the glaciers and made Grindelwald one of the gateways into the high-Alpine world. Above the valley rises the sun terrace of First, a panoramic ridge that opens up the view of the famous trio of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

From First one of the finest high-altitude trails of the Alps leads past the mountain lakes called the Bachalpsee, in whose still surface the Schreckhorn and Finsteraarhorn are reflected, an image past which generations of hikers have been unable to walk. The whole ridge is criss-crossed by old mule paths and alpine farms, witnesses to a time in which the cattle were driven up to these pastures over the summer months. Today a gondola lift connects the village with the heights, yet the real wonder remains the landscape itself, in which the force of the north face and the gentleness of the alpine meadows meet, and in which every step opens up new views of the famous mountain chain of the Bernese Oberland.