Grindelwald
Grindelwald is its own base, not a suburb of Interlaken — a genuine Alpine village directly beneath the Eiger's north face, and one of two launch points for Jungfraujoch. The First cable car (CHF 72–76 round-trip) opens onto a free cliff walk, a zipline, and the Bachalpsee lake hike with the region's most photographed reflection shot. One full day covers First; two adds the Jungfraujoch trip, genuinely faster from here than from Interlaken.
Interlaken gets all the name recognition, but Grindelwald is where you actually want to sleep if the mountains are the point of your trip — it's a real village wedged directly under the Eiger's north face, not a lakeside transit hub, and it happens to be the faster of the two routes up to Jungfraujoch.
Grindelwald vs. Interlaken — what's the difference?
Interlaken sits in the valley between two lakes and functions as the region's transit and lodging hub; Grindelwald is a genuine mountain village about 35 minutes further up the valley by train, directly beneath the Eiger. If mountain scenery and hiking are the actual point of your trip rather than a lake view, basing in Grindelwald instead of (or in addition to) Interlaken is worth serious consideration.
First — cliff walk, zipline, and that lake photo
First (2,168m) sits directly opposite the Eiger's north face, reached by a cable car from the village center. The First Cliff Walk — a walkway that juts out over open air along the cliff edge — is included free with any gondola ticket, no separate charge. From the top station, it's about a 2-hour round-trip hike to Bachalpsee, a small Alpine lake that produces the single most photographed mountain reflection shot in the whole Jungfrau region on a still morning.
| Activity | Time needed | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|
| First gondola round-trip (includes Cliff Walk) | 20–30 min each way | CHF 72–76 ($90–95) |
| First Flyer zipline | ~1 minute, adrenaline-heavy | CHF 35–40 on top of gondola |
| Bachalpsee hike from First | ~2 hours round-trip | Included once you've paid for the gondola |
| Adventure package (2 activities + gondola) | Half-day | From CHF 60 |
Take the first gondola of the day up to First if you want the Bachalpsee reflection shot — the lake is calmest, and the trail least crowded, before mid-morning. Afternoon wind on the water ruins the mirror effect that makes the photo famous in the first place.
Getting to Jungfraujoch from Grindelwald
Grindelwald is genuinely the faster of the two routes to Jungfraujoch, 'Top of Europe' — the Grindelwald Terminal gondola (opened 2020) connects directly to the Eigergletscher station, cutting real time off the older Kleine Scheidegg cogwheel-train route that Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen visitors typically use. See our full Jungfraujoch guide for prices and what's at the top.
Other things to do
- Pfingstegg — a smaller cable car up from the village with a toboggan run and ropes course, a good half-day if you're traveling with kids or want something lower-key than First.
- The Eiger Trail — a genuinely dramatic hiking route running along the base of the Eiger's north face, for anyone who wants to actually stand under the mountain, not just photograph it from a gondola.
- Männlichen — a cable car from Grindelwald connecting over to Wengen and Lauterbrunnen, with one of the region's best ridge-line panoramic walks along the way.
Getting to Grindelwald
| From | Method | Approx. time |
|---|---|---|
| Interlaken Ost | Direct train | ~35 minutes |
| Zurich | Train, one change in Interlaken | ~2.5 hours |
| Bern | Train, one change in Interlaken | ~1.5 hours |
The First Cliff Walk, zipline, and Bachalpsee trail are all genuinely weather-dependent — high wind closes the cliff walk and zipline on short notice, and low cloud erases the Eiger view entirely. Check the live Grindelwald webcam before committing a full day to First.
Mistakes to avoid
- Confusing Grindelwald with Interlaken when booking a hotel — they're about 35 minutes apart by train and offer genuinely different experiences, not interchangeable names for the same place.
- Trying to do First and a full Jungfraujoch trip on the same day — each is realistically a half-day-to-full-day excursion, and combining them turns a great day into an exhausting one.
- Skipping Bachalpsee because '2 hours round-trip' sounds like a lot — it's a genuinely manageable, mostly gentle trail, and it's the single most rewarding short hike in the region.
Where to stay in Grindelwald — hotels
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