Plan for the day
Our destinations for the day were Grindelwald First and Bachalpsee. To get to Grindelwald First we would need to drive about 20 km for our stay at Interlaken to Grindelwald where we would ascend to Grindelwald First by cable car. From Grindelwalk First we would then trek to Bachalpsee. At the end of the day we would be back to Interlaken for a second night.
Route for the day
By End of the Day
The view at Grindelwald First was very beautiful and the cliff walk was full of thrills. We enjoyed our trekking from Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee, at Bachalpsee the snow had not fully melted and the mirror like lake surface was stunningly lovely.
Grindelwald
We reached Grindelwald at about 11.30 am and drove to Grindelwald-First valley cable car station to look for a place to park our car. Unfortunately the car park directly across the cable car station was full so we had to loop around looking for a public car park with available spaces.
Grindelwald town
We found a big carpark (parking charge was CHF1 per hour) further away and walked about 400 metres to Grindelwald-First cable car station (co-ords: 46.624999, 8.041787). Grindelwald was a pretty village filled with hotels, restaurants and shops. The village buildings were mainly wooden structures and they looked very rustic in their green surroundings and alps with snowy peaks.
Grindelwald-First Cable Car station
We paid CHF15 per person for the cable car ride. It was a single-way half fare ticket to Grindelwald-First. The ticketing staff advised us to purchase single way tickets going up, as many visitors chose other means of coming down like trekking, using the flyers/zipline, mountain carts or bikes.
Grindelwald-First cable car
By this time of our 40-Days-Italy-&-10-Days-Switzerland trip we had gone up many alps on both the Swiss and Italy sides by cable cars, gondolas or chairlifts and had saw manu similar views of alps, greenery, meadows and valleys but interestingly these familiar scenery still captivated us.
The tickets for cable car/gondola/chairlift rides especially the Swiss ones were pretty costly but these rides were indispensible as trekking would be too tedious and strenuous and only by getting up to the summit would we be able to explore and see more.
Stunning scenery as seen from the cable car
Between Grindelwald to Grindelwald First there were about three stops. We went all the way to Grindelwald First on the way up. On the way down we might alight at the intermediate stops to explore if we still had the time. At Grindelwald First upper car station we exited and wondered where was the famous Tissot Cliff Walk. Then we spotted it, it was at the edge of the restaurant, Berggasthaus which was just before the cable car station.
We were glad to find that the Tissot Cliff Walk was free for all visitors, there was no admission fee. The highlight of the walk was a narrow span that extended out into the air. We joined a group of visitors queuing up to take panoramic shots of ourselves standing on glass panel at the extreme end of a extended path. It felt like we were standing on mid-air with a deep valley below our feet and the massive snow alps behind our backs.
Part of the Tissot Cliff walk
The visitors in the queue were all very helpful when it came to photograph taking, the next in queue would help the people infront with their photoshoots. After taking pictures for the couple ahead of us, we too handed over our cameras and phones to the couple behind us so that they could help with the phototaking when we posed at the end of the glass path.
Tissot Cliff walk
We walked the entire stretch of the cliff walk which was not very long. At section it was built just next to the cliff and at other section it spanned over a steep valley. Below our feet were steel mesh that allowed us to look right down to the treacherous cliff below. The steel walk structures were very well built and at no moment did we felt them swayed or wobbled.
Tissot Cliff Walk at Grindelwald First
After the Tissot Cliff Walk we trekked about 3 km to Bachalpsee. The trail started just after the restaurant and went westward. It was a nice day for trekking, it was cooling not hot at all.
Hiking Route to Bachalpsee
The hiking trek had some ups and down but very manageable. Not all the ice had melts so we saw big blocks of snow by the sides of the trek. This was a popular trek as there were many people hiking the same way. Some like us were going to the lake while others were already on their way back.
Scenic view on the trek to Bachalpsee
After about 50 minutes we reached Bachalpsee, there was two lakes one small and one bigger. Some sections of the lake shore were still covered with snow, melting very slowing. The ground around the lake that was not frozen was covered with green grass. Green, blue and white combined beautifully to form a lovely scenery.
Bachalpsee
We found a bench that was by the lake and sat there admiring the view. The cool air was lovely on our faces and felt refreshing. We would love to stay overnight at Bachalpsee to see the sunset and the sunrise over the lake but there were no accommodation facilities around the lake though there were toilets/huts for those in need.
Beautiful reflection of the alps in Bachalpsee
We left the lake at about 3 pm and trekked back to the cable car station. We saw a group of young persons queuing to go down by the zipline. Some were zipping down in a “sitting” position and others were zipping down in “superman flying” style. It looked so thrilling but the queue was too long! The zipline stopped at the next level and from there those who sought more thrills could join another long queue to descend to the next level/stop by mountain cart. The cost of the zipline and mountain cart probably costed a “bomb”. If we were 10 years younger we would probably come down by the zipline and the mountain cart but nowaday we preferred coffee break and cakes!
Coffee break at Grindelwald
We were back to Grindelwald at about 4.30 pm but before picking up our car we stopped at Backerei hotel/restaurant for cupaccino and a very tasty cream cake (total cost was CHF 12).