Day 5 - Grindelwald First, Balchapsee & Pfingstegg
Grindelwald First
Bachalpsee
Pfingstegg
Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are the two main valleys in the Jungfrau region. Grindelwald First is an extremely popular — and crowded — attraction on the Grindelwald side. From the town of Grindelwald, there is a cable car that takes you three stations up, through Bort and Schreckfeld, to the final stop of Grindelwald First. There are five main activities available at Grindelwald First:
Cliff walk - A suspended cliff-side walkway and swinging bridge perched over the valley.
Glider - An eagle-flight experience for up to four passengers where you’re strapped facing down on a zip line between First and Schreckfeld.
Flyer - A single-seat zip-line flying down to the Schreckfeld.
Mountain Cart - A pedal-less three-wheeled cart that allows you to coast down from Schreckfeld to Bort.
Trottibike - A footboard scooter ride from Bort to Grindelwald, winding through meadows and farmhouses. Likely no wait.
Hike to Bachalpsee - A beautiful out-and-back hike to the stunning alpine Bachalpsee lake, takes about 2 hours.
Glider, Flyer and Mountain Cart all have extremely long wait time if you don’t show up before they open, and aren’t worth the wait in our opinion. From our hotel at Wengen, which is on the Lauterbrunnen side, it takes over an hour to get to Grindelwald First. We got an early start and arrived at Grindelwald First at around 9:30, but the lines to these popular activities was already extremely long. As planned, we enjoyed the cliff walk, hiked to Bachalpsee, then took the cable car down to Bort, then hopped on trottibikes to ride down to Grindelwald, where we enjoyed lunch before heading over to Pfingstegg for some toboggan and fly-line fun.
Grindelwald First - Cliff Walk
The cliff walk is a 300m-long suspended metal walkway along the cliffside that feels surprisingly safe and sturdy while providing spectacular views. The line can move slowly given the crowd, but the experience is well worth it.
Hike to Balchapsee
The hike to Bachalpsee is a popular hike from Grindelwald First. The trail is wide and flat, and the hike is fairly easy once you get over the initial ascent. Each way takes about a hour, although once you get to the lake, you’ll want to just sit, relax and enjoy the view, and let the time pass you by.
Voyagers tip: Bring some sandwiches and snacks with you, as this is the perfect picnic spot.
Trottibike
While the flyer, glider and mountain cart all have crazy long waits, trottibike almost never have a wait. The starting point is the Bort station, so you first take the cable car down two stations, get off at Bort, then rent the trottibike to ride back to the town of Grindelwald. It is so much fun! Megan decided to skip it and rode the cable car all the way down to town, while Ivan and the girls had a blast riding them!
Hike to Balchapsee
description of hike