We climbed to dizzying heights on the west side of the First summit and walked on the First Cliff : a thrilling and breathtaking view awaits by accessing this terrace rising 2'168 meters out into the void!
On Saturday morning we woke early in our airbnb in Interlaken and set off for the First Cliff walk in Grindelwald. We found it quite hard to understand how this was organised but in fact you buy tickets for the cable car rather for the walk which is freely accessible when you reach the summit. Although the cable car departure is accessible by train from Interlaken, we decided that we would take the car and park at the “First” car park in Grindelwald, then take the cable car up the mountain*. From the car park it’s a short walk to the cable car station.
There was already a huge queue for the cable car but it moved steadily and we were soon installed and excited to enjoy the ride. It’s spectacular! The gondola takes you soaring above little villages and beautiful greenery before you climb up towards to glorious snowy wonderland above, complete with sparkling powder and chalets enveloped in snow. We were really lucky on Saturday that the sun was shining and the skies were blue so the views were especially breathtaking.
When you arrive at the top, it’s a short walk through the snow to the start of the Cliff Walk which is well signposted.
The cliff walk itself is not a long walk but it really is incredible. You follow the walkway which clings to the side of the mountain before you arrive in a more open area with the famous raised pathway out over the void. Despite the height, we didn’t find it scary but it is certainly exposed, the wind sways one part of the walkway a bit and the cold air literally look Elio’s breath away more than once so we really had to wrap him up well and I spent a lot of time singing in his ear to keep him calm.
Once we had taken our obligatory photo at the top we headed inside the restaurant for a hot chocolate. It’s a huge place with good facilities and a great view. We were dreaming of having the time to enjoy lunch on the terrace in the sun with a glass of wine but no such luck this time as Alba started singing very loudly and trying to climb on the table so we decided we’d better head back.
Our advice if you want a peaceful walk is to get there early, wrap up well at this time of year even if it’s sunny, and don’t even think about taking a big back carrier for the children. There are a couple of places where you need to duck to get round the overhanging mountain so it would be impossible with a big carrier. We’d also advise wearing decent shoes as it was a bit slippery in places - we saw a few people wearing heels which can’t have been easy in the snow. We would also advise that you buy your tickets for the cable car in advance to save time when you arrive.
A really amazing and unforgettable experience at any time of the year.
Information
Parking : Yes ("First" - not many places so try to arrive early)
Toilets : Yes
Baby Change Facilities : In the restaurant at top
Accessibility : Apparently suitable for pushchairs (but can be tricky in the snow)
*It rather helped when we realised that First is the name of the mountain summit (as opposed to meaning number one) as that made it easier for us to understand were we were heading :-)
Opening hours
Summer and Winter (during railway operating hours) 8 December 2018 until 27 October 2019
Discover the video of Alba crossing the bridge :