How to visit Grindelwald First Cliff Walk (2025)

I am sure you have seen many photographs on social media of the Grindelwald First Cliff Walk at Grindelwald-First in Switzerland.

This is a must-see attraction in the Jungfrau region in the Bernese Oberland, and we understand why! It is in a stunning location where the snowcapped mountains are tall and give the feeling you can touch the summits.

But the mountain station Grindelwald-First not only offers amazing Swiss mountain views that you can reach with ease, at First you can experience much more.

Because of its easy access via Grindelwald, the mountain station First offers many fun, thrilling experiences that will make your trip to Grindelwald well worth the effort.

One of these amazing activities is walking the famous First Cliff Walk by Tissot. Not to be mixed up with the “Peak Walk by Tissot” which is at the Glacier 3000 summit station above Les Diablerets, in Switzerland.

Where to stay in Grindelwald

Before you are exploring Grindelwald First, pick your choice of accommodation. Then Grindelwald deserves to be explored and a one night stay is a minimum.

What is the First Cliff Walk in Grindelwald?

First Cliff Walk Grindelwald is actually what it says. It is literally a walk along suspended bridge-like constructions along a cliff. The walkway is hanging on the side of the mountain and because of these structures it is a thrilling experience and the views are spectacular.

Where is the First Cliff Walk in Grindelwald?

The First Cliff Walk is right at the summit of the First mountain at 2200m above sea level, only a cable car ride away from Grindelwald village with the Grindelwald Firstbahn (cable car).

At the end of the First Cliff Walk there is a spectacular observation platform which gives you the feeling of walking out into the middle of this breathtaking mountain scenery.

The First cliff walk is a fantastic experience that is free and accessible to all. However, no pushchairs are allowed on the walk.

The Mountain Restaurant at First is connected to the Cliff Walk and plenty of hiking trails start from here.

How to get to the First Cliff Walk at Grindelwald- First

To reach the First Cliff Walk you need to make your way to Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland.

By Train: From Interlaken Ost train station the train will take you direct Grindelwald.

By car: At the Grindelwald Terminal is a large payable car park where you can leave your car.

When you arrive in this picturesque Swiss alpine town at the foot of the Eiger, you can either walk through the town centre towards the ‘First cable car station’ which is at the opposite side of the village. Alternatively, you could also take the 122 bus to the Firstbahn stop, which takes less than 5 minutes from the train station and a bit longer from the terminal.

As the Terminal is outside of Grindelwald village it will take you about 30 minutes to walk to the First Cable Car station. And only 10 minutes from the train station.

Grindelwald First Cable Car

The last stretch before reaching the cliff walk will be in the scenic cable car from Grindelwald to First. Enjoy some stunning vistas for the next 25 minutes. Remain seated in the cable car as you will pass two intermediate stations – Bort where the playground is, and Schreckfeld – the depart for the Grindelwald mountain carts.

Guests that are planning to go on the First Glider need to also disembark at the station Schreckfeld.

Remain seated till you reach First, the end station for the First Cliff Walk and the First Flyer.

More to these activities – further below.

Getting to the First Cliff Walk

You are now at the First Summit at 2200m above sea level. The surrounding views are breathtaking and we can fully appreciate if you simply cannot get over the fact how beautiful it is up there.

With the Wetterhorn to your left, the Eiger and the Jungfrau mountain chain to your right, it is a unique skyline that will stay in your memory forever.

The Cliff walk is a ONE-WAY SYSTEM and you need to make your way around the mountain First to the start. Follow the signs to the Bachalpsee and you will reach the entry to the Cliff walk after a few minutes.

Travel Tip: If you do have a pushchair with you, leave it at the restaurant / cable car station and carry your baby along, because push chairs are not allowed on the Cliff walk. You will finish the Cliff walk at the station / restaurant where you can collect the pushchair again.

On the First Cliff Walk – what to expect

Expect a thrilling, fun and amazing few minutes when walking the Grindelwald First Cliff Walk by Tissot. This walk is for everyone that loves amazing views and a bit of exhilaration during a hike.

The walkway is NOT wobbly so this may help overcome any nerves. Always remember cliff walks are built to hold!

Depending on the time of the day and the season you are visit will considerably influence the amount of people that will enjoy this spectacular feature with you.

If you are able to walk it without stopping due to too much congestion, it will only take about 10 minutes.  But why not make it longer?

By letting people pass and waiting for some great photo opportunities with nobody in your frame will need some patience and time, but the wait will be worth it.

As it is a one-way system you will have the best views always in front of you. But don’t forget to turn around, this will give you some totally different views of the suspension-bridges or walkways and the scenery behind you.

Some even call it the Grindelwald skywalk because it feels like walking in the sky.

The pathway really is hanging from First mountain and as you walk you will sometimes have to duck under rocks. But at all times you have some of the most amazing mountain views in Switzerland in front of you.

At the end you will be getting back to the restaurant and the large “hanging bridge” or as I like to call it “the walk of fame”. This elevated viewing platform stretches 45 metres above the abyss. It gives a feeling of being in the sky and the view over the Bernese Alps and region is amazing.

The elevated viewing bridge on the First Cliff Walk

Unfortunately, everyone wants to be here and walk the final few meters to the edge! Some are racing here straight out of the cable car and will skip the actual cliff walk, which is such a shame.

It is now up to you whether you wait in the queue to get to the edge of the bridge, or whether you are simply skipping this part and enjoying similar views from the Grindelwald First restaurant terrace.

However, if you decide to stand in the queue here are some tips on how you can get the best experience when it is your turn to walk to the edge.

• Be patient, the queue will get smaller with the time!

• STOP moving forward at the spot where you would like to get your picture or video done. Some people only have one metre between the edge and them. This will not leave you a lot of possibilities to photograph or video this experience.
  We stopped at least 15 metres before the edge. Yes, people behind me asked me to move on, but we just stayed there until it was our turn and we had nobody in front of us for at least 10 metres. This has given us the opportunity to make some great shots, and video when walking towards the end. It obviously all depends on what you would like out of this experience.

• Have a second photographer ready to make some pictures or video from the restaurant terrace whilst you are on the Cliff Walk bridge.

New viewing Platform – Schreckhorn

As if the Cliff Walk is not enough, Grindelwald-First has a (new) second viewing platform above the Cliff walk.

How much time do you need to walk the First Cliff Walk?

The First Cliff Walk is just a couple of hundred metres long and because of this it will not take you more than 15 minutes. What does take time is the photography and taking it all in whilst admiring the different views from the Cliff Walk.

On a less busy day, including the 2 x 25 minutes ride on the Grindelwald Firstbahn up and down to and from the summit, plus the walk you could have it all done in one and a half hours.

But this would be a bit of a stress and remember to consider that on the viewing platform there might be a queue.

To count at least two hours or more would be much better.

Tickets to the First Cliff walk in Grindelwald

The good thing is there is no entrance fee to walk the Cliff Walk because it is sponsored by Tissot.

You do however need to buy a cable car ticket to reach First mountain station, or hike up from Grindelwald to First. The trail is via the Eiger Ultra Trail and is a pretty much straight uphill hike for 7.4 km. If you do have a lot of time on your hands why not, but you could also just enjoy the 25 minutes in the Firstbahn from Grindelwald.

In 2025 a Grindelwald – First – Grindelwald adult ticket cost Chf 72.- and Chf 20.- for children aged 6 – 15 years.

Discounted Grindelwald-First tickets

If you have a half-fare card, Swiss travel pass or a GA travel card you will receive 50% discount on the prices above.

Children with a Junior SBB card and children under the age of 6 years will travel to Grindelwald-First free of charge with a paying adult.

If you are staying for three days or more in the Jungfrau region, then you might want to consider getting the Jungfrau Travel Card which includes the First Gondola and many more in the area such as the Allmendhubel Flower Park & Flower Trail In Mürren, or even heading up to the James Bond 007 Schilthorn Piz Gloria exhibition.

However, all the Grindelwald-First attractions like First Glider, First Flyer, Mountain Cart and Trottibikes are NOT included and need to be purchased separately.

Here you get great Tickets from Grindelwald to First.

Good to know when visiting Grindelwald-First Cliff Walk 

• This is without doubt an activity you only want to do on a nice day when the skies are clear. Therefore, check the Grindelwald-First webcam before buying a ticket and heading up into the potential fog.

• One of the top travel tips when visiting Grindelwald-First is to spend the night at the Berggasthaus First. The location is at the top of the First cable car station and right by the Cliff Walk. This means once all day tourists have left First and gone down to Grindelwald village, you are sharing the First Cliff Walk only with the hotel guests. Get up before the first gondola from Grindelwald reaches the summit and capture some amazing sunrise photos from the viewing bridge and the whole surrounding area. Definitely a winner in my eyes.

• No pushchairs on the walk are permitted, leave it at the First station and carry your child around to the start of the cliff walk and along.

• No special equipment is needed to walk the First Cliff Walk but I would definitely not suggest shoes with high heels. Hiking shoes are the best especially if you may want to explore the surrounding region and Hike to Bachalpsee

Frequently asked questions & answers when visiting the First Cliff Walk

• Is First Cliff Walk free of charge?
  Yes, everyone can walk the cliff walk and as mentioned before it is sponsored by Tissot and therefore free of charge. However, the cable car ticket to get to the First Cliff Walk is NOT free of charge.

• When is the First Cliff Walk open?
  It is open during the entire winter ski season in Grindelwald and likewise during the summer hiking season in the Bernese Oberland. As long as the Firstbahn is operating and the weather is not terrible, the walk is open.
  It can happen that they need to close it for safety reasons due to high winds or even lightening. Grindelwald seasons are usually from mid-December to easter, and May to mid-October.

• Is Grindelwald First covered in the Swiss Travel Pass?
  With the Swiss Travel Pass you will travel for free to Grindelwald and then a 50% reduction is given to ride up with the Firstbahn.

• How to get from Grindelwald Terminal to Grindelwald First?
  As mentioned above under How to get to the First Cliff Walk at Grindelwald- First, you can walk which takes about 25 minutes, take the 122 Bus or a taxi. Your destination stop is Grindelwald Firstbahn.

Other activities at Grindelwald-First

 Apart from admiring the views and walking the First Cliff Walk, First station as some epic adrenaline adventures for you.

There are several adventure packages on offer and they can all be combined with your Firstbahn Gondola ticket. Here you can check all the Grindelwald adventure package combinations.

One of the most popular things to do at First (after the Cliff Walk) is the easy hike to Bachalpsee. It is free of charge and we highly recommend doing it. Read our blog How to get to Bachalpsee to get more insider information. And by the way you can hike to Bachalpsee also during a winter visit.

Grindelwald First Glider

Flying like an eagle is possible with the First Glider experience. Four friends or family members can fly together and have this epic bird’s eye view.

This activity starts at Schreckfeld, which is the station just before First. At first the glider is pulled backwards towards First with an exhilarating speed of 72km/h. But the real speed is reached once the eagle glider is flying back down the 800 meters from First to Schreckfeld when it reaches 83 km/h.

Good to know:  You need to be 10 years old, a minimum of 130 cm tall and a maximum of 125 kg body weight to part take in this flight. The First Glider operates summer and winter.

Grindelwald First Flyer

A similar activity to the Glider is the First Flyer, where passengers are sitting in a harness and flying down from First to Schreckfeld.

The top speed along the 800 metres is 84 km/h and in some places you will fly up to 50m above the alpine meadows.

Good to know: The necessary body weight range for this First activity is 35kg to a max of 125kg. The Jungfrau region has not mentioned an age limit for this activity. The First Flyer operates summer and winter. 

Grindelwald-First Mountain Carts

Drive down the 3 km from Schreckfeld to Bort station on these fun vehicles. It is a safe combination between a go-kart and a sledge.

Good to know: Helmets are compulsory for this activity and are provided free of charge. The minimum height requirement is 135 cm. This is a summer only activity.

Grindelwald Trottibike Scooter

In Grindelwald-First, like on so many other mountains in Switzerland you can also ride down on a Trottibike. The road from Bort to Grindelwald village passes along some beautiful alpine meadows and farmhouses.

Good to know: There is a mini Trottibike available for children as of 125 cm onwards. Helmets are provided free of charge. Before heading down to Grindelwald on your Trottibikes, stop at the Alpine Playground which is right at the Bort station.

Excursions & Tickets to the Jungfrau Region

More things to do in the Jungfrau Region

• A visit to Jungfraujoch Tope of Europe
• Bäregg Hut Hike & Schreckhorn Hut Hike 
• 17+ things to do in Lauterbrunnen
• Discover Lake Brienz in the Interlaken Region
• How best to visit lake Blausee in Kandesteg
• Family Hike from the Hotel Grimsel Hospiz to the Oberaarlake and Glacier
• Grimsel Valley – Hiking the Gelmersee & Gelmersee Bahn. A beautiful Alpine Lake 
• Kandertal – Oeschinensee Hike – Most Amazing Alpine lake 
• Meiringen – What makes the SwissPeak resort such a great accommodation

I hope that the information provided here in How to visit First Cliff walk in Grindelwald will prove itself useful.

If I have left anything out, please ask your questions in the comments below and share your experience, so that other readers can join in the conversation and benefit from your queries and stories as well.

Thank you & never forget to explore

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