Hi friends, welcome back to my Switzerland series! After spending the previous day in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, we were heading back into the mountains. This was one of my favorite days of the trip and included an excursion through Grindelwald and up to First Mountain. Jon and I were greeted with another beautiful day and started our adventure with a ride in the cable car from Wengen up to Männlichen. We couldn’t resist more pictures at the top, the views never got old!
We then rode the cable car down the other side of Männlichen to Grindelwald Terminal. The ride was also covered with our pass (32CHF each way without pass) so we simply scanned our QR code and were through the turnstile. The cable car down to Grindelwald was our absolute favorite. The views were beautiful, we could hear the cow bells below us, and we had the whole twenty-five-minute ride in a ten-person gondola all to ourselves. This was the least busy cable car station we encountered, but one of the nicest. Honestly, I would’ve been so content riding up and down for a few hours, it was incredibly peaceful!
Our route for the day in purple.
After arriving at Grindelwald Terminal, we took the train one stop to Grindelwald and then walked 10 minutes to the First Mountain cable car (68CHF each without pass). We were bummed to have to share the small cable car after being spoiled in the last one. It’s like a very long, awkward elevator ride but with fantastic views. Jon and I took it all the way up to First and then hiked about an hour to Bachalpsee. The trail was a little hilly with some welcomed descents after a few steep parts. It was more challenging than the Panorama Trail, but definitely doable for all levels.
The views were just incredible, we got lucky with another stunningly clear day!
Mountain views, alpine lakes, wildflowers, and happy cows, does it get any better than this? Bachalpsee is one lake split in two by a naturally occurring dam and the big mountain reflected in the lake is Schreckhorn.
A few people went swimming but the water looked ice cold!
From here you can continue on for longer hikes, but we decided to head back to the mountain station. The views were endless and we were greeted by some friendly goats looking for a snack. They tried to shake down a group of ladies, but they weren’t caving to the four-legged moochers.
We made our way back to the Cliff Walk and it didn’t sway like the bridge at Titlis. You can take you picture at the edge, but we didn’t want to wait in the line.
That paraglider would be me the following day!
One stop down on the cable car you can zip line, or rent three-wheelers and scooters. I wanted to ride one of the three-wheelers but by the time we made it back down, they were all sold out. Guess I’ll have to go back one day!
Jon and I retraced our steps through Grindelwald and enjoyed relaxing in our favorite cable car back up to Mannlichen. We stopped into the cafe for a late lunch with spectacular views. I finally got my sausage and bread roll 🙂
We absolutely loved our visit to First Mountain and Bachalpsee, the views were out of this world and we couldn’t have asked for a better day! I think visiting this mountain is a must if you’re in the area. Grindelwald was one of the towns I considered staying in because it’s extremely accessible (not a car free town) and has great views. It’s also the largest mountain village we visited so it has the most people, accommodations, restaurants, and stores. Grindelwald is a great option, but I ultimately loved the quaintness and views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley from Wengen. Stay tuned for part one of my favorite day of our trip!
