First Cliff Walk in Grindelwald Switzerland (UNREAL views & FREE!)

First Cliff Walk

Switzerland is known for its epic mountain views, often deservedly called the best on Earth! Unfortunately Switzerland is also known as a place that’s not cheap to visit.  

The First Cliff Walk in Grindelwald gives you insane mountain views with an incredible rush of adrenaline as you literally walk off the side of a mountain and direftly above the valley below. 

What makes the First Cliff Walk even more amazing is that it can be one of the few free attractions in Switzerland. Here is what you can expect.

What is the First Cliff Walk by Tissot?

First Cliff Walk is not only one of the top tourist attractions in Grindelwald, but all of Switzerland. 

What the First Cliff Walk By Tissot actually provides is a suspended metal walkway that hangs off the side of a mountain.

The walkway is literally attached to the side of a cliff so when you look at your feet you see through the metal grating and down into the valley thousands of feet below. 

You get to the top of this mountain by taking the Grindelwald-First gondola, or if you are feeling even more adventurous you can hike up to the summit and gondola drop-off for free. 

Even though it’s very popular, a number of people still miss the opportunity to do this because they don’t know it exists. This is because it is still relatively new, being completed at the end of 2015. 

WHERE IS THE FIRST CLIFF WALK?

First Cliff Walk by Tissot is in First, Switzerland. The name“First” still confuses me, but once you think of First as an actual location, the planning gets a lot easier.

For Harry Potter fans it can be even more confusing because your trip up to first will start in Grindelwald, which is another place and not just an evil Harry Potter wizard. 

Navigating Switzerland can be difficult enough even without the somewhat confusing names. There are also a lot of different cable cars, trains, and you have to learn which areas can be accessed by both or only one or the other. 

First Cliff Walk by Tissot is in first.

Navigating through Switzerland can be kind a nightmare. There are so many places where you will need to take multiple trains and cable cars to get to.

It can get really confusing really fast without proper research.

HOW TO GET TO FIRST CLIFF WALK?

STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS

Step 1. Get to Grindelwald

In order to get to Grindelwald First Cliff Walk you will first need to get to Grindelwald. Thankfully, this Harry Potter namesake town has plenty of train service, or parking if you rented your own car (discussed more later).

Step 2 – Take the cable car or hike from Grindelwald to First

First off, visiting Grindelwald itself is amazing, even if you don’t go all the way up to First. 

From Grindelwald most people take the cable car up the steep mountain. It is about a 30 minute ride with breathtaking views. The downfall is that it is pretty expensive. It cost us about $60 USD to go up and down. 

If you want to skip the lines and possible save a few bucks you should book your tickets ahead of time here. INSERT LINKS. 

Hike From Grindelwald To First 

Yes, you can hike between the two, but do NOT expect it to be quick and easy. It is over 4 miles and it is straight up.  

The trail is easily marked with almost all of it being paved, but trust me, if you decide to do this you need to plan at least 3 to 4 hours, have great footwear, and possibly hiking poles. 

Trust me, this hike is steep! I opted for the expensive gondola up and back, but there are people that choose to save money by only taking the gondola one direction.  

For those that want a hike, but not one so intense make sure you check out the hike to Bachalpsee Lake that begins at First. 

It takes about 30 minutes to the top of the mountain in 6-person cable cars. 

Depending how crowded the gondola is will dictate whether you can ride up by yourself or not. 

On the way up we went fairly early in the morning we had a car to ourselves and enjoyed bouncing from side to side to take pictures of each new stunning view. 

When we came down later in the day we had to share the gondola with a nice couple since the line was fairly long!

Important – The last cable car ride generally comes down at about 5:00 pm. If you don’t make it you will have to hike down! I’m telling you, that hike is brutal. People were side stepping the entire way down because it was so steep. 

When you go up check the hours so that you know how long you can stay. 

Step 3 – Follow the map to the First Cliff Walk 

Once you get to the gondola drop off station (by the gondola or a hike), the Cliff Walk is super easy to find. Expect about a 3 minute walk from the cable car station, which is really just walking around the restaurant and top of the mountain. 

If it isn’t immediately apparent, you will see plenty of signs posted to the beginning of the suspended mountain walkway. 

HOW TO GET TO GRINDELWALD BY TRAIN 

If you are taking the train there are currently 32 different train options. Most people opt for the trains. I love that many of the trains on Switzerland will check your bags for you so you don’t have to lug them around. 

Driving Into Grindelwald

Since the public transportation in Switzerland is so good, many people won’t even price a car. We saw them as low as$30 a day. 

We opted to rent a car in Switzerland (actually we rented one in Germany and drove it down to Switzerland, which shockingly saved us a ton of money, even when considering parking fees.)

It was a 20 minute drive from our hotel in Interlaken. Once there you will need to find parking. It can be kind of a pain to find a spot but we were able to fairly quickly. 

Parking In Grindelwald

There are a number of parking lots in Grindelwald, but the ones closest to the gondola station do fill up.  

Thankfully as you pull into Grindelwald you will see large signs showing which lots are full and which ones have spaces. 

The lots only cost about $20 USD if you park the entire day. 

FAQ

HOW MUCH DOES THE FIRST CLIFF WALK COST?

Great news! The actual cliff walk is free! All you have to do is get up there, but

How to get to First Cliff Walk?

Step by step directions

Step 1. Get to Grindelwald

In order to get to Grindelwald First Cliff Walk you will first need to get to Grindelwald.

Step 2 – Take the cable car from Grindelwald to First

From the town of Grindelwald (one of my favorite places in Switzerland by the way) you will then take the cable car from Grindelwald to First.

It takes about 30 minutes to the top of the mountain in 6-person cable cars. We had the cable car to ourselves on the way there and on the way back the line was so long we shared with another couple.

Important – The last cable car ride comes down at x pm. If you don’t make it you will have to hike down and I’m telling you, that hike looks brutal. People were side stepping the entire way down because it was so steep.

Step 3 – Follow the map to the First Cliff Walk

It is super easy to find once you are up there. Expect about a 3 minute walk from the cable car station.

It was a 20 minute drive from our hotel in Interlaken. Once there you will need to find parking. It can be kind of a pain to find a spot but we were able to fairly quickly.

Parking cost —-

We opted to rent a car in Switzerland (actually we rented one in Germany and drove it down to Switzerland which saved us a ton of money.)

How to get to Grindelwald by train

If you are taking the train there are currently 32

How much does the First Cliff Walk cost?

It is completely free!

How long is the First Cliff Walk?

How high is the First Cliff Walk in Switzerland?

Is it scary?

I would definitely not say it’s scary. However, you are very high in the air and the bridge does sway back and forth. We were lucky enough to have someone jumping up and down shaking the bridge as we were trying to cross so that was fun.

But there were lots of kids on the bridge as well.

How much time should you spend in Grindelwald?

I recommend spending at least half a day to a day there. We spent the entire day and loved it!