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How to get to Bachalpsee Lake, Switzerland

Bachalpsee Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Switzerland and a mandatory stop if you are going to visit the Grindelwald area. Its calm waters located at an altitude of 2,265 meters reflect the Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, and Finsteraarhorn peaks, creating one of the most beautiful picturesque places you will see during your visit in Switzerland.

If you want to see this reflection, it is best to go at sunrise or sunset. Nonetheless, Lake Bachalpsee is beautiful at any time of the day since, if it is clear, the snow-capped mountains always appear in the background.

In this article I am going to explain how to get to Bachalpsee (Switzerland) and in which specific place you can see the best view. Getting to the lake is not complicated at all. You don't have to climb endless slopes or walk for many hours. ON the contrary, it can be considered a pleasant walk, which makes this marvel an accessible place for the whole family.

Table of contents

How to visit Bachalpsee Lake in three simple steps

Below, I’ll explain how to get to the lake.

First stop: Grindelwald

bachalpsee lake
Grindelwald, Switzerland

If you want to visit Bachalpsee, your first stop will be Grindelwald, located in the canton of Bern and the administrative district of Interlaken-Oberhasli. Whether or not you go up to the lake, I highly recommend visiting Grindelwald. It is a small town located in a beautiful valley full of green meadows, rocky mountains and snow-capped peaks. Grindelwald, along with Lauterbrunnen valley, were to me the most beautiful ones that I visited during my trip to Switzerland.

In Grindelwald you will find several parking lots. We left the van in the Parkplatz Pfingstegg parking lot since the owner of the campsite where we were staying told us that it was the most affordable parking lot. It is the last parking lot in town and there are usually more spaces. Plus, it’s about a 5 minute walk from our next stop: the cable car that takes you from Grindelwald to First.

If you still do not have a place to stay in this area, you can check the hotels still available in Grindelwald here.

Second stop: Cable car from Grindelwald to First

grindelwald first
Cable car Grindelwald – First

Once in Grindelwald, you have to go to the Grindelwald – First cable car. You can see the exact location on the map here.

Now you have two options (I only recommend one of them): go up to First on foot or take the cable car. As you may be imagining, the option I recommend is to go up to First by cable car. It is possible to walk but it is an endless climb of almost two hours that will leave you without energy to then hike to Bachalpsee.

The cable car takes 25 minutes to go up to the First station and the climb is done in three sections. You don’t have to get off the cable car until the last stop. It costs CHF 64 per person round trip or CHF 32 per person one way.

If you have purchased the Swiss Travel Pass or Swiss Half Fare card, you can enjoy a 50% discount on tickets. With the Jungfrau Travel Pass, this attraction is included, therefore you will not have to pay anything else.

If you do not have any of the cards mentioned above (if you are not going to take many cable cars/funiculars during your trip they may not be worth it), you have to pay the full price. In order to avoid queuing, I recommend purchasing the cable car ticket from Grindelwald to First online now. You can buy a one-way ticket or a return ticket. It is clear that it is advantageous to go up using the cable car, however, if you want to save money, you should consider the possibility of going down on foot, only if your body allows it.

If you want to do any of the activities available at First, I recommend purchasing the cable car ticket + adventure activities. It lets you include one, two, three or four adventure activities. The activities available are the following:

– Tirolina First Flyer (to Schreckfeld station).
– Tirolina First Glider (to Schreckfeld station).
– First Mountain Car (to Bort station).
– Trottibike Scooter (to Grindelwald station).

If you purchase this ticket, you can go up by cable car and down by zip line + cable car, mountain car (sort of tricycle) + cable car or on the trottibike scooter (a kind of motorized bicycle).

🏥 It is recommended to purchase travel insurance for Switzerland, since it is a very expensive destination and you never know what can happen. I always use and recommend Heymondo travel insurance, in which I can offer you a 5% discount on your next travel insurance policy.

Third stop: First – Bachalpsee Lake

grindelwald
Arriving at Bachalpsee Lake

Once you arrive at First station, where you can find a restaurant and bathrooms, it’s time to start the hike to Bachalpsee Lake. The distance between First and Bachalpsee is 3 km. It takes approximately 50 minutes to get there.

The beginning of the route is well marked. Just follow the path. During the first 20 minutes, you may notice that the path is somewhat steeper but then it is quite flat. It is a fairly easy walk. During the entire hiking route to Bachalpsee you will be able to enjoy beautiful landscapes. You will also be able to appreciate different species of alpine plants.

Once you arrive at Bachalpsee Lake, you can rest on one of the benches, have a picnic, swim in the lake (only suitable for the most daring due to the temperature of the water) or continue walking. We decided to continue walking and I recommend you do the same if you want to enjoy the best view of Bachalpsee Lake with the snow-capped mountains in the background. You will have time to rest and eat something later.

lago bachalpsee
Bachalpsee Lake

If you also want to witness one of the most beautiful landscapes in Switzerland, once you get to the lake, continue along the path to the right of it for about 12 minutes. The path continues but right there there is a small hill on the left. Head off the road to the highest part of the cliff and marvel at the scenery.

When you return to the First cable car station, don’t get on without first visiting the First Cliff Walk (included with cable car tickets), an iron walkway fixed to the cliff and suspended 45 meters above the ground. At the end of the walkway, there is a small panoramic terrace that protrudes out. The landscape will leave you speechless!

que ver en suiza en 7 dias
First Cliff Walk

If you’re wondering how much time you need to visit this place, I’d say at least 4 hours, taking into account the time on the cable car, the walk there and back from First, the visit to First Cliff Walk and the time you want to spend in the lake.

Are you going to travel to more parts of this amazing country? Do not miss my Switzerland travel guide.

Now you know how to visit Bachalpsee Lake! I hope you enjoy the place as much as I did.

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