Shorten the hike Grindelwald to Bachalpsee lake

Hey guys i wanted to plan a walk from grindelwald to bachalpsee lake late july so I guessing it's open, but it's a 3hr & 20min walk; I was wondering, is their a bus or cable car I could take to shorten the trip to 2hrs at the most?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Wassim,

You don't need to start from Grindelwald. An alternative is First to Bachalpsee and back. It takes about 2.5 hours. Please find details here: myswissalps.com/ hiking/bachsee.

Thanks Anro! But do u know a way I could get to First from Grindelwald other than the gandola? Like a train or a cable car

You're welcome! The only option is the gondola. Or hike.

<<"the gandola? Like a train or a cable car">>

The "gondola" is a cable car. Not sure about the "gandola."

Relax and enjoy the trip. it is terrific.

Slowpoke

A gondola is a Vietnamese boat like the one used in Venice. I'm sure Arno was referring to the "gondola lift" which is another name for the cable car (which I was not aware of at the time).

As for "gandola", that was a typo :P

But thanks for clearing that up ✌

Anyways I decided on taking the cable car from grindelwald to first, then hike upto Bachalosee lake. Should be a great trip!

Yes, correct. Perhaps I should refer to it as gondola lift. There sure is no boat up the mountain :-) I usually use "gondola" to refer to the small 6 seater cabines like this one: www.panoramio.com/phot o/36970112. A cable car is the larger version like this one: www.panoramio.com/phot o/6064241. And there are ski lifts too, yet another version.

Anyway, the only way to reach First is by the small cable car/gondola lift, or on foot.

Hi Arno,

Please let me know how long it would take to walk from Grindelwald to First?

I also came across a package which includes a rail journey from Grindelwald to First. Given below is the link.

www.jungfrau.ch/en/tou rism/destinations/grin delwald-first/first-flyer/#c12129

I assume rail means train, but you have said the only way to travel to the first is by cable car. Appreciate if you can please let me know if the package details are correct.

Thanks

Hi Traveler3-

<<"Please let me know how long it would take to walk from Grindelwald to First?">>

Please refer to the link Arno posted above in this thread for details of the hike.

This map will help to clarify the transport types.

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=ech&lang=en&bgLa yer=ch.swisstopo.pixel karte-farbe&layers=ch.bav.ha ltestellen-oev,ch.swisstopo.swiss tlm3d-wanderwege&layers_visi bility=false,false&X=1 65960.00&Y=645910.00&z oom=6

After Grindelwald to First is not a rail road, although in German "die Bahn" is sometimes use to describe gondola lifts (die Gondelbahn) with small cabins and large cabin lifts (die Luftseilbahn.)

Slowpoke

Hi Arno-

I scanned the relevant information from the "Kursbuch" in the section tiled "Time Table Reading" or "Fahrplanlesen." Attached.

The Engllish translations ,as well as the names in all four official languages are shown. So, if you wish to use the proper word in Romansh, it is here.

To add the confusion, I never know what word to use in "American English."

Cableway sounds generic, so I sometimes use that.

The tempting words "cable car" have a problem for those of us who live in the USA.

Here, it refers to a famous form of transport in San Francisco, which are "trams" of sorts pulled by a cable inset in the roadway. The cars have friction grips which grab the cable to move the car. The person who drives the cars is called a "gripman." The cable runs continuously. These were (and still are) used to deal with SF's numerous hills. Not to be confused with street cars. ;-()

www.sfcablecar.com/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ San_Francisco_cable_ca r_system

Slowpoke

Hi Traveller3,

They mean the gondola lift here; there's no rail/train. I'd estimate walking from Grindelwald to First to take 2 to 3 hours.

Hi Slowpoke,

It's quite a challenge finding the right words in a foreign language for modes of transport most people are not familiar with. Indeed cableway sounds like a good option.

Just to ad my 2 cents worth. The gondola is the quickest way and the only way apart from hiking. It's quite steep and long from town. We usually take the Gondala and walk back. I've included a photo to give you an idea of the Gondola and the walk

Hi Alan -

Nice composition.

Slowpoke

Thanks for the input Alan 👌

Thank you.

Thank you