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hi,
can anyone tell me how much gondola prices are and the timetable for them for First please?
also, can I use the swiss half fare pass on gondola tickets?
thanks
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Hi Trinity,
The Swiss railways timetable will give you prices for all trips. https://www.myswissalp s.com/timetable
Search Grindelwald, Firstbahn to First (Grindelwald). Trips are all one-way fares so double it if you want the cable car back. 🙂The first price you see is for half fare card holders.
Yes, you get 50% off the cable car trip.See the PDF map here for the Swiss Half Fare Card coverage. Essentially you get 50% off all trips. https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisshalffarecar d/validity
Hi Lucas-
Tried it and it won’t give me a price.
Here’s a link:
http://www.google.com/search?q=jungfraubahn+preisli st&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-ab
I could not get it without the google part of the link.
Not my best day.
30 CHF one way, not discounted
Slowpoke
thank you!
but just another question and pardon my ignorance, but is the gondola the only way up or are there buses up as well/taxis up.
I believe the first gondola down is about 8.15 and I was hoping to get down earlier to go to the train station. communicating with my hotel is hard regarding this as they only seem to answer generically.
please help!
What is the starting point of your journey?
Hello…..It sounds like you may be having difficulty with getting the prices. I have the latest Tariffs for Zermatt here in front of me (after quite a search), and if this helps I would be glad to post any specifics that I can (the Zermatt to Rifflelberg tram will apparently not be in operation due to safety concerns, at least through October 2018). Good luck.
Hi Trinity-
<<” but is the gondola the only way up or are there buses up as well/taxis up.I believe the first gondola down is about 8.15 and I was hoping to get down earlier to go to the train station. “>>
This map shows that there are no roads to First:
There are trails:
When you have defined the exact name of your starting point and finish point, which you can get from this map (Mapsearch.ch) by mousing over the station icons and right clicking on them,
map.search.ch/?pos=648824,166004&z=64 &poi=bergbahn,halteste lle,zug
enter the exact names in the timetable on your preferred date:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Use the advanced timetable, which permits the use of the “via” entries for waypoints on the journey.
Start at, for example 0700. I’m sure that the first service will not be until sometime after 0800, but, I could be wrong.
Also, from the map, a careful look at the icons will show you that there is only one form of public transport to First. The icon is for “gondola” which typically is a 4-6 passsenger cable car.
On the Mapsearch map, to get the desired information, you must zoom in to zoom level 32 ( which I have done) and select the transportation mode under “Points of Interest” in the Menu. I have also done that.
The other form of public transport which is common in Switzerland, is to walk. Although there are trails to First, they hardly fit your needs. The climb or descent is about 1100 meters.
The only buses shown on the map run at lower levels.
If you wish an early start, stay instead at one of the population centers- Wengen, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald….where the public transport service starts much earlier to allow workers to get to their jobs.
Slowpoke
I think she is looking at First and Grindelwald, but I am not sure. I’ve assumed that in my answer above.
Slowpoke
Hi Trinity,
>> is the gondola the only way up or are there buses up as well/taxis up
The gondola is the only way up to First from Grindelwald, unless you want to hike.
This topic has been discussed in two other recent posts:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/interlaken-to-first-mountain-without-the-gondola
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/bus-from-grindelwald-to-first-not-gondola
>> I believe the first gondola down is about 8.15 and I was hoping to get down earlier to go to the train station.
Getting the gondola down at 8:15 would not be possible. The earliest you can get up to First on the gondola from Grindelwald is 8:30, as the gondola does not operate before 8:00, and the trip up takes 30 minutes.
In the absence of any information about your travel date, I will assume you are travelling before 28 October 2018. The operation times of the gondola vary at different times of the year. The gondola starts operating at 8:00 between now and 2 September, or at 8:30 between 3 September and 28 October.
Alpenrose
thank you all for your insights! I’ll be heading out in August and going to Berghaus Bort, so would I only need to take the gondola from Grindelwald to Firstbahn?
I’m visiting Jungfraujoch too, would anyone recommend it is best to stay overnight or would a day trip suffice?
thanks
Hi Trinity,
You still take the Firstbahn gondola yes. Bort is the first stopping point on your way to First at the top and you can get out there. 16chf each way.
Hi Trinity-
<“thank you all for your insights! I’ll be heading out in August and going
to Berghaus Bort, so would I only need to take the gondola from
Grindelwald to Firstbahn?”>>
“Gondola” describes the type of “car” on the cableway. A “gondola” is a small cabin for 4 to 6 people. It is not a chair lift, or a large cabin holding tens of people.
“Firstbahn” means the “First Railroad;” it is not the name of a station stop. It is common in Switzerland, and I assume in the common usage in German everywhere, to call a public conveyance with rails, including funiculars, as well as those which are cableways “die Bahn.” “The train.” And, the trains take the names of the towns or station stops that they serve – such as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in the USA.
As Lucas pointed out, one of the station stops is Bort. It is the first stop; it is also called an “intermediate stop.” The locations for the stops are Grindelwald, Bort, Shreckfeld, and First. The terminal stations are named”Grindelwald BGF” ( Grindelwald – Bergbahn Grindelwald First) at the valley station, and “First(Grindelwald)” at the mountain station.
There are other places named First in Switzerland, so the station name at the top is not simply First, it is First with “Grindelwald” attached to specify exactly which First. There are no redundant names in the station naming system, so thatthe computer and you will not get confused when choosing a route in the timetable.
This panoramic map shows it well:
http://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/corporate/jungfrau-railways/jungfraubahn-holding-ag/firstbahn-ag/
This aerial view shows the details at Bort:
It It can be reached by car, so a taxi is certainly possible. Watch out….they are expensive in Switzerland. Check with the hotel with that specific question…”Can I get a taxi to Grindelwald train station at zzAM and how much will it cost?”
Also, I now see that the top station at First can be reached by road. I have to correct my earlier comment.
Lucas- I can’t remember this point. I assume that the gondola hands off to a new set of cables at Bort, rather than requiring you to get off ( out of) one gondola and into another? Is that correct?
Slowpoke
Hi Trinity,
>> I’ll be heading out in August and going to Berghaus Bort, so would I only need to take the gondola from Grindelwald to Firstbahn?
I misunderstood your first query. I thought you wanted to go all the way up to First (the top station of the Grindelwald-First gondola) from the village of Grindelwald, and down again before 8:15 in the morning.
I now understand that you will be spending the night at Berghaus Bort, and simply want to get down to Grindelwald railway station from Bort before 8:15 on the morning of your departure.
As the gondola starts operating at 8:00 in August, 8:00 is the earliest you could leave Bort to go down to Grindelwald by gondola.
The Berghaus Bort website describes access by road as follows:
“In the summer, Bort is accessible by car via a steep, narrow mountain road. This road is a very popular hiking trail and also a trotti bike route … Your accommodation booking confirmation acts as a permit allowing you to drive on this roadway.”
I assume taxis are also permitted to drive on this road if they are transporting hotel guests. So it should be possible to get a taxi to pick you up if you need to be at Grindelwald station earlier. However, unless your need to get to Grindelwald before the gondola is operating is urgent, I can’t imagine the cost of the taxi fare would be worth it.
>> I’m visiting Jungfraujoch too, would anyone recommend it is best to stay overnight or would a day trip suffice?
Stay overnight where? A day trip from where?
There is no public accommodation at the Jungfraujoch. The nearest accommodation is at Kleine Scheidegg. Most people who stay in the area choose one of the villages further down, i.e. Wengen, Grindelwald, Mürren or Lauterbrunnen. Interlaken is another (less charming, less scenic) possibility.
You could also visit the Jungfraujoch from Berghaus Bort, if you can get back to the gondola valley station in time to get the last gondola up to Bort at 18:00. That assumes you have enough time, as you haven’t told us how long you are staying there, and what else you have planned to do.
The more information you provide when you ask a question, the better/more relevant/more accurate the response you will get 😉
Alpenrose
>> I assume that the gondola hands off to a new set of cables at Bort, rather than requiring you to get off ( out of) one gondola and into another? Is that correct?
Yes, you stay in the one gondola all the way to the top.
I don’t think I’ve travelled in any other gondolas that “turn a corner” like this one does at Schreckfeld.
Alpenrose
thank you.
I planned to go to Jungfraujoch for a day trip. So from Bort to Jungfraujoch back to Bort again on the same day. The reason why I asked about taxis and buses was so I could catch an early train to Jungfraujoch, to maximize time there as realistically I’d have to help back to Bort at about 4pm ish to get the last gondola back up to Bort. Another reason why I asked was in case I got back after 6pm and missed the gondola, so wanted to know my options to get back up there.
I just plan to sightsee in Jungfraujoch, I was advised it was worth a visit, although I don’t have any concrete plans on what to do there, or in fact what I can do there. Maybe just take in the sights. I’d like to do a hike or something
<<“I don’t think I’ve travelled in any other gondolas that “turn a corner” like this one does at Schreckfeld.”>>
I saw that turn and wondered.
I was thinking of the one on the way up from Grindelwald Grund to Männlichen that transfers the gondola from one set of cables to another set..
Slowpoke
<<“I just plan to sightsee in Jungfraujoch, I was advised it was worth a
visit, although I don’t have any concrete plans on what to do there, or
in fact what I can do there. Maybe just take in the sights. I’d like to
do a hike or something”>>
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch
Slowpoke
thanks slowpoke.
do you know when I get to Jungfraujoch from Grindelwald if I then have to catch the cogwheel or is the cogwheel the train from Grindelwald ?
From Grindlewald you take the narrow gauge electric train to Kleine Scheidegg where you change (across the platform) to another, separate, train that takes you to Jungfraujoch.
A round trip is possible by travelling via Lauterbrunnen and Wengen in one direction.
Very much “standard” tourist train trips in a lovely part of the world. Much discussed on this site – where you will find all the resources you’re likely to need. Or links thereto.
The day I did the trip in June 2015 the weather was magnificent so I hope you have the same luck as me!
Enjoy your travels!
Hi Trinity –
Gunzel gave the answer, as did the link that I gave you.
To be clear, a “cog-wheel” is short for “cog-wheel train.”
Sometimes the term “rack-railway” is used. The third rail is the “rack.”
Yhe locomotive may be steam powered or electricity powered.
The distinguishing feature is a third rail with teeth in the center between the two ordinary rails. A gear underneath the locomotive engages those teeth to pull the train up steep slopes where ordinary steel wheels on a smooth track would slip. On those trains, the cog-wheel ( rack) mechanism is typically not engaged during level travel. As the slopes get steep, the rack is engaged at very low speed. You will usually ethat and hear a much louder noise coming from the gear and rack.and thereafter.
Wiki has a nice picture:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Rack_railway
Slowpoke
thank you all for all your input and insights!
one more thing, is eating up at Bort much more expensive than down at Grindelwald ?
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