Spending one day in Grindelwald is a truly special and ultimate Swiss experience for everyone young or old. It’s a place that should be on everyones bucket list for Switzerland. There is much to do, such as Grindelwald hiking, fast paced activities, delicious local restaurants, stunning scenery, and the possible spotting of wild marmots and other local wildlife.
This one day in Grindelwald itinerary is very flexible to do based on what you like and what you want to see, as well as depending on what the weather is like for your one day in Grindelwald. This itinerary in Grindelwald is also based on visiting during early Summer, with our personal experience shared throughout the post.
Itinerary for One day In Grindelwald
For spending one whole day in Grindelwald, you’ll want to make the most of it with the views, activities, restaurants and more. This post is based on our own experience in Grindelwald during the early summer. In the end we did spend the night as well, so i’ve included the hotel details incase you are interested.
Morning in Grindelwald
Breakfast In Grindelwald
For your morning, take a stroll through the village and first enjoy a coffee and a bite to eat at a local bakery. In good weather, many places have outdoor seating, so you can admire the mountains and watch the locals and tourists start their day in Grindelwald.
For a bakery and coffee locations, we recommend visiting some of the following:
- QRAFTwerk (our first choice!)
- Eiger Bean The Coffee Roastery (our second choice!)
- Clubhaus Grindelwald
- Ringgenberg Backerei Konditorei Cafe
Village Shopping
Once fuelled up, the main street is a pleasure to walk along. The main street of Grindelwald is perfectly aligned with shops, Swiss souvenir stores, restaurants and quirky local boutiques. If you’re looking for a specific souvenir, they will probably sell it here for you, from cute little key rings, magnets, mugs and cups, cushions and kitchen knives, soft toys and t-shirts. They even have Christmas decorations for you to take away for your December celebrations!
Grindelwald First Gondola To The Top!
Once you are done exploring the village, we suggest to next head up to the top of the mountain. Head to the Grindelwald First gondola. You can buy your tickets at the machine or at the ticket booth at the entrance. You can otherwise also buy them in advance on their official website.
The gondola will take you through a few stations along the way, but stay until the very top to First. This is at 2’166 meter elevation in total.
Opening times for 2025 are: 14th 12 December 2024 to 26th October 2025
The ticket for an adult one way is 36 CHF, and the return total is 72 CHF. As we have half-tax Swiss card, we paid only 18 CHF per person for one way. This was a one way ticket as we decided to enjoy some of the activities heading down instead, so if you wish to enjoy some of the activities going down too, make sure to buy only a one way ticket to go up. More on that in the ‘afternoon‘ section of this post!
Grindelwald First Cliff Walk
At the very top next to the Berggasthaus First hotel & Restaurant, you can walk freely on the Grindelwald First Cliff walk. The First Cliff walk platform extends 45 metres out into nothingness above the mountain, connected only from the edge of the mountain side. It’s definitely not for those who are scared of heights!
From the First Cliff walk, you see the beautiful valley down below, with the surrounding mountains opposite. You can see so many peaks, including Schreckhorn, Mittelhorn, Finsteraarhorn and Eiger. You can also spot some glaciers between these too! It’s really beautiful to experience the views in person.
Hiking Grindelwald First to Lake Bachalpsee
If you wish to enjoy a hike at the top of Grindelwald First, you could consider taking roughly 1 hour 50 minutes to hike to the beautifully scenic lake of Bachalpsee.
The Bachalpsee lake is located at 2,280m elevation and hikable from the final gondola station at First. It is good to have a bit of experience with hiking, but doable if you are okay with your level of fitness. The terrain is a nature path without exposed passages.
Route details include:
- 5.9km in distance (total round route)
- 188 meter elevation gain
- 2,280 meters above sea level
During our visit, it was very cloudy and a bit of rain, so we did not hike this. However we know that if the weather was good, it would have been a fantastic route and scenic viewpoint. So we hope to return in the future for completing this hike ourselves. If you do decide to hike, make sure you have water, some snacks, suncream/hat and the correct clothing for the weather that day, keeping in mind it can be colder here than in the village.
Lunch in Grindelwald First
Once at the top, you can enjoy lunch with a view from the Berggasthaus First restaurant. They have a self service style restaurant, with numerous options to choose from. You will see that they have a large number of hot meals to choose from, with a few Swiss options to try too. They also have soups, salads, cakes, snacks and ice cream. We recommend it, as we enjoyed the food here!
If you wish to save some money and not eat here, you could also consider buying something at a local supermarket in the morning, and bringing it up to the top to eat. However keep in mind you should not eat your own food in the restaurant seating area, so find a nice spot nearby outside and enjoy. Remembering to of course take your trash with you.
Some of the supermarket options in Grindelwald are:
- Coop
- YARA Shop Grindelwald
- VOI Grindelwald
Grindelwald is located in the Switzerland canton of Bern, which is one of 26 cantons! Be sure to get inspired also with our other Bern canton posts:
Visiting Harder Kulm: The Top Of Interlaken!
Sleeping Above the Clouds At Berggasthaus First
The Most Luxurious Train In The World – The GoldenPass Railway
Axalp Air Show With The Swiss Air Force, Brienz Switzerland
The Best Scenic Viewpoints In Switzerland
Afternoon in Grindelwald
Now it’s time for some fun activities to get you back down the mountain. There are many activities you can choose from to head down the mountain, which are great for those seeking adventure!
These activities start at Grindelwald First and end up at the very bottom in the village of Grindelwald, and you can do many of them together one after another. These are:
- First Flieger: Through the skies at 84 km/h
- First Glider: Fly like an eagle
- First Mountain Cart: Fun sport on fast wheels
- First Trottibike: Downhill to Grindelwald
All activities seem to be 21 CHF each per person. Below is the map showing each activity and at which stage from the official website:
First Flieger: Through the skies at 84 km/h
With the 800 meter long cable, you can fly through the skies at 84 km/h with your friends and family. You start by being secured in the stable harness and of course attached to the line, and up to four people whiz along with you at the same time. It starts in First and flies you down to Schreckfeld at a top speed of 84 kilometers per hour.
Details:
- It takes you from 2,166 to 1,956 meter elevation
- Time duration: 10 minutes
- Open from: 16.12.23 – 27.10.24
- Required body weight: 35 to 125 kg
During our visit, this was closed due to the mist, cloud and rain.
First Glider: Fly like an eagle
If you wish to fly like a bird of prey again, the First Glider is another activity to enjoy in Grindelwald. With up to 4 people at one time, you can glide through the mountain Grindelwald landscape and enjoy a panoramic view at high speed. When available, it first pulls you backwards from Schreckfeld towards First at 72 km/h. It is on the way back that the eagle really takes off back to Schreckfeld. You end up gliding the 800-metre-long flight route at up to 83 km/h.
Details:
- It takes you from 2,166m to 1,956 meter elevation
- Time duration: 15 minutes
- Open from: 16.12.23 – 27.10.24
- Minimum height: 130 cm | Body weight: max. 125 kg
During our visit, this was closed due to the mist, cloud and rain. So we also don’t have any photos from these!
First Mountain Cart: Fun sport on fast wheels
This is where the fun started for us. We first took the gondola down to the … station where the Mountain Karts started. We had to do this since the First Flieger and Gliders were closed due to the weather.
The Grindelwald Mountain Karts are so much fun, that we definitely recommend them for everyone who thinks they would like them too. You don’t need to have any prior experience.
Details:
- It takes you from 1,956m to 1’600 meter elevation
- Time duration: Around 20- 30 minutes
- Open from: 09.05.24 – 27.10.24
- Minimum height required: 135 cm
First Trottibike: Downhill to Grindelwald
Right after the Grindelwald Mountain Karts, you can start the Grindelwald Trottibikes. These were so much fun and fantastic for gliding down the mountain on.
For the same price as the other activities (21CHF), pick up your trottibike from the entrance and begin the journey down through the beautiful scenic green fields and pass local houses surrounded by flowers. If you don’t have tickets in advance, don’t worry as you can simply queue up, pay and go!
If you already did the mountain karts, you can also keep on the same helmet for the trottibike too. Since this is one of the requirements incase you fall or crash.
Details:
- It takes you from 1,600m to 1’034 meter elevation
- Time duration: Around 30 minutes
- Open from: 12.04.24 – 27.10.24
- Required minimum height: 125 cm
Evening in Grindelwald
So after all that adventure, it’s time to relax and have a good meal before the end of the day. Grindelwald has some delicious local restaurants for locals and tourists to enjoy all year round.
For a dinner locations in Grindelwald, we have collected the restaurants with more than 4 rating on Google maps, since we did not eat for dinner in the village ourselves. Here is a top list you can consider:
- Restaurant Alte Post – 4.3 rating
- Restaurant Adlerstube – 4.5 rating
- BaseCamp Restaurant – 4.4 rating
- Onkel Tom’s Pizzeria und Weinlokal – 4.3 rating
If you wish to extend your 1 day in Grindelwald to a longer visit overnight, here are our personal suggestions on where to stay:
- At the top of the mountain with Berggasthaus First in Grindelwald – We stayed here!
- Naturfreunde Hostel Grindelwald – hostel option!
- Hotel Gletschergarten – 3 stars
- Sunstar Hotel & SPA Grindelwald – 4 stars
Local Tours and Activities In Grindelwald
Glacier Canyon Entrance Ticket
From Grindelwald: Jungfraujoch Round-Trip Railway Ticket
Visiting Harder Kulm: The Top Of Interlaken!
The Most Luxurious Train In The World – The GoldenPass Railway
Grindelwald-Scheidegg-Lauterbrunnen Small Group Tour
FAQs
Here are what we think are the most useful and frequently asked questions about Grindelwald.
How To Get To Grindelwald?
By Public Transporation
If you arrive by train, you will start right in the village. The SBB trains arrive very frequently from places like Interlaken, Lucerne and even connections from Bern or Zurich. So depending on where you are travelling from, there’s definitely an option for you!
Parking Options for your car
If you arrive by car, there are many parking locations throughout Grindelwald. We personally parked at Parkplatz Grindelwald Firstbahn as this was close to the gondola that we suggest taking during the day.
Is Grindelwald Worth Visiting?
Yes, absolutely!
Whether you want to enjoy some mountainous views, have fun with some activities (like mountain karts!), enjoy local Swiss traditions and eat local delicacies – Grindelwald is a great destination choice.
how many days in grindelwald?
Even though this post is about spending just one day in Grindelwald specifically, we do suggest spending one night and actually 2 days in Grindelwald if you have the time as well as the finances for it. Grindelwald is such a special destination in Switzerland, that one day is fantastic, but two days is that little extra bit special.
You can check our recommendation on where to stay in Grindelwald further down the post. Make sure you check it as it’s located at 2,200 meter elevation above the clouds!
Best time to visit grindelwald?
From our experience, the best time to visit is early Summer, especially if you want to hike, explore with some great weather and have fun but also some relaxation.
We visited Grindelwald at the end of June 2024 and had the most amazing time with sunshine AND rain. The weather was beautiful and sunny when we went up to Grindelwald First with the gondola, and by the evening we had some very dramatic clouds and rain. It was very cool to experience and if you see rain, it should not put you off exploring Grindelwald either.
It’s good to mention that by end of June for 2024, there has been a lot more snow than usual, so the opposite mountains were still very much covered making them very photogenic.
Of course, if you really want to experience Grindelwald with the best sunshine during summer, from July onwards until September is the ideal months.
Then if you wish to experience winter in Grindelwald, then naturally the winter months are from late November to March.
Want To Stay The night? Here’s where to stay in grindelwald
If you wish to stay for longer than a day, we can suggest that you book a night at the top of the mountain. It is an amazing experience to stay above the clouds with the mountain view. You can do this at Berggasthaus First in Grindelwald.
It’s located at 2,200 meter elevation above sea level, and for us it was also above the low clouds passing through the Grindelwald valley. It was so special to stay here, experiencing the First Cliff walk privately and even spotting the local wildlife with a fox!
Summary
We absolutely loved our visit to Grindelwald during June 2024. Even with the rain and clouds, it was a very special trip, unique for us and we felt like we experienced everything we wanted to. It’s possible we would have considered one of the flying activities, but happy to save that for next time!
This itinerary is based on our own experience, and it really worked out perfect for us based on what we did. So we hope it helps inspire you to follow a similar day in Grindelwald during your visit!
We did this as a couple, together with a friend who visited us in Switzerland. But we think its perfect also for those travelling as families and children based on their ages (such as for the afternoon Grindelwald activities).
Leave a Reply