Just An Ordinary Girl

Photo By: Elin Chow

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Grindelwald-First is one of the most popular attractions to visit in Grindelwald. Standing at 2,167 meters (7,109 feet) above sea level, the mountain is known for its abundance of adventure activities, a variety of hiking trails and impressive alpine panorama.  

The easiest and fastest way to get to Grindelwald-First is to take the scenic cable car ride from the Grindelwald valley station located in the center of the Grindelwald village. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the Grindelwald train station to the valley station. 

Alternatively, you can also hike to First from Grindelwald. The hike from Grindelwald to First is 8.69 km and it is extremely challenging as it requires a large elevation gain. Therefore, it should only be attempted by physically fit and well-experienced alpine hikers. 

We descended the mountain at around noon. Feeling a little hungry, we headed straight back to the apartment and cooked the instant soba noodles that we bought from Coop for lunch. This is our first time eating Nissin brand soba noodles. But we didn't really like the taste of it. It was slightly spicy, and sweet because it has a yakisoba base. 

Photo By: Elin Chow

After staying in Lauterbrunnen for 5 nights, we checked out of Valley Hostel and made our way to the train station. We will be heading to the village of Grindelwald where we will spend the next two nights. Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald are actually located next to each other. My original plan was to head to somewhere else, but my husband insisted that we had to stay in Grindelwald in order to fully experience Switzerland. 

There is no direct train from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald. To get to Grindelwald from Lauterbrunnen, you'll first need to take a train to Zweilutschinen, then transfer to another train from Zweilutschinen to Grindelwald. An one-way, second class ticket costs 4.50 CHF. If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, you can travel on this route for free. The entire journey from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald via Zweilutschinen will take about 43 minutes. I would highly recommend you to check the train timetable and information on SBB Mobile app. To search for the timetable from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald, you have to enter Lauterbrunnen as the departure point and Grindelwald as the arrival point. 

Upon arriving at Grindelwald train station, we headed straight to our accommodation first to drop off our luggage. As we had plenty of time to spare before the published check-in time, we decided to visit the Gletscherschlucht, or Grindelwald Glacier Canyon . 

The village of Grindelwald is home to two of Switzerland's largest glaciers, the Upper and Lower Grindelwald Glaciers. The Grindelwald Glacier Canyon is a glacier gorge formed by the Lower Grindelwald Glacier millions of years ago. 

The bus will arrive at a large car park right in front of the entrance. For those who drive here, you can park your car for free. 

The Glacier Canyon is opened from early May to end of October, 9.30 am to 6.00 pm daily. On Friday, the Glacier Canyon will stay open until 10.00 pm for the Night Experience Light Show. If you visit on a Friday night, you'll get to witness the gorge lit up with impressive colorful lights. It will be a completely different experience compared to the daytime. 

Just like the Trummelbach Falls, there is also an entrance fee to enter the Grindelwald Glacier Canyon. Adult ticket costs 19 CHF each while child ticket costs 10 CHF each. Children under 6 can enter for free. If you hold a Grindelwald Guest Card, you will get a 10% discount (2 CHF) on the entrance ticket. 

The entrance ticket is a bit expensive, but the money obtained from the ticket sales go toward maintaining the Glacier Canyon. Regular maintenance is essential to ensure that the gorge is safe to enter. At the start of every Spring, the company will spend 65,000 CHF to clear the canyon walls of loose rocks. 

Local mountain guide hanging off ropes will also check each square meters of the cliff walls. The process will usually take several weeks to complete. Other than that, an additional 40,000 CHF will also be spent each year to upgrade the walkway. 

Once inside, a walkway will take you through tunnels and deep into the less than 1 kilometers long gorge. The walkway is one-way, meaning when you reach the end of the gorge, you have to turn around and follow the same route back. 

After going through the ticket turnstile, you'll first walk through a damp and dark tunnel that will lead you deep into the gorge. Although strollers and wheelchairs are permitted on the walkway, it is best that you leave them at home. Some parts of the walkway are very narrow, so you will need to be mindful of other visitors. 

Once you made you way out of the tunnel, you will be greeted by towering cliffs and expansive rock formations, The elevated metal walkway is built into the rock walls above a gorge, with breathtaking views of rugged cliffs and a roaring river below. The walkway is flanked at all times by waist-high metal railing and mesh fence, so it is relatively safe and easy to walk. 

However, due to global warming, the gorge now holds flowing water instead of ice. Although the glaciers had disappeared, the remarkable gorge that was left behind by the glaciers continue to tell the story of Earth's ancient past.

The beautiful glacier-fed Lutschine river flows through the gorge. Strolling down the walkway, you will constantly feel rushes of cold wind blowing across your body while the thunderous roar of the water echo through the gorge. 

Along the way, you will also find information boards (in both German and English) where you can learn about the glacier and the canyon's formation over the centuries. 

One of the highlight of the Grindelwald Glacier Canyon is the 170m2 striking blue "Spider Web" net that hangs seven meters above the roaring Lutschine River. The net will give you the chance to actually "walk" over the raging waters, but the experience is definitely not for the faint-hearted. 

Your feet can easily slip through the wide mesh, and you may lose a shoe in the process. Therefore, children under 5 years old are not allowed on the net. 

You will also have the opportunity to taste the fresh water from the Eiger glacier that pours from a spring in the rock. Don't worry, the water is absolutely safe to drink. It is really cool and refreshing. 

There are several benches along the way where you can take a rest and enjoy the surroundings. 

It takes about an hour to walk the entire gorge. But we took longer than an hour because we kept stopping to take photos and videos along the way. 

Leaving the Glacier Canyon, we took Bus 122 back to Grindelwald station. As it was still too early for check-in, we decided to walk around the village.

The village of Grindelwald sits at the foot of Eiger North Face. Surrounded by lush, green meadows and majestic peaks, the village is popular tourist destination known for its breathtaking alpine scenery, outdoor activities and charming village atmosphere. The village of Grindelwald is also fondly known as the Eiger village by the locals as it provides a great base for exploring the famous Eiger mountain. 

The main street of Grindelwald village is lined with a variety of shops, restaurants and accommodations. However, compared to Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald is much more touristy and crowded. I must admit that I didn't like Grindelwald as much as the other towns and villages that we had visited in Switzerland. It wasn't that we didn't enjoy Grindelwald. Although the town's beauty and charm met my expectations, I miss the peacefulness and tranquility in Lauterbrunnen. 

Feeling a little hungry, we went to grab a quick lunch from Coop before continuing to explore the village. 

The village of Grindelwald is known for its lush green meadows and traditional Swiss chalet-style architecture, with wooden houses adorned with colorful flower boxes, wide eaves, and intricately carved window shutters and balconies. Each individual chalets exudes an unique charm and character, and blend almost seamlessly with the natural surroundings.

We had booked a studio apartment in Grindelwald. Check in was done at Hotel Alpenhof, which is located up on a hill, about 5 minutes walk from Grindelwald train station. There is a relatively steep climb up to the hotel from the train station. The hike to the hotel is certainly no joke, especially with two large and heavy luggage. 

But fortunately, there is a free shuttle available. We were able to request the hotel to pick us up at the train station on day of check-in, and also drop us off at the train station on the day of check-out.

Fitted with parquet flooring, the apartment is clean, spacious and comfortable. The interior is rustically furnished and equipped with modern amenities. It comes with a living-bedroom area, an open kitchen and a bathroom. The living-bedroom area features a double bed, a sofa and a coffee table. Free WiFi is also available. There is also a TV in the apartment. 

The bathroom was clean and modernly furnished, with high quality fixture and fittings. Toiletries including body wash and shampoo are not provided. Please remember to bring your own toiletries if you plan to book a stay here. 

The open kitchen is fully equipped with all the essential appliances, tools and supplies that you need to prepare any type of meals. You will find modern appliances like a mini fridge, induction stove, oven, blender, toaster and kettle in the kitchen. Basic cooking utensils, crockery, glassware, cookware and bakeware are also provided as well. 

There is also a capsule coffee machine in the apartment, but they only provide two coffee capsules per day. If you need additional coffee capsules, you can buy them from the hotel for 1 CHF each.

We decided to eat out on this day at Barry's Restaurant, Bar & Lounge as it was my birthday. The reason we picked this restaurant is because this is one of the popular restaurants in Grindelwald with plenty of good reviews. 

Located along the main street of the village, the restaurant occupies both the entire ground and first floor of the Eiger Mountain & Soul Hotel. The restaurant has a cozy alpine lodge ambience with knotty pine walls and ceiling and lovely replica of kerosene lamps. 

Their menu is pretty extensive, offering a good range of choice, from a variety of traditional Swiss cuisines to comfort food. There are vegetarians and vegan dishes available, as well as gluten-free options. You can check out the menu on their website. 

Price: 30 CHF

We ordered their Cheese Fondue, which is served with bite-sized bread and Swiss potatoes for dipping . The portion was generous, but compared to the cheese fondue we had at Weidstubli Restaurant in Lauterbrunnen, this one was not as good. 

The cheese fondue we had at Barry's had no wine, so the mixture was a bit thick and heavy. Personally, I think that a cheese fondue without wine is not really a cheese fondue. It's just melted cheese. However, I really love the potatoes. Crunchy-on-the-outside and soft and tender on the inside, the potatoes help to reduce the intense cheesiness of the cheese fondue. 

We also ordered their signature Rack of Lamb. The herb-crusted rack of lamb is served with seasonal Ravioli, roasted cauliflower and port wine sauce.  Tender, succulent and flavorful, the rack of lamb comes out to be deliciously perfect, with crispy fat and juicy meat. The port wine sauce was amazing. Sweet and rich, it goes absolutely well with the meat. 

Overall, we really enjoyed our dinner at Barry's. The atmosphere, service and food were all fantastic! The restaurant owner and staff even came several times during the meal to ask if the food (and everything else) was okay. They spoke fluent English, so we had no problem communicating with them. 

Barry's is open from 7.00 am to 11.30 pm daily, and until 1 am on weekends. Guests staying at Eiger Selfness Hotel and Eiger Lodge will get a 10% discount on the total food bill. However, please remember to inform the service team that you are a hotel guest when you order your food.

After dinner, we took a stroll around the village. We waited for the sky to turn completely dark in order to see the chalets in the village light up at night. 

Price: 4.50 CHF

I bought a small bottle of Swiss wine from Coop to try.  You can easily find a lot of cheap wine in supermarkets.  So, this was basically how we spent our day 8 in Switzerland. If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 11D10 Switzerland Trip Itinerary + Overview post.