After three changes of train, we finally arrived by train in Grindelwald, a tourist village located at 1,034m above sea level in the canton of Bern. My first association was with Zermatt, perhaps because of the number of tourists from Asia. This place attracts for many reasons. One of them is the viewing platform First Cliff Walk by Tissot.

A pleasant drive to Grindelwald First

To reach the platform, you have to take the mountain railway to Grindelwald First. The small gondola ride itself, which lasts about 25 minutes, gave us a lot of pleasure. The views were breathtaking. The mountain panorama with many peaks over 3,000 m above sea level is very impressive. Among them is the famous, especially among climbers, 3,970 m high Eiger, which together with the Mönch and Jungfrau forms a trio (Dreigestirn) of great peaks in the northern part of the Bernese Oberland.

The dark face of the Eiger

The north face of the Eiger mountain is known by several names: Eigerwand, Nordwand or Mordwand (Murder Wall). The latter name comes from the fact that many climbers died trying to climb it (more than 70 people). At 1,800 metres, it is the highest steep wall in the Alps and Europe. As a matter of interest, in 1973 Wanda Rutkiewicz, Danuta Wach and Stefania Egierszdorff were the first women’s team to climb the North Face of the Eiger.

Viewing platform “First Cliff Walk by Tissot”

After reaching the top, we headed straight for the First Cliff Walk by Tissot viewing platform. Unfortunately, we did not go up to its most elevated part (45 m from the rock), because the queue of people waiting was too long. Instead, we enjoyed the views to our heart’s content by walking on a rather narrow metal structure attached to the rocks. A wonderful experience! I highly recommend it. Even the crowds of tourists did not bother me. The weather was also very important in this case. Thanks to excellent visibility, we did not lose any of the sensational views.

A few words about the route

The trail does not require special physical condition. It leads through green, flowery alpine meadows. It will probably be too idyllic for adventurers. However, the view of the snow- and ice-covered peaks is incredible. These include the Wetterhorn (3,692 m), Schreckhorn (4,078 m), Wellhorn (3,191 m) and Finsteraarhorn (4,274 m).

And then there is the Bachalpsee mountain lake, which is crystal clear, icy and beautifully situated. It’s hard to describe in words. Best to see it with your own eyes.

The return route leads down to Grindelwald. On the way, you pass the bus stop, which is at an altitude of 1,918 m. I should mention that I have never seen a bus stop at this altitude anywhere else. Nevertheless, I would not have waited for the bus as the schedule was quite empty.

Finally, I would add that there is a Waldspitz restaurant next to the bus stop.