Hotels near Bachalpsee from Grindelwald-First

This is the gentlest of the three high-mountain routes here. First to Bachalpsee and back, waymarked as route No. 1, is 5.8 km round trip with 202 m of ascent and 202 m of descent, signposted at 1 hour 40 minutes (jungfrau.ch quotes 1 h 50, so allow the longer figure). Graded T1 and almost entirely a broad gravel path between 2,164 m and 2,280 m, it is the one hike on this list a moderately fit ten-year-old will finish without complaint.

From an Interlaken base this is a full day, not a morning. Take the Bernese Oberland Railway from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald, walk 8 to 10 minutes to the Talstation Firstbahn, then ride the gondola 25 minutes through the Bort and Schreckfeld intermediate stations to First at 2,167 m. The lake itself sits at 2,265 m and holds the Schreckhorn and Wetterhorn in its surface on a still morning, which is the reason it appears on every Swiss postcard rack. The path is normally snow-free from roughly mid-June to late October.

The Firstbahn adult return is roughly CHF 76; the "from CHF 38" shown on jungfrau.ch is the reduced rate, not the walk-up price, so budget for the higher figure. Here is the pass arithmetic if you are staying in Interlaken: one Firstbahn return at about CHF 76 plus a Harderbahn return at about CHF 44 already eats more than half of a 3-day Jungfrau Travel Pass at CHF 210, and the pass throws in every BOB train from Interlaken Ost as well. Swiss Travel Pass, Half-Fare Card and Berner Oberland Pass holders get 50% instead.

Pro Tip: Get this one done before 26 October 2026. The Firstbahn closes for maintenance from 26 October to 27 November 2026, and with it goes the only practical way up to the lake; the 2026 running period is 29 November 2025 to 25 October 2026.