Guide to the Beautiful Lake Bachalpsee Hike in Switzerland

Lake Bachalpsee Grindelwald Switzerland

Lake Bachalpsee is one of the most famous hikes in Jungfrau, Switzerland! We made the climb one sunny summer day in August, and it was such a highlight of our trip. However, there were some things we weren’t expecting that you should know first. Read our top tips for the Lake Bachalpsee hike and all about our own experience at Grindelwald-First. 

Our Visit to Lake Bachalpsee 

We recently made a visit to this stunning area of Switzerland and included Grindelwald as part of our trip. If you’re confused about what exactly Grindelwald-First is like we were, it refers to the summit above the town of Grindelwald. 

Before this hike in the Swiss Alps, we spent a week camping on Lake Brienz. This was the perfect jump off point to so many amazing outdoor activities. We had the Jungfrau Pass, which gave us access to all the gondolas, historic trains, and boats to get around.

Interlaken is situated perfectly in between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, and we made many visits to the town. Here’s the 16 of the best things to do in Interlaken if you’re planning on making it your home base.

Grindelwald Lake Bachalapsee

Starting from Grindelwald Village

First of all, you should know that getting to Lake Bachalapsee is no easy task! If you’re coming from Interlaken, you’ll first have to drive 30 minutes or take the train to Grindelwald.

This gorgeous mountain town is worth visiting in itself. There are many nice accommodations such as Bergwelt Grindelwald or Hotel Spinne Grindelwald, plus you’ll have easy access to the Grindelwald-First cable car.

To get up to the hike it’s best to take the gondola! If you don’t then you would be adding a very steep several hours up and down. Cable cars are super common all over Switzerland, but know they can be expensive. 

We highly recommend pre-booking your Grindelwald cable car ride. You can easily buy them in advance here for the date you want to visit. The ticket is good for the entire day, so you can skip the ticket queue when you arrive and quickly get on the gondola. 

Another option for adventurous travelers is to get a 3-8 day unlimited ride pass. This is actually what we used and we really made the most of our four days with it.

We arrived to Grindelwald bright and early at 8:30am to be one of the first ones aboard. This is especially important to avoid lines to hit the First Flyer, or any of the fun activities at the top.

How to Get to Lake Bachalapsee

Experiencing Grindelwald-First 

There are several stops en route to the peak of Grindelwald-First. Be sure to take a look at the map to plan your day out first. You’ll also want to read our complete guide to Grindelwald-First Switzerland.

As we mentioned, it’s best to go all the way to top first thing in the morning for the most popular zip lines. Even though we were there right when they opened, we still had a 45 minute wait to ride the First Flyer… but oh it was worth it!

If you didn’t know, the mountain has several adrenaline pumping activities to take on. Try and plan to line up before the official opening to cut down your wait. 

After this, we headed out to the First Cliff Walk for incredible views of the Swiss Alps and surrounding mountains. It was around 10am at this point and we were ready for the Lake Bachalpsee hike!

If you aren’t taking the First Flyer, then we would say start on the Lake Bachalapsee hike as soon as you get to the top of the gondola. 

Lake Bachalapsee

Bachalapsee Lake Hike Facts

Distance: 6km Roundtrip
Time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Easy 
Elevation: 2,265 meters

From the top of the cable car, head to the right towards the start of the Bachalpsee Lake trail. The signs are very clear and the path is marked the entire way. 

There isn’t much of a climb in elevation, as you’re already over 2,000 meters up in the Swiss Alps! Still, the views are absolutely stunning along this short hike. 

It took us 3 hours since we stopped and had a picnic lunch once we got to the lake. Yet, if you just go straight there and back, it would be closer to 2 hours. 

The trail was pretty crowded on a sunny day in August. Going earlier is better because there are a few points on the trail where we had to stop and let people pass.

Also, know there is a massive network of trains that connect to several different towns. This means you can take the cable car up then continue on one of the longer hikes.

We can’t stress how stunning this area is. Switzerland truly some of the best hiking in the world!

Bachalapsee Lake Sign

Cows

Lake Bachalapsee Switzerland Hike

Lunch at Lake Bachalapsee Switzerland

After a magical hike with endless viewpoints, we made it to Lake Bachalapsee! It was a warm summer day and the water was sparkling, with the massive mountains behind it. 

We packed sandwiches and set up a small picnic with a view, but we weren’t expecting what we saw next. Even being so far out in nature, it was startling seeing wild goats running all around us.

Definitely watch your food if you plan to eat here. We saw the goats eat other people’s lunches and even gave someone and unwelcome bathroom surprise on their blanket.

We stayed for about an hour, took photos, and walked around the surreal lake. There were also fellow hikers swimming at Lake Bachalapsee during the summer!

Lake Bachalapsee Goat

Lake Bachalapsee Goats

Is the Bachalapsee Hike Worth it?

Yes! This was one of our favorite hikes we did in all of Switzerland. It’s the perfect easy trail for families with kids and adventure enthusiasts looking for the best views.

We also loved that you can combine it with the fun activities at Grindelwald-First for the ultimate day in the mountains. We had seen plenty of pictures beforehand, but couldn’t imagine how beautiful it would be in person.

Another thing we highly recommend is using the trottibikes or mountain carts on the way down. We used the trottibikes instead of taking the cable car back, and it was unlike anything else we did on our trip! 

Lake Bachalapsee Hike

Have any questions on the Lake Bachalpsee hike or want to share your own experience? Leave us a comment below.

Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake

Pin For Later 

 

Grindelwald Switzerland

Spread the love
*We receive a commission for purchases made through links in this post. This allows us to continue our travels and keep providing great content to our readers! Also, as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Brigitte & Jake

We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!

Find me on: Web | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *