From Schynige Platte to First via the Faulhorn
A long high-level traverse, from Schynige Platte station to First, above Grindelwald. It is stage 15 of the ViaBerna, walked in its official direction. SwitzerlandMobility rates it difficult for fitness and medium for technique, with 1,100 m of climbing, 900 m of descent and 5 h 45 of walking; the route is 16.8 km long.
You reach Schynige Platte on the cog railway from Wilderswil. The path then passes close to the Oberberghorn and over the Güwtürli pass, reaches the Berghaus Männdlenen, then passes close to the summit of the Faulhorn before heading down near the Bachalpsee. The elevation profile shows you where it climbs and where it drops.
Rather go straight up to First? Start from Grindelwald, the Firstbahn stop or Burglauenen: each starting point has its own colour in the 3D view and an estimated time under all starting points. From the same starting station, the Schynige Platte Panoramaweg is a shorter loop.
At the finish you'll find the Berggasthaus First and the Firstbahn gondola back down to Grindelwald. Check the next departures from First and plan your day before you set off. Looking for more in the area? See all hikes in the Bernese Oberland, including the Eiger Trail.
The story of the trail
What happened where you are going to walk, chapter by chapter.
From ridge to ridge
You start at 1,967 m at Schynige Platte station and finish at 2,166 m at First. In between: 16.8 km, plus 1,100 m of climbing and 900 m of descent according to SwitzerlandMobility. It gives 5 h 45 of walking time in this direction, and 5 h 35 the other way.
The path passes close to the Oberberghorn, along the Grätli ridge, then over the Güwtürli pass and into the Sägistal. This is wild karst country, around Güw, with the Sägistalsee sparkling far below. After Schynige Platte, the next place to eat is the Berghaus Männdlenen, halfway along, at 2,345 m. On the way, follow the signposts and check the conditions on the day.
An 1893 railway that pushes its way up
The idea of a railway up to Schynige Platte dates from 1880, when the spot was already a popular day out. The line opened for regular service on 14 June 1893. Steam locomotives ran it until the end of 1913; from 1914, electric locomotives took over.
Those early electric locomotives, now more than a hundred years old, still handle all the traffic. As in the old days, the locomotive pushes the carriages uphill instead of pulling them. There are no electronic signals on the line: station staff send the trains on their way, and the points are switched by hand.
A garden of 800 plants at the start
The Schynige Platte botanical alpine garden brings together about 800 plant species of the Swiss Alps, shown in their natural plant communities. The association behind it was founded on 10 June 1927; work began in 1928 and the garden opened in 1929, on the Ausser-Iselten alpine pasture. The garden is preparing its 100th anniversary for 2027.
Under the garden, the rock is limestone, sandy limestone and shale from the Dogger. Further on, from the approach to the Faulhorn almost all the way to First, you walk on the Hochstollen Formation: sandy, bluish limestone alternating with marl.
The Faulhorn and its 1830 hotel
Two thirds of the way along, the path passes about a hundred metres from the summit of the Faulhorn and its Berghotel. Samuel Blatter, an innkeeper from Unterseen, built it between 1830 and 1833. In Switzerland, leaving aside pass hospices, only two mountain hotels are older, according to the hotel: the one on Rigi-Kulm (1816) and the Kurhaus on the Weissenstein (1826/27).
The mountain takes its name from the crumbling black calcareous shale, the "rotten rock". In 1982, the helicopter fully replaced transport by mule; since 2017, the fourth generation of the same family has run the house. Just after, the path reaches its highest point, at 2,618 m.
The Bachalpsee, then First
The descent passes the Reetihitta and Burgihitta shelters, then runs near the Bachalpsee, named Bachsee on the national map. The Jungfrau Railways call it the "blue jewel" of the Alps. Further on, the path passes the Gummihitta before reaching First.
At First, at the finish, you'll find the Berggasthaus First and the First Cliff Walk. The Firstbahn takes you down to Grindelwald in six-seater gondolas, via Schreckfeld and Bort. First has had a lift since 1947, first a two-seater chairlift; the current gondola dates from 1991. Further down this page: the next departures.
Every way to Grindelwald, First
4 starting points to reach Grindelwald, First. Pick yours: the 3D view shows it and “My day” recalculates.
Walking times without breaks. “Estimated” times are calculated on the swisstopo profile with a model fitted to the official SwitzerlandMobility stages; the shortest path may differ from the one on the yellow signposts: on the ground, follow the signs. Gradient: the steepest over 200 m of trail. Profiles share the same scale (length and altitude). Stations and car parks within 500 m of the start, according to OpenStreetMap.
In pictures
The Oberberghorn and the Laucherhorn seen from Schynige Platte
The Schynige Platte mountain station with trains of the railway
The Schynige Platte alpine garden
The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau seen from Güwtürli
The Berghaus Männdlenen in the Bernese Prealps
The Faulhorn with the Berghotel Faulhorn, near Grindelwald
Swiss hiking network signpost at Gassenboden
The Bachalpsee reflecting the Alps in the morning
The Grindelwald-First mountain restaurant, looking towards the Schreckhorn, the Ischmeer glacier and the Fiescherhörner
The Grindelwald-First gondola lift with its six-seater cabins
What you see from the top
360° view from Faulhorn (2,617 m). 33 named peaks, including Finsteraarhorn, 18 km away. Swipe to look around.
The next few days
MeteoSwiss local forecast, updated every hour
Reading the MeteoSwiss forecast…
My day
Pick your day and start time: everything updates.
- Arrival at Grindelwald, First
- 14:15 5 h 45 of walking without breaks, starting at 08:30
The trail, kilometre by kilometre
Places are listed under the kilometre where you pass them. Drag along the profile: the marker moves on the 3D view too.
- under 10 %
- 10 to 20 %
- 20 to 30 %
- over 30 %
- fountain or water point
- toilets
Around the trail (250 m, OpenStreetMap, extract of 25/10/2026): 4 restaurants, 0 cafés, 1 fountain or water point, 5 toilets. Estimated time: the official walking time spread by effort (1 km on the flat counts as 100 m of climbing), start time set in “My day”.
Getting there and back
Back by public transport from the First (Grindelwald) stop
Next departures from First (Grindelwald)Reading the official timetable…
By car
Careful, this is one way: public transport back arrives in First (Grindelwald), not in Schynige Platte. Plan to get back to your car by public transport, or park at the finish and take the train to the start.
Public car parks within 600 m of the start, according to OpenStreetMap: prices and number of spaces may have changed, check the signs on site.
Questions people ask
How long is the hike from Schynige Platte to the finish (Grindelwald, First)?
5 h 45 of walking according to SwitzerlandMobility, in this direction, not counting breaks. The other way: 5 h 35.
Is it hard?
SwitzerlandMobility rates this stage: fitness difficult, technique medium. It is 1,100 m of climbing over 16.8 km.
Can I get back by public transport?
Yes. The First (Grindelwald) stop is at the finish. The next departures show live under “Getting there and back”.
Where can I eat on the way?
4 restaurants, cafés and huts within 250 m of the trail, including Schynige Platte, Berghaus Männdlenen, Berggasthaus First. Where they are and their opening hours: below the profile.
Is there water and are there toilets on the way?
1 fountain or water point and 5 toilets within 250 m of the trail (survey of 25/10/2026).
Can I download the track?
Yes, as a GPX file for your watch or map app: “Download the track” button at the top of the page.
More hikes within 10 km
Official SwitzerlandMobility stages that pass within 10 km of this trail. Each card says whether its page is already up.
Schynige Platte, loop1 h 55Panoramaweg Schynige Platte6.0kmDistance340mAscent340mDescentTechnical mediumFitness easy. See the hike
Iseltwald → Brienz3 h 25Brienzersee Drei Wasserfälleweg, stage 212.0kmDistance440mAscent440mDescentTechnical easyFitness medium. See the hike
Lauterbrunnen (Grütschalp) → Mürren (Allmendhubel)2 h 00Mountain View Trail5.0kmDistance520mAscent110mDescentTechnical mediumFitness medium. See the hike
Wengen (Allmend) → Kleine Scheidegg2 h 50Lauberhorn Trail6.0kmDistance820mAscent260mDescentTechnical mediumFitness medium. See the hike
Grindelwald (Eigergletscher) → Grindelwald (Alpiglen)1 h 55Eiger Trail6.0kmDistance100mAscent820mDescentTechnical mediumFitness medium. See the hike
Niederhorn → Waldegg3 h 35Niederhorn-Panoramaweg11.0kmDistance400mAscent1,100mDescentTechnical mediumFitness difficult. See the hike