At the Top of Europe: A mighty glacier, permanent snow and, on clear days, France.
First Cliff Walk
A steel walkway ends in open air, forty-five metres above the valley.
The First Cliff Walk by Tissot begins where the gondola from Grindelwald stops, at 2,168 metres. A narrow path first traces the west flank of the First summit, following the rock upward past ledges where alpine choughs nest. Then the ground gives way to steel: a walkway bolted directly onto the cliff face, ending in a platform that extends 45 metres over nothing.
The Eiger fills the view straight ahead, with the Jungfrau beside it. The Mönch stays hidden behind the Eiger's shoulder, a detail most visitors only notice later, in photos, when they wonder where it went. Below, Grindelwald sits small in its valley, framed by the Bernese Alps.
The first gondola up, before the day-trip groups arrive from Interlaken, offers the platform nearly empty. By mid-morning a queue forms for the edge.The walk itself takes 10 to 15 minutes, unhurried. No technical skill is needed, only a steady head. The platform rewards those willing to wait their turn and stand still at the edge.
More in Grindelwald
Two railways climb from opposite valleys and meet at 2,061 metres, under a wall of rock and ice.
A lake that holds the Wetterhorn twice: once in the sky, once on its surface.
Cowbells drift across the ridge while the Eiger holds still against the sky.