Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Getting to the Faulhorn

There are no roads, but many trails lead to the Faulhorn swissinfo.ch

When the hotel opened its doors in 1830, visitors either made the journey on foot or, if they could afford it, on the backs of mules.

The mules have long since disappeared but part of the journey can be done with a cable car or cog railway.

The steep hike up from Grindelwald can take anywhere from three to five hours depending on the pace. This was the main route in the old days taken by the mules which were either carrying supplies or wealthy guests to the top.

The cable car from Grindelwald to the First station shortens the journey by a couple of hours. A longer, more scenic but more costly route begins in Wilderswil outside Interlaken.

From here, a cog railway winds its way up to the Schynige Platte, which is the start of a four-hour hike along a ridge to the Faulhorn.

Only hikers with the sturdiest of legs attempt to overcome more than 2,000 metres in altitude by starting the climb from either Iseltwald or the Giessbach Hotel on the shore of Lake Brienz.

swissinfo, Dale Bechtel

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR