Jungfrau Region (BE) · One way

Faulhornweg

Höhenwanderung Schynige Platte – Faulhorn – First

Schynige Platte to First, over the shoulder of the Faulhorn

16.7 kmOur measured line
946 mClimb
759 mDescent
5 h 34Swiss signpost time

Both ends are machines with timetables. The first train from Wilderswil leaves at 07:25 and reaches the top around 08:20; the last First gondola down goes at 18:00. That is about 9 h 40 for a walk the operators time at 5 h 45 to 6 h — comfortable, unless you start late.

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The long high walk of the Jungfrau Region: a rack railway lifts you to Schynige Platte, the path runs the ridge between the Lütschine valley and Lake Brienz, passes under the Faulhorn and drops past the Bachsee to the First gondola. Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau stand opposite for most of it. Six hours of mountain path, a long way from any village.

The line we walk

Loading topographic map…
2,000m2,100m2,200m2,300m2,400m2,500m2,600m05 km10 km15 km2,611m1,911m
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%) Steep (15–25%)

Getting there and back

The lifts and stops this walk depends on

Schynige Platte railway, from Wilderswil

Rack railway, about an hour · Jungfraubahnen

Season
13 June – 25 October 2026, every 40 minutes
First up
07:25
Last down
17:53 (last train up 16:45)
Fare
from CHF 34
Jungfraubahnen operating data

Read 20 September 2026

Firstbahn, First down to Grindelwald

Gondola, about 25 minutes · Jungfraubahnen

Season
Runs to 25 October 2026, then closed for overhaul until 27 November
First up
08:00
Last down
18:00
Fare
from CHF 38
Jungfraubahnen operating data

Read 20 September 2026

At the start

  • Schynige Platte bus stop, 34 m away
  • Schynige Platte station, 37 m away

At the finish

  • bus stop bus stop, 40 m away
  • cable car cable car, 139 m away
  • First (Oberjoch) cable car, 150 m away

Stops and stations come from OpenStreetMap, measured from the ends of our line. Times and seasons come from each operator's own page, on the date shown. Check them for your date.

On the way

Where you can stop

Berghotel Faulhorn

Mountain hotel, 30 minutes off the route · 2,681 m

Open
Open to autumn 2026; the exact closing date is not published
Food
Dinner 18:00–19:00, two menus; day guests served
Phone
+41 79 534 99 51

There is no drinking water on the mountain, and a bed must be reserved. Six double rooms, a four-bed and two family rooms, and two dormitories of 30 places.

Their own page

Read 20 September 2026

Berghaus Männdlenen (Weberhütte)

Mountain inn, on the route · 2,344 m

Open
About late June to early October, snow permitting; winter break from 6 October 2026
Food
Raclette for overnight guests at 18:00; breakfast with alpine cheese
Phone
+41 33 853 44 64
Their own page

Read 20 September 2026

Berggasthaus First

Mountain restaurant, at the finish · 2,167 m

Open
Closed 27 October to 27 November 2026
Food
Restaurant and self-service
Phone
+41 33 828 77 88
Their own page

Read 20 September 2026

How hard it is

Grade, and how long it takes

Mountain hiking trail (white-red-white)Swiss trail class

“technically medium, physically difficult — and the stage runs far from any settlement; in very bad weather, do not walk it” — SchweizMobil, ViaBerna stage 15

Three times for the same walk, so you can see where they differ
The operator's time5 h 45 (SchweizMobil) · 6 h (Jungfraubahnen)SchweizMobil, ViaBerna stage 15
Swiss signpost time5 h 34The official hiking-time method, on our line
At a running pace3 h 04Our estimate; the grade does not change because you run

The two official figures differ: 17 km with 1,100 m of climb (SchweizMobil) against 16 km with 835 m (Jungfraubahnen). Our line measures 16.7 km and 946 m, between the two. The Faulhorn summit is not on the route — SchweizMobil calls it a 30-minute detour, and the hotel up there is worth it.

Conditions

What it is like right now, and month by month

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for low point (1,911 m) and high point (2,611 m)…

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for low point (1,911 m) and high point (2,611 m)…

Weather by month

Typical weather Faulhornweg: at the lowest point (1,911 m) and the highest point (2,611 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.

Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
WeatherPoorPoorPoorPoorPoorPoorGoodGoodMixedMixedPoorPoor
High point, day / night-5°/-10°-5°/-11°-3°/-9°-1°/-6°4°/-1°8°/2°10°/4°11°/5°7°/1°3°/-2°-1°/-6°-4°/-9°
Low point, day / night-1°/-8°-1°/-8°2°/-5°6°/-2°10°/2°14°/6°16°/7°16°/8°11°/4°8°/1°2°/-3°0°/-6°
Rain, mm9582909112212212311897113109110
Snow at high pointLikelyLikelyLikelyLikelyLikelyLikely––FrostPossibleLikelyLikely
Daylight8 h 5610 h 1711 h 4913 h 3214 h 5915 h 4915 h 3114 h 1612 h 3810 h 599 h 278 h 35

Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.

Before you go

What could stop you

A long way from anywhere

SchweizMobil says it plainly: the stage runs far from inhabited places, and in very bad weather you should not walk it. Between the two lifts there are two inns and no road.

SchweizMobil, ViaBerna stage 15

Read 20 September 2026

Carry your water

The Berghotel Faulhorn states there is no drinking water on the mountain. Fill up at Schynige Platte and buy what you need at Männdlenen or the Faulhorn.

Berghotel Faulhorn

Read 20 September 2026

What a white-red-white path means

Mostly steep and narrow, partly exposed. Swiss hiking policy expects you to be sure-footed, free from vertigo and aware of mountain hazards: stonefall, slipping, falling, a change in the weather.

Schweizer Wanderwege: trail categories

Read 20 September 2026

Season: Both lifts run 13 June to 25 October 2026, which is the real window for the walk; Jungfraubahnen shows it open from 20 June. Männdlenen closes for the winter on 6 October 2026. Snow can lie into early summer.

Make it your day

Shorter, longer, or at a run

Sleep at the top

The Berghotel Faulhorn at 2,681 m turns the walk into two short days, with sunset and sunrise over the Bernese Alps from the summit. Reserve: they have no drinking water and no showers, and they need to know you are coming.

Half of it: First to the Bachsee

If six hours is too much, ride to First and walk to the Bachsee and back — about 6.6 km on the same gondola ticket.

Walk it the other way

Jungfraubahnen says either direction works. First to Schynige Platte climbs more and ends at a railway whose last train down is 17:53.

For runners

The classic Bernese Oberland high traverse for runners, and the ground the Eiger Ultra Trail's long races cross — in the opposite direction. Little of it is technical, but it is long, high and without water.

Races on this ground: Eiger Ultra Trail E101, Eiger Ultra Trail E51.

Keep it on your phone

Offline maps

Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.

  1. Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
  2. Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
  3. Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.

Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.

Route and sources

What we checked, and when

This walk is an official Swiss hiking route: ViaBerna (Schynige Platte - Grindelwald, First) (SchweizMobil route 38). We publish our own line on OpenStreetMap, matched onto the official one and checked against it.

  • Official line 16.78 km · ours 16.66 km (-0.7%)
  • 95% of the official line is within 1.7 m of ours; the furthest point is 10.2 m
  • Climb read from a 30 m terrain model along our line, smoothed; an operator's figure will differ
  • Built on 2026-09-20