Bussalp is a working alp at 1804 metres above Grindelwald, and it has one feature that shapes the whole outing: there is no railway and no gondola. Unless you walk or bike up, you take mountain bus line 126 — the only public access there is. That makes it the quieter way into the Bachalpsee and Faulhorn area, which most visitors enter from First, and it makes the ride an expensive one: CHF 27.00 one way, level with the CHF 27.00 the same operator charges for the bus over the Grosse Scheidegg.
Quick Facts
- Getting There
- 73 min from Interlaken Ost, one change
- Duration
- Half day
- Price
- CHF 54.00
- Season
- May–October and December–April (bus)
- Best for
- Hiking, sledging, families
Checked with the operator
Getting there: 73 minutes, one change
73 minutes from Interlaken Ost, measured on the Swiss timetable for a Wednesday in the summer schedule as the day's minimum across eight departures: train to Grindelwald, then mountain bus line 126 from Grindelwald station. The operator says the bus runs seven times a day — that is not a turn-up-and-go service, so the journey back belongs in the plan before you set out.
For comparison, Faulhorn sits at 48 minutes and Bachalpsee at 132 in the same table — and the two figures measure different things. The 132 minutes to the Bachalpsee include the ride over First and the way up from the top station; the 48 to the Faulhorn reach only the Firstbahn valley station, because no railway goes to the summit — the climb is not in that figure. Bussalp's 73 minutes end at the bus stop on the alp. It is the other way into the same area.
What it costs — and where winter is dearer
In summer line 126 from Grindelwald station costs CHF 27.00 one-way and CHF 54.00 return. There is no return discount; the return is exactly double. With a GA or Half Fare card, and for children under 16, it is half: CHF 13.50 and CHF 27.00. All fares checked with the operator on 11 August 2026.
In winter the same ride costs more, not less: CHF 40.00 one-way and CHF 80.00 return at the normal fare. Buy the ticket on the spot — at the Bahnhofplatz sales point or from the driver — and it is CHF 30.00 and CHF 45.00. The operator lists this as a «Spezialpreis» with exactly that footnote. CHF 80.00 against CHF 45.00 for the same return journey — the difference is decided by nothing but where you buy the ticket.
Anyone staying locally buys differently: with a Grindelwald guest card the Bussalp/Waldspitz day ticket costs CHF 39.00, below the summer return at the full fare, and it covers line 127 to Waldspitz as well. That does not make it the cheapest ticket on this page — with a GA or Half Fare card the ordinary summer return is CHF 27.00 — so the card pays off for whoever holds no reduction. The operator states plainly that it is «Nur gültig zusammen mit der Gästekarte Grindelwald» — valid only with that card.
On the Swiss Travel Pass, the operator says nothing
The fare pages for line 126 list only the GA and the Half Fare card as reductions, along with children under 16 and bikes. The Swiss Travel Pass appears nowhere (checked 11 August 2026, summer and winter pages both).
So our table says «Not verified» rather than offering a plausible guess. Line 126 is a private mountain service, not a subsidised local bus, and on such routes either answer is conceivable — what counts is what the operator commits to, not what seems likely. If your budget depends on it, ask at the sales point before boarding.
Two seasons, one gap
The bus runs in two spans, and the operator states both itself: «Diese Busse fahren von Mai bis Oktober» on the summer page and «Diese Busse fahren von Dezember bis April» on the winter one. That leaves exactly one month without a bus — November.
What is unusual is where the gap sits. Other destinations in the region close in late autumn and open again only in spring — Grosse Scheidegg and the Reichenbach Falls run from May to October — while Bussalp shuts for a single month and runs on both sides of it. For planning it means a November trip to Bussalp is off and an April one is not. In winter the operator adds that the timetable is adjusted to conditions, so check the day's departures before you go.
A sledging destination in winter
From December to April Bussalp is above all a sledging mountain with its own run. The operator hires sledges at CHF 17.00, sells headlamps by prior arrangement and runs a shuttle back from the end of the sledge run. Children aged 6 to 16 have a day ticket at CHF 15.00, valid until 18.00.
Is it worth it for me?
Probably yes if you want the Bachalpsee and Faulhorn area without the traffic of the First gondola, or if you want to sledge in winter. With a GA or Half Fare card the summer ride is half price, which changes the arithmetic completely.
Probably not if you hold none of the reductions: CHF 54.00 return for a bus ride is a lot. And probably not if you are tied to a fixed schedule — the bus runs seven times a day, the Firstbahn all year. It is not faster, though: 72 minutes to the First top station stand in the same table against 73 up here. And not in November, when nothing runs.
Timetable and fares for line 126 from the operator
Where it is
Bussalp lies west above Grindelwald, high over the valley floor and facing the north wall of the Eiger. Coordinates and ground elevation come from the federal gazetteer and height service (queried on 11 August 2026, listed there as «Gebäude Bergrestaurant Bussalp»); the measured point sits at 1804 metres, and the timetable's bus stop is about 25 metres away — two independent official sources on the same spot. The mountain restaurant on the alp is run by Davia Hofer-Caspani and Daniel Hofer, the bus line by GrindelwaldBus.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to Bussalp from Interlaken?
Train to Grindelwald, then change to mountain bus line 126 at Grindelwald station. 73 minutes in total with one change, measured on the Swiss timetable for a Wednesday in the summer schedule as the day's minimum across eight departures. There is no railway and no gondola — the bus is the only public access. The operator says it runs seven times a day.
What does the bus to Bussalp cost?
In summer CHF 27.00 one-way and CHF 54.00 return from Grindelwald station; half of that with a GA or Half Fare card and for children under 16, so CHF 13.50 and CHF 27.00. In winter the same ride costs CHF 40.00 and CHF 80.00 at the normal fare — but bought on the spot, at the Bahnhofplatz sales point or from the driver, it is CHF 30.00 and CHF 45.00. Holders of a Grindelwald guest card can use the Bussalp/Waldspitz day ticket at CHF 39.00. All fares checked with the operator on 11 August 2026.
Is the Swiss Travel Pass valid on line 126?
The operator does not say. Its fare pages list only the GA and the Half Fare card as reductions, plus children under 16 and bikes; the Swiss Travel Pass is not mentioned anywhere (checked 11 August 2026, on both the summer and the winter page). We therefore print «Not verified» rather than a plausible guess. Line 126 is a private mountain service rather than a subsidised local bus, so either answer is conceivable — and only the operator gets to decide which. If you are relying on it, ask at the sales point before you board.
Does the bus run in winter?
Yes, from December to April — in winter Bussalp is a sledging destination with its own run. The operator hires sledges at CHF 17.00 and sells headlamps by prior arrangement. It also notes that the winter timetable is «flexibel und auf die jeweiligen Verhältnisse und Bedürfnisse angepasst», adjusted to conditions, so check the day's departures. November is the gap: the summer season ends in October and the winter one begins in December, so nothing runs at all.
Bussalp or First — which way to the Bachalpsee?
Both reach it, and they differ in price, crowds and when they run. The First gondola is the heavily used option and runs all year. Bussalp is the quieter one and in summer the cheaper: CHF 54.00 return, against the gondola fare — but no bus at all in November and higher fares in winter. The gondola is not faster from Interlaken Ost — 72 minutes to the First top station against 73 to Bussalp — but it runs all year, where the bus runs seven times a day. Take the bus to avoid the queues, the gondola if you are tied to a fixed schedule. We give no walking times on purpose — see the Faulhorn page.
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