The Grosse Scheidegg is the gap in the ridge between the Wetterhorn and the Schwarzhorn, at 1,962 m, and it is first of all a crossing. Grindelwald lies on one side, the Haslital valley and Meiringen on the other. You get there on a bus rather than a mountain railway — in a region that opens almost every viewpoint with a rack railway or a cable car, that is the exception rather than the rule.
Quick Facts
- Elevation
- 1,962 m
- Getting There
- 94 min from Interlaken Ost, one change
- Duration
- Half day
- Price
- CHF 27.00
- Season
- May–October (bus service)
- Best for
- Views, hiking, a pass crossing
Journey time checked
Where a bus fits a rail-based trip
If you are travelling Switzerland on a rail pass, this is the question worth answering first, and it is the one the operators do not frame for you. The Grosse Scheidegg is not on the rail network at all. Every other big name above Grindelwald — Kleine Scheidegg, the Jungfraujoch, First — is reached on a railway or a lift, where a pass typically buys you a discount. Here the whole ascent is a bus fare, quoted below, and it sits outside that logic.
What that means in practice: budget for this trip separately, and do not assume your pass absorbs it. We could not source what the Swiss Travel Pass does on this line, and we would rather say so than reason from what usually applies elsewhere. The operator's tariff table names the Swiss GA and Halbtax cards and children under 16, and stops there.
Getting there: 94 minutes and one change
94 minutes from Interlaken Ost to the stop on the pass itself, one change in Grindelwald, measured on the Swiss timetable for a summer weekday. Unlike many destinations on this site, that figure ends at the top rather than at a valley station: the bus stops on the pass.
There is a second approach, and it rarely gets mentioned. The same pass can be reached from the north — train to Meiringen, then on via Schwarzwaldalp, with two changes and roughly a quarter of an hour more. For a multi-day trip that is worth more than it sounds: you can go up one side and down the other instead of retracing your route, which turns a dead-end excursion into a leg between two valleys.
What it costs
From Grindelwald station a single costs CHF 27.00 and a return CHF 54.00 at the standard fare. With a GA or Halbtax travelcard, and for children under 16, a single is CHF 13.50. All figures checked on 26 August 2026 in the operator's tariff table. Reaching Grindelwald is not included.
The season is the constraint most trip plans miss: the operator says of line 128 that these buses run from May to October. Between November and April no public transport reaches the pass, so a spring or late autumn visit is not a matter of dressing warmly — the service is simply not running.
Two sources, two journey times
For the leg from Grindelwald the published figures disagree, and we print the disagreement rather than resolving it. The hotel on the pass says on its own site that it is «in 25 Minuten von Grindelwald aus» — 25 minutes from Grindelwald. The Swiss timetable gives about 34 minutes for the same bus from Grindelwald station (both retrieved on 8 August 2026). Both can be true: the bus serves stops on the way, and departures differ. For planning, use the longer figure.
Is it worth it for you?
Probably yes if you think of the pass as part of a route rather than a destination — up from Grindelwald and down into the Haslital, or on foot along the high path towards First. As a starting point for walking it is strong, because the bus takes the first 900 m of ascent off your legs.
Probably not if you want a classic summit outing. This is a road pass with a mountain hotel, not a panorama peak with a terrace and a summit restaurant. If the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are what you came for, the Kleine Scheidegg on the other side of Grindelwald puts all three directly opposite you, and a train goes there.
The framing nobody selling a ticket will give you: what you get here is the back of the range everyone else photographs from the front — the north faces above Grindelwald seen from far enough away to read as a whole. That is a real reason to come, and a different one from "the best view in the region".
What is up there
One building: the Berghotel Grosse Scheidegg. That is also why a search for this place lands on a business so quickly — at 1,962 m there is exactly one house, and it publishes its own altitude, access and accommodation. We do not quote room rates, because we found none that we could source.
Timetable and fares for line 128 from the operator
Where it is
The pass lies in the municipality of Grindelwald at 1,962 m. Coordinate and altitude come from the Swiss federal gazetteer and height service (retrieved 8 August 2026, listed there as a «Strassenpass»), and the hotel on the pass gives the same 1,962 m. West of it runs the ridge carrying the Faulhorn — the other point in this corner of the region that no railway reaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to the Grosse Scheidegg?
By bus, line 128, from Grindelwald. From Interlaken Ost it is 94 minutes with one change in Grindelwald, measured on the Swiss timetable for a summer weekday. There is a second approach from the north, via Meiringen and Schwarzwaldalp, with two changes and about a quarter of an hour more. No railway goes up — that is what sets this pass apart from most viewpoints in the region.
How much does the bus to Grosse Scheidegg cost?
From Grindelwald station a single is CHF 27.00 and a return CHF 54.00 at the standard fare. With a GA or Halbtax travelcard, and for children under 16, a single is CHF 13.50. Fares checked on 26 August 2026 in the operator's own tariff table. Getting to Grindelwald in the first place is not part of that fare.
Is the Grosse Scheidegg covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?
We could not source an answer, so we do not print one. The operator's tariff page lists reductions for the Swiss GA and Halbtax travelcards and for children, and says nothing about the Swiss Travel Pass for this line. Rather than reason from what usually applies to Swiss postbus routes, we write "Not verified" rather than a guess, and suggest you confirm it with the operator before you count on it.
When does the bus run?
The operator writes of line 128: «Diese Busse fahren von Mai bis Oktober» — these buses run from May to October (checked 26 August 2026). From November to April there is no public transport to the pass at all, which matters if you are planning a shoulder-season trip.
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