Giessbach Things to Do

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Don't hesitate to explore the interior of the Parkhotel Giessbach, in general the staff is very friendly and you will most probably get permission to take a look around the different halls of the hotel, when you ask at the reception.
Take a look at the great entrance-hall, with an interesting clock (my 2nd picture) and the lovely Tea-Saloon and the hall on 1st floor.
I had been in Giessbach many times during the last 30 years and I also still remember the time when this lovely hotel should have been taken away in 1976 and it took several years to find some investors willing to give enough money to restore the building again.
Now the hotel-guests are back again, the Grandhotel offers a special ambiente in the unique scenery of the waterfalls and most of the modern amenities far away, except of the luxury cars that you may see in the parking close to the hotel.
Time seems to have stood still here, so take your time to explore the lovely interior of the hotel, even when you just come to Giessbach in order to stay for just 1 or 2 hours as a day-tourist.

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It was one of the many reasons, why the Grandhotel Giessbach was built at that very place : The Faulhorn was quite a popular mountain for hikers in the 19th century and so at Faulhorn the very first alpine-hotel in Switzerland was built and the only way to get there is by hiking from Schnigge Platte, from First or from Axalp. (Only donkeys could get there still today and maybe some extreme 4x4cars, but most of the restaurant-food etc. is taken there by helicopter) The prices in the restaurant and the simple hotel are quite reasonable, when you considder, that all goods have to be taken up there "the hard way"
When intending to spend the night in the hotel - make sure you reserve in advance !!
The hotel and restaurant are open daily
between end of june and October 20th !!
for other dates, you better phone them in advance !!
In Faulhorn-hotel you are really off the beaten path - it is besides Weberhuette the only hotel and restaurant at the hiking-path between Schynigge Platte and First.
click here for a 360° Winter-panorama from Faulhorn!

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Bachalpsee is a scenic alpine lake high above Grindelwald and you may hike there from Giessbach to Axalp and via Faulhorn to Bachalpsee. When you are in time you may take the cablecar from First to Grindelwald and go back to Giessbach by train. OR, much better : walk back to Faulhorn and spend the night there in order to follow the hiking-path to Schynige Platte and Wilderswil the next day.
Bachalpsee is one of the most beautiful mountain-lakes of the area and you will see it at many postcards and posters with the mountains reflecting in the lake like in a mirror. It is a pity that on my picture there are also a few clouds, but at least it was sunny.
From Bachalpsee you will get to the mountain-station of the First cablecar within 45 minutes - the path is easy and rather flat, with fine gravel and no rocks - a small street, that could also be used by wheelchairs and Kinderwagen, bikes etc.
When you intend to take a picture of the reflecting mountains, you have to step down to the water-level and take the picture from there !!
Bachalpsee is in a height of 2265 meters above sea-level, 45 minutes to walk from the First-station, and high above Grindelwald

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The open-air-museum of Ballenberg is another attraction that you may easly visit, when you choose the Parkhotel Giessbach as your base to explore the sight around Brienzersee & Jungfrauregion.
This beautiful open-air-museum consists of 90 buildings, that had been originally built in various other parts of Switzerland, but a few years ago these mostly wooden buildings had been disassembled and finally rebuilt in Ballenberg. The museum consists now of several small villages, one of Bernese houses, a village from Ticino, a village of Graubuenden etc.
It is amazing to see the differences in architecture, style and details and all of the farmhouses still have pigs, cows, horses, geese etc. and during the day most of the buildings are open for the visitors and you may watch the staff of Ballenberg, when they work on the farms like in the old times, when they were producing their own baskets, made wood-carvings, weaving, spinning the wool, baking bread or making cheese etc. There is also a blacksmith you may watch, or you may have a meal in one of the various traditional inns.
Ballenberg is open daily May-October : 10.00a.m.-05.00p.m.
besides that time you may walk around on your own without entrance-fee !!
entrance-fee is 16 sfr / 10 Euros !
There is a really large parking at the entrance - free of charge !!
and also several lockers for small luggage !

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Giessbach is just opposite of Brienz and getting there is so easy by ship , by the public bus or by your own car and you may see plenty of traditional wooden houses there .
For plenty of centuries already tourists are coming to see the beautiful row of wooden houses in Brunngasse and these houses saw celebrities like Lord Byron , Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Ludwig Uhland and many others, who visited Brienz and stayed there for some time. All of the houses in Brunngasse are still inhabited by ordinary people, so be carefull, when walking through it.

It sounds a bit strange, BUT please be careful :
At certain times (whenever there is FÖN - a warm wind )
it is forbidden to smoke in these streets in Brienz !

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Giessbach Faelle / Waterfalls are the main natural sight of Giessbach. You will find them opposite of Brienz, at the southern shore of Brienzersee falling in several cascades down the hill . You may go there by car via Brienzwiler, BUT going there by ship is certainly the best , because the road to Giessbach is really quite narrow and also a bit dangerous with oncoming trafic, because only at a very few places 2 cars may pass by each other.
When you arrive by ship you may take a little walk of 15 minutes or take the funicular to the Grandhotel Giessbach, where the most interesting part of the cascades starts. There is a path along all of these waterfalls and you may even step behind one of the water-falls and look down to the hotel.