Gimmelwald

Gimmelwald is a small mountain village in Bernese Highlands region of Switzerland. Its location is on the western ledge of Weisse Lutschine valley just above Stechelberg and south of Murren. It's a car-free resort, accessible only by cable car or foot.

View of the mountains opposite Gimmelwald.

Understand

Get in

By Train/Gondola/Foot

1. Catch the Lauterbrunnen-bound train from the Interlaken Ost Station, and get off at Lauterbrunnen. Make sure you board the correct car, the back few cars go to Grindelwald. Eurail/Inter-rail passes are only valid for a discount on this line, so be sure you have an actual ticket before boarding the train. You can buy a ticket valid all the way to Gimmelwald, with the PostBus and gondola fare for the second leg of the journey included.
2. At Lauterbrunnen, cross the street and board the yellow PostBus heading for the 🌍 Stechelberg gondola station, and get off there (alternatively, it is possible to drive and park in Stechelberg).
3. Ride the gondola up one station to 🌍 Gimmelwald. Alternatively, you can take a 1.5 hour hike up to Gimmelwald from Stechelberg and save money on the gondola fare.

Alternate Route via Mürren:

This route gives you a chance to stop at Murren's grocery store first, as Gimmelwald doesn't have one.

1. Catch the Lauterbrunnen-bound train from Interlaken Ost. Same as step #1 above.
2. Ride the Lauterbrunnen-Grütschalp cable car(entrance across from the Lauterbrunnen train station) to Grütschalp.
3. Catch the Grütschalp-Mürren train from the same station. Make sure to sit on the left side for the best view. Get off at 🌍 Mürren
4. Buy groceries, if needed.
5. Either walk 30 minutes to Gimmelwald on the road downhill, or ride the gondola down the mountain one stop.

Get around

The village itself is small but friendly. Your legs are all you'll need. If you get caught unprepared in bad weather on the 30ish minute hike up to the neighbouring village of Murren, you can usually catch a ride with a farmer passing in his truck. They're more than happy to help.

See

Mountains!!! The huge, sheer cliff face across the valley from Gimmelwald is known as the Schwarzmönch (Black Monk).

Do

• Gimmelwald is a quaint pedestrian village. It offers beautiful views for those willing to take the train, PostBus, and gondola. The village itself can be explored in 30 minutes, but the real allure is in the peaceful setting and quiet laid back attitude.
• Hike! There are tons of hiking trails leaving from Gimmelwald. Pass by Esther's Guesthouse for a guide to these trails. The views are breathtaking.

• 🌍 Gimmelwald to Allmendhubel. Those seeking a more relaxing walk for the whole family can take a stroll to Allmendhubel (where you can hear Alphorns being played every weekend) and/or Winteregg (a random restaurant at the end of the walk). Along the way you'll enjoy a near-constant view of the valley below without the huffing and puffing a rugged mountain trail involves. (updated Nov 2017)
• 🌍 Gimmelwald to Oberhornsee. 7-hour round trip hike. The first 40 minutes or so is up one of the steepest inclines in the area, but it soon gives way to the most amazing series of flower-filled Alpine meadows, cow pastures, and waterfalls you'll ever see. Great, if you can brave the initial brutality. (updated Nov 2017)
• 🌍 Gimmelwald to Schilthorn. The main hike everyone must do at least part of the way (and catch a gondola for the rest if tired) is the one to the Schilthorn, aka Blofeld's hideout in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. This trail is absolutely spectacular. Rick Steves' guide recommends that you hike down from the Schilthorn, but walking up, while more strenuous on the body and heart, is much easier on the legs and balance. It is an intensive trail for non-hikers (but very do-able). It will take at least 5 hours for most people to get to the top of the Schilthorn from Gimmelwald, so pack a lunch and leave early. After passing Schiltalp (the last tiny town you will see on the hike) and crossing a stream of water, the trail will suddenly get steeper. Be careful of the sudden drops and take the hike slower as you get to higher altitudes if you are not used to slightly lower oxygen levels than normal (the summit is over 2900 m). Hiking poles are helpful on the way up, and almost necessary on the way down. Bring warm clothes because up high there is snow nearly year round, and the weather can change very quickly while you are underway. The gondola ride down is Fr. 48.80, with a 25% reduction for Eurail passholders. (updated Nov 2017)

• 🌍 Mürren - Schilthorn ski area (54 km, 16 lifts), ☎ [phone]. Day pass Fr. 63/32, it is also possible to get combined tickets for the whole Jungfrau area. (updated May 2017)

Buy

Fresh dairy and other farm products from the locals.

The nearest chain grocery store, sports, and souvenir shops are in Murren.

Eat

• Pension & Restaurant Gimmelwald - Across the road from Esther's Guesthouse (very close to the Gondola Station). Bar/restaurant that serves up some great food & drink for a very reasonable price by 'Swiss' standards.
• Try delicious Alpenkase (alpine cheese) at the local cheese shack.
• Buy some freshly made, deliciously sweet alpine yoghurt from Esther's Guesthouse.
• Tasty and generous-sized pizzas served at the Mountain Hostel.

Drink

• 🌍 Mountain Hostel. 20 meters from the cable-car station. The lively bar has a range of beers, wines and spirits at good prices (for example, 1 litre of red wine for Fr. 11), together with a pool table. Young vibe. 
• 🌍 Esther's Guesthouse and Shop. 100 meters from the cable-car station. Sells half-bottles of mainly Swiss wine, starting at Fr. 8. 
• Fresh mountain water can be freely obtained from the ever-trickling public troughs in the village.

Sleep

• 🌍 Mountain Hostel, Gimmelwald, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A delightfully rustic hostel just a few meters from the gondola station. Has a great staff and a positively awe-inspiring view of the valley below, all for relatively cheap. 
• 🌍 Esther's Guesthouse, Gimmelwald, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Sleep in standard guest rooms or in a barn for cheap, either with a nice breakfast, with home-made cheese, the following day. 'Sleep on straw' accommodations are no longer available at Esther's. Not much of a social scene, so just head over to the hostel for a beer. 
• 🌍 Walter Mittler's Hotel Mittaghorn, Gimmelwald, ☎ [phone]. Guest rooms single/double/triple. Breakfast included on all. Optional, inexpensive dinner meal available for guests only. Call ahead to reserve room, reconfirm the day before your arrival. 
• 🌍 Olle & Maria's Bed and Breakfast, Nidrimatten, Gimmewald, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 

Go next

• The Schilthornbahn gondola line runs between Gimmelwald and Murren, Birg, the Piz Gloria restaurant, and Stechelberg in the valley below. From Stechelberg you can catch a PostBus that connects with other gondolas and the Lauterbrunnen train station, from which you can branch out and travel to Wengen, Grindelwald, Interlaken, etc.
• Alternatively, you can take the relaxed hike back to Lauterbrunnen (or just to Stechelberg). Down to Stechelberg is nice, but walking to Lauterbrunnen can be somewhat boring. Enjoy the hikes and save a few francs too.
• The Jungfraujoch. Also known as the "Top of Europe", this peak is home to the highest train station on the continent, 3,500 metres (11,000 ft) up. The station is built into the mountain, and is attached to a large recreational complex. From here you can shop and dine while looking out onto the Aletsch Glacier, or go sledding and walking on the glacier itself. You can also ride a high-tech elevator up even further to the Sphinx observatory, where you will behold a once-in-a-lifetime view of the surrounding Alps (provided the weather is good). To get here, first take the train from Lauterbrunnen back to Interlaken Ost. At Interlaken Ost, transfer to the Jungfraujoch train and ride it to the top (switching once at Kleine Scheidegg). Fare information can be found here: . Due to the high cost of the ticket, and fact that the view isn't that much better than the one from the Schilthorn (see the "Do" section above), budget travelers should skip this and go there instead. Call 033 828 7931 to check the weather conditions before going.
• Trummelbach Falls is one of the many waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. What makes this one unique is that it is partially inside the canyon wall and that it can be accessed by elevator. The area above the elevator, all accessible by steps or paths, is the most interesting. The waterfall's source is snowmelt from the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks at the south end of the valley. The water flow can reach 20,000 litres (5,200 gal) per second. The Lauterbrunnen/Stechelberg PostBus stops here and there is a free car parking area.