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Directions

No matter where you are coming from, you have to pass through Interlaken first. Though a relatively small town, Interlaken has two train stations--Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost. From the latter the fastest journey to Gimmelwald takes 55 minutes, and trains leave about once an hour. Round-trip ticket Interlaken Ost--Gimmelwald costs 36.40 Sfr. (27.30 Sfr. with Eurail and free with Swiss Pass).

Fastest way, step-by-step:

1) Take the Interlaken Ost--Lauterbrunnen train. Be careful. This train has two parts. The first half goes to Lauterbrunnen. The second half goes to Grindelwald. The cars are marked. Make sure you board the correct one. You will arrive in Lauterbrunnen 20 minutes later.

2) Take the Lauterbrunnen--Stechelberg bus. Once you get out of the train, cross the tracks and walk about 50-100 meters to your right, where you will find a bus stop. It's the only bus and Stechelberg is the end of the line, so you can't go wrong. The ride is about 12 minutes long, and you will disembark right next to the gondola station. OR
2) Walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. It's about an hour and a half flat walk (longer with a photo camera) to the gondola station and is well worth it, even with a full backpack on one's shoulders. If the weather is nice and the sun is still out it's a good alternative to a bus.

3) Take the gondola to its first stop. 5 minutes ride. Welcome to Gimmelwald! (I should point out that it's possible to hike from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald, though I don't recommend doing it with your full backpack. It's a relatively steep climb up (500 feet gain in elevation), which will take you close to 1.5 hours.)


There may be several reasons to take another route. Gimmelwald has no food store, and this route, which passes through Mürren gives you a chance to buy your groceries on your way to Gimmelwald instead of taking a specific hike to Mürren later. The food co-op in Mürren is open until 6 p.m. on weekdays, limited hours on Saturdays and closed on Sundays. Another reason to take this route is if you are catching the 19:35 or 20:35 train out of Interlaken. You will get to Lauterbrunnen when the Lauterbrunnen--Stechelberg bus is not running. There is a bus at 19:05 and 22:05 but nothing in between.

Alternative route, step-by-step:

1) Take the Interlaken Ost--Lauterbrunnen train. Be careful. This train has two parts. The first half goes to Lauterbrunnen. The second half goes to Grindelwald. The cars are marked. Make sure you board the correct one. You will arrive in Lauterbrunnen 20 minutes later.

2)Take the Lauterbrunnen--Grütschalp funicular. The entrance is right across the Lauterbrunnen train station. You can't miss it. The ride is 11 minutes long, and the funicular runs every 15 minutes for most of the day (every half hour after 17:30). The last ride is 21:00.

3) Take the Grütschalp--Mürren train The funicular and the train are well connected. They basically share the same mini-station. The train departs 7 minutes after the funicular arrives. The ride to Mürren is 17 minutes long. Grab a seat on the left side for the breathtaking panorama of the Alps.

4) Walk from Mürren to Gimmelwald. About 40 minutes. Downhill. The road is well marked. OR
4) Take the Mürren-Gimmelwald gondola (5 minutes ride). It's about a 10-minute walk from the Mürren train station to the Mürren gondola station. Just follow the signs.


Swiss Federal Railways: timetable and fare information in Switzerland and beyond. Very useful detailed information. Also, check out Swiss Travel System's money-saving options (Swiss Pass, Swiss Card, etc.).



The following table (through December 13, 2003) shows the most convenient travel to Gimmelwald from major European cities. As always, travel times are subject to change. Please consult the Swiss Federal Railways website for details. The via column shows transfers up to Interlaken. Scroll up this page to see detailed directions from Interlaken to Gimmelwald.
All Roads Lead To Gimmelwald
From Departure Arrival Type via Duration
Amsterdam 19:23 9:30 Overnight Brussels, Basel 14 hours 07 minutes
Barcelona 20:38 10:30 Overnight Bern 13 hours 52 minutes
Berlin 21:26 11:30 Overnight Basel 14 hours 04 minutes
Brussels 22:19 9:30 Overnight Basel 11 hours 11 minutes
Budapest 17:50 10:30 Overnight Zurich 16 hours 40 minutes
Dresden 20:49 11:30 Overnight Riesa, Basel 14 hours 41 minutes
Florence 22:20 8:30 Overnight Spiez 10 hours 10 minutes
Frankfurt 12:05 18:30 Day -- 6 hours 25 minutes
Hamburg 8:24 18:30 Day -- 10 hours 06 minutes
Innsbruck 8:39 16:30 Day Zurich 7 hours 51 minutes
Milan 8:10 13:30 Day Spiez 5 hours 20 minutes
Munich 8:12 16:30 Day Zurich 8 hours 14 minutes
Paris 22:43 9:30 Overnight Liestal 10 hours 47 minutes
Rome 19:51 8:30 Overnight Spiez 12 hours 39 minutes
Salzburg 0:45 10:30 Overnight Zurich 9 hours 45 minutes
Venice 22:56 8:30 Overnight Brig, Spiez 9 hours 34 minutes
Vienna 21:23 10:30 Overnight Zurich 13 hours 07 minutes


The following table shows train travel to Gimmelwald from major Swiss cities/towns. The via column shows transfers up to Interlaken. Scroll up this page to see detailed directions from Interlaken to Gimmelwald. Keep in mind, the last gondola to Gimmelwald is at 23:25 and there is no way to access the village until the first gondola at 6:25 in the morning.
To Gimmelwald within Switzerland
From Approx. Frequency
via
 Approx. Duration
Basel Every hour Direct. Sometimes via Spiez or Bern 3 hours 26 minutes
Bern Every hour Direct 2 hours
Geneva Every hour Bern 4 hours
Lausanne Every hour Bern 3 hours 24 minutes
Lucerne Every hour Direct 3 hours
Montreux Every hour Lausanne, Bern 4 hours
Zermatt Every hour Brig, Spiez 4 hours 20 minutes
Zurich Every hour Direct. Sometimes via Bern. Sometimes via Lucerne (most scenic!) 3 hours 27 minutes

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