Rick Steves - Rick Steves Snapshot Gimmelwald & the Berner Oberland

Rick Steves

This Snapshot guide, excerpted from my guidebook Rick Steves Switzerland, introduces you to the Berner Oberland, my favorite corner of the Swiss Alps. Youll find cliff-hanging villages, a deep valley, high peaks, endless hiking options (including plenty of easy walks), a slower pace of life...and quite likely many reasons to prolong your stay. On Europes snow-capped rooftop, cows munch wildflowers before a backdrop of pristine white peaks, red geraniums spring from windowsills, and waterfalls the size of skyscrapers tumble off sheer cliffs.

Ride the cable car up to the Schilthorn peak for a spectacular view of the Jungfrau range, or take the Jungfraujoch train up to Europes highest station, nestled between the Eiger and Jungfrau peaks. Cogwheel trains, funiculars, and cable cars operate like Swiss clockwork, delivering even non-hikers to high altitudes.

When its sunny, enjoy the thriller views. When clouds roll in, walk through the thundering Trmmelbach Falls, daytrip to the open-air museum at Ballenberg, or relax with some hot chocolate and a soundtrack of cowbells.

This area offers far more high-mountain travel thrills than anywhere else in Europe. In this guide I focus on the best part of the region: the Lauterbrunnen Valley, from the lush valley floor up to surrounding peaks, from the bustling gateway city of Interlaken to the tiny, traditional village of Gimmelwald, the regions best rustic hamlet.

To help you have the best trip possible, Ive included the following topics in this book:

Planning Your Time, with advice on how to make the most of your limited time

Orientation, including tourist information (abbreviated as TI), tips on public transportation, local tour options, and helpful hints

Sights with ratings:

Dont miss

Try hard to see

Worthwhile if you can make it

No ratingWorth knowing about

Sleeping and Eating, with good-value recommendations in every price range

Connections, with tips on trains, buses, and driving

Practicalities, near the end of this book, has information on money, phoning, hotel reservations, transportation, and more, plus German survival phrases.

To travel smartly, read this little book in its entirety before you go. Its my hope that this guide will make your trip more meaningful and rewarding. Traveling like a temporary local, youll get the absolute most out of every mile, minute, and dollar.

Gute Reise!

Rick Steves

Interlaken Lauterbrunnen Gimmelwald Mrren

Frolic and hike high above the stress and clouds of the real world. Take a vacation from your busy vacation. Recharge your touristic batteries high in the Alps, where distant avalanches, cowbells, the fluff of a down comforter, the whistle of marmots, and the crunchy footsteps of happy hikers are the dominant sounds. If the weathers good (and your budgets healthy), ride a cable car from the traffic-free village of Gimmelwald to a hearty breakfast at the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant, on top of the 9,748-foot Schilthorn. Linger among alpine whitecaps before riding, hiking, or paragliding down 5,000 feet to Mrren and home to Gimmelwald.

Your gateway to the rugged Berner Oberland, the mountainous part of the canton of Bern, is the grand old resort town of Interlaken. Near Interlaken is Switzerlands open-air folk museum, Ballenberg, where you can climb through original traditional houses gathered from every corner of this diverse country.

Ah, but the weathers fine and the Alps beckon. Head deep into the heart of the Alps, and ride the cable car to the stop just this side of heavenGimmelwald.

Rather than tackle a checklist of famous Swiss mountains and resorts, choose one region to savor: the Berner Oberland.

Interlaken is the regions administrative headquarters and transportation hub. Use it for businessbanking, post office, laundry, shoppingand as a springboard for alpine thrills.

The highest-altitude lifts are very expensive, and it only makes sense to splurge if you have a good chance of seeing an alpine panorama instead of fog or clouds. Let your plans flex with the weather. If its goodgo! Ask at your hotel or the TI for the latest info or check www.jungfrau.ch or www.schilthorn.ch. Webcams showing live video from the famous (and most expensive-to-reach) peaks play just about wherever you go in the area.

If the weathers decent, explore the two areas that tower above either side of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, south of Interlaken: On one side is the Jungfrau (and beneath it, the tiny settlement of Kleine Scheidegg), and on the other is the Schilthorn (overlooking the villages of Gimmelwald and Mrren).

Ideally, spend three nights in the region, with a day exploring each side of the valley. For accommodations without the expense and headache of mountain lifts, consider the valley-floor village of Lauterbrunnen. But for the best overnight options, Id stay on the scenic ridge high above the valley, in the rustic hamlet of Gimmelwald or the resort town of Mrren. Ive also listed a few options in other nearby mountain hamlets.

If your time is very limited, consider a night in Gimmelwald, breakfast at the Schilthorn, an afternoon doing the Mnnlichen-Kleine Scheidegg hike, and an evening or night train out. What? A nature-lover not spending the night high in the Alps? Alpus interruptus.

For more than a century, this region has been the target of nature-worshipping pilgrims. And Swiss engineers and visionaries have made the most exciting alpine perches accessible.