Thursday, May 3, 2007

Getting to Gimmelwald (from http://www.mountainhostel.com/getthere.html)


Directions

RESERVATIONS


Petra and Walter Brunner
Phone & Fax:
In Europe: 0041 33 855 17 04
From United States: 011 41 33 855 17 04
E-mail: mountainhostel@tcnet.ch
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 once an hour starting at 6:30am and then at 20 minutes past every hour (7:20am, 8:20am, 9:20am, etc. except 20:20) until 22:20. Round-trip ticket Interlaken Ost--Gimmelwald costs 32.00 Sfr. (26.00 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. (Note: Try to avoid the 20:20 train out of Interlaken because you will get to Lauterbrunnen when the Lauterbrunnen--Stechelberg bus is not running. There is a bus at 19:50 and 21:50, but nothing in between.) 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 a reason 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, until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and closed on Sundays. (Also closed between noon and 1:45 p.m. for lunch). The cost for this route from Interlaken Ost to Gimmelwald is 44 Sfr (33 Sfr. with Eurail and free with Swiss Pass).

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 new Lauterbrunnen--Grütschalp cable car. In 2007, the new cableway replaced the old (built in 1891) funicular. The entrance is right across the Lauterbrunnen train station. You can't miss it. The ride is 4 minutes long, and the cable car runs every half hour for most of the day. The last ride is 19:47.

3) Take the Grütschalp--Mürren train The cable car and the train are well connected. They basically share the same mini-station. The train departs 2 minutes after the cable car arrives. The ride to Mürren is 14 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.




The following table (through December 12, 2007) shows what seems to be the most convenient travel to Gimmelwald from major European cities. As always, travel times are subject to change, and other trains may fit your schedule better. 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 20:32 10:15 Overnight Basel 13 hours 43 minutes
Barcelona 20:15 11:15 Overnight Bern 15 hours 00 minutes
Berlin 21:25 12:15 Overnight Basel 14 hours 50 minutes
Brussels 7:24 18:15 Day Bern 10 hours 51 minutes
Budapest 17:50 10:15 Overnight Zurich, Bern 16 hours 25 minutes
Cinque Terre (Monterosso) 6:55 16:15 Day Milan, Spiez 9 hours 20 minutes
Dresden 20:54 11:15 Overnight Basel, Bern 14 hours 21 minutes
Florence 23:00 10:15 Overnight Spiez 10 hours 55 minutes
Frankfurt 10:05 16:15 Day Basel 6 hours 10 minutes
Hamburg 20:24 10:15 Overnight Basel 13 hours 51 minutes
Innsbruck 8:39 16:15 Day Zurich, Bern 7 hours 36 minutes
Milan 10:25 16:15 Day Spiez 5 hours 50 minutes
Munich 7:12 15:15 Day Zurich 8 hours 03 minutes
Paris 22:43 9:15 Overnight Basel 10 hours 32 minutes
Rome 20:40 10:15 Overnight Spiez 13 hours 35 minutes
Salzburg 0:45 10:15 Overnight Zurich, Bern 9 hours 30 minutes
Venice 6:51 16:15 Day Milan, Spiez 9 hours 24 minutes
Vienna 21:18 10:15 Overnight Zurich, Bern 12 hours 57 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 23:10 and there is no way to access the village until the first gondola at 6:20 in the morning.
To Gimmelwald within Switzerland
From Approx. Frequency
via
Approx. Duration
Basel Every hour Direct. Sometimes via Spiez or Bern 3 hours 15 minutes
Bern Every hour Direct 2 hours
Geneva Every hour Bern 4 hours
Lausanne Every hour Bern 3 hours 25 minutes
Lucerne Every hour Direct 2 hours 50 minutes
Montreux Every hour Lausanne, Bern 4 hours
Zermatt Every hour Brig, Spiez 4 hours 45 minutes
Zurich Every hour Direct. Sometimes via Bern 3 hours 15 minutes

No comments: