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. OR4) 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 | | | |
| Basel | Every hour | | |
| Bern | Every hour | Direct | |
| Geneva | Every hour | Bern | |
| Lausanne | Every hour | Bern | |
| Lucerne | Every hour | Direct | |
| Montreux | Every hour | Lausanne, Bern | |
| Zermatt | Every hour | Brig, Spiez | |
| Zurich | Every hour | | |
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