The Mountain Hostel

Directions

 

Gimmelwald is in the Swiss Alps, at the far end of the Lauterbrunnen valley. It is accessible by train and car from Interlaken.  Fastest way by public transport    Alternative route via Mürren    Maps    Train connections from all over Europe    Driving 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 by public transport takes 55 minutes, and trains leave once an hour starting at 6:00am and then at 5 minutes past every hour (7:05am, 8:05am, 9:05am, etc. through 19:05, then 21:01 and 23:16). 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: click on images to enlarge   MOB train a Zweilütschinen   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 20:01 train out of Interlaken because you will get to Lauterbrunnen when the Lauterbrunnen--Stechelberg bus is not running. There is a bus at 19:35 and 21:35, but nothing in between.) OR         2) Walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. It's about an hour and a half flat walk (longer with a 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. Walk up the main street in Lauterbrunnen and keep right before you get to the church. Follow the signs to "Schilthornbahn / Talstation"     3) Take the gondola to its first stop. 5 minutes ride. Welcome to Gimmelwald! (It is possible to hike from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald, though we don't recommend doing it with a full backpack. It's a relatively steep climb up (500 meters or 1500 feet gain in elevation), which will take you about 1.5 hours.) 4) Exit the cable car station and you will see the Mountain Hostel sign up to the left.  Walk up the little path to the left across a field to get to the mountain hostel.  back to top   Alternative route via Mürren 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 click on images to enlarge   MOB train a Zweilütschinen   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.         BLM train at Winteregg   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. 4) Exit the cable car station and you will see the Mountain Hostel sign up to the left.  Walk up the little path to the left across a field to get to the mountain hostel. back to top Maps The coordinates of the hostel are  N46 32.801 E7 53.578 Fly above Gimmelwald in Google Earth If you have Google Earth installed on your PC, click on the link to this kmz file larger map back to top Train connections Swiss Federal Railways: timetable and fare information in Switzerland and beyond. Very useful detailed information. The following table (through November 2012) 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 20:31 10:00 Overnight Basel 13 hours 37 minutes Barcelona Sants 08:45 22:00 Day Figueras Vilafant, Montpellier, Lyon, Geneva, Bern 13 hours 44 minutes Berlin Hbf (Tief) 22:15 11:00 Overnight Basel 12 hours 45 minutes Brussels 8:15 16:30 Day Paris, Basel 8 hours 15 minutes Budapest-Keleti 19:05 10:30 Overnight Zürich, Bern 15  hours 20 minutes Cinque Terre (Monterosso) 07:36 16:00 Day Levanto, Genova PP, Milano, Spiez 8 hours 24 minutes Dresden 21:04 11:00 Overnight Basel 13 hours 56 minutes Florence 08:55 16:00 Day Milano, Spiez 7 hours 5 minutes Frankfurt 08:50 14:00 Day direct to Interlaken Ost 6 hours 10 minutes Hamburg 8:24 18:00 Day Basel 09 hours 36 minutes Innsbruck 09:54 16:30 Day Zürich, Bern 6 hours 36 minutes Milano 08:25 13:00 Day Spiez 4 hours 35 minutes Munich 8:28 17:00 Day Stuttgart, Karlsruhe 8 hours 32 minutes Paris-Gare de Lyon 8:23 15:00 Day Basel 6 hours 37 minutes Rome 09:00 17:00 Day Milano, Spiez 08 hours Salzburg 8:02 16:30 Day Zürich, Bern 8 hours 28 minutes Venice S.Lucia 08:04 16:00 Day Venezia Mestre, Milano, Spiez 7 hours 56 minutes Vienna 22:26 10:30 Overnight Zürich, Bern 12 hours 04 minutes TGV trains out of Paris: seat reservation is compulsory. Seat reservation is recommended in Germany.   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 Zürich Every hour Direct. Sometimes via Bern 3 hours 15 minutes back to top   Directions by car From the Bern area: drive to Interlaken along the lake of Thun. From the Luzern area: drive to Interlaken over the Brünig pass. Stay on the Autobahn A8 that goes around Interlaken. Do not enter the town Exit the Autobahn at the "Wilderswil, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen" exit. Follow the signposts to Wilderswil, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen drive through the village of Wilderswil Continue straight on up the valley to Lauterbrunnen Drive right through Lauterbrunnen and out the other side, past the train station and the church After about 6 km, enter the car park of the Schilthornbahn cable car on your right Park your car and take the cable car up to Gimmelwald. (Parking costs 12 francs for a weekend) Exit the cable car station and you will see the Mountain Hostel sign up to the left Walk up the little path to the left across field to get to the mountain hostel.   back to top last update 14. Feb 13

Make a booking ONLY 33 SWISS FRANKS PER NIGHT! The 2013 season is from the beginning of April to the end of November.