Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2. Grütschalp Cable-Car and Mürren Train:
This is the more scenic route. Catch
the cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp. As you glide from Lauterbrunnen upward,
notice the bed of the 100-year-old funicular train track that the new cable-car recently
replaced. At Grütschalp, a special vintage train will roll you along the incredibly scenic
cliffside to Mürren (total trip from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren: 30 minutes, 10.40 SF,
www.jungfraubahn.ch
)
.Fromthere,eitherwalktothemiddleofMürrenandtakealeftdown
a moderately steep paved path 30 minutes to Gimmelwald, or walk 10 minutes across Mür-
ren to catch the cable car down to Gimmelwald (5.80 SF).
Welcome to Gimmelwald
(See “Gimmelwald” map,
here
.)
Gimmelwald, though tiny, with one zigzag street, offers a fine look at a traditional Swiss
mountain community.
• Start this quick walking tour at the...
Cable-Car Station:
When the lift came in the 1960s, the village's back end became its
front door. Gimmelwald was, and still is, a farm village. Stepping off the cable car and start-
ing up the path, you see a sweet little hut. Set on stilts to keep out mice, the hut was used
for storing cheese (the rocks on the rooftop here and throughout the town are not decorat-
ive—they keep the shingles on through wild storms). Behind the cheese hut stands the vil-
lage schoolhouse, long the largest structure in town (in Catholic Swiss towns, the biggest
buildingisthechurch;inProtestanttowns,it'stheschool).Butin2010,classesceased.Gim-
melwald's students now go to school in Lauterbrunnen, and the building is being used as a
chapel when the Protestant pastor makes his monthly visit. Up and across from the station,
just beyond the little playground, is the recommended Mountain Hostel and Restaurant.
• Walk up the lane 50 yards, past the town's Dalí-esque art gallery (Who's showing in the
phone booth?), to Gimmelwald's...
“Times Square”:
The yellow alpine “street sign” shows where you are, the altitude
(1,370 meters, or 4,470 feet), how many hours
(Std.)
and minutes it takes to walk to nearby
points, and which tracks are serious hiking paths (marked with red and white, and further
indicated along the way with red and white patches of paint on stones). You're surrounded
by buildings that were built as duplexes, divided vertically right down the middle to house
two separate families. Look for the Honesty Shop at Pension Gimmelwald, which features
local crafts and little edibles for sale.
