Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Switzerland,wantingself-sufficiency,requiredallfarmerstogrowpotatoes.Today,thisfield
is a festival of alpine flowers in season (best at this altitude in May and June).
• Our walk is over. A peaceful set of benches, just off the lane on the downhill side, lets you
savor the view. From Hotel Mittaghorn, you can return to Gimmelwald's “Times Square”
via the path with the steps cutting downhill.
These two places provide after-dark entertainment in Gimmelwald. The
Mountain Hostel
and Restaurant
, where Petra and her staff serve drinks nightly, is lively with locals and
backpackersalike.It'seasytomakefriendshereandsharetravelexperiences.There'sapool
table and lots of youthful impromptu fun.
Pension Gimmelwald
(which is next door on the
uphillside)offersamellowerscenewithanold-timebar,cozylounge,andviewterrace.And
from almost anywhere in Gimmelwald, you can watch the sun tuck the mountaintops into
bed as the moon rises over the Jungfrau. If that's not enough nightlife, stay in Interlaken.
(4,593 feet, 1 SF = about $1.10, country code: 41)
Gimmelwald is my home base in the Berner Oberland. To inhale the Alps and really hold
them in, you'll want to sleep high in Gimmelwald, too. Poor and pleasantly stuck in the
past, the village has only a few accommodations options—all of them quirky and memor-
able. Rates include entry to the public swimming pool in nearby Mürren (at the Sportzen-
trum—see
here
).
Be warned: You'll meet a lot of my readers in this town. This is a disappointment to
some; others enjoy the chance to be part of a fun extended family.
$$
At
Olle and Maria's B&B,
the Eggimanns rent two rooms—Gimmelwald's most
comfortable—in their quirky but alpine-sleek chalet. Having raised three kids of their own
here, Maria and Olle offer visitors a rare and intimate peek at this community (D-130 SF,
Db with kitchenette-190 SF for 2 or 200 SF for 3 people, optional breakfast-20 SF, 3-night
minimum, cash only, guarantee your reservation with PayPal, free Wi-Fi, laundry service;
from cable car, continue straight for 200 yards along the town's only road, B&B on left; tel.
033-855-3575,
oeggimann@bluewin.ch
).
$$ Esther's Guest House,
overlooking the village's main intersection, rents seven
clean, basic, and comfortable rooms, three of which have private bathrooms and share
a generous lounge and kitchen (S-55-75 SF, big D-130 SF, Db-130 SF, big T-150 SF,
Tb-180-190 SF, Q-180 SF, Qb-200-210 SF, family room with private bath for up to 5
