Meiringen sits at the point where the Haslital valley opens out towards Lake Brienz, and for most visitors it’s a stop on the way somewhere else — over the Brunig Pass to Lucerne, or up to the Grimsel and Susten passes. That’s a mistake worth correcting. The Aare Gorge alone justifies getting off the train, and once you’re there, the Reichenbach Falls and the Sherlock Holmes sites turn a quick look into a proper half-day, without the crowds or the prices of Interlaken’s headline excursions.
Getting to Meiringen
Trains from Interlaken Ost run at least hourly towards Lucerne on the Brunig line, and Meiringen is the first stop of any size, about 25 minutes out. The line also serves Brienz on the way (roughly 20 minutes from Interlaken Ost), so a combined day taking in Lake Brienz and Meiringen works without doubling back. A Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card covers the fare; a Berner Oberland Pass or Jungfrau Travel Pass also includes this stretch. There’s no need for a car — the gorge, the falls funicular and the town centre are all within a 15-to-20-minute walk of the station, and the Hasliberg cable car base station is a short walk or local bus ride further on.
Driving is an option if you’re continuing over the Grimsel or Susten passes, both of which start from Meiringen and Innertkirchen, but parking at the gorge entrances fills up on clear summer weekends.
The Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht)
This is the reason to come. Over roughly a million years, the Aare river has cut a limestone gorge up to 200 metres deep and, in places, only a few metres wide. A wooden and steel walkway — partly bolted to the rock face, partly tunnelled through it — runs for about 1,400 metres between two entrances, Aareschlucht West (nearer Meiringen) and Aareschlucht Ost (nearer Innertkirchen).
Walking the full length takes 30 to 45 minutes without stops; allow closer to an hour with photos, since the light through the narrow openings above changes constantly and it’s genuinely photogenic rather than just marketed that way. The walkway is well lit, has handrails throughout, and is manageable for most ages, though it’s not suitable for a pushchair over its full length and gets slippery with spray in wetter months — proper shoes, not sandals.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Length of walkway | ~1,400 m |
| Time to walk through | 30-45 minutes |
| Season | Mid-April to end of October, weather-dependent |
| Entrances | Aareschlucht West (near Meiringen) and Aareschlucht Ost (near Innertkirchen) |
| Adult ticket | Roughly CHF 8-10 (check current price on arrival; it changes yearly) |
The gorge closes for winter because ice and rockfall make the walkway unsafe, and it can also close for a day or two after sustained rain when the river rises. If you’re visiting in April or late October, check the operator’s site the morning of your visit rather than assuming it’s open.
Reichenbach Falls
Above the town, the Reichenbach Falls drop in a series of stages down the valley wall — not the tallest waterfall in the region (the Staubbachfall at Lauterbrunnen is taller as a single drop), but a genuinely powerful one, and the one with the literary reputation. A funicular, one of the oldest in Switzerland, climbs from the valley floor to a viewing platform partway up; the walk up on foot is also possible and takes about 45 minutes if the funicular isn’t running or you’d rather save the fare.
The falls are the setting Arthur Conan Doyle chose for Sherlock Holmes’s apparent death in his 1893 story The Final Problem, after visiting the area on a walking holiday. Public pressure eventually brought Holmes back in later stories, but Meiringen has kept the connection alive since, and it’s the more interesting reason to ride the funicular over the falls being simply scenic.
Sherlock Holmes in Meiringen
The town takes the connection further than most literary tourism manages. The Sherlock Holmes Museum, in the crypt of the English church on Conan Doyle Place, is a small but well-kept reconstruction of the 221B Baker Street sitting room, with period detail rather than gimmicks. A bronze statue of Holmes, pipe in hand, sits outside on a bench in the town centre and is a genuine local landmark rather than a tourist-office afterthought.
The museum is modest — 20 to 30 minutes covers it properly — but it’s inexpensive and adds real context before or after the funicular ride to the falls themselves. Meiringen also hosts an annual Sherlock Holmes-themed weekend that draws devoted fans from well beyond Switzerland; if travel dates are flexible and the character interests you, it’s worth timing around.
The meringue legend
Meiringen’s other claim to fame is more contested: the town says meringue, the whipped egg-white and sugar confection, was invented here, sometimes crediting an 18th-century local pastry chef by name. Food historians are politely sceptical — the same claim is made in a couple of other Swiss and French regions, and the resemblance between “Meiringen” and “meringue” is more likely a coincidence than documented fact. None of that stops the town’s bakeries and cafes serving meringue with double cream (a dish often called meringue de la vallée or simply meringues mit Rahm) as the thing to eat here, and it’s genuinely good — rich, and priced like a proper dessert rather than a snack at CHF 8-12 a portion.
Hasliberg and the cable car
A cable car climbs from Meiringen to the Hasliberg plateau, a sunny shelf above the valley with a handful of small villages (Hohfluh, Reuti, Bidmi) rather than one town centre. It’s a smaller operation than Grindelwald First or the Schilthorn, and priced accordingly, which makes it a sensible choice for families or anyone who wants mountain air and a view without a three-figure ticket.
In summer, Hasliberg has gentle hiking trails, several toboggan runs (rodelbahn), and views across to the peaks around Brienzer Rothorn and the Wetterhorn. In winter it becomes a modest, family-oriented ski area — nothing like the terrain at Wengen or Murren, but easier and cheaper, and a reasonable option if the bigger resorts are fully booked or if you’re travelling with children still learning to ski.
Combining Meiringen with the rest of the Haslital
Meiringen is the practical base for the upper Haslital, and several other stops pair naturally with it on the same day or the next:
- The Brienzer Rothorn steam railway departs from Brienz, a short hop back down the line, and climbing it is one of the more distinctive train experiences in the region — Switzerland’s last steam-powered rack railway, running May to October.
- Brienz’s woodcarving tradition is worth an hour if you’re already passing through by train.
- The road up the Grimsel and Susten passes starts at Innertkirchen, a few minutes beyond Meiringen, and is one of the more dramatic drives in the Bernese Oberland if you have a car and the passes are open (typically June to October; they close completely in winter).
- Iseltwald and the Giessbach Falls sit on the far shore of Lake Brienz and can be reached by the same boats that call at Brienz.
None of this requires an overnight stay — Meiringen works well as a day trip from Interlaken, and most visitors are back on an evening train having covered the gorge, the falls and the museum without rushing.
Boat and train combinations
If you’d rather arrive by water than rail, boats on Lake Brienz run from Interlaken Ost to Brienz, from where it’s a short onward train ride to Meiringen — slower than the direct train, but scenic, and it works well as an outbound or return leg rather than both. Checking the boat timetable in advance matters: sailings thin out sharply outside the April-to-October season, and the last useful connection back can be earlier than expected.
For a more active day, an e-bike route runs from Interlaken up through the Rosenlaui valley beyond Meiringen, past glacier-carved scenery that most visitors never see because it’s off the standard rail network; a guided Rosenlaui valley e-bike tour from Interlaken covers that ground without needing your own bike or route planning.
For a bigger day out that takes in the Brienzer Rothorn summit alongside a local guide, there’s also a guided ascent of the Brienzer Rothorn with a Swiss triathlete, which turns the steam-railway trip into a proper hiking day with a knowledgeable local. If water rather than rock is more your interest, a half-day kayak trip on Lake Brienz gives a different angle on the same turquoise water Meiringen sits above.
Eating and staying in Meiringen
Meiringen has a modest but genuine choice of places to eat, mostly along the main street near the station, with prices lower than Interlaken’s Hoheweg strip. Expect CHF 22-30 for a main course at an ordinary restaurant, and CHF 8-12 for the meringue and cream that’s the obligatory local order. There are supermarkets (Coop and Migros both have branches) for anyone assembling a picnic before the gorge walk or a funicular ride.
Accommodation is cheaper here than in Interlaken proper, and it’s a reasonable base for the upper Haslital and the passes if the main hubs are booked out or overpriced during peak weeks, though it means longer travel times to the Jungfrau region’s main sights.
Practical notes
- Weather affects the gorge, not just the mountains. Heavy or sustained rain raises the Aare’s level and can force a temporary closure; check before setting out if it’s been raining hard for more than a day.
- The funicular to Reichenbach Falls has limited hours off-season. Confirm operating times if visiting in April, October or later, rather than assuming the same schedule as midsummer.
- Bring proper shoes for the gorge, not sandals — the walkway is safe but can be wet and slightly slippery in spray zones.
- The Sherlock Holmes Museum is small. Pair it with the funicular and gorge rather than building a whole day around it alone.
- Tickets for the gorge, funicular and cable car are sold separately at each attraction; none is bundled into a regional transport pass, though Half Fare Card holders sometimes get a reduction — check current terms locally.
Frequently asked questions about Meiringen and the Aare Gorge
How do you get from Interlaken to Meiringen?
Take the train from Interlaken Ost towards Lucerne on the Brunig line; Meiringen is roughly 25 minutes away, with departures at least hourly. The Aare Gorge entrance (Aareschlucht West) is a 15-minute walk from Meiringen station, or a short bus ride to Aareschlucht Ost at the other end.
How long does it take to walk through the Aare Gorge?
The full 1,400-metre walkway between the west and east entrances takes 30 to 45 minutes at an easy pace, longer if you stop often for photos. Most visitors walk in from one end and back, or arrange transport at the far end and walk through in one direction.
Is the Aare Gorge open all year?
No. It typically opens mid-April and closes at the end of October, and can close temporarily after heavy rain or snowmelt raises the water level. Check the operator’s website on the day if you’re visiting at the edges of the season.
Is the Sherlock Holmes connection to Meiringen real?
Arthur Conan Doyle sent Holmes and Moriarty over the nearby Reichenbach Falls in the 1893 story The Final Problem, having visited the area himself. The town has leaned into it since with a museum, a statue and an annual Holmes-themed weekend, but the detective is fictional; the waterfall and the funicular up to it are real.
Did meringue really come from Meiringen?
It’s a popular local legend rather than settled food history — several regions in Switzerland and eastern France make the same claim, and the name is more likely a coincidence of sound than a documented origin. Meiringen sells the story hard regardless, and the meringue and cream at the town’s cafes is worth eating whether or not the etymology holds up.
Can you visit the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in one trip?
Yes, and it’s the natural pairing. The gorge’s west entrance and the base station of the Reichenbach Falls funicular are both within walking distance of Meiringen station, so a single day covers both without backtracking to Interlaken.
What is the Hasliberg cable car for?
It climbs from Meiringen to the sunny Hasliberg plateau above the valley, a smaller and cheaper alternative to Grindelwald First or the Schilthorn, with hiking and toboggan runs in summer and skiing in winter aimed more at families and beginners than experts.
Meiringen won’t fill a multi-day itinerary on its own, but as a stop between Interlaken and the passes, or as a quieter alternative to the crowded mountain excursions on a day trip from Interlaken, it earns its place. For a longer look at the surrounding hiking country, it also slots into a six-day hiking itinerary through the Bernese Oberland, and pairs naturally with a look at the best mountain excursions from Interlaken when weighing it against the bigger-name alternatives.
