Travel to, and hiking in Bernese Oberland
A traveler is planning a trip to Gimmelwald or Mürren from Lausanne for gentle hiking in early July. They are unsure about the best train routes and whether to book tickets in advance, especially for the scenic Golden Pass route.
- To reach Gimmelwald or Mürren, take the train via the Golden Pass route, which takes about 4.75 to 5.25 hours with scenic views.
- It's recommended to book a reservation on the MOB PANORAMIC train between Montreux and Zweisimmen due to high demand in summer.
- You can drive to Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg, but Mürren and Gimmelwald can only be accessed by cable car from there.
AI-generated summary-
We are staying in Laussane and would like to travel to Gimmelwald or Murren to do some gentle hiking. I understand the only way to get to these areas is via train (The Golden Pass) and not by car. I am a little confused about how to do this by train, and if booking must be done in advance. We have about 3-4 days – in early July 2018. Advice about how to get there, and whether or not to book in advance would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!
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Hi Jody, and welcome to MySwissAlps!
>> We are staying in Laussane and would like to travel to Gimmelwald or Murren to do some gentle hiking. I understand the only way to get to these areas is via train (The Golden Pass) and not by car.
You can drive as far as Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg by car, but Mürren and Gimmelwald are only accessible by cable car from Stechelberg or cable car from Lauterbrunnen, then train to Mürren.
By train, there are 4 route options to Interlaken Ost (from where you access the Jungfrau Region, including Mürren and Gimmelwald). In ascending order of scenic beauty they are:
- Via Visp and Spiez, through the Lötschberg-Basistunnel: about 3.75 hours
- Via Bern, sometimes with a transfer at Spiez: about 3.75 hours
- Via Brig and Spiez, on the Lötschberg mountain route: about 4.75 hours (put via Kandersteg into the timetable search)
- Via the Golden Pass route: 4.75 to 5.25 hours, depending on connections (put via Montreux and via Zweisimmen into the timetable search)
You can plan your trip using the Swiss Timetable:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
(Use the one on the right with the red SBB logo.)
>> I am a little confused about how to do this by train, and if booking must be done in advance … in early July 2018.
If travelling via the Golden Pass route, and on a train denoted MOB PANORAMIC in the timetable, a reservation between Montreux and Zweisimmen is recommended, as this is the most popular part of the route (due to the scenery and panoramic windows) and gets very busy. You can make a reservation here:
Alpenrose
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