MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Review of a small inn in the Emmental, Switzerland
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As I have said in many of my posts, I enjoy visiting the Emmental region of Switzerland. The architecture is eye-catching, there are still a few good inns, and the scenery is attractive, with good easy hiking over the rolling hills. There are enough modest mountains to add some strenuous climbs. From some locations, you can get a good view of the Alps. Public transport, both by bus and rail is good.
Recently, I stayed at the Gasthof Bären in Ranflüh, not far from Ramsei and Sumiswald. It is a “backup” inn for the Bären in Sumiswald, a truly grand old Emmental inn, where I frequently stay. As a back up for the inn in Sumiswald, it would surely be expected to meet high standards, and it does.
http://www.baeren-ranflueh.ch/Startseite .html
Ranflüh itself is a charming village. The lower, and older, of two main streets has attractive private houses, businesses and the inn. It is quiet.
The owners of the Bären, Herr and Frau Gross-Dubach, are investing a lot of money in fixing up and modernizing areas such as the bathrooms in the rooms. The dining rooms and breakfast room are nice. The rooms are comfortable, and, of course, meet Swiss standards for cleanliness. There is a lot of nicely done renovation. That is somewhat unusual these days; many of the inns are struggling due to the strong Swiss Frank. Many of those other inns tend not to be investing because of lowered income.
Frau Dubach is an excellent hostess. Good English, thoughtful, and helpful.
My room was large, had a very generous sized nice modern bathroom, attractive furniture, and a Nespresso machine. All at a very good price for such facilities. The kitchen was very good, the wine list was small but well-selected and vegetarian dishes were available.
I have attached some pictures showing the village of Ränflüh, the inn itself, and some views from my room on the street side of the building (not from the balcony outside the rooms on the upper floor as is noted incorrectly in image #…..830). The typical Emmental design has a steeply sloping roof which descends partway below the first floor (second floor for USA readers) and covers a walkway/ balcony outside the rooms.
Also, a couple of other images from elsewhere nearby, showing how the Alps are often present on the horizon
I’ll be going back to this inn.
Slowpoke
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Hi Slowpoke,
That’s a very nice place, thanks for sharing it! I hope we’ll be able to add a dedicated Emmental section to MySwissAlps. It is for sure a wonderful area, also for spring and late fall I assume. We were there for a day trip early may, with snow on the hills. Truly beautiful.
Hi Arno-
<<“I hope we’ll be able to add a dedicated Emmental section to MySwissAlps. It is for sure a wonderful area, also for spring and late fall I assume.”>>
Nice thought. But, there are no Swiss Alps in the Emmental, and, so far, I can think of only about 4 people who have expressed a serious interest in the area. One was chasing roots, another had booked inexpensive accommodation and was trying to get oriented, a third….perhaps my first posts a few years ago was someone interested in hiking in the area near Langnau, and, Swiss11, the fourth.
As Peterli and I have discussed….who is the customer and how should we focus our posts?
I simply keep watch for peole who might be interested in the area, and offer it as an option. Few takers. Emmental is not spelled “Jungfrau” or “Zermatt.”
No rush for that one, in my opinion.
And, less tourists make my vists to the region less crowded, even though the inns and restaurants would like the business.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
No rush indeed, it would be more out of personal interest. We focus on locations/attractions that appeal to the majority, but not exclusively so. There are quite some hiking suggestions here that nobody ever asked about. Patiently waiting for someone who visited the top attractions already 🙂
Hello Slowpoke,
I can’t believe that everything I had entered has disappeared ! So now I will try to reconstruct what I had put down.
You had said << I simply keep watch for peole who might be interested in the area, and offer it as an option. Few takers. Emmental is not spelled “Jungfrau” or “Zermatt.” >>
I have somewhat the same modus operandi, just keeping an eye out for anybody who just might be interested in considering to visit places in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, and Neuchâtel, and to a lesser degree, the Valais, Berne, Appenzell, Saint Gallen, Lucerne and the Ticino. On occasion I even venture across the Swiss border to neighbouring areas in Germany and France.
I too am a fan of the Emmental, and was wondering if you have images of the Schaukäserei in Affoltern im-Emmental. Your Trachselwald Panorama should attract photographers, that’s for sure. By the way, have you done any exploring in the area to the south of Berne and the west of Lake Thoune ? I think you would like the Naturpark Gantrisch. This website is in German and French only, but by right-clicking, one can translate to English. There are some great photographic opportunities in this area, including panoramic views over Lake Thoune to the “Big Three” (E, M, and J). Check out the attached photograph.
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Hi Peterli –
<<“I too am a fan of the Emmental, and was wondering if you have images of the Schaukäserei in Affoltern im-Emmental. Your Trachselwald Panorama should attract photographers, that’s for sure.”>>
This thread, on page 2, has some pictures of the show dairy. It also has other pictures of the Emmental, including the Trachselwald panorama that you mention, on page 1.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/langnau-in-may
When riding the train from Bern to Thun (local German spelling) I usually take the eastern routes…the roundabout one through Konolfingen is my preferred one, but, sometimes I go through Münsingen.
On occasion, I take the train route through the Gürbetal, because I enjoy the many attractive views of the countryside and villages. It is indeed eye catching. I recall that we walked once from Riggisberg down the slopes to, perhaps Kaufdorf, when it was rainy in another part of Switzerland where we were staying. The images are on film; I have not scanned them. I recall that it was a bit cloudy and we did not see the Alps. I believe that the auto graveyard at Kaufdorf may not exist anymore?
http://www.autofriedhof.ch/ve ranstaltung.shtml
Your image capture the Alps and the foreground nicely….that is a great viewpoint for getting that nice composition….. although it seems a bit oversaturated on my monitor.
Slowpoke
Hi Arno-
<<“There are quite some hiking suggestions here that nobody ever asked about. Patiently waiting for someone who visited the top attractions already 🙂 “>>
You can add this to your personal interests. 😉
There is an old tradition in the Swiss Mittelland of family hiking in the Emmental. There is an excellent network of well maintained and well-marked Wanderwege, and the topography has easy as well as strenuous areas. A crucial part of that tradiiton was the large number of inns all throughout the region. It was not necessary to carry a heavy pack….you could hike from inn -to-inn for days. Food, beds, showers, etc.
These days, the number of available inns has diminished. Although many are still available, many others are closed and stand vacant in the smaller villages.
A Swiss Regional Route (#65) passes over the Napf:
http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en /hiking-in-switzerland/routes/reg ional-routes/route-065.html
The Napf is a modest mountain ( 1400 meters) near the center of the Emmental region. Views from the top command the entire region, with the Alps, of course, visible on a clear day. There is an old Berghotel on top, with a modest cafeteria, and picnic tables. Full of families on weekends.
We used to joke that we would climb the Napf to get their Emmentaler Wienerlis and Kartoffelsalat. Somehow, they taste better after a climb.
My preferred route in is from Mettlenalp, where there is a very small, charming, old, inn (described in the Langnau thread mentioned in my earlier post to Peterli in this thread). On the way in from Trubschachen you pass some really fine Emmental farmsteads, such as the one near Fankhaus.
Both of those inns have Matratzanlagers.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
Well, you just posted another example of why it’s perfectly possible and enjoyable to return to the same Swiss region year after year. And then there are so many! A good problem to have. Thanks!
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