When we were planning this most recent trip to Switzerland, I had seen an Instagram reel about the Aareschlucht gorge. It was incredibly beautiful on the reel and was hoping it was that pretty in real life. On a whim, we decided to make the journey to the gorge. According to google maps it was about an hour and a half from Wengen – where we were staying. I will give exact directions at the conclusion of the blog.
This location was pretty remote, and the locals did not speak much (if any) English. This created some issues for us, when we were trying to use the local transportation to get to the gorge. The bus driver actually missed our stop and we had to get out about 30 minutes past our stop, and we ended up taking a trail down to the gorge. I don’t recommend this :). Minus the missed bus stop it was not that challenging to get to.
Upon arrival to the gorge, we had to pay an entrance fee of 12 CHF per person. Children under 6 are free, kids 6 – 16 are 7.50 CHF per person. If you have the Jungfrau pass, this location is not included but does give a 20% discount off of the entry fee. The gorge was pretty cool due to lack of sunlight, and I would recommend a sweatshirt or cardigan. Entrance to the gorge was through the visitor center. Like most things in Switzerland this place is seasonal. The most accurate information can be found on the Aareschlucht website. The end of March to the beginning of November is when this wonder can be accessed. On Fridays and Saturdays in July and August they have the gorge open later (10pm) and have it lit up and I have to say we will be going back to experience this place at night. We got there in the afternoon around 4pm and we had plenty of time to take in the sights. Depending on the time of year the gorge is open until either 5:30pm or 6:30pm. So, depending on the date your visiting, check the website for the hours of operation. There is a parking lot at the main entrance, so if you drive this requires an out and back trek and will require you more time. There is a train station that serves the exit side of the gorge, and I will go into more detail on our travel arrangements further down the page.
We found the gorge to be absolutely beautiful. The sheer limestone walls towered more than 600 feet above the river that cut the gorge into what it is. The waterfall pouring from the cliff was a nice surprise we were not prepared for, and there was even some WWII history buried beneath the rock. I am a bit of a history enthusiast and WWII in particular fascinates me. Although it is no longer accessible you can see an old barracks entrance carved out of the stone and there is a handy little plaque that explains what it was used for. The pathways anchored into the walls were never too steep and easily walkable, although at times were a little narrow when you were passing people, or a group was coming the opposite direction. We honestly didn’t know what to expect and in a way that made it a bit more dramatic as we ventured through. The sound of the beautiful blue river working its way through the gorge was so relaxing. From start to finish the views were incredible. The pictures do not do this place justice, it is something you have to experience for yourself. It took us about an hour to slowly meander through.
Alright, so how do you get there? As with all of the other Switzerland blogs we will be starting from the Jungfrau region. And specifically, I am going to use Interlaken as our starting point since this is not only easily accessible from anywhere in Jungfrau but also from many other locations in Switzerland. The Interlaken Ost train station has quite a few platforms but are well marked and pretty easily navigated. Unfortunately, the Jungfrau pass won’t work to where you need to go to get to the gorge. Find a ticket kiosk or go to a ticket window and buy a ticket for Meiringen and use the signs to locate your platform. Prices can vary depending on the time of day but should be around 70 -80 CHF round trip per person. After you exit the train in Meiringen, which is not a very large train station, walk across the street to Meiringen Bahnhof (the bus station) and buy a ticket to stop at Willigen Dorf or if you have some spare CHF in your pocket, you can purchase directly from the bus driver. (less than 10 CHF per person). Note that for the bus ticket you only need a one way! As mentioned above, this is where we got into a little trouble, make sure the bus driver is aware you are getting out at Willigen Dorf as they do not stop unless the stop button is pushed and the screen in the bus was not updating where we were. Our bus driver did not speak very good English so show him your ticket if you have to. This little blunder added about 45 minutes to our trip. OK, after getting off at Willigen Dorf have your phone out and follow Google/Apple maps to the entrance. It will be around a 15 – 20-minute walk from the bus stop and voila! You have arrived. Like I mentioned above, if you drive and park at the main entrance you are going to have to go out and back, so plan accordingly with your time. For the public transit people like us, there is an exit and a little shop and restaurant at the end of the path through the gorge. Leaving the shop there are signs to go to a train stop called Aareschlucht Ost. The path to this neat little stop literally in the middle of a mountain is quite beautiful and has a lovely little bridge that crosses over the river. The train stops about every half hour, and you will have to press a clearly marked button to get the train to stop for you. Hop on the train back to Meiringen and enjoy all the pretty pictures you have on your phone. After getting to Meiringen, you’ll need to locate the train back to Interlaken Ost, and from Interlaken use your Jungfrau pass to get back to wherever you are staying in the Jungfrau region.
We hope that you find this helpful. Until next time, keep adventuring! XO, Joanna
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