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Major city · Switzerland

Meiringen

Give Meiringen 1–2 nights as a Haslital base for the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls, not as a snow-sure ski week.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CHF
Best months
Jun–Sep for hiking and the gorge; Dec–Mar for the lifts
avoid Nov and early Dec (lifts and gorge closed, quiet)
Airports
ZRH · BSL · GVA
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
  • Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
  • Switzerland ↗Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not the EU: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
  • Switzerland ↗Switzerland is outside the EU customs area: allowances on meat, alcohol and tobacco are strict and checked at borders.
  • Switzerland ↗Motorways need a vignette (sticker or e-vignette) before you drive on them.

Meiringen sits in the upper Aare valley where side valleys meet, 30 min by train from Interlaken and about 70 min from Lucerne. It is a market town turned hiking and winter-sports resort, known for the Reichenbach Falls and the Sherlock Holmes link. The village is walkable, the lifts are low and not snow-sure, and the gorge and falls are the reasons most people stop.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Meiringen, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCHF 4–6
  • Sit-down mealRestaurant main courseCHF 25–40
  • Beerdraught / supermarket canCHF 6–9CHF 2–3
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekCHF 20–40
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per personCHF 45
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per roomCHF 200
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per roomCHF 320

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CHF 90 · Mid CHF 150 · High CHF 260

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Reichenbach FallsSherlock Holmes museumAare GorgeHasliberg liftsMeringues
Airports
ZRH Zurich (Train to Lucerne then the Zentralbahn to Meiringen, about 2 h 30 min with one change) · BSL Basel-Mulhouse (Rail via Lucerne or Bern, about 3 h) · GVA Geneva (Rail via Bern and Interlaken, about 4 h)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Meiringen: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

2°C

−4°C

10 rd

Feb

4°C

−4°C

9 rd

Mar

9°C

0°C

11 rd

Apr

13°C

3°C

12 rd

May

18°C

7°C

13 rd

Jun

21°C

10°C

13 rd

Jul

23°C

12°C

12 rd

Aug

22°C

12°C

12 rd

Sep

18°C

9°C

10 rd

Oct

13°C

5°C

10 rd

Nov

7°C

0°C

10 rd

Dec

3°C

−3°C

10 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The village is small enough to walk. Bus 174 circles it every 30 min. The Zentralbahn runs from Meiringen station up the valley to Alpbach, Aareschlucht West and Innertkirchen, useful for the gorge. The gondola from the base station climbs to Reuti and on up the Hasliberg.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Interlakengo

Door to door: About 30 min

Zentralbahn from Meiringen, every 30 min via Brienz

Jungfrau-region hub with onward trains to Wengen, Mürren and Grindelwald.

Lucernego

Door to door: About 1 h 10 min

Zentralbahn from Meiringen via Brünig, Lungern and Sarnen

Scenic run; easy as a half-day out or as your onward leg.

Grindelwaldcaution

Door to door: About 2 h

Bus 164 to Schwarzwaldalp in summer, connecting with Bus 128 over the Grosse Scheidegg

Summer only and connections are thin: check the timetable first.

Wengengo

Door to door: About 1 h 45 min

Train to Interlaken Ost, then the Wengernalpbahn

Car-free village above Lauterbrunnen; doable as a long day.

Thun

go

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min

Train to Interlaken Ost, then the BLS along Lake Thun

Old town and lake boats; pairs well with a slow return.

Kandersteg

overnight

Door to door: About 2 h

Train to Interlaken Ost, then the BLS south

Better as its own stop than a return day from Meiringen.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Bahnhofplatz and Bahnhofstrasse

Hotels facing the station; best for one night with bags and for early trains.

Alpbach and gondola side

Quieter, 5–10 min walk east; close to the lifts and the Alpbach rail stop.

Hasliberg and Reuti (above the village)

Gondola village with valley views; only worth it if you are skiing or hiking up top.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
CHF 90–140 excl. bed
Mid
CHF 140–220 excl. bed
High
CHF 220+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 2 nights × CHF 200CHF 400
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × CHF 150CHF 600
Aare Gorge entry, adult2 × CHF 10CHF 20
Reichenbach funicular, adult return2 × CHF 12CHF 24
Sherlock Holmes museum, adult2 × CHF 5CHF 10
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CHF 25CHF 50
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCHF 110
Trip total≈ CHF 304 per person per day, bed includedCHF 1,214≈ US$1,600

2026 estimate in Swiss francs; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeCHF 4–6
Plate of meringues with double creamCHF 8–14
Supermarket lunch from MigrosCHF 8–14
Restaurant main courseCHF 25–40
Beer: draught / supermarket canCHF 6–9 / CHF 2–3
Adult one-day Hasliberg ski passCHF 62
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekCHF 20–40

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Very safe. The real risks are mountain weather, wet rock on the gorge walkway and the falls path, and thin lift coverage in a low-snow winter: check conditions before you commit.
  • The Hasliberg lifts are low and not snow-sure: check snow and lift status before booking a ski week.
  • In the first weeks of the Aare Gorge season only the west entrance is open, so you walk in and back out.
  • Reichenbach Falls freeze in winter and the funicular runs May–Sept only.
  • The Meiringen gondola base station is a bottleneck at peak times.

Emergency numbers

Police
117
Ambulance
144
Fire
118
Rega air rescue
1414
European emergency
112

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

MeiringenMeiringen

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Bitte zu däre AdrässeTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police117
  • Ambulance144
  • Fire118
  • Rega air rescue1414

Embassy

No embassies in Meiringen; most are in Bern, with consulates in Zurich and Geneva. US citizens: the embassy is in Bern (check the address).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Meiringen → Interlaken Ost, train: about 30 min, every 30 min
  • Meiringen → Lucerne, Zentralbahn: about 1 h 10 min
  • Aare Gorge entry, adult: CHF 10
  • Reichenbach funicular, adult return: CHF 12

Say or show

  • Grüezi — Hello (GRUE-tsi)
  • Merci vilmal — Thank you (MER-si feel-mol)
  • Bitte — Please (BIT-teh)
  • Was choschtet das? — How much is it? (vas KHOSH-tet das)
  • Cha ich mit Karte zahle? — Can I pay by card? (kha ikh mit KAR-teh TSA-leh)
  • Wo isch de Bahnhof? — Where is the station? (vo ish deh BAHN-hof)

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Meiringen. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jun–Sep for hiking and the gorge; Dec–Mar for the lifts · avoid Nov and early Dec (lifts and gorge closed, quiet) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contracts for ZRH, BSL and GVA with last-train cutoffs and a hotel fallback.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: station and Bahnhofstrasse, Alpbach and the gondola, Reichenbach and Willigen, the gorge.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Reichenbach funicular, Aare Gorge gates, Sherlock Holmes museum, Hasli museum) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Seasonal fixtures for the gorge west-only opening and the Friday evening lighting so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Switzerland

Sources