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Voykit pocket guide · 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.
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.
- Country
- Switzerland
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for hiking and the gorge; Dec–Mar for the lifts
- Avoid
- Nov and early Dec (lifts and gorge closed, quiet)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CHF
- Money
- Currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). Cards and contactless are accepted almost everywhere; euros are sometimes taken with change in francs.
- Daily spend
- Budget CHF 90–140 excl. bed · Mid CHF 140–220 excl. bed · High CHF 220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt sell prepaid SIMs (ID needed); Swisscom covers the most mountain terrain.
- Emergency
- Police 117 · Ambulance 144 · Fire 118 · Rega air rescue 1414
- Plugs
- Types J, C · 230 V · 50 Hz · Swiss three-pin sockets are recessed: thin two-pin (type C) plugs fit, but thick German Schuko plugs do not — bring a Swiss adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Service included; round up or leave 5–10% for good service.; Café or bar: Round up.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel: Optional; CHF 2–5 for porters.; Mountain guide: CHF 20–50 for a day, optional.
- Water
- Tap and fountain water is excellent. Restaurants usually charge for bottled water; ask for 'Hahnenwasser' / 'eau du robinet'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost CHF 1–2; restaurants and department stores are free for customers.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | CHF 4–6 |
| Plate of meringues with double cream | CHF 8–14 |
| Supermarket lunch from Migros | CHF 8–14 |
| Restaurant main course | CHF 25–40 |
| Beer: draught / supermarket can | CHF 6–9 / CHF 2–3 |
| Adult one-day Hasliberg ski pass | CHF 62 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | CHF 20–40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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
Typical fares
- 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
Get 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 and do
Known for
- Reichenbach Falls
- Sherlock Holmes museum
- Aare Gorge
- Hasliberg lifts
- Meringues
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Interlaken | Zentralbahn from Meiringen, every 30 min via Brienz | About 30 min |
| Lucerne | Zentralbahn from Meiringen via Brünig, Lungern and Sarnen | About 1 h 10 min |
| Grindelwald | Bus 164 to Schwarzwaldalp in summer, connecting with Bus 128 over the Grosse Scheidegg | About 2 h |
| Wengen | Train to Interlaken Ost, then the Wengernalpbahn | About 1 h 45 min |
| Thun | Train to Interlaken Ost, then the BLS along Lake Thun | About 1 h 30 min |
| Kandersteg | Train to Interlaken Ost, then the BLS south | About 2 h |
Sleep
- 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.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | GrüeziGRUE-tsi |
| Thank you | Merci vilmalMER-si feel-mol |
| Please | BitteBIT-teh |
| How much is it? | Was choschtet das?vas KHOSH-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Cha ich mit Karte zahle?kha ikh mit KAR-teh TSA-leh |
| Where is the station? | Wo isch de Bahnhof?vo ish deh BAHN-hof |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; three cheek kisses among friends; avoid: Skipping the greeting in shops
- Punctuality: Be exactly on time; avoid: Running for the train expecting it to wait
- Language: Greet in the local language, then ask for English; avoid: Speaking German in Geneva as a default
- Quiet: Low voices in trains; quiet carriages are marked; avoid: Speakerphone calls
- Money: Keep financial talk discreet; avoid: Asking people's salaries
- Recycling: Separate PET, glass and cans; avoid: Leaving rubbish in hotel or flat bins unsorted
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Meiringen yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Reichenbach Falls
- Sherlock Holmes museum
- Aare Gorge
- Hasliberg lifts
- Meringues
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Meiringen municipality: www.meiringen.ch
- Haslital Tourism: www.haslital.swiss/en/
- Aare Gorge: www.aareschlucht.ch/
- Reichenbach Falls funicular (Grimselwelt): www.grimselwelt.ch/bahnen/reichenbachfall-bahn/
- Sherlock Holmes Museum Meiringen: www.sherlockholmes.ch/
- Museum Landschaft Hasli: www.haslimuseum.ch/
- Wikivoyage: Meiringen, revision 5230291 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5230291
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Meiringen
Bitte zu däre Adrässe
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Meiringen; most are in Bern, with consulates in Zurich and Geneva. US citizens: the embassy is in Bern (check the address).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/meiringen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.