Hello,
I will be coming from the Interlaken area and would like to go up to Allmendhubel fro lunch and see Murren and Gimmelwald. maybe hike in between the Murren and Gimmelwald?
How do I set up my day? Should I go straight to Allmendhubel for lunch and then make my way to Murren and Gimmelwald? Or do I go to Murren to Gimmelwald and then to Allmendhubel?
I would like to know what would be the most efficient path. Thank you in advance.
I've only been to Almendhubel as a place to start the North Face Trail. I don't remember there being any food options up there, but maybe? Murren would have many choices for lunch and gimmelwald will have a few. Murren will be downhilll to Gimmelwald and uphill the other direction.
Where will you be coming from? Are you up for any hiking? The walk from Murren to Gimmelwald is fairly easy. I've never hiked down to Murren from Almendhubel, but I think it's also pretty easy.
Thank you @Jill! We will be coming from a village near Interlaken. We have two boys ages 11 and 9. We would like to do some hiking but maybe for this day the walks between the towns would be good.
Also thank you for pointing out the direction uphill. I didn’t know where the towns all were elevation wise from each other.
The funicular up to Allmendhubel goes from Murren. You could start in Murren, take the funicular up to Allmendhubel, and spend some time up there. There is a restaurant with a terrace as well as one of the coolest alpine playgrounds I've ever seen. At the time, I had kids ages 6 and 2 but thought the playground would be even more fun for older kids. From there, you can hike the North Face trail down to Murren (if you wish to hike). I did not find this hike to be particularly challenging and my 6 year old did the hike with no issues. We stopped once along the way for refreshments, I believe it was at Suppenalp (pension/restaurant) but I'd have to check on that. Once you arrive back in Murren, you could either spend more time there or walk down to Gimmelwald. Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy!
Thanks @meg! This is very very helpful! Exactly what I wanted to know. I think we will follow the layout you provided. Thanks again. This group is always so helpful.
I agree the Northface trail is a good choice. One of my favorites as long as you take it back to Muirren and don't try to go down to Gimmelwad from the trail - (it's a knee killer). We've also eaten at suppenalp. and it was the perfect stop!
in addition to the excellent playground and the tasty terrace restaurant (alphorn recital while we were there a few years ago) there is also a wildflower trail of beautiful alpine flowers.
@Meg, how long is the hike down to Murren please? We will be in the region for a week the first week of October. We aren't really hikers, but love walking.
Currently we plan to do the Panorama Walk, but this sounds interesting too. I am just concerned about how long it is, more about whether there are toilets along the way for my annoyingly weak bladder. If there is a food stop, I assume there will be toilets too.
Thanks in advance for more information.
We will be staying in Wengen during our week.
The Northface hike starting at Almendhubel and ending in Muïrren will be really fun for your family. @Meg has given you some very good advice. We always stop for lunch at Suppenalp. It is a real working farm and will be great for your boys to see.
Thank you all very much!
DebH,
According to the RS Switzerland book the North Face trail is 2 1/2 hours which if memory serves me is about right. I can't remember if we ever used a bathroom at Sonnenalp, but I would say it's a good chance they have one. The book also says the mountain view trail from Allmendhubel to Grutschalp is 2 hours and I don't think there would be a bathroom in that time.
The North Face Trail passes by mountain restaurants at Suppenalp Schiltalp, and maybe at Spielbodenalp
If you want to use the bathroom at these mountain restaurants, it is customary to buy something to eat or drink first. Or sometimes there is a sign asking for hikers who are not customers to pay la small amount, like 1 Sfr.
For the fellow weak bladder female: I do a lot of hiking and have begun traveling with a device called a "she-wee" (and various other silly names). It is basically a packable silicone funnel that allows you to go standing up. It can save you in a pinch. Not ideal, but exponentially better than squatting.
Jill, I looked on Google maps and it states that the walk from Allmendhubel to Murren is only 30 minutes, obviously a lot less than you've stated the RS guide book states.
Maybe there is a shorter version of the walk, which is all I would want.
Lola, I would be more than happy to pay. Unfortunately buying a drink just makes the problem worse lol!
Valedelphia, I have heard of the she pee and similar things, but so far we haven't done enough hiking to make it necessary.
By the sound of Switzerland there are too many people around to do anything but find a proper toilet.
Thanks everyone.
google maps doesn't make much allowance for change in altitude. If it says 30 minutes that sounds like just straight up next to the funicular.
I've done the walks around there, and except for the Alpine Garden near the playground nothing was even close to as fast as half an hour.
DebH, the North Face trail makes a long traverse from Schiltalp out to the southwest, then loops back. for a shorter, easier, but sill scenic walk, you can simply drop down into the valley from Allmendhubel (aim for the Sonnenberg mountain hut for the easiest path) and walk straight down to Mürren from there.
You can see the route on this little map—-just follow the yellow dots from the Allmendhubel play area down to Sonnenberg, and the green dots from there. This says 30 minutes from Sonnenberg down to Mürren.
https://www.sonnenbergmuerren.ch/
You are correct about the lack of “cover” in that area—-no place to hide to take care of nature’s call. Maybe save your appetite for Sonnenberg and plan on buying a snack there, in case they do not have the “pay” option for the restrooms.
The restrooms at Allmendhubel are in the funicular top station, and accessible without going through the restaurant, so one is free to use those without payment or permission.
There are many trails to Murren from Allmendhubel. The North Face counterclockwise is the "full" experience but you can walk down to Suppenalp from Allmendhubel and then just take the path from there down to Murren in about 30 minutes. Or do the Blumental Trail, which is similar: https://swissfamilyfun.com/murren-childrens-adventure-trail/
Thanks yet again everyone, that little one straight from Allmendhubel to Murren looks exactly what we are after.
I will look into all the maps, and save them to my phone.
