Getting to Gimmelwald

You can find the complete routing at the Swiss Rail site: http://rail.ch The fastest route is Zurich Airport train station to Bern, at Bern change to the train to Interlaken Ost. At Interlaken take another train to Lauterbrunnen. Then a Postal bus to the Stechelberg cable car station which gets you to Gimmelwald. If you're purchasing point to point tickets you can get a single ticket for the entire journey at the airport train station.

I just want to add to the previous reply as to how to get to Gimmelwald from Zurich by train. I would suggest while you are in the airport at Zurich and you go to the train station there on premises that you also purchase the 30 day 1/2 fare card before you purchase that ticket directly from Zurich Flughafen to Stechelberg. It acts as 1/2 fare card on all transportation that you will most likely be taking during your 30 days in Switzerland. You are going to love Gimmelwald and the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Thanks for the help guys! It is greatly appreciated. :) we are actually only staying in Switzerland for 5 days but I will keep the half fare pass in mind if I ever decide venture back. I was also wondering if it is any cheaper or more ideal to purchase the train tickets online before our trip or if it would be more convenient to purchase them when we get to Zurich?

You're welcome. For Switzerland it's best to purchase one of the variations of the Swiss Pass. It will save you a lot of money. Click the "railpasses" tab above for all your options. http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/switzerland.cfm

If you are in Switzerland for 5 days it might well be worth buying a pass as Michael suggested. they may look expensive, but consider this: The 2d class fare from the Zurich airport to Gimmelwald by the fast route (via Bern) is just about 80 CHF. By the slower and more scenic route, it is 68 CHF. (I am estimating a bit as the SBB website does not recognize Gimmelwald; I used Stechelberg and added a few CHF). At the current rate of 1.19, that 80 CHF is $95, nearly half the cost of a Swiss Card ($207). The Swiss Card will fully cover your first and last day of travel in Switzerland (with a few exceptions), and give you 50% off on travel the 3 days between, including the high mountain lifts like the Schilthorn if you want to do that. So depending on how you are leaving Gimmelwald and Switzerland, the Swiss Card may pay for itself on the inbound and outbound trips, and as a bonus give you 50% off on the lifts for the 3 days you are in Gimmelwald. If you are sure you won't be using trains, boats, or riding lifts on those 3 intermediate days than it may not be worth it. If you are under 26 you qualify for youth fares and the calculations would be different.

Even if you are only there for five days, the 30-day Half Fare Card can be a money saver depending on how many train trips you take. If you plan to go up the Jungfrau or the Schilthorn in addition to your trip to Gimmelwald (and back) it will almost certainly be of benefit. Definitely have a look at all the Swiss rail information here on this site. BUT you will have to make strategic guesses as to what you will do while in the country and then do the math to compare the various options.

Thanks everyone! I think I will invest in the Flexi-Saver pass as there will be three of us traveling together and it seems to be the best deal for what we have planned. all of the info posted has been really helpful, just have one more question. Has anyone used this pass and is there anything good or bad I should know about it before I make my purchase?

The 3-day Flex (Saver) pass is what we normally use in Switzerland. It functions as a Half-Fare Card for the additional days between first and last day of use. So it is similar to the Swiss Card I suggested previously, with one more fully covered day of travel, for an additional $37. Note that none of the passes will cover 100% of the cost of travel on the mountain lifts, above the last village. That is, a pass will fully cover travel as far as Mürren or Wengen, but beyond that it is only 50% even on a "covered" day on your pass. (And for the Jungfrau trip it may be only 25% on some types of passes.) With the current exchange rate you are better off buying the pass here (on this website) than in Switzerland. For example, the 3-day Flex (Saver) pass is $240 here, versus 216 CHF if bought in Switzerland.

Hi Lizz!
Enjoy Gimmelwald, it was our favorite destination on our trip last year. Just a note, if you have a Swiss Pass it will get you all the way up to Gimmelwald. We did not know this, and paid for the fare to get to Gimmelwald. After that, we realized if we showed our Swiss Pass, we didn't have to pay to get to and from Gimmelwald. Anyway, enjoy your trip!

Lizz, Some additional information to add regarding getting to Gimmelwald..... The trip from Zürich to Interlaken Ost is very easy. The trip is about 1H:55M, usually with one change in Bern. There are numerous trains on that route every day, so you should have lots of choices in departure times. When you arrive at Interlaken Ost, you'll transfer to the local Berner Oberland train (as I recall it's blue & gold) for the trip to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Note that Interlaken has two stations, east and west, so be sure you disembark at the correct one. When you arrive in Lauterbrunnen, walk across the street and transfer to the Post Bus (it's bright yellow - you can't miss it!). It's normally timed to arrive at the same time as the train. After a short drive (about 20-minutes), you'll arrive at Stechelberg and the Cable Car station. Walk up the steps and board the next Cable Car. The Cable Car ride from Stechelberg to Gimmelwald is somewhat steep and dramatic, and the view is fantastic! Gimmelwald is the first stop, and the walk to your lodgings will only take a minute or two. Do you know yet where you'll be staying? Happy travels!