Train from Florence to Gimmelwald

This link shows you the train schedule and connections required to get from Florence (Firenze) to Gimmelwald:train scheduleYou can use that website (the Bahn website) to change times and other variables and see what happens to the schedule. You're not going to use the Bahn website to actually book the trip, you can do that when you get to Italy, but don't wait until the last minute to do so.Word of explanation: There are two ways to get from Lauterbrunnen to Gimmelwald and the schedule shows the faster, easier way, let's stick to that: looking at the schedule, when you get off the R171 train at Lauterbrunnen (I'm using the train # shown in the schedule I originally linked you to, your train # may be different), you'll walk about 3 minutes to the Lauterbrunnen Bahnhof where the Post Bus departs for Stechelberg (ask someone where you catch the bus for Stechelberg). Take the bus to the Schilthornbahn stop at Stechelberg. Then walk over to the gondola station and the gondola will take you on an exciting 5-min ride up to Gimmelwald.Whether you can get to Gimmelwald by dark depends on what time you leave Florence, whether you make the various connections shown on the schedule, and the time of year (i.e., when sunset occurs).

Kent, that is fantastic... thank you very much for the kind explanation. Unfortunately, this hotel connection (in Amsterdam) won't let me open the URL, but I hope to stop by an internet cafe before I reach Venice so I can see the schedule, and purchase the ticket in Venice on Sunday for the Thursday train.

To get to the Post Bus stop from the Lauterbrunnen train station: The train station sits below the level of the main street. As you get off the train and face the station, there will be two ramping walkways up to the road- one to the left of the station towards the South, and one to the right towards the North.

The closest bus stop is not far from the North walkway to the right, across the road. If you have walked more than a few minutes you are lost.

There is another bus stop farther up the road should you take the left (South) walkway ramp, perhaps a 8-10 minute walk up further into town. That stop is located in front of a small sandwich shop in the vicinity of the grocery co-op and some other shops.

I only mention this because most people will lead you to the closest stop, which is great, but if you want to grab a bite to eat or a bit of food to bring with you ( offerings are scant in Gimmelwald) walking up to this other stop allows some flexibility.

Also, I think the stores in Lauterbrunnen tend to close aroud 18:30 , if you are REALLY late you may want to grab something en-route. If you have the time when you change trains here there is a very large grocery co-op right across from the train station in Interlaken.

The URL for the German Rail query page.

Unfortunately, Kent, when you try to use a page "loaded" with specific search results, it expires after a while.

Choong: When you get back online in Venice, the schedule I provided the link for will have expired. To replicate it, go to the same website, the link has been kindly provided by Lee (above post) and here it is again Bahn Rail Query Pageand input:from Firenze (Florence)to Gimmelwalddate doesn't matter unless you're traveling on a weekendset time to 0600 to see schedules for morning departureswhen schedule comes up, click Details For Allprint out that page, or write down key items for use when buying your ticketsYou probably want to book this trip with a clerk rather than a machine, the Italian clerks are almost all helpful, esp. if you first make an attempt to greet them in Italian and make your first request in Italian instead of immediately accosting them in English, they'll switch to English and be helpful.

Choong, we have done this trip from Venice to Lauterbrunnen. Big Hint. If you buy the ticket in Italy, the Italians will not be able to pull up either Lauterbrunnen or Gimmelwald on their computers (go to www.trenitalia.com and try it). The closest they will get is Interlaken Ost. The reason, as we were told, is that the Swiss want to be paid in Swiss Francs for the two train systems and gondola systems that operate in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Italy has Euros. The Swiss train site www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm will sell you the ticket however.

The whole trip will take about 8.0hrs-9.0hrs from Venice so you will want to leave early. It's about the same if you depart from Florence. The trains and gondolas run until almost midnight but still, everybody goes to bed earlier.

If you purchase the tickets in Italy, buy the Venice to Interlaken Ost tickets. Once you are in Interlaken Ost, walk over to the train station (it's small) and buy your tickets for the remainder of the journey (or, purchase in Spiez during your train change but you have to be fast as you have about 16 minutes between trains). From Interlaken Ost, you depart on track 2A on a local train to Lauterbrunnen. Then, you have to take the post bus from across the street (Bill's directions are excellent). The walk from the train to the bus is about 300 feet. Take the bus from Lauterbrunnen to the Stechelberg gondola station. You are now about 2 minutes from Gimmelwald by gondola.

You can see this entire journey on www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm.

It might be easier to get the ticketing done by goning to a travel agent rather than by doing it at the train station(s).

Thanks, everyone!

The internet access in Venice and Prague have been horrendously expensive, so I was only able to check my email here in a hotel in Florence.

I've read through the advices, and yes, the Italian station agent was able to pull the schedule to get us up to Interlacken, so we'll take that (leaving Florence at 8:20 and getting there around 2:30 with several connections) and book the remainder of the trip from the stations in Switzerland.

I can't wait to get to Gimmelwald... it is my spiritual home in Europe, and eventhough this trip was much shorter than my previous one (2 weeks versus 2 months), I am so much looking forward to not having to read tour books, look up maps, figure out logistics and gesture my way through every meal... yes, these are what the trips are all about, but it makes for a very taxing vacation.

Thanks, everyone!