2 Nights in Gimmelwald, Switzerland

Devon Mills
Jul 27
4 min read

Hello friends! We've made it to Switzerland! After spending an emergency night in Zurich to get a new phone, I made my way to the most magical town of Gimmelwald.

Transportation

From Zurich to Gimmelwald, it took two trains, a bus, and a cable car. I first took a train from Zurich to Bern, then another train from Bern to Lauterbrunnen. From Lauterbrunnen, I took a bus to Stechelberg. Admittedly, I did miss the bus I was supposed to take because there were typically 10 minutes or less between my connections, and I went to what I thought was the bus area but was wrong. Luckily, the buses come every 30 minutes or so, so I was okay. From there, in Stechelberg, I took the cable car up to Gimmelwald! The cable car stations are right where the bus drops you off, so it's easy to find.

Accommodation

While in Gimmelwald, I stayed at the Mountain Hostel, which honestly was my main draw to Gimmelwald. I saw a TikTok of someone’s hostel view and thought I had to go. The hostel is about a 30-second walk from the cable car station, which makes it convenient. The views are absolutely stunning—from every window and every angle. I have never felt so surrounded by mountains so impressive.

I was in the female-only dorm with 16 of us. It was definitely cozy, and I was on an inside top bunk, so really tucked in there. However, the views are worth it. They provided breakfast in the mornings, and the hostel had a bar and restaurant if you wanted to eat there, as well as a kitchen and fridge for groceries.

Night 1

I arrived around 3 p.m. and got a quick orientation of the hostel. The staff were all very helpful and friendly. We were assigned beds, which made things easy. I settled in a bit and then headed up to Mürren, the closest town, about a 30-minute hike uphill. The hike isn’t long but quite steep, so I stopped for lots of picture breaks.

I wanted to stop at the Coop grocery store to pick up some snacks and things for lunches. I walked through the town and it was adorable. I stopped in a gift shop and got a postcard and then treated myself to an ice cream bar. I took in the views and headed back down to Gimmelwald.

I chilled for a bit, then decided to get dinner at the restaurant at the hostel. I got pizza and an Aperol Spritz and it was delicious! And to my pleasant surprise, there was live music that night and I had a front-row seat. The setting was absolutely beautiful.

After dinner, I went inside and saw some girls from my room, so I sat down and started talking to them—and we were together the rest of the night, drinking wine, taking pictures, and watching the sunset. A lovely first night!

Day 2

On my first full day, the girls I met and I decided to do a hike together. We grabbed breakfast at the hostel beforehand. I didn't have the best sleep—but that was to be expected—and starting around 7 a.m., people begin getting up, so don’t expect a great sleep-in.

We left around 9:15 a.m. and hiked the North Face Alternative Trail. The first 30 minutes to Mürren felt like the biggest uphill grind. While it was a challenge, it was definitely doable, and the views were totally worth it! We stopped a lot to take pictures, and about halfway there's a self-service food hut with ice cream and drinks—you just leave cash. I would definitely recommend this hike to anyone visiting the area.

We knew a storm was supposed to roll in around 4, so we wanted to beat it. We made it back to Mürren around 3 p.m. and did a quick shop before heading back down around 3:30. Unfortunately, the storm came a bit early and we started to get a light drizzle on the walk down—but more concerningly, thunder and lightning. So we rushed and luckily made it back before it hit hard.

When we got back to the hostel, I made a quick sandwich and took a much-needed nap during the storm. When I woke up, it had cleared, and I went to join my new friends in a little cabana outside. I made ramen for dinner and we ate, drank wine, played cards, and had a great night.

Day 3

Today we had to check out of the beautiful Mountain Hostel! I woke up around 8:30, grabbed breakfast at the hostel, and then packed my bags and got everything organized for my journey. Three of the girls I met at the hostel and I actually went to Lake Thun from Gimmelwald, since none of us were in a huge rush to get anywhere. It was beautiful! However, the water was freezing — I went in up to my waist and then got out to read while the others swam. Afterward, we caught our transport, said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways. Next stop: Grindelwald!