We wanted to try something different than thematic mountain trails and playgrounds, while living in Switzerland during summer 2020. And I started googling alternative activities that we can do and sights we can see. Aare river gorge looked indeed amazing in the photos.

There are two entrances to the gorge. One it’s the west entrance, the other one is the east entrance. An adult ticket costs 12CHF, free for kids below 6 years old. You basically have two options: go through the gorge and return on the same path or go through the gorge and take the train back. The train ride is included in the entrance ticket. The train ride is about 3 min. Our son saw the train as we entered the gorge and he was excited to go on it. So this was our choice. It also saved us a little time, to enjoy the playground and grab a quick lunch at the restaurant near the west entrance.

How to get here. The closest town is Meiringen in the Hasli region. Reaching the gorge is possible via rail or car (there are ample parkings available next to the west entrance). Detailed info here.

The trail. The path is occasionally pretty narrow, with the gorge being 1-2m wide in some areas, and there are sections where you go through a tunnel. We entered through the west entrance and exited at the east. The last part, near the east entrance has some stairs that you need to climb. If you’d like to descend instead of going up the stairs, start at the east entrance. The part of the gorge closer to the west entrance is more spectacular, with some narrow parts. It gets wider in some areas, especially to the east entrance. There are some sign boards that explain the rock formations, such as the one at The Scraybach waterfall. The widest part of the gorge is Grossen Runs. Keep an eye for the underground cavern from WWII, which was never used, but it appears to have been quite impressive. The trail in the gorge is great for kids as well. You can pick up a card from either entrances and the kids need to find the answers to the questions asked by the characters of a German popular story. The characters are hidden somewhere in the gorge so it’s more like a treasure hunt. Ask for the Tatzelwurm card at either the west or east entrances and read more about it here.

The path is made of wood, easy accessible with a stroller, except for the very last part, with the flight of stairs at the east entrance. There are quite a few. The lenght of the path is 1.4km. It took us less than an hour to complete. Also, check the train schedule ahead. There’s one available at the entrance. We didn’t. And ended up waiting for the next train for about 20 min. The train from the east entrance back to the west one is scheduled every hour at 5 min and 32 (this was back in 2020). So plan your walk through the gorge accordingly. At the east entrance, you get out and follow the signs with the train station. It’s a path through the woods, steep with stairs. Not stroller friendly. I guess you can take the longer route on the street, if you have a stroller. To reach the east train station, you cross a bridge. Just near the bridge, before crossing over to the station, it’s a small barbecue area with wood provided. There’s also a drinkable water sprinkler. The entire train ride from the east station to the west one is through a tunnel. The walk from the west train station to the gorge entrance and parking takes about 5 minutes. You need to crossover the bridge over Aare again.

The entire trail is pictured in the map below or available on google maps here.

Dining options and playgrounds. There’s a restaurant at the west entrance and a cute playground near it with swings, climbing stuff with towers and bridges, a slide and a zipline. There’s also a small bistro at the east entrance.

Combined options. If you are in the area, next to the aare gorge is the Reichenbach falls, famous for being the spot where Sherlock Holmes falls and dies. You can buy a combined ticket for the gorge and the funicular to the falls. There’s also the option to hike to the falls and descend by mountain trotti. We opted out and chose a visit to Interlaken on our way back home for some ice cream with a view.

Highlights 2024. There’s a combined all you can eat pasta buffet with an entry to the gorge during evening, when the walls are illuminated. It’s available Fridays and Saturdays in July and August. Reservations and prices here

More info on prices and opening hours here.

Photo story of our trail.