Hi friends, welcome back to my Switzerland series! After successfully paragliding through the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Jon and I boarded the gondola up to the tiny mountain village Gimmelwald (not to be confused with Grindelwald). In 2010 the population of this town was only 130 people and the only way to get here is by gondola, there is no access road. It was so quiet and peaceful that it almost felt like we were trespassing. While the town is picturesque, I’m glad we didn’t stay here because it is pretty remote. Rick Steves always says “If Heaven isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald.” It is a stunning mountain village! The town was able to get itself declared an avalanche zone so no resorts can build there and the charm can remain.
Besides the tranquility and views in Gimmelwald, the Honesty Shop is the main attraction. This store relies on goodwill and trust, and there are no cameras or workers. You simply put the money in an envelope if you want to purchase anything. We didn’t buy anything, although the wooden Christmas tree caught my eye.
After strolling through Gimmelwald, Jon and I headed back to the cable car station to take it up to Murren. You can take this cable car further up to Shilthorn where James Bond On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed. It’s a popular excursion but we were about to embark on our favorite hike of the trip. From the cable car we walked back through Murren and stopped for a caffeine pick me up at this little trailer. There was a sign that they accepted card only, even in the mountains Switzerland is sophisticated!
Our hike for today was the North Face Trail and we chose to complete it counter clockwise to have the least amount of elevation gain. This 4.6-mile trail is a loop so you can start it anywhere, we would recommend taking the funicular up and starting in Allmendhubel. You can also hike up to Allmendhubel, but we were on vacation after all 😊 We exited the station and the views were just breathtaking!
We started this hike early afternoon, later than usual, so it felt like we were some of the only people on the trail. The only downside was the heat, but there were some little water spouts along the way I’d splash myself with to stay cool.
Cowbells in the distance, stunning views, fresh air, I don’t think it gets any better than this! This day was everything I had dreamed of and more for this trip.
I know the movie was filmed in Austria, but I felt like I was Maria in The Sound of Music here.
I loved the front row views of Eiger, Monch, Jungfrau. I think this might be my all time favorite hike I’ve ever done or at least tied for first with the Path of Gods in the Amalfi Coast.
Jon and I were absolutely exhausted from the hike and heat, but so happy! The hike ended where I took off for my paragliding, so we found a nice bench to enjoy watching some takeoffs.
Eventually we retraced our steps from the morning taking the train from Murren to Grutschlap, a cable car down to Lauterbrunnen, and a train up to home base in Wengen. Upon returning to Wengen, Jon and I made a beeline to Bäckerei Konditorei Vincenz for some incredible soft serve ice cream! It was so rich and creamy, probably made from those happy cows we hiked by. Nothing like an ice cream cone to punctuate an awesome day!
Murren was a strong contender when choosing where to stay. I personally think it has the best views of all the towns we visited and a similar quaint, mountain town feeling as Wengen. The only reason we didn’t stay here was because it’s less accessible from some of the hikes we wanted to do near Grindelwald and Wengen. If you don’t mind allotting extra time to get places, Murren is a great town. Stay tuned for our last day in the mountains!
