Less than 2km from Meiringen is the narrow, 1.4km-long Aare Gorge, where tunnels and galleries lead past milky-blue torrents and limestone overhangs. The canyon is spectacularly illuminated on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings in summer. To make your way here, take the Meiringen-Innertkirchen-Bahn train.
Aareschlucht
Bernese Oberland
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.04 MILES
This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply…
20.62 MILES
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of…
1.32 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…
13.52 MILES
Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…
23.4 MILES
You haven’t really been to Lucerne until you have strolled the creaky 14th-century Kapellbrücke, spanning the Reuss River in the Old Town. The octagonal…
16.92 MILES
Especially in the early morning light, you can see how the vaporous, 297m-high Staubbach Falls captivated prominent writers with its threads of spray…
12.54 MILES
Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which…
27.67 MILES
Sitting on a hilltop and looking proudly back on 900 years of history, Schloss Thun is the castle of your wildest fairy-tale dreams, crowned by a riot of…
Nearby Bernese Oberland attractions
1.15 MILES
Sherlock fans won’t want to miss this museum in the basement of the English church in Meiringen. The highlight is a re-created sitting room of 221b Baker…
1.32 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…
3. Gletscherschlucht Rosenlaui
3.81 MILES
A round trail takes in waterfalls and 80m-high cliffs at this dramatic glacier gorge. The walk back to Meiringen takes at least two hours, but hourly…
6.23 MILES
For a fascinating insight into the rural Switzerland of yore, visit this open-air museum, set across 80 hectares east of Brienz. Authentically…
7.21 MILES
The Hasli Valley is laced with 300km of signposted walking trails. A huge hit is this 170m-long, 100m-high suspension bridge, Europe’s longest and highest…
8.05 MILES
Next to Berggasthaus First at around 2200m, this new lookout platform, jutting out 45m into the void, provides heart-pumping views of the valley and…
8.45 MILES
This is the only steam-powered cogwheel train still operating in Switzerland, climbing up to Rothorn at 2350m, from where you can set out on hikes or…
8. Schweizer Holzbildhauerei Museum
8.72 MILES
Homing in on the tradition of woodcarving in Brienz, this museum contains the prized collection of the Jobin workshop, which has been in business since…