Meiringen

1280px

Meiringen is located in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland. It is a small town with roughly 4,000 inhabitants. Meiringen holds two claims to fame: the birthplace of the meringue and the location for the death of Sherlock Holmes. The town also acts as an excellent base for outdoor activities with cable cars running out of the village and a number of Postbuses running into central Switzerland.

Travel to Meiringen

By public transport

Meiringen is on the scenic Interlaken -Lucerne train line operated by the albahn.ch/ Zentralbahn]. There are hourly trains to Lucerne (1h 10min) and half-hourly trains to Brienz (10 min) and Interlaken Ost (30 min).

During the summer months a bus route over the Susten pass goes to Andermatt twice daily (roughly 2h).

Rent a Car or Limousine in Meiringen

Motorway A8 from Interlaken ends a couple kilometers before the town. An alternative route from Interlaken goes via the primary street on the other shore of the lake (via Brienz. Coming from Lucerne or Sarnen and the main motorway (also A8) ends before the Brünig pass north of Meiringen. Coming from the east into the village is the connecting road to either the Susten pass towards Andermatt or the Swiss_Alps_Jungfrau-Aletsch|Grimsel pass towards Valais.

Get Around

Meiringen is small enough to walk around easily.

What to See

The town is fascinating, given the obsession of a small little town in central Switzerland with Sherlock Holmes.

Reichenbach falls - 46.713611, 8.183056 free, or Fr. 10 return with Funicular Reichenbach Falls ReichenbachWaterFall - The location of the "death" of Sherlock Holmes. Located on a hill above the town and the base is a 15-20 minutes walk from the station. You can walk up to the falls or take the funicular. Sadly they are not as impressive as the account in the book makes them sound, being far from the most impressive falls in Switzerland, but are still not bad and worth a look for the novelty value.

Aar Gorge | 46.717778, 8.213611 - Fr. 8.5 Aare Gorge Aareschlucht 159 7 8 - 1.4 km of walkways and tunnels through a deep gorge carved by the Aare river. An easy 20-30 minutes walk from the centre of town, also the Meiringen-Innertkirchen train calls at both ends.

Sherlock Holmes museum - Bahnhofstrasse 26 46.7269, 8.1873 ☎ +41 33 972 50 00 Opening Hours: Winter West Sunday 16:30-18:00, Summer daily 13:30-18:00 Fr. 4/3 A museum on all things Sherlock Holmes. A special feature is the recreation of the living room of Baker Street 221B as it's described in the books.

Museum Haslital | Kapellen 1 46.72916, 8.18944 ☎ +41 33 971 25 01 Opening Hours: June-October daily 15:00-18:00 Free entry Local history museum on the life in the valley.

Top Muslim Travel Tips for Meiringen

Hasliberg ski area 60 kilometers in winter, 13 lifts | 46.7283, 8.1921 - Day pass Fr. 57/28 - The cable vehicle leaves from the town of Meiringen, but requires a change in Reuti halfway up.

Shopping

As the supposed home town of the meringue and the sweet can be purchased in many shops, sometimes with a Sherlock Holmes-themed edible image.

Halal Food

A number of Halal restaurants and cafés can be found in the town. - Victoria Bahnhofplatz 9 - GPS: 46.72730, 8.18659 ☎ +41 33 972 10 40 Opening Hours: Daily 07:00–00:30 - Around Fr. 50 for mains, tasting menu Fr. 95 - This restaurant has been featured in the Gault Millau Guide and the prices are quite high. Offers several vegan choices on the regular menu.

Muslim Friendly Hotels

Hotel Meiringen - @meiringen.ch Bahnhofplatz 1 46.727831, 8.184646 ☎ +41 33 972 12 12 - double in high season: Fr. 190

News & References

Travel Next

Take the train to Interlaken, which is a good base for adventuring other areas of the Bernese Highlands.
Go on to Lucerne, enjoying the scenic train ride and maybe stopping by at Sarnen on the way there.
Drive southwards over the Grimsel pass, which is inside the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO world legacy site and go on to explore the Valais
During the summer months you can take the postbus to Andermatt, a route which offers stunning views on the way towards the Susten pass.