The Aareschlucht is narrow river gorge with interesting curved formations and icy blue water running through the middle. For a fee, you can explore the gorge on an elevated walkway built into the rock walls.

The path is 1.6 km through the gorge, takes about 30 mins one way. You can walk back the way you came. Or if you came by public transport, catch the train at either side of the gorge.

Open: mid April thru October

Website: https://www.aareschlucht.ch

Location: Parking at west entrance - Aareschluchtstrasse, 3860 Schattenhalb
Train to Aareschlucht West or Aareschlucht Ost (Bahn) then short walk to gorge entrance.

💡This is a good choice for a cloudy day since it doesn't rely on mountain views to enjoy.

What to do

There are restaurants on both ends of the gorge but we usually prefer to eat in the nearby Meiringen village.

Families will appreciate the extras for kids, like the gorge's mascot, a cute "tunnel" worm, and his family hidden in the walls along the river. There's also a fun playground outside the west entrance, a nice reward for kids after the walk.

After the gorge, we usually visit the nearby Reichenbach waterfalls (2 mins by car, 20 min walk, no bus). You can buy a combined ticket for both attraction for a slight discount.

➡️ Read our full Aare Gorge post.

How to get there

By car: There is parking on both sides of the gorge. For most visitors, it's more convenient to park near the west entrance - Aareschluchtstrasse, 3860 Schattenhalb

By public transport:

There are train stations on both sides of the gorge, accessed by R71 from Meiringen. The west entrance is a 5 min walk from the Aareschlucht West train station. The east entrance is a 3 min walk to the Aareschlucht Ost (Bahn) train station.

The R71 departs about 60 mins in both directions, every 30 mins in the middle of the day. Check current schedule on SBB.ch.

From Interlaken Ost, travel time is 46 mins to the east entrance at Aareschlucht Ost (Bahn).