How to Visit Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland
Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls are a picturesque gorge and famous waterfall found in the Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland. Visiting these two attractions is a great thing to do on a rainy or overcast day, or if you’re looking for a more low-key but unique thing to do in the area. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know to visit both the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, including how to get there, tickets and costs, when to go, what to expect, and more!
If you’re visiting the Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland, there’s a good chance you’re there to see the epic peaks of the Alps, ride scenic cable cars to mountain views and picturesque quaint mountain towns, and maybe go on a few postcard- worthy hikes.
But, if you’re looking for something to do in the Bernese Oberland that’s a little more low-key, somewhat more off-the-beaten-path, and a bit more unique, or if you’re simply looking for something fun to do on a rainy day when those epic mountain views aren’t out, then we have a pretty good suggestion!
About a half hour east of Interlaken are the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls.
Aareschlucht Gorge (we know- this is a mouthful, so it’s often just called Aare Gorge), is a deep, narrow gorge carved out from meltwaters of the Aare Glacier. An elevated walkway clings to the gorge’s walls and weaves in and out of the cliffside for almost 1.5 kilometers, allowing you to see the picturesque curves, features, and waterfalls of the gorge and the blue water below.
Nearby, the picturesque Reichenbach Falls spills 110 meters into the Reichenbachtal Valley, made famous as the location of the death of the fictional Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Professor Moriarty. But despite this claim to fame, this falls is worthy of a visit in its own right. A cute little funicular will take you up near the top to a series of viewing platforms, a restaurant, and a chance to fly back down the cliffside on a mountain scooter!
Because the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls are so close to each other and both are quick and easy to visit, most often people combine the two experiences together. Plus, if you visit both, you can purchase a ticket that saves you money, so why not, right?!
In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know to visit the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, including how to get there, tickets you’ll need and costs, what to expect at each one, and how to plan your time.
So, let’s get to it!
In this Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls guide:
Where is Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls?
Walking through the Aare Gorge in Switzerland
The Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls are located in the Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland, near the famous Jungfrau Region (where Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Jungfrajoch, and the Schilthorn are located).
The gorge and falls are about a half hour east of Interlaken (the gateway to the Jungfrau Region), just past Brienzersee Lake.
Aareschlucht Gorge runs between the small towns of Meiringen (the west side of the gorge) and Innertkirchen (the east side of the gorge). You can enter the Aare Gorge from either end.
Reichenbach Falls is just outside of Meiringen, in a small town called Willigen, and is about a 20 minute walk from the Aare Gorge’s west entrance.
Map of Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls
This map shows the relative location of both the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls to help orient you to the area.
Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls lie east of Interlaken, past Brienz Lake
How to Get to Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls
The view from the Reichenbach Falls funicular
You can get to the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls by either car or train.
If you come by car, there is free parking at both ends of the Aare Gorge. There’s a larger lot at the West entrance, so we recommend you park there (here on Google Maps). The East end has just a few roadside parking spots (here on Google Maps). There are also a few parking spaces outside the station for the Reichenbach Falls funicular (here on Google Maps). If these are full, you can also park at the Alpbach train station (here) and walk about a half kilometer to the funicular.
It's likely, though, that most people traveling in the Bernese Oberland may not have a car. Train travel in the area is so easy and convenient, and since many places in the Jungfrau Region are car-free, it often doesn’t make sense to rent a car here. And like most places in Switzerland, getting to both the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls is super easy with the train.
Taking trains in Switzerland in super convenient and easy!
Since it’s common to visit the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls from Interlaken, we’ll go over how to do that next.
To get to either the gorge or the falls from Interlaken by train, it will be about a 45 minute journey each way.
Interlaken to Aareschlucht Gorge
In Interlaken, take the train from the Interlaken Ost station to the Meiringen Bahnhof station. This is a really pretty ride around Brienz Lake and then through a valley with lots of waterfalls running down from the cliffs above the small villages.
Traveling through the beautiful valley between Interlaken and the Aare Gorge
At the Meiringen station, you’ll transfer to the local Meiringen-Innertkirchen Railway. You’ll be on here for just a few minutes, getting off at either the Aareschlucht West stop (the second stop) or the Aareschlucht Ost stop (the third stop) depending on which side of the gorge you want to start from.
Hopping on the Meiringen Innertkirchen Railway
From the Aareschlucht West station, it’s just over a half kilometer walk (about 10 minutes) to the West entrance of the gorge, called Aareschlucht Eingang West on Google Maps.
The walking route from the rail stop to the Aare Gorge West entrance
From the Aareschlucht Ost station, it’s about a quarter kilometer walk to the East entrance of the gorge, called Aareschlucht Eingang Ost on Google Maps.
The walking route from the rail stop to the Aare Gorge East entrance
The West entrance for the Aare Gorge
You can start your walk through the Aare Gorge on either end and do a one-way walk through the canyon. In this case, you can either ride the train to the Aare Ost station, walk through the gorge, and then hop on the train at the Aare West station to head back to Meiringen, or you can take the train to the Aare West station, walk through the gorge, and hop on the train at the Aare Ost station to head back to Meiringen.
Or, if you’re like us, you can start at one end and do a roundtrip walk through the gorge to get to experience it twice!
This map shows the Aare Gorge with the East and West end entrances and rail stations
Interlaken to Reichenbach Falls
To get to Reichenbach Falls by train, it’s a very similar route.
Take the train from Interlaken Ost to the Meiringen Bahnhof station. You could walk to the Reichenbach Falls funicular station from here if you’re trying to get your steps in (it’s about a 20 minute walk.)
The walking route from Meiringen to the Reichenbach Falls funicular
Or you can simply transfer over to the Meiringen-Innertkirchen line (which is usually timed up well with the incoming Interlaken train) and just take it one stop over to the Meiringen Alpbach station. From there, it’s a half kilometer walk to the funicular (called the Reichenbachfall-Bahn Talstation on Google Maps.
The walking route from the Alpbach station ro Reichenbach Falls
Arriving at the bottom funicular station for Reichenbach Falls
How to visit both the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls
Since they’re both so close, it’s easy to visit the gorge and falls on one trip. It doesn’t matter which you do first. We just happened to do Reichenbach Falls first, so that’s how we’ll describe it here (but keep in mind this all can be easily reversed).
Take the train from Interlaken Ost to the Meiringen Bahnhof station
Take the Meiringen-Innertkirchen Rail to the first stop (Meiringen Alpbach)
Walk a half kilometer to the Reichenbach Falls funicular station
When done here, it’s easiest to just walk the road 1.5 km up to the West entrance of the Aare Gorge rather than walk to the train station and wait for the rail. It’s a flat and quiet road, and quite scenic as you pass by the valley cliffs, and potentially some herds of friendly sheep. It should take you about 15 minutes. We entered the Aare Gorge from the west and walked roundtrip back to the West entrance. You could also just do a one-way walk and finish at the East entrance.
Take the rail from either entrance back to the Meiringen Bahnof, and transfer to the next train from there back to Interlaken.
The walking route between Reichenbach Falls and Aare Gorge
Walking between the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls
Once in town, follow the signs to Reichenbach Falls
How Much Does it Cost to Visit Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls?
Both the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls each cost 12 CHF on their own. However, if you book a combo ticket for both, it’s 20 CHF. For the most updated prices, check the Aare Gorge website and the Reichenbach Falls website.
Another great way to get a discount is to book your tickets in combination with the train ticket to get there (you can do this online or right at a train station ticket counter). By combining your train travel with your admission tickets, you’ll save 10%.
In addition, some local guest passes that you may receive from staying in nearby towns like Interlaken and Brienz can get you up to 20% extra off admission tickets.
Is the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls on the Swiss Travel Pass?
If you have a more regional type of travel pass, such as the Swiss Travel Pass, or the Bernese Oberland Travel Pass, you’ll get train transport to the gorge and falls included (with these passes, most train travel in Switzerland is free). With a Swiss Half Fare Card, you’ll get half off train transport to the gorge and falls.
The Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare Card will not cover entry to either Aare Gorge or Reichenbach Falls, but the Bernese Oberland Pass gets you discounted admission to the Aare Gorge.
The whole Switzerland Travel Pass system can be very confusing and frustrating to figure out. Check out our Jungfrau Travel Guide to learn more about all the passes we recommend considering when traveling in Switzerland, including the Swiss Travel Pass, the Half Fare Card, the Bernese Oberland Pass, and more.
But in general, when buying tickets for the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls, we recommend just heading to the train station and asking them about the combo ticket. Be sure to let them know any other travel passes you may have so that they can apply all the appropriate discounts that you’d get…that’s what we did anyway!
Best Time to Visit the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland
Hiking around Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland
The Aareschlucht Gorge is open from about mid-April to early November, from 8:30 am to either 5:30 or 6:30 pm depending on the time of year. On Fridays and Saturdays in July and August, the western end of the gorge stays open until 10 pm, and they provide nice evening lighting along the canyon walls, which could be a cool experience.
Reichenbach Falls is open from early May to early October from 9 am to 5:30 pm every day.
So, any time within these windows is a good time to visit. Even on cloudy, gloomy, or rainy days, the gorge and falls are good options, and in fact, we recommend saving a visit for less-than-ideal conditions when catching mountain views and hiking on scenic trails elsewhere in the Oberland and Jungfrau region isn’t an option due to weather.
We visited Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in the rain, and we did indeed get soaked, especially in the gorge, but we felt it was a win because we still got to see some unique natural features (which was way better than just hanging out in the hotel!).
How Much Time Do You Need at Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls?
The Aareschlucht Gorge is a 1.4 km walkway through the canyon, and it took us about 50 minutes to walk it from end to end. This was at a pretty slow pace because we often stopped to admire the views, and waited a lot for crowds to clear out to get clear pictures through the canyon. It can be done quicker, but it’s a nice place to take your time and really admire all the features of the gorge.
If you do an out-and-back walk, you’ll probably go a little quicker the second time through, so we’d say budget about an hour and a half total for a round trip walk through the Aare Gorge.
There are also restaurants and gift shops at either end of the gorge, so you can spend a little extra time here if you’d like.
Admiring the views in the Aare Gorge
We spent about 50 minutes at Reichenbach Falls. The roundtrip funicular ride is about 10-12 minutes. Then you can spend some time at the viewing platform and climbing the path to the top of the falls. If you want to spend a little more time at the falls, there’s a restaurant if you continue just a little bit further past the top of the falls, and you can also rent mountain scooters from there and ride back down to town.
Then, you need to add in time walking between train stations and also time waiting for the Meiringen-Innertkirchen Line, which only runs once an hour.
We did this as a daytrip from Interlaken, so it was also an additional 45 minute train ride each way.
Door-to-door from our apartment in Interlaken and back, we spent about 6 hours on this excursion.
Visiting the Aareschlucht Gorge: Our Experience
We walked through Aare Gorge starting from the West entrance, so this is how we’ll describe our experience.
At the West entrance, you’ll walk through an entrance building with a restaurant and gift shop. Check in at the ticket counter and then you’ll leave from the back of the building onto a flat paved path that heads towards the gorge.
The path heading towards the start of the Aare Gorge in Switzerland
In just a few minutes, the path becomes an elevated walkway above the blue water of the Aare Gorge.
The pathway enters the first of many tunnels carved into the cliffside, and when you emerge, you’ll enter into what we would consider is the best part of the Aare Gorge!
The pathway is now affixed to the side of the cliff walls of the gorge. Here, the gorge is narrow, twisty, and curving, and its shapes and features sort of reminded us of the slot canyons of Utah and Arizona. This part of the gorge was super picturesque, and we really loved taking our time to walk through it.
Walking through the narrow parts of the Aare Gorge
Admiring the Aare Gorge and its cool features
As you walk deeper into the gorge, it becomes wider with less curvy features, but you get more of a jungly feel with vegetation growing on the cliff walls and the blue water beneath your feet. The path continues to duck in and out of the cliff via short tunnels. At another point soon after, the Aare Gorge narrows again, almost to the point where you feel you can reach out and touch the other side before opening back up again.
The path continues through the Aare Gorge in Switzerland
Along the way, you’ll also pass by a small but scenic waterfall, called the Schraybach. First, you’ll see it framed by a window through the cliff tunnels.
Schraybach Falls in the Aare Gorge in Switzerland
From the tunnel, you’ll emerge out into a much wider portion of the gorge with a great view of the waterfall.
Admiring the waterfall in the Aare Gorge
The Aare Gorge continues to have its jungle-like feel as the walkway twists around the curves of the gorge walls, and you’ll pass by yet another waterfall cascading down the opposite side.
Soon after this, the gorge begins to open up, and you can really get a sense of how tall the cliff walls are on either side.
As the Aare gorge ends, the walkway will start its ascent up to the entrance on the Innertkirchen end, with a final stair climb to the top.
Mesmerized by the tall rocky walls of the Aare Gorge
The final climb out of Aare Gorge at the East end
We sat and rested outside of the entrance building before heading back through the gorge to get back to the West entrance, since we were doing a roundtrip walk.
As we retraced our steps back to the West entrance, we sped through the gorge a bit quicker this time as it was now pouring out and cold, but we still stopped to admire the narrowest bits of canyon towards the West end, which we thought was the coolest part!
One thing we will note about the Aare Gorge is that is can be a pretty busy place. And the reason for that is because of all the tour buses that come here. In our experience, a huge crowd would come barreling down the walkway and it would get pretty tight and crowded for a bit. But we would just kinda hang out, let the crowd pass (as they all seemed to kind of just want to speed through for some reason!), and with some patience, we’d be back to having a more peaceful experience.
Without the busloads, it really wouldn’t have been a crowded place at all. If you’re looking to avoid that, we recommend trying to come first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon, because it did get kind of annoying at times, especially on such narrow walkways, but we managed!
Visiting Reichenbach Falls: Our Experience
The funicular up to Reichenbach Falls leaves about every 15 minutes (there are two that go back and forth on the tracks) and takes around 5 or 6 minutes to reach the top.
This was not a busy place at all, and we had the entire funicular to ourselves on the way up!
The bottom of the funicular track to Reichenbach Falls
As you ascend, you’ll start to feel a jungle vibe as the trees get dense, and you’ll even pass by a small waterfall. Towards the top, you’ll start to get views out over Meiringen and the rest of the valley and on a clear day, you’ll be able to see the distant jagged peaks of the Oberland region (we weren’t so lucky).
The view back over Meiringen from the Reichenbach Falls funicular
A smalls scenic waterfall along the funicular route
Before you know it, Reichenbach Falls will come into view and you’ll arrive at the top station.
Just outside the station is the viewing platform overlooking the 100 meter waterfall, including a funny little photo op with Sherlock Holmes.
The view of Reichenbach Falls
A Sherlock Holmes photo op!
A path leaves from here and winds up around the cliff walls towards the top of Reichenbach Falls. It’s basically all stairs- about 254 of them (give or take- I may have skipped a count or two!). It took us about ten minutes to climb.
Lots of stairs!
Looking back down towards Reichenbach Falls
At the top of this climb, you’ll come to another viewing terrace out to the top of Reichenbach Falls, and also out over the valley below and the town of Meiringen.
Reichenbach Falls from the upper viewpoint
Looking back over Meiringen and the lower viewpoint from the upper viewpoint of Reichenbach Falls
Misty views from Reichenbach Falls
From here, a path (with just a few more stairs) will take you to a small bridge over the top of the waterfall.
Kevin standing on the bridge above Reichenbach Falls
Cascades and pools at the top of Reichenbach Falls
The bridge on top of Reichenbach Falls
Just past here, you can climb up to the restaurant above the falls for a bite to eat, and you can even rent mountain scooters at the restaurant to ride a path back down to the valley with. We actually weren’t even aware of this on our visit, but it was too rainy and slick out anyway for us to have done it.
There are also a few trails that you can take down on either side of the waterfall, but we opted to just take the funicular back down.
Check out this map of Reichenbach Falls for the different trails in the area (also shown below in a picture we took on site).
A map of the trails near Reichenbach Falls. We described the hike from the Bergstation and up path number 1 to the top of the falls. The blue path is the scooter path you can take back down.
Are Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls Worth It?
Our completely honest opinion is that with all the other amazing sights and things to do in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, particularly in the Jungfrau area nearby, we wouldn’t put the excursion to the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls high up on your list of things to do.
We’d really only recommend doing it if you’re not a big hiker and looking for a more low-key activity for yourself or with kids, or if it’s an overcast or rainy day that prevents you from hiking and seeing the epic mountain scenery elsewhere. We had some bad weather while in the Jungfrau region, which is why we decided to visit the gorge and falls, because hey, it sure beat sitting around doing nothing in our apartment! Plus, the rain kinda does make everything a little more mystical and gives it a more jungle-vibe, which was pretty cool.
The rain rolled off the cliff walls, giving the Aare Gorge a jungle-like feel
Did it give us a chance to see some pretty cool and unique scenery? Sure! Was it the most spectacular thing we’ve ever done? Not by a long shot.
If you do visit on an overcast and rainy day, just be prepared to get wet…especially in the gorge! At first, it was kind of only drizzling, but we still got pretty wet in the gorge because all the water collected along the cliff walls and would spill over on the walkways. And then when it really started pouring, all bets were off and we got absolutely soaked. So just bring your raincoat and rain boots and prepare to get drenched!
We will say that something we really like about this area is that it felt like a breath of fresh air from the crazy crowds of the nearby Jungfrau region. If you’ve read our Jungfrau Guide, you know that we experienced some of the worst crowds we’ve ever seen there, and it was a bit overwhelming. Aare Gorge was a little crowded at times with the tour buses rolling through, but it was nothing in comparison, and we felt like we had Reichenbach Falls practically all to ourselves!
If you only have time and/or money for one of the excursions, we’d recommend Aare Gorge over Reichenbach Falls. The gorge was busier and so made it feel kind of like a tourist trap, but it was still pretty cool to see the unique canyon formations and curves and the pretty blue water below. Reichenbach Falls was a pretty standard waterfall, and if you’re not into the Sherlock Holmes lore, it doesn’t have much of an appeal in that regard. It has a sort of cool jungly feel to it, but there’s not too much to the visit unless you plan on riding the scooters back down the mountain.
More Switzerland Guides
Looking for more things to do on your Switzerland trip after your trip to the Aare Gorge and Reichenback Falls? Check out some more of our Switzerland Guides for the Bernese Oberland and beyond!
JUNGFRAU GUIDES
How to Visit the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland + Best Things to Do
How to Visit the Eggishorn Viewpoint in Switzerland- The BEST Viewpoint over the Aletsch Glacier
ALPS ITINERARY
A PERFECT 10 Day Itinerary for the French and Swiss Alps (Chamonix, Zermatt, and the Jungfrau Area!)
ZERMATT GUIDES
Best Things to Do in Zermatt (+ Complete Summer Travel Guide!)
The PERFECT One to Four Day Zermatt Itinerary (Summer Edition)
How to Visit Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in Zermatt + BEST Things to Do
How to Visit Rothorn, Blauherd, and Sunnegga in Zermatt + BEST Things to Do
The Matterhorn Glacier Trail in Zermatt: Complete Trail Guide, Map + Tips
How to Hike to the Hornlihutte in Zermatt: Complete Trail Guide
Hiking the Crystal Trail (Kristallweg) in Zermatt: Complete Trail Guide, Map, + Tips
Are you planning to visit the Aareschlucht Gorge and Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland? Let us know if you have any questions below, or what you thought of the experience!