Gimmelwald: Switzerland’s Secret

Switzerland was such a beautiful country and, in my opinion, there is not a single disappointing place to be. However, there is one place that I don’t think anyone should miss: Gimmelwald.

I heard about Gimmelwald from a friend who lives in Austria and is much more familiar with Swiss geography than I am. It is in the center of Switzerland, and because of that it is really only an hour or so from almost anywhere in the country (we stopped there on our way to Zurich from Zermatt). I spent my 25th birtday there with my best friend, and we both agree: if we ever go back to Switzerland, we would spend the entire trip in Gimmelwald! There is so much to explore and it is (nearly) all free!!!!

Where to Stay

We chose to stay in the Mountain Hostel for so many reasons.

• Price: We paid only CHF 105.90, which is about $53 per bed
• Location: This is off the beaten path and away from the many tourists that we had encountered in Paris a few days ago
• Scenery: This place is nestled directly in the Swiss Alps and the views are simply awe-inspiring
• Travel: It was easy to get to using public transport, which is how we got around Switzerland on this trip.

We traveled to the Mountain Hostel via train from Zermatt, which took us to a bus, which led us to a cable car. This seems like a ton, but the Swiss travel system is no joke. It is one of the most efficient in the world because, as I learned from a fellow traveler at the hostel, the Swiss are the some of the best navigators in the world. He actually said when the French settled in Canada, they called the Swiss in to help build roads and trails because of their renown abilities in that area.

What to do in Gimmelwald

Gimmelwald is in the center of the Alps, which makes it the perfect spot for hikers. Almost everyone we met at the hostel was a solo traveler hiking through The Alps. We chose to spend our time on the patio of the hostel, where we could eat and drink while admiring the Alps. Toward the evening all of the hikers would return for dinner and bed. Dinner is eaten community style at picnic tables either inside or out, and we experienced such a camaraderie! The night we stayed was actually my birthday, and the owners gave me a slice of freshly baked blueberry pie and played the accordion while everyone sang Happy Birthday to me!

The town itself is small but has adorable shops that we got to explore while it was raining. There are restaurants, shops, hotels, and even a swimming pool (and if you chose to stay in the Mountain Hostel, you get a day of free admission to the pool!) all within walking distance.

Now, I am not really a hiker so I was worried about going up the mountain to the store, but the entire path was paved and easy to walk on, other than the obvious incline. It is also an option to pay a few CHF and take a cable car to the grocery store, and even to take it higher up into the mountains. We chose not to do this because we wanted to use those franks to reward ourselves with ice cream when we reached our summit!

Why I will always return to Gimmelwald (and how I will budget in the future!)

I really think that Gimmelwald was the perfect combination of tiny village and huge scenery. We met small-town locals and world travelers. A few of my take away points for budgeting are as follows:

• Stay in The Mountain Hostel! It will save tons of franks and you may get to sleep with a cuddly mountain kitty
• Grocery Shop. Instead of spending $50 per person at a restaurant, we spent only $30 total
• Don’t waste franks on the extra cable car, the walk is amazing
• Hiking is free and limitless in The Swiss Alps, take advantage if that is your thing

As I mentioned, this was absolutely a highlight to our Annual BFF trip, and we are both dying to go back. Because so much of the excitement of this location is the scenery, it is a really great place for budget travelers!