The Aare Gorge

Below Meiringen the Aare leaves the Haslital through a cut in a limestone ridge that narrows in places to little more than an arm's width, with the water green and loud beneath. A walkway of galleries, tunnels and bridges, open to the public since 1889, is fixed to the rock below cliffs up to 50 metres high, running for more than a kilometre from one end of the gorge to the other, so you walk in and out of daylight while the cliffs close overhead. There are entrances at both ends and no loop, so most people go through and come back the same way or take the train. The walking itself is straightforward, with handrails throughout and no scrambling involved.

What you'll find

• The narrowest section - where the walls almost meet above the water.
• The galleries and tunnels - a walkway on the rock face, open since 1889.
• The colour of the water - glacier green in summer, low and clear in autumn.
• The scoured rock - potholes and flutes drilled out by the river.

When to go

The gorge opens from spring to autumn, with occasional evening openings under lights in summer. High water after rain or during the melt makes it loudest and mistiest; low water in autumn shows the sculpted rock better. Sun reaches the bottom for a short window around midday only, which is when photographs actually work.

Practical notes

It is short. An hour covers it comfortably, and at busy times you shuffle behind other people along narrow galleries where passing is awkward. The path stays wet, dark in the tunnels and slippery in patches. It closes for the winter and after storms. There is a charge at each entrance, and for a family the total adds up quickly.

Nearby

Meiringen, the Reichenbach falls above the town, and the Grimsel road up the Haslital.

Key facts