Gelmerbahn

The Gelmerbahn was built in 1926 to haul material for the Gelmersee dam and only opened to passengers in 2001, which explains what it feels like: an open wooden bench car, no doors and no roof, climbing a gradient that reaches 106 per cent - steeper than forty-five degrees - in about twelve minutes, with the ground falling away directly beneath the seats. It is among the steepest open-air funiculars in Europe. At the top the Gelmersee sits in bare granite at eighteen hundred and fifty metres, a reservoir with a walking circuit of a few hours over rough ground and a hut. The Grimsel area around it is a hydro landscape of dams, lakes and scoured rock.

Highlights

• A 106 per cent gradient - steeper than 45 degrees, on open benches.
• A 1926 works railway - built for the dam, opened to passengers in 2001.
• The Gelmersee in bare granite - a reservoir at 1,850 metres.
• A hydro landscape - Grimsel dams and scoured rock all around.

When to go

Mid-June to October. Half a day.

Practical notes

Tickets are timed and sell out - book ahead rather than turning up. It closes for winter and in bad weather. There are no restraints beyond a bar, and it is genuinely alarming for anyone afraid of heights. The lake circuit is rough and exposed.

Nearby

The Grimsel pass is above; Meiringen and the Aare gorge are down the valley.

Key facts