Meiringen

Meiringen sits where the Haslital turns toward the Brunig, and it carries two claims. The first is culinary: the meringue is widely said to have been invented or first made here, with the name derived from the town, and while food historians treat the etymology as unproven the bakeries sell them by the tray and the association is firmly local. The second is literary: Conan Doyle sent Holmes over the Reichenbach falls above the town, and Meiringen leaned into it - a Sherlock Holmes museum occupies a former English church, with a reconstructed Baker Street sitting room, and a statue of Holmes sits on the square. The Aare gorge is a short way down the valley.

What you actually see

• The meringue claim - the pastry the town says it gave its name to.
• A Holmes museum in a church - Baker Street reconstructed inside.
• The Reichenbach falls above - reached by an 1899 funicular.
• The Aare gorge nearby - the walkway through the cut down the valley.

When to go

May to October. A day.

Honest expectations

The meringue origin is a local claim rather than settled history. The Holmes material is small and aimed at enthusiasts. The town itself is workaday. Funicular and gorge close in winter.

Nearby

The Aare gorge and Rosenlaui are close; the Brunig Pass is north.