By rail, head for Meiringen. From Zurich the quickest way is via Luzern (change) and then over the Brunig pass. There are connections every hour, and the journey takes about 2h 40m from Zurich airport. From Geneva you will need to go via Lausanne, Bern, and Interlaken, which takes 3h 40m. On this route you may have to change once or even twice to get to Interlaken, and then again for Meiringen. The change is at Interlaken Ost (East), the second Interlaken station you come to.
From Meiringen there is an infrequent bus service to the top of the pass (Grimselpasshöhe). The bus only goes through to the pass in the summer, so check the times for your date of travel on the link below. Alternatively you can go a short distance further by train to Innertkirchen and pick up the bus there, but it's the same bus, so the same problems apply.
You could also go by taxi, which would take about 35 - 40 minutes from Meiringen. The only taxi firm in the town is Selfors, tel. +41 33 971 4848. I was quoted a price of about SFr35 over the phone, but we didn't use the service and I can't be sure there was no misunderstanding about the enquiry.
If you are heading for the Berghaus Oberaar, the Grimsel Hospiz, or the Hotel Handeck, read the Travel Tip about the Berghaus - you can get a free lift from Innertkirchen!
You can get a bus from Grindelwald to Meiringen over the Grosse Scheidegg pass. Again, this is seasonal, so you need to check times and dates. It's run by Grindelwald Bus, not the Postbus service, so you should contact the Grindelwald tourist office.
You can also approach by bus from the Rhone Valley, on the other side of the pass. I have no experience of this journey, but the Swiss Rail link would give you the possibilities.
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The official Meiringen website is at www.meiringen.ch |
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but there is better tourist information at www.alpenregion.ch, with the tourist office contact details on this page. |
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Swiss Rail timetable enquiries |
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Grindelwald tourist office |
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Design, text and graphics by Tony Turton. Copyright © 2002 Tony Turton
First published 28 August 2002. Redesign and minor updates 20 January 2004.