Photos - Three hikes in Gstaad

[Pauline]

In preparation for our upcoming hiking trip to the Gstaad area in Switzerland, I went through my 2007 photos of our trip to that area. Here are three examples of good (and easy) hikes in the Gstaad area. (The links go to my Photo Galleries on Slow Europe.)

Photos - Gstaad Horneggli Hike. This is an easy walk. From Gstaad you drive to nearby Schonried and take a chairlift to the top of the hills. From there you walk along the hill tops for two hours to a gondola station, where you take a gondola down to Zweisimmen. Then you take the train back to Schonried.

Photos - Gstaad Rellerli Hike. This is an easy walk. From Gstaad you drive to nearby Schonried and take a gondola to the top of the hills (on the opposite side of the valley from the Horneggli hike). From there you walk along the hill tops for three hours to a bus stop, where you take a bus down to Zweisimmen. Then you take the train back to Schonried.

Photos - Gstaad Wispile Hike. This walk starts in Gstaad where you take the Wispile gondola to the top of the hill, then you walk out into the hills and down into the valley to Gsteig, where you take a bus back to Gstaad (2hr 15min). More valley walking through farms and villages than the mountain top walks.

Switzerland is very well organized for hiking. The trails are well signed, the mountain rides run frequently, many people are out on the trails. The tourist office produces good maps and information for the hikes.

Gstaad has 300km of marked hiking/walking trails for the summer.
Click here to see a PDF for the walks in Gstaad. [link no longer works]
Gstaad Tourism website - summer hiking.

Click here to see a PDF for the walks in Lenk (where we are staying). [link no longer works]

And a cow photo from 2007.

 

[artnbarb]

<sigh>

 

[Pauline]

From our hike today above Lenk, we could see the ridge we walk on the Wispile hike from Gstaad. Lenk and Gstaad are a 40 min drive, but you can walk between them over the mountains in 3 hours, using mountain rides (7 hours if you walked the whole thing).

 

[Terry]

I don't know yet where we will go next time we hop across the pond, but I am definitely bookmarking this thread. This is the kind of hiking that I totally love. Your hikes and photos are wonderful.

 

[Pauline]

I am writing up some travel info for Switzerland. Over the years we have visited many times and hiked in every valley (except one) in the Bernese Oberland. Switzerland is expensive, but you can have a good trip there using public transportation and there are many vacation rentals to choose from. We loved our trip there last month!

 

[Terry]

Years ago, when my son was about 7, we spent a week in Grindelwald. We had a car, and actually did not use it the entire time. You're right, it's pricey there, but like you say, there are ways to get around some of that.

I'll look forward to your notes.