Innertkirchen: Mountain scenery, the Trift Bridge and culture

Innertkirchen combines alpine scenery, hiking destinations and cultural history. When planning your stay, you can first consider whether you mainly want to go hiking, visit a notable attraction, or learn about local history and visitor offerings. The following sections group specific places and routes according to these interests.

Alpine Scenery and Hiking Destinations

Innertkirchen’s alpine scenery is shaped by rocks, alpine pastures, mountain lakes, forests and glaciers. The surrounding area also offers a variety of natural landscapes, including distinctive peaks, lush meadows, dramatic rock faces, cascading waterfalls, mountain lakes, glaciers, river valleys and high alpine passes. The scenery therefore extends from the valley to high alpine terrain.

Nature-focused hiking destinations in the region around Innertkirchen include the Aare Gorge, the Trift Bridge, the Reichenbach Falls, Lake Gelmer and the Grosse Scheidegg.

The Trift Bridge and a Guided Visit

The Trift Bridge is a tourist attraction within the municipality of Innertkirchen. It is 170 metres long and hangs 100 metres above Lake Trift. These measurements show what makes the bridge distinctive as a structure: its length and its position high above the lake.

Getting there involves a gondola ride and a hike of about one and a half hours. Allow time for both parts, and check the gondola’s operating details before you travel.

The Innertkirchen 1 power station also offers a specific reason for a guided visit: tours can be booked year-round, Monday to Sunday. As availability and booking conditions may change, check them before making plans.

Urbachtal and Cultural Landscape

The hike through the Urbachtal begins in Innertkirchen and ends at Loibalp. This makes the start and finish clear; you can use these two points as a guide when planning your route.

Syteli is another hiking destination and cultural landscape. It received the Oberland-Ost regional cultural landscape award in 2017. The award highlights the landscape’s cultural significance and adds a perspective on its importance as a cultural landscape to the hiking destinations.

The Church and Local History

Construction of the Church of Innertkirchen began in 1840 and was completed in 1841. Its choir windows feature stained-glass works by Meiringen painter Arnold Brügger, created around 1950. The building’s history and its later artistic design can thus be distinguished chronologically: the church dates from the 19th century, while the window art is from the mid-20th century.

The church is open at all times and welcomes visitors. You can therefore make a visit to the church a cultural highlight in its own right, independently of a power station tour or a hike.

Visitor Information at the Grimseltor

The Tourist Center Grimseltor is located in the heart of Innertkirchen and provides information about accommodation, excursions, attractions and events in the Haslital tourism region. It is a useful place to start if you want to find out about the region’s offerings and events.

The Tourist Center also displays a crystal vein made from crystals from the Grimsel region, created by artist Sepp Häfliger. It offers insight into the eventful history of crystal collecting in the Grimsel region. If you specifically want to see the crystal vein, ask about the current exhibition before your visit.

Travelling by Train

The railway line between Meiringen and Innertkirchen is an important public transport service in the Haslital. If you are considering using this connection for your journey, check the timetable for your travel date. Together with your planned focus—such as a hike, a visit to the Trift Bridge or a cultural stay—this information can help you plan your trip to Innertkirchen.

Discover more destinations: Guttannen, Gadmen, Meiringen, Reuti, Meiringen, Hohfluh, Hasliberg, Schattenhalb

Go to the main travel overview: Oberhasli.