Aaresschlucht Westeingang

The western entrance to the Aareschlucht marks the start of one of Switzerland's most dramatic limestone gorges, carved by the Aare river near Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland. Over millennia the river has cut up to 200 metres deep into the Hasliberg limestone, rushing through the narrows at speeds of nearly 12 km/h — at its tightest, the gorge squeezes to barely a metre wide. A walkway bolted directly into the rock face guides visitors through roughly 1.4 kilometres of dripping stone, past surging rapids and moss-covered walls. Open from April to November, the gorge is accessible to families and appeals equally to geology enthusiasts and hikers. The western entrance sits conveniently alongside the Meiringen–Interlaken rail line.