On our final full day in Switzerland, we decided to drive east to go on a mountain “rollercoaster”! It was about an hour drive to the Gelmerbahn which is cable railway that takes you slowly up to a beautiful reservoir. If you do decide to go on the funicular, you have to book your time slot (for both the ascent and descent legs of the journey)  pretty far in advance. We booked our time slot about 1 month prior and there were plenty of spots at that time, but I had read that they can fill up very fast.

The Gelmerbahn is one of the steepest cable railways in Europe and can feel a little nerve-racking going up (and down!) but was very enjoyable. The views of the mountains as you are ascending are just beautiful.

As you step off the funicular, you are just meters away from seeing the stunning turquoise color of the lake. There are hiking trails around the lake and up into the mountain but we decided that they may not be the safest for our 3-year-old so we had packed a picnic to enjoy while up there. There were no tables to eat at up there but we made due and found some logs to sit on to eat our lunch. After eating we walked on the path around the lake and over the dam. The kids were also able to skip rocks into the lake. We spent about 2 hours up at the lake area which was just about the right amount of time for what we did. 

After we descended, we walked across the Handeckfallbrücke which is a suspension bridge. It has views of a waterfall and the rushing river below. Depending on how many people are on the bridge it can get a little bouncy but we all enjoyed walking the length of the bridge and back. 

Handeckfallbrücke – bridge near the Gelmerbahn

This was a wonderful last day in a beautiful country. We were still so awe-struck by the time we spent here in the mountains. We had some great family time here and can’t wait to be back some day soon.

Have you taken the Gelmerbahn up to this beautiful lake? If so, how was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!