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To commemorate the Smithsonian Presents Travels with Rick Steves magazine — now on sale online, and at newsstands nationwide — Rick is blogging about the 20 top destinations featured in that issue. One of those destinations is Gimmelwald, in the Swiss Alps.
A great challenge in travel research is finding destinations that are a world apart. Gimmelwald, that remote and impossibly idyllic village high in the Swiss Alps, is a classic example. Parking you car in the valley floor and riding the cable car up is like going through a looking glass. You car shrinks, your stomach flip-flops, you look over the valley like a hang-glider, then suddenly you’re deposited — as if from a magical glass bubble — into another world. It’s a place where the air feels different — where the only noises are bees, bugs, and birds perusing alpine flowers, paddling water spilling from a hose into the hollowed-out log that keeps the cows watered, and gnome-like men sucking gnome-like pipes while chopping firewood.
Many of my “Back Doors” give this sensation. That’s probably why they appeal to me in the first place. It takes a little extra effort to reach them: Hallstatt (reached by lake ferry from the tiny train station buried in a forest east of Salzburg), Civita de Bagnoregio (you walk to it up a donkey path, then through a medieval gate, to enter a classic hill town an hour north of Rome), Salema (beyond the Portuguese resort of Lagos, near the far-southwest tip of Europe, at the end of a dirt road), Ærøskøbing (a traffic-free, ship-in-a-bottle dream town a ferry ride away from Svendborg in Denmark), and Inishmore (on the Aran Islands, off the rugged West Coast of Ireland). What place in Europe gives you that “world apart” feeling, and why?
One of the greatest days of our trip to Switzerland last year was taking the gondola up to the top of the Schilthorn and back to Murren, and then hiking down via Gimmelwald to the valley floor and back to Lauterbrunnen. I felt as if I had stepped into the pages of “Heidi” as we passed yards filled with goats and cows, all wearing their musical bells, the steep-roofed houses and barns, and the gorgeous backdrop of Alps all around. What a glorious place!
I agree with the first post – many small towns in the Alps offer something similar to this feeling: Arolla, Graechen (near Zermatt), St Ulrich in Dolomites, and just returned from Italy (incl Civita) but would add Montone – a tiny hill town with an amazing B&B hotel with winding streets of stone bldgs. The plaza turns into the village living room each evening with its cafe, and mini-store, and a bakery, older folks leaning over their balconies to partake and watch the kids play ball or ride bikes. In Spain – Arcos, and in Norway, the mountain pass hotel in the Elvesæter in the mountains which transports you to Tolkien’s LOTR country.
Staying in Verena, Italy. Looking out the balcony at Lake Como! I really felt like I was in a Disneyland dream.
Rick lead us on and adventure a few years ago to Hallstatt . . . and from there, we discovered Bad Aussee, the Altaussee, and Ebensee – a true paradise of meadows and mountains amongst so may others that “die Österreich” has to offer . . . I love Austria – and I would leave the US any day for an opportunity to live out the rest of my life there! Grüß Gott – Brad
Rick seems to be talking about the counterpart to the Amish in the United States. Unfortunately, I have not visited any of the places Rick lists in his blog. However, I do find that being in Europe is quite a bit different than being in the United States, and worth the trip whether you visit the European “Amish” or not.
When I was 15, visited Sommeroy, an arctic fishing village in Northern Norway. It was July, the sun never set, and it was magical! http://www.sommaroy.no/?a_id=146&PHPSESSID=fc02d582921448bd27df6990f8a60da2
My daughter Melissa (30+) and I (60) are travelling companions. We made our first trip to Europe Dec/Jan 2008 to Prague, Grand Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary Czech Republic, Vienna, and Salzburg. Everywhere seemed like a world away whether sightseeing or attending the ballet & symphony in Prague or the opera in Vienna — so magical to be there. We took the city bus in Karlovy Vary and rode the entire route, choosing as we went where we wanted to get off and walk on the way back, and then catch the bus further on to complete the route back to the hotel. It worked wonderfully and we will use this plan again. We are planning our next trip soon to Portugal, Spain, and Italy for a month to 6 weeks. Is it feasible to drive to out-of-the-way places like SW tip of Portugal? or through Tuscany?
Perhaps my favorite day of a Switzerland/France/Germany trip to Europe in 2008 is the day that we went to Gimmelwald on Rick’s advice. We took the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen hiked from there to Murren and then down into Gimmelwald. We then took the gondola down to the valley floor and hiked back to Lauterbrunnen (probably ~12 miles round trip). That part of Switzerland in August was just magically beautiful!
Pecs, Hungary. You feel like you’ve stepped into ‘pure Hungary’ surrounded by no tourists, just a beautiful town surrounded by vineyards and fun-loving locals….
I don’t believe there’s any place in the world that inspires such an intense urge to yodel. Gimmelwald is truly a one-of-a-kind type of place.
I have to say that my experience at the Lotus Lantern International Meditation Center in South Korea was my biggest “world apart” feeling; not only was it so removed, but it was a journey outside my comfort zone into a completely foreign lifestyle.
I’m going to bookmark that photo of Gimmelwald and come back to it every time I feel like having a nervous breakdown at work. How heavenly it must be there!
The bucolic and breath-taking beauty of Switzerland occupies most writers’ time. But there is another, more sinister, aspect to it. Watch the suspenseful film “North Face” directed by Phillip Stolzi. It deals with fatal attempts by two teams to climb the Nordwand (north face)of of the Eiger in the 1930s. The scenery is stunning and the film gripping. It is in German and subtitled but that doesn’t detract from its message. The film is available from Netflix
It’s certainly possible to drive all thru Tuscany and Umbria in Italy. Just be prepared for parking issues in places like Siena. And remember that many Italian drivers drive like they talk. As for the SW tip of Portugal, yes but hopefully you speak Spanish or Portuguese to make the trip easier and more pleasant. You might wish to seriously consider a Rick Steves tour instead of driving in remote areas of Portugal or Spain.
Spectacular scenery. Would make for a very enchanting, unforettable vacation. Cute goats! Happy, happy travels.
The Antrim coast in Northern Ireland and nearly anywhere in New Zealand. To pick just one place, I’d say a hike around Tasman Bay New Zealand. Primeval forest, ocean views, beautiful trails and waterfalls around every corner.
Great post, Rick. My favorite world-away detsination is Komiza on Vis Island, Croatia’s western-most island. Though Hvar and Korcula get the attention from foreign tourists, isolated Vis Island is among the most popular for vacationing Croats. Only a two hour ride ferry ride from Split, Vis truly seems a world away from the glitz of other popular islands on the Dalmation Coast. One of my favorite travel memories is renting a scooter on Vis Island and exploring the island for a couple of days. I particularly enjoyed visiting the caves Tito occupied while hiding from the Nazis during WWII. In a region marked by popular tourist destinations, Vis Island is one of the last back doors on the Croatian Coast.
We have never been so thankful for our hours watching Rick’s programs and taking notes as we were when we visited Hallstatt in Austria and Gimmelwald in Swizterland. Photos from these trips are on our walls at home and work. I would add that the town of Grindelwald, just across the valley from Gimmelwald is also extremely charming and offers some spectacular views of mountains and a glacier (or what is left of it). If you haven’t visited the lookout on Jungfrau (“Top of the Alps”) nearby it is also a must. Another favorite destination we were inspired to visit by Rick is Salzburg. Its charm, beauty and history will bring us back again. Thank you Rick, for the wonderful gift of adventure.
Memories – I have warm memories of many of your backdoor recommendations I used while living and working in Europe during the 80’s and 90’s. Gimmelwald and Halstatt were among my favorites and of course Mrs. Farrell in Dingle and her wonderful stories. In Gimmelwald I’m sure Heidi’s grandfather hiked by me while I was enjoying the view on a bench. He smiled, lifted his walking stick in a warm hello and just kept truckin on up (must have been 80 y/o) In Halstatt the proprietor of your rec took one look at us (mid winter and cold) and fixed us a superb hot/heavy and wonderful meal.
My now forsaken life’s dream was to go to Switzerland and Austria. My Grandparents were from the Gimmerwald region of Switzerland. They passed away before I was born but I have always wanted to see that beautiful and magnificent country. Since I am now facing 80 years of age, I live my travels through Rick’s wonderful DVD’s. Seeing that country, and all the other countries visited, so beautifully illistrated makes me feel as though I am there. Thank’s Rick Marilyn
Crete. The island is big enough and small enough to really explore and get to know the people. It has beaches, night activity, mountains and valleys. It has a palace destroyed in 1450 BC with indoor plumbing. The food is great and the people are better. When I left I was told to leave the car parked on the street with the keys in the glove compartment, and not to lock it. No not just the glove compartment but the car itself. I had the only keys to the car. It is truly a back door place.
I have to agree on Gimmelwald. A "world apart" is a great way to describe it. The best part of my visit to Gimmelwald was that I had very high expectations based on Rick Steves' and others reviews, and Gimmelwald exceeded them in every way. I'm now anxiously awaiting my next trip to a "world apart".
To get the feeling of being "a world apart" one needs to go to a place where one is immersed in a different culture. The legendary Isles of Scilly, 17 miles off the tip of Lands End in England, gets one away from not only other Americans, but I have only met one other person there who was not a Brit. Five inhabited islands with little to no traffic, lots of hiking trails, cozy B & B, and great little cafes and restaurants: one is rarely out of ear shot of the surf, as the biggest island is only about 1/2 mile wide. Small life boats ferry passengers from one island to the other. Take a train from London Gatwick to Penzance, and a helicopter to St. Mary's Island for a spot of tea or lift a beer, to serenity beyond what most of us will know.
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