Emmental

Our personal travel and photo guide for Switzerland

Emmental - the valley of the river Emme - famous for the cheese with the big holes :-). The dairy industry still dominates the local economy and in almost every village there's a dairy shop. The gently rolling green hills and meadows are a cow’s paradise and you can hear the cow bells everywhere. In 1996, farmers in Schangnau started to breed the first buffalos in Switzerland and we were lucky to find this perfect photo opportunity.

Hohgant is the name of the beautiful mountain behind these buffalos giving a beautiful contrast to the green hills. This is where the origin of the river Emme lies. Hohgant is a striking 7km long mountain (2197m) with many hidden caves. The top is completely flat and offers an amazing view across to the Bernese Alps. At the base of the mountain lies Kemmeriboden-Bad with a unique hotel also famous for its food and especially meringue. The hotel is owned by the same family since 1841 and is now run by the 6th generation.

From the hotel you can climb the 1300m to the top of Hohgant which takes about seven strenuous hours return. An easier climb starts from the other side of the mountain at Möser/Schwarzbach reachable by car from Habkern via Lombachalp. But watch out: Google Map shows you a direct road across the Grünenbergpass which is actually not possible by car but would be a perfect bike tour.

On the other side of the river, you can see another bulky and dominating mountain - the Schrattenfluh (2092m). The best view is from Marbachegg which can be reached by cable car. This mountain lies on the border of Emmental but since it’s mainly in canton Luzern it belongs to Entlebuch.

As a result of thousands of years of erosion processes, this limestone mountain with its many sharp rocks and 250 caves rises like a monument between the rolling hills and the Alps. Today it’s known that the water from this mountain finds its way directly to the Lake of Brienz meandering through a 700 m deep passage underneath the river Emme which flows in the opposite direction. We once tried to climb the mountain in winter but felt a bit uncomfortable not knowing whether there may be a cave right under us.

Further down the river is a nature reserve with moorlands and the Räbloch gorge with 60m high cliffs and a natural bridge across the narrowest point. In 2014, there was a heavy thunderstorm in the mountains (the previous to this was 300 years ago) and the Emma turned into a monster river, destroying trees, a bridge and houses. As a result, all the material got stuck at the narrowest point. Now, six years later, there's a hairy operation happening to clean out this material from the gorge. You can read and listen to the story in German here.

On the other side of the gorge lies Eggiwil, embedded in lush green hills. We found this village to be a great base to discover the area and stayed in the basic Hotel Hirschen. It's also a good place to try some local specialties in the restaurant including the special amber beer called Rot Baron from Ämmitau.

Langnau lies in the centre of the Emmental and is the province's capital. It’s about half way between Bern and Luzern but there’s no heavy traffic due to Emmental not being on the big tourist hotspots list - it has therefore preserved its natural beauty. Not only here but all around the Emmental, you will find lovely wooden buildings that are typical of this region.

Up the hill from Langnau is another great place to stay: the Hotel Moosegg. You can enjoy a wonderful view across the hills from the gourmet restaurant. And a morning walk catching the first sun rays is a beautiful way to start the day.

The Emme flows further north-west towards the Aare and reaches Burgdorf where Emmental ends. Despite the name, this is the only mediavel city in Emmental and was founded by the Zähringer family around 1200. The Duke of Zähringen founded multiple other cities such as Bern, Fribourg, Murten and Thun but their origin is actually from the Black Forest and Freiburg (Germany). Soon after the city was constructed, the Zähringer's dynasty ended.

But there's more to see in Emmental than just the area around the river. In the north-east you can find the mountain Napf which is very rewarding especially during autumn with mist in the lowlands of Switzerland. 15 to 19 millions of years ago, the Aare reached the sea at this point in the form of a big river delta and left sediments from the Alps in the ground. Today, it's the highest mountain (1406m) of the Mittelland - the area between the Alps and the Jura. From the top you can see down to the misty valleys and enjoy the sun. The restaurant on top is very popular and a nice place to enjoy the view.

Just outside of Emmental on the south-western corner we found another little hidden gem: the Schloss Hünigen. You can actually stay in this castle which is now a boutique hotel and offers an excellent restaurant, as well. The hotel boasts a beautiful park and is very popular for weddings so it's and good to ensure that no such event is booked if you want to get a quieter experience. We can also recommend an early morning hike to a view point called Ballenbühl from where you will have a good view to the Bernese Alps and Stockhorn.

Emmental is a rewarding area to visit with beautiful scenery and many places to discover. Book a room and enjoy a long weekend is this unique region of Switzerland.

Our other published locations cover the following areas (with links):

Part 1: Berner Oberland

Part 2: Jura

Part 3: Lake Luzern

Part 4: Engadin

Part 5: Appenzell

Part 6: Aargau

Part 7: Emmental

Part 8: Romandie

Part 9: Valais

Part 10: Uri, Schwyz, Glarus

Part 11: Rhein

Part 12: Zürich

"One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name"

(The Call - Thomas Osbert Morsdaunt, 1730-1809)

Travel blog and travel guide by Aaron Matzinger & Clare Walker

© Aaron Matzinger & Clare Walker

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