The 1899 funicular
A historic red climb to the lip of the falls.
Paul Hermans — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rijksmuseum — CC0 · Rijksmuseum — CC0 · Thisisbossi — CC BY-SA 2.5
The Reichenbach Falls are a chain of seven cascades dropping 250 metres through a rock gorge above the town of Meiringen — a powerful sight in itself, but their global fame is literary: **this is where Arthur Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes**. In "The Final Problem" (1893) Holmes and his enemy Professor Moriarty grapple at the edge of the falls and fall together, because Doyle wanted rid of his character — until readers' fury forced him to bring Holmes back. A historic red funicular (1899) climbs from the valley floor, and at the upper station a **white star painted on the rock** marks the supposed spot of the struggle, with paths and a bridge suspended over the gorge. The town of Meiringen itself has a Sherlock Holmes museum and a statue of him. For the literary-minded: an enjoyable small pilgrimage. For everyone else: a fine waterfall, a historic funicular and a short walk. Combine it with the nearby Aare Gorge for a half-day east of the region. Meiringen also claims to be the birthplace of the **meringue**.
A historic red climb to the lip of the falls.
A white mark on the rock at the "spot of the struggle".
The Sherlock Holmes museum and statue in town.
3860 Meiringen, Bern
The falls are handsome and the historic funicular fun, but its greatest value is literary — anyone indifferent to the story may find it ordinary next to the region's other waterfalls (Staubbach, Giessbach and Trümmelbach are more spectacular). Combine it with the neighbouring **Aare Gorge** (walkways inside a narrow rock cleft, genuinely striking) and the half-day becomes unquestionably worthwhile.