How to Climb the Mürren Via Ferrata Without a Guide – What You Need to Know
The Mürren via ferrata is probably one of the most famous via ferrata routes on social media. It’s not the hardest via ferrata out there, but is very beginner friendly with enough heart-racing moments to get you out of your comfort zone. We climbed the Mürren to Gimmelwald via ferrata in July 2025 and finally got to tick off this bucket-list experience. We have previous via ferrata experience and chose to climb it without a guide, which worked out great. This article will cover everything you’ll need to know to safely tackle this thrilling route.
Check out the YouTube video we made of our Mürren via ferrata climb!
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Should you book a guided tour?
If you’ve never done a via ferrata before, I highly recommend you book a guided tour. Via ferratas can be dangerous if you don’t know how to properly use the equipment. We did our first ever via ferrata in Peru and am so thankful for the knowledge that gave us. Outdoor is the company that operates the guided tours. We’ve done several other tours with them in Switzerland and I can confidently recommend booking with them.
If you’ve done one or two guided via ferratas and feel confident, go ahead and do this one without a guide! The Mürren via ferrata is open to anyone 10 years and older.
Getting there
This via ferrata is a one-way route that starts in Mürren and ends in Gimmelwald. Mürren is car-free, so to get to there, you’ll either need to take a cable car either Stechelberg or the train from Grütschalp. We were staying in Lauterbrunnen and both options were roughly the same distance.
Mürren is pretty small, so it’s only a short walk to the start of the via ferrata. If you’re renting gear, the rental shop is also nearby at Intersport Mürren.
Renting gear or bringing your own
For most people, it makes sense to rent your via ferrata gear. You can rent gear at Intersport Mürren, just a short walk from the start of the route. Rentals cost 30 CHF/person. While you don’t have to pre-book rental gear, it’s recommended to call or email ahead of time so you can make sure they’ll have enough for your group.
If you do rent your own equipment, know that you’ll need to make your way from Gimmelwald back to Mürren to return the equipment. However, you may have the option to return the gear in Gimmelwald for a small additional fee.
We plan on doing several more via ferratas, so it made sense for us to finally invest in our own equipment.
When is the Mürren via ferrata open?
The Mürren via ferrata is open June 1 to October 31 each year 9AM-6PM. In 2023, we wanted to do this via ferrata but were visiting the last week of May and it wasn’t open yet.
Check the weather
If there is lightning, it is absolutely unsafe to do this via ferrata. Even lighter rain can make the route more dangerous as it’ll be very slippery.
When the forecast calls for iffy conditions, only those on a guided tour are able to do the via ferrata. Intersport won’t rent out gear to those not on a tour. That’s because the guides know where the emergency exits are for the route, which the average person wouldn’t know about. When in doubt, stop by Intersport and ask if it’s safe.
What to bring
Via ferrata kit list
- rock climbing harness
- via ferrata set
- resting system (optional but recommended)
- via ferrata gloves
- climbing helmet
- shoes with good traction (ideally hiking boots)
Additional recommended gear
- sunscreen
- water
- backpack
- phone bungee
- sunglasses
How long does the via ferrata take?
The Mürren to Gimmelwald via ferrata is 2.2km (1.36 miles). Despite the short distance, it can take a while. When preparing for this via ferrata, we watched a Youtube video where the guy said it took him 1.5 hours. However, it ended up taking us 3 hours. How much time it takes will depend a lot on how crowded it is because bridges become choke points.
We went on a Saturday morning in mid-July – AKA peak season. We started around 9:30AM and it was already quite crowded.
Mürren via ferrata difficulty
The Mürren via ferrata is rated as a K3. Personally, I think the difficulty really comes from the mental part of the via ferrata. It’s not technically very difficult and someone with little or no rock climbing experience could definitely do this. However, the sheer exposure of being 2000 feet up on a sheer cliff is enough to make your knees shake. The big suspension bridge at the very end is also pretty nerve wracking, especially with few places to hold on.
What to expect on the route
This via ferrata starts out pretty easy. The entrance is marked by a door and tunnel that you walk through. From there you, clip in and get started! It’s largely a down-climbing via ferrata until the last 1/3 or so, where you do encounter some uphill.
The first exposed section is probably the scariest. You’ll pass a base jumping platform and quickly find yourself on the face of a 2,000 foot cliff. As you climb down, you’re forced to look at your feet and thus the ground far below the rungs. I am generally ok with heights, but this definitely had my heart racing. This section only took 1-2 minutes to get through.
There are some ladders that you have to down climb that are also pretty exposed. A couple of them are also a bit of an overhang, which makes them more challenging. However, it doesn’t feel as scary because you don’t have to look down as much.
There are also 2 small wire bridges to cross. If you’re on a guided tour, they may have you skip these and do a zip-line instead, but if you’re going unguided, the bridge is your only option. These bridges are 1 person at a time and not too difficult. It’s easy hold on and maintain good balance as you cross. You can take your time and enjoy the waterfalls that the bridges pass over! For these bridges, one carabiner should go on each wire.
One unexpectedly difficult part of the via ferrata was how slippery the mud was. It has recently rained and despite wearing my best hiking boots, my feet still slipped quite a bit in the woods. This made me extra cautious of my footing on the exposed sections.
Right before you finish the via ferrata you have one more adrenaline pumping feature: an 260 foot suspension bridge 1,000 feet in the air! 10 people are allowed on this bridge at once, so it definitely wobbles. I attached both my clips and my resting sling to the wire that runs along the right side. The hardest part is that at the beginning and end, there’s no good places for your left hand to hold onto, so I faced the right and side stepped my way across so both hands could be on the wire. It took about 10 minutes for me to cross the bridge, being very careful of every step along the way.
The official end of the via ferrata is signaled by a small gate, but you still have to hike uphill a bit more to reach Gimmelwald and the gondola that will take you back down.
Via ferrata safety tips/reminders
Here’s a few safety reminders to keep in mind when doing a via ferrata:
- Don’t fall! Via ferratas are not like rock climbing. If you fall on a via ferrata, the safety shock absorber will deploy to slow your descent. It will save your life but it means you’ll need to contact mountain rescue to come get you.
- Test your equipment when you clip in. Make sure you can lean back and put your weight into your gear and that it will hold you.
- Only ever unclip one carabiner at a time. It’s good practice to also have the carabiners face opposite directions so you couldn’t accidentally unclip both at once easily.
- Reminder that the wire is there for a reason! We saw some people unclipping completely in unsafe places and I nearly had a heart attack on their behalf.
- Only clip into the wire and never the rebar holds. The rebar isn’t as strong as the wire and carries a greater change of breaking.
Final thoughts
This was my 5th via ferrata and my second time going unguided (the other 3 all required a guide). It was the first via ferrata I was every interested in and I’m really glad we were finally able to climb it. While overall the route is pretty tame, the exposed section and the suspension bridge at the end were some of the scariest moments I’ve experienced on a via ferrata.
This is a pretty touristy via ferrata, but it’s great for people of all levels and is easily accessible if you’re visiting the Jungfrau region of Switzerland!
Be sure to pin this post for future planning!
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