Tamina River Gorge

The Taminaschlucht is a beautiful river gorge cutting through the mountains near Bad Ragaz in eastern Switzerland. You start with a short bus ride or hike up a canyon to the gorge entrance. Then you walk 450m through the narrowest part of the gorge, with rock walls rising 100m over your head and a roaring river below. The fenced walkway is safe for even the youngest visitors, but no strollers as the pathway is too narrow. 

To extend your outing, you can walk along the river back to town. For more fun, you can visit the Tamina Therme thermal baths, fed by the hot springs, where you can swim and relax with mountain views. In the evenings, the gorge offers an interactive light show, for which tickets must be purchased in advance.

Location

The Taminaschlucht is located in Bad Ragaz in eastern Switzerland, about an hour southeast of Zürich (see in Google Maps). 

Overview

You cannot drive directly to the gorge. First drive or take a train to Bad Ragaz. Then take a shuttle bus or walk up the canyon to reach the gorge entrance.

I recommend taking the bus to the gorge, then returning to Bad Ragaz by foot on the road that follows the river, about 3.6km.

Getting there

The entrance of the Taminaschlucht can only be reached by bus or foot; both car and bike traffic are prohibited on the road leading to the gorge. FYI, if you try to find directions online, you won’t see the road leading to the gorge because you can’t drive on it. You can catch this bus either at the Bad Ragaz train station or at the edge of town at Bad Ragaz, Töbelbrücke bus stop where the canyon starts.

By public transport: Take a train to Bad Ragaz. Then take Bus 453 to Pfäfers, Altes Bad bus stop. In 2022, it leaves the Bad Ragaz train station on the xx:35 (not at 12:35). This bus requires a special fee as noted below.

By car: Drive to Bad Ragaz. I suggest parking at Parkhaus Zentrum (Bartholomépl., 7310 Bad Ragaz). This parking costs CHF 1/hour and is open until 19:00. If you need to park later, park instead at the Tamina Therme (Hans Albrecht-Strasse 1, 7310 Bad Ragaz).

From the parking, walk to the Bad Ragaz, Post bus stop (1 min) and catch Bus 453 to the gorge – Pfäfers, Altes Bad bus stop. This bus picks up from the Bad Ragaz, Post stop on the xx:39. Check the current schedule. This bus requires a special fee as noted below.

About the gorge shuttle bus

This shuttle bus requires an extra fee even if you have a day ticket or GA. In 2022, this gorge shuttle bus costs CHF 6/one way or CHF 11/round trip. You can pay with cash on the bus. If you plan to walk back, then just buy a one way ticket. 

This bus runs very infrequently. Check the website for the current schedule. 

Trail map

Instead of riding the bus, you can walk to the gorge from the Bad Ragaz village, or walk back, or both. The trail map below shows the route. The path is on a paved road, but it’s quiet since only the gorge shuttle bus uses this road once an hour. You are walking along a river, so it’s pretty.

My trail map shows the path from the gorge entrance to the end of the canyon. From this point, you can either catch the bus or walk to your car or train station (about 1 km from the end of canyon). If you catch the bus at any stop on the way back (like the Bad Ragaz, Töbelbrücke stop at the end of the canyon), you have pay again for this special bus. 

Entrance prices & opening times

The gorge entrance ticket can be purchased at the museum or online. In 2021, it costs CHF 5/person, no discount for children. You get a ticket that can be scanned at the gorge entrance gate. 

The Tamina Gorge is typically open from May through mid October. In 2022, it is open from 1 May to 23 Oct 2022, daily from 10.00 to 17.15. In early May and fall, it closes at 16:15. See current opening times.

Light Ragaz – Evening light show

In the evenings, they offer an interactive light show through the gorge. This year the show runs from 1 May to 15 Oct 2022, with some pre-season shows over Auffahrt and Pfingsten holiday weekends in late May and early June.

You purchase tickets for a specific time slot, every 40 mins from 17:30 to 21:30. Tickets cost CHF 35/adult, CHF 15/youth 10-16, CHF 10/child 5-9. The ticket includes the shuttle bus, which picks up at Hotel Krone in Bad Ragaz (near the parking and Bad Ragaz Dorfbad bus stop). Learn more and purchase tickets.

Accessibility

The website says that the gorge, restaurant, and toilets are accessible for those in wheelchairs. However, they ask you to not bring strollers into the gorge. Dogs are not allowed in the gorge.

What to wear

It can be wet and damp inside the gorge. So best to wear a waterproof jacket even on a warm day. I suggest wearing shoes with good traction so you do not slip on the wet walkway.

Where to eat

The museum next to the gorge entrance has a restaurant. In Bad Ragaz, there are several restaurants along the main street leading to the train station. If you need a grocery for picnic supplies, there is a Migros (Bahnhofstrasse 2, 7310 Bad Ragaz) and Coop (Freihofweg 5, 7310 Bad Ragaz) near the parking.

Photo story of Tamina gorge

We visited the gorge by public transportation. At the Bad Ragaz train station, we boarded the 453 bus which took us directly to the gorge. We bought a one-way ticket, since we planned to walk back.

Arrival at Altes Bad Pfäfers

The bus drops you off at the end of the road in front of the Altes Bad museum shown below. You need to go inside to buy your ticket for the gorge at a ticket machine. It takes cards and cash. Keep your ticket as you’ll need to scan it at the gorge entrance gate later.

To reach the gorge, take the path next to the museum and walk up river.

The path goes slightly above the museum, then back down again. Stop at the museum to purchase your gorge ticket. Fyi, don’t take the trail up the mountain or end up in the town Valens. 

Near the museum, you’ll see this little map of the area. I’m pointing at the gorge entrance. The red building on the map contains the museum (where you buy your entrance ticket), restaurant and kiosk. There is outdoor seating for the kiosk and a picnic area on the right of the building. 

Entering the gorge

The entrance to the gorge is across this bridge.

The entrance is a narrow turning gate, that only fits one person. There is no discount for children, but I suppose a small child could accompany an adult through the gate. 

Although the path inside the gorge could be navigated with a stroller (wide path, no stairs), it would be difficult/impossible to get the stroller through the gate. So best to leave the stroller at the entrance. The path is short, you’ll manage.

Exploring the Tamina Gorge

OK, we finally made it to the gorge. Isn’t it pretty?

It’s a beautiful walk through the gorge.

I love that the fence is very secure and doesn’t have big gaps where little kids can slip through. 

The tunnel is a bit dark, could be scary for very little kids. My son had fun making shadow animals on the walls.

There are some info boards in German and English explaining about the natural phenomenon and the history of this area. I recommend reading them, very interesting stuff. 

Hot springs

This sign explains the history of the first bath houses using this water.

Near the end of the path, you’ll enter a tunnel that leads to the hot springs. It’s warm and muggy inside.

The tunnel ends at the hot springs, which are behind a window so you can’t touch them. About 7 million liters/day of 36C water bubbles up after spending 10 years 1000m underground. Impressive!

They do have a fountain there, so you can feel the temperature of the water. If you want to bathe in this water, you’ll have to visit the thermal baths, Tamina Therme, back in Bad Ragaz.

When you’re done, simply turn back and return the way you came.

Walk back to Bad Ragaz

Instead of riding the bus back to Bad Ragaz, we chose to walk back since the gorge visit is rather short (30 mins) and we needed something to fill up more time. We enjoyed our walk but I wouldn’t come here just for this trail. 

So here’s what the trail looks like as you leave Altes Bad Pfäfers bus stop. You are walking on a wide road, so it has bit of an industrial feel. There is no traffic, except the bus about once an hour, so that isn’t a problem. And we saw lots of people, including families, walking up and down this path. So clearly it’s popular.

Most of the time, you are high above the river, so although the river and valley are pretty, you feel a little separated from it.

There are a few places where you can easily access the river. It would be a good place to have a picnic and throw some rocks.

There is one bus stop before you reach Altes Bad Pfäfers, called Schwattenfall. Here you’ll find a water fountain, a fire pit, picnic area, and wood. 

Back on the trail…

Some waterfalls we saw on the way back.