Rehalp Zürich to Meilen (with Printable Map)
Destination: Meilen (1703 m) – Starting point: Rehalp (1273 m) – Elevation: est 207 m – Distance: est. 13.1 km – Duration: est. 5.02 hours | Moving time: 3.18 hours
This is definitely an overdue post. This is suppose to be published on Easter Monday because we didn’t have any plans for the long weekend. However, we did an impromptu trip to Maggiatal the week itself and I decided to write about Maggiatal first (Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3).
WHAT HAPPENED ON EASTER?
During Easter weekend, we walked from Zürich to Meilen. We talked about this a few times before but didn’t actually execute it. Since it’s Good Friday, the traffic must be crazy due to the long weekend so we thought it’s best to go somewhere reachable by train instead of traveling by car. This is definitely an opportunity to go ahead with our long discussed plan to walk from Zürich. The weather was cloudy anyway so it was not “good” enough to go to the mountains.
We started our day early at around 08:00. We took the train to Stadelhofen, Zürich. The train and the city was almost empty. Perhaps it was because of Good Friday or everybody was still sleeping in. As soon as we disembark from the train in Stadelhofen, Herr Hallo proceeded to buy my favourite pretzel from Brezelkönig while I went to the bridge above the station to see the blooming Wisteria on the roof. Spring is such pretty season with all the colours sprouting everywhere. I find it refreshing. Spring makes me happy. After taking some pictures and getting the pretzel, we waited for Tram Nr. 11 to get to Rehalp, our starting point.
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Wisteria above Stadelhofel train station.
Gold Coast of Lake Zürich
A few meters from Rehalp, we walked towards to the lake. There is a panoramic walking trail. At the start of the trail there was a huge Tulip garden where you could buy and cut the Tulips yourself. We walked from Küsnacht to Uetikon am See last year. So, it was my first time walking from Rehalp. To be honest being in the Gold Coast of Zürich feels rather different. The Gold Coast is the lower eastern shore of Lake Zürich because of it’s high property price and the amount of sunshine this side gets. On opposite side of the lake, apparently the property prices are lower because the side is overshadowed by mountains and received less amount of sunshine. I learned all these from classmates from German classes. Well. actually my definition of Gold Coast is from Rehalp, Zollikon, Küsnacht (where Tina Turner lives), Erlenbach and Herrliberg. That’s where you find houses surrounded by high walls and gates that prevent you from peeping into their properties. These area feels very different. The area is more beautiful and so well kept. It is close to perfection, really. Even the dogs there behaved like their are from haute société.
From Rehalp, we entered the woods soon after passing the tulip garden. Even though it was a cloudy day, there was still sunshine peeking through the clouds and illuminate the green trees in the woods. We came out from the woods at Rumensee, a nature reserve. At Rumensee, there is a park. A beautiful Zen park. The first thought that went through my mind was the people who lives in Küsnacht are so lucky to have such a beautiful park in their town. During the summer months, this would be a nice place to read a book, have picnic and roll around on the well kept grass Bollywood style!
Bench with the best view.
Guardian of the pack.
When we exited Rumensee, we walked on Schiedhaldenstrasse for a few meters towards Schübelweiher, a little lake in Küsnacht. The interesting thing about this lake is that it is so small but yet so many wild life can be seen. We saw a common sight of ducks frolicking in this lake and beautiful birds sitting on the trees. We met a cute little canine (picture below) while walking along the trail. She reminds me so much of Max, our family dog back in Malaysia. As I approached her, she ran away from me. Oh, I wish we have a dog here. You could bring your dog almost everywhere. Restaurants, supermarkets, parks, mountains, or public transportation. Dogs live so freely in Switzerland. If dogs get to choose a place to stay, I am sure they would choose Switzerland.
At Küsnachter Tobel, we had to walk down the stairs in the woods to the river canyon and walk up the stairs on the other side to continue our journey. The river canyon is particularly idyllic. There is a pathway along the river. The trail is surrounded by greenery and a waterfalls. This is my second time here and I still love being here. If you are living along the east side of Lake Zurich, this is a recommended place to visit with or without your family.
From the river, we had to ascend the stairs to exit Küsnachter Tobel. As we exited the woods, we were walking passed residential area towards the farmland where the lake is slightly visible from our path. The trail along this farm was a highlight of our walk. We passed by a herd of cows scouting for fallen apples under an apple tree. The contrast from the white flowers of the apple tree and the brownish cows under it was significant and captivating. It was an eye catching sight. We stopped to enjoy this moment. The cows were drawn to us as we were with them. One of them started to walk towards us (see featured photo). She was the prettiest cow I’ve ever seen!
Rumensee, Küsnacht ZH
From Küsnacht to Herrliberg, the walking trail varies from residential areas to farm to woods. The scenery was particularly cheery from the colours of blooming wild flowers in open fields. At Herrliberg, we made a pit stop for lunch at Restaurant Blüemlisalp overlooking the canola field and the lake. We had some sausages, french fries and beers. When the Easter crowd started to fill the restaurant, we left and continued our journey. From Herrliberg towards Feldmeilen, the lake was visible again with canola fields in the foreground. It was absolutely stunning!
We started our walk from Rehalp from 09:25 and reached Meilen Bahnhof at 14:28 which is the end point of our walk.
THOUGHTS: I’d recommend this walking trail to anyone. You don’t have to actually walk from Rehalp to Meilen. If you are tired or bored of walking, you could end the walking early by going to the train station in one of these towns along the Gold Coast. It’s an easy trail as well. It was almost flat all the way. Try it if you haven’t!
We’ll love to hear feedback from you if you have tried this trail or if you need tips. Write us in the comment section below or email us.
x Frau Hallo
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Bird spotted at Schübelweiher.
Küsnachter Tobel
Küsnachter Tobel
Cows scouting for apples under the Apple tree.
Mushroom season is ON!
Fungi on tree.
Canola field.
I have a soft spot for cow bells.
Affectionate ponies.
Canola field.
Panorama walking trail.
10th May 2017 @ 1:07 pm
beautiful photos! Good to know there is such a nice walking trail close to Zurich 🙂
10th May 2017 @ 5:38 pm
Thank you, Uliana! There are plenty of trails on both side of the lake. Do you visit Zurich often?
10th May 2017 @ 11:48 pm
My boyfriends lives there, so I usually go to Zurich 2-3 times every month 🙂
12th May 2017 @ 3:00 pm
I hope one day you will try this walking trail. I’d love to hear your experience. 🙂