Above Meiringen the Hasli valley opens out, and this spot lies on the slopes between the town and the Brünig, the low pass that carries the road over to Lungern and Obwalden. Below, the Aare runs flat and straight across the valley floor toward Lake Brienz, and above rise the steep walls of the Bernese Oberland, with the Wetterhorn and Engelhörner peering over the ridge to the south. It is a place where several of the great Swiss passes come together.
Meiringen is famous for two things, one real and one fictional. The real one is meringue, which according to local tradition was invented by a pastry cook here, though the claim is disputed, and you can still buy giant meringues with whipped cream in the town's bakeries. The fictional one is Sherlock Holmes, who met his apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls just above town in a struggle with Professor Moriarty in a story by Arthur Conan Doyle. The falls are reached by a funicular, and there is a small Sherlock Holmes museum in town and a statue of the detective.
Also worth seeing is the Aare Gorge, the Aareschlucht, just east of Meiringen, where the river has cut a narrow, deep slot through a limestone barrier, and a walkway clings to the walls above the rushing water.
For riders, Meiringen is a crossroads. To the south, the road climbs past Innertkirchen to the Grimsel Pass at 2,164 metres, a spectacular route past dams and lakes and bare granite. To the east, the Susten Pass climbs to 2,224 metres, with beautiful sweeping curves, tunnels and views of glaciers. To the west, the Brünig is lower and gentler, but has its own pleasant curves and views over Lake Lungern. High passes are generally open only from early summer to autumn, so check before you go.
Meiringen has fuel, supermarkets, cafes and hotels. Sarnen, about twenty kilometres west over the Brünig, is the nearest larger town. In summer, expect plenty of other bikes on the roads and plenty of tourists in town, and an evening coffee in Meiringen, with a meringue, is an easy pleasure.