What does the medieval town Bremgarten in Aargau has to offer?
Bremgarten is probably a rather unknown town for many, but it`s definitely worth a visit! Old town`s pretty small, but this isn`t a deduction of charm.
In summer the atmosphere here`s like somewhere in holidays!
I really like the relaxed vibe that the town has in summer! People wearing bikinis or carrying surfboards in the middle of old town are not uncommon. The town hosts many free outdoor concerts, a food festival and even has it`s own beer.
Many beautiful possibilities for a walk along the Reuss
Also a walk along the river Reuss is always something I like to do.
Everywhere there are many picnic areas, which invite you to a relaxed get-together.
Bremgarten lies in a loop of the Reuss river. You can find one part of it if you walk from the old town to the north (Mellingen)…
… the other from the train station Bremgarten Obertor towards Hermetschwil (left side of the river).
The following photos were taken on the right side of the river near the Flachsee. This is the less visited side. You walk past the public swimming pool and the weir and always stay on this side.
The first three-phase hydroelectric power plant in Europe
Actually, the run-of-river power plant`s already on the border to Zufikon. The weir dams the Flachsee and can supply about 23,500 households with green electricity. It`s certified with the quality label “Naturemade basic”. I find it impressive every time I stand in front of the roaring water. By the way, for groups it`s possible to visit the tube turbine plant.
Guest House Spatz – A real insider tip!
I was particularly impressed by the coffee house Spatz, with its cozy interior and the heart-felt owner Mrs. Kammermann. It`s a small and therefore very quiet café. It offers space for about 9 people.
The generous breakfast is only available on Saturdays and in 3 variations:
“Sparrow”, the little sweet one (12 Sfr./pers.): 1 typical breakfast drink of your choice, 1 freshly prepared multivitamin juice, 1 natural yogurt with fruit, 2 different homemade jams, whole grain buns
“Blackbird”, the salty one (15 Sfr./Pers.): Sparrow + 2 various cheeses
“Woodpecker “, for the hungry ones (18 Sfr./pers.): Blackbird and 2 various sausages
Make sure to make a reservation!
On my last 3 visits, I had decided on the sparrow variant. A juice from carrots and ginger or a muesli were included. Afterwards an Étagère with pieces of different kinds of cheese, two very tasty homemade jam and whole grain buns.
What else does the café offer
Coffee and cake are also available during the day on weekdays (cakes also to go).
Every Saturday from 11 o’clock you get a fine homemade seasonal soup with bread.
I also think it’s a great idea that you can bring one or two books and in return you can take home others.
By the way, the cafe also offers guest rooms and that starting already from 50 Swiss Francs per night.
You can find it in the lower middle of old town (near the fountain, where the jewellery shop Am Bogen is located).
Marktgasse 9, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.: +41 56 631 13 19, Email: info@gaestehaus-spatz.ch, Fr 14:00 – 18:00, , Sa 10:00 – 17:00, Su 14:00-18:00
Mexican, Italian, Dutch, vegan and a Goût Mieux restaurant. Many different cuisines are represented in Bremgarten.
El Mosquito
The widely known Mexican restaurant El Mosquito invites you to stay. I like the interior with the ” cowboy theme ” very much. Every detail has been taken care of. The cocktails are absolute top and also the food was great! The restaurant`s located right where the “Casino” is.
Wohlerstrasse 1, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.: +41 56 631 33 11, Mo – Thu 5pm – midnight, Fr 5pm – 12:30 pm, Sa noon – 10 pm, Su 12 am – 10 pm
Hotel Mamma
The Italian restaurant Hotel Mamma belongs to the same restaurant series as the El Mosquito and scores with an elegant atmosphere and homemade pasta. Here there`s no actual menu, it changes daily.Usually they serve several courses. If all them are too much for you, you can choose only some of them. You can also stay overnight here or book the wine cellar for special occasions. Also Vespa picnics and wedding aperos are offered.
Hotel Mamma is on the same spot where the El Mosquito is, just on the opposite site of the street.
Wohlerstrasse 4, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.: +41 56 633 11 60, Monday and Tuesday closed, We – Sa 5pm – midnight, Su noon – 10pm
Lima Lemon
In the restaurant Lima Lemon you can help yourself at a buffet. It`s filled with all kinds of vegan (and partly vegetarian) tasty food. In addition, something very special is offered here (on advance booking). A vegan afternoon tea (yes, something like this is a real rarity). Also the huge tea assortment leaves nothing to be desired.
The restaurant is situated in the new building near Bremgarten station.
Zürcherstrasse 6, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.: +41 56 631 45 45, Sunday closed, exact opening hours can be found on their homepage
Stadtkeller
The Goût Mieux restaurant Stadtkeller serves an exciting cuisine with many regional ingredients. “Goût Mieux” awards gastronomy businesses that obtain at least half of their food from animal-friendly and environmentally friendly production (organic, regional, fair trade).
The Stadtkeller can be found in old town near the town hall.
Rathausplatz 6, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.: +41 56 633 22 22, Mo closed (during Easter- and Whitsunmarket open from 10 am), Mi – Sa – 10am – 10 pm, So 10 am – 10 pm
Café Marco Polo
Recently I visited the Café Marco Polo again. With the Dutch oven pancake I had a good and cheap lunch.
The Café is in the middle of old town.
Marktgasse 20, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.:+41 56 641 96 64, Open daily from 8 am.
Of course there are a lot of other restaurants. But I`ve only written about those where I have already eaten at.
Heavenly Pizza to go and an Organic Bakery
Pizza Mario
Typical Italian pizzas with fresh ingredients and a thin crispy base can be bought in old town. Luckily they`re to pick up, otherwise I would have the extremely tasty pizzas delivered at least once a week.
Marktgasse 33, Tel.: +41 56 558 93 93
Benny`s Bio Panneteria
Right where the town hall is situated, there`s an organic bakery. They make (beside other things) perfect burger buns (on pre-order), in case you ever need some. 😉
Rathausplatz 6. Monday closed, Tu 7:45 am – 1 pm, We – Fr 7:45 – 1 pm and 7 pm – 6:30 pm, Sa and So 8 am – 1 pm
Organic Shop Salvia and many other exceptional stores
(Small note in the edge. Better don`t visit Bremgarten on a Monday. Almost all shops, including both bakeries, are closed then).
Organic Shop Salvia
The organic shop Salvia offers a range of over 1`000 selected organic products. From fresh produce, special baking accessories and snacks to cleaning fluids, hygiene items, essential oils and a wide range of spices, everything can be found here. This very personal shop has been around for over 17 years now. The owner and the staff are always very friendly and are happy to help with their knowledge and advice. I like shopping here very much.
The shop`s located in the upper part of old town, so to speak at the train station Bremgarten Obertor.
Obertorplatz 1, 5620 Bremgarten, Monday closed, Tu – Fr 8:30 am – noon and 2 pm – 7:30 pm, Sa 8:30 am – 4pm
Flower Shop T&O
I especially liked the flower shop T&O with its extremely creative creations. At the master florist truly masterful flower arrangements can be purchased. Beautiful pots for smaller indoor plants and imaginative decorations are also available here. Bridal bouquets, funeral floristry and event decorations can be ordered.
It`s located down from the old town towards the wooden bridge.
Am Bogen 2, 5620 Bremgarten, Mo closed, Tu – Fr 9 am – 6:30 pm, Sa 9 am – 5 pm
Heilstein-Schmuck
The shop sells lovely gemstones. Also available as long and short necklaces, earrings and chains especially for children. Various silver pendants are also sold.By the way, the online shop is beautifully designed and well arranged.
The shop is located in the middle of old town.
Marktgasse 20, 5620 Bremgarten, Mo closed, Tu – Fr 9 am – noon and 2 pm – 6:30 pm, Sa 9 am – 4 pm
Boutique Kyori
I liked the relatively new shop very much. Among other things they sell silver jewellery and really beautiful clothes, which are unique but still affordable. The owner and the saleswomen are very nice and give very honest advises. Exactly what I want to have when I`m getting an advice when buying clothes. The store is modernly furnished and has a variety of articles in bohemian style. A cool shop, which I will definitely visit again. It’s worth taking a look (also at the website, it’s really great)!
The boutique is located in the middle of old town.
Marktgasse 4, 5620 Bremgarten, Mo closed, Tu – Fr 10 am – noon and 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm, Sa 10 am – 4 pm
Of course these are not the only great shops that are located here. Why don’t you just stroll around the old town and take your time to browse through the extraordinary shops. You`ll be surprised about the great boutiques!
The fish farm
The fish farm offers fresh and smoked local fish. Namely rainbow trout, brown trout, salmon trout and char. More information can be found on their homepage.
The fish grow in pure spring water in near-natural tanks and are fed with organically produced food.
Besides the super fresh fish, which by the way are also sold to Coop supermarket and other shops, you can buy delicious honey from the surrounding area (from Hermetschwil). They also carry a small assortment of exquisite ingredients that go well with fish dishes. From time to time, cooking courses are also offered. Advance orders can be placed, on collection from the shop. If you don’t have enough space at home for many guests, you could rent the terrace for private events.
Vogelsangstrasse 8, 5620 Bremgarten, Tel.: +41 56 633 30 30, Email: mail@fischzucht-bremgarten.ch, Monday closed, Tue – Fr 8 am – noon and 1 pm – 5 pm, Sa 8 am – 1 pm
What else is interesting in this town?
4 times a year markets take place here!
Of course Bremgarten is especially known for one thing. Its beautiful Christmas market. It`s the largest Christmas market in Europe and with its old town charm a really beautiful (even if crowded) one. That` s why even people from outside Switzerland travel to Bremgarten for it. But also the Easter market on Easter Monday, the Whitsun market on Whit Monday and the market of variety (with the interesting historical handcraft and medieval market) in October are worth seeing.
For surfers Bremgarten offers a standing river wave!
Surfers from near and far are attracted to Bremgarten by the standing wave. The wave`s located near the military area and the Bremgarten sewage treatment plant.
When can the wave be surfed?
Usually the Reuss River carries enough water from spring to mid-summer (or for a short time after heavy rainfall) for such a wave to form. Otherwise the wave is too small and too flat to surf.
The surf-relevant data can be found on the website of the Federal Office for the Environment BAFU. The discharge values for the Mellingen monitoring station must be at least 200 m3/s and the more, the steeper and better the surf wave. Above a certain value, the wave flattens out again (at about 380 m3/s), and in the event of flooding, driftwood and strong currents must be expected.
The current situation of the Reuss level, forecasts and water temperature can be found here.
You can find more information on the website of Flusswelle Bremgarten.
Bremgarten also offers a lot of cultural activities all year round
Two theatre clubs
There is always a lot going on culturally in this little town. There are two theater clubs. I’ve seen a performance by each of them in the last two years.
Last year I was a guest at a performance of the Reussbühne Association. The play “De Elefant im Porzellanlade” told an original and very amusing story. A horde of older ladies came up with an idea how to lure the neat neighbor (who works in the homicide department) into their pension. What could be more fitting than a murder that took place there and now needs to be solved. In order for the nice gentleman to pay them not just one but multiple visits, several of the ladies had to lose their lives in the course of the investigation. The show was very well played and incredibly entertaining! Also the food that we enjoyed in advance was very tasty.
In 2018 I saw the play “The Dragon” by the Ensemble Kellertheater. I liked it too and it had an amusing story too. In the Kellertheater there are several other events besides the theater plays.
(Both plays were in Swiss German)
Operetta at the Casino
Every two years the Casino hosts the Operetta. I haven’t been to any of these shows myself, but for years it has always been very well frequented.
City tours and a scavenger hunt for kids
By the way, you can also book a guided city tour. The are different tour and they cost 120 Sfr. for 1-25 persons. On certain dates it`s also possible to join a group for 10 Sfr. The next two tours are in German. The dates can be found here.
To bring children closer to the city in a playful way, one could go on a one-hour Lion Trail scavenger hunt. I imagine this to be very funny for children. It would be ideal for kids from 1st to 3rd primary school. The set costs 20 Sfr. for about 6 children and can be bought at the Tourist Information at the train station Bremgarten (Zürcherstrasse 10, 5620 Bremgarten)
The city of Bremgarten has a great tourism site. It offers a lot more information.
Info and other tips:
- Bremgarten is located in the canton of Aargau, at the foot of the hill Mutschellen. From there you can reach Dietikon (with little traffic) in 20 mins. by car and Zurich city in 25-30 mins.
- Pizza Mario (Take-away). Marktgasse 33, 056 558 93 93. If the weather is fine, bring a picnic blanket and the pizza on one of the two meadows along the Reuss (in about 5 minutes you can walk from Mario towards the archway, past the train station Bremgarten Obertor downhill, in walking distance to the river.
- Be sure to get a garlic bread from Rudolf`s Knoblibrot at the market. For me by far the best garlic bread! At Christmas market to be found (status 2019) between the archway to old town and the train station Bremgarten Obertor
- A trip with the Bremgarten-Dietikon train (BDWM) is a great experience. The train usually runs along the road up/down the Mutschellen and passes fields.
- The BDWM train also offers pleasure rides on the nostalgia train. More info here.
- From Bremgarten there`s even a direct bus (via Sihlcity shopping mall) to Zürich Enge. Duration 35 minutes.