Boat ride on Lake Brienz or Lake Thun in late March?
Azzahra and her family are planning a boat ride in late March and need confirmation on the service schedules for Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. They found out Lake Brienz boats don’t operate until April and want to clarify the limited daily departures for Lake Thun.
- Boat services on Lake Brienz start in early April, while Lake Thun operates all year but has limited winter departures.
- In March, only one boat departs daily from Thun to Interlaken West at 11:40 AM, returning at 2:10 PM.
- Consider visiting Lake Lucerne as it has a good winter boat service with restaurants open.
- If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, take the Luzern-Interlaken Express to enjoy a full cruise on Lake Lucerne.
AI-generated summary-
Hello
My family and I are planning for a boat ride in late March 2026. However I notice that the boat ride is not operate for Lake Brienz until April, right? And I wonder there’s only 1 time for departure everyday from Interlaken West for boat ride in Lake Thun? I just want to confirm these 2 questions. Thank youu.
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Hi Azzahra,
Welcome to MySwissAlps!
The boat services on Lake Brienz start operating again from early April. Meanwhile, the boat services on Lake Thun operate all year round but is limited during the winter period. In March, there is only cruise in each direction (Thun to Interlaken West and Interlaken West to Thun).
You can find further information and links to the timetable on our Lake Brienz and Lake Thun pages:
Boat cruises on Lake Brienz: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-brienz/#dates
Boat cruises on Lake Thun: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-thun/#dates
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
Hello Azzahrah
On the Thunersee, the winter timetable is in effect just ONE boat which leaves Thun at 11 40 and gets to Interlaken West at 13 49. It then returns at 14 10, arriving at Thun at 16 20.
Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) is the Lake for Winter Cruises
There is quite a good winter boat service on Lake Lucerne, and the shipping company always ensures that the 10 12 from Lucerne, returning at 13 00 from Flűelen arriving back in Lucerne at 15 47, is worked by a large vessel with restaurants open.
https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-lucerne/
If your family has invested in Swiss Travel Passes, here is a suggestion.
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/
On a day when the weather forecast for the Lucerne area is good, catch the 08 04 Luzern Interlaken Express to Lucerne (Luzern is the German name for Lucerne.).
You arrive at Lucerne at 09 55. You walk straight out of the train station and the harbour is in front of you, just the other side of the bus station! Do the full cruise on the boat departing at 10 12. (You do not disembark at Flűelen.).
Catch the 16 06 Luzern-Interlaken Express, arriving back at Interlaken Ost at 17 55.
Kind regards
Roger
Hi Roger
That is really awesome recommendation. I didn’t even thought about Lake Lucerne. Will try to adjust my itinerary later 🙂 Can I know about the weather around end of March 2026? Since it is around winter-spring, then is it gonna be really cold there?
Hello Anna
Thank you for your reply! I will look further at the link you shared :))
Hello again Azzahrah
Weather in Switzerland at the end of March is rather unpredictable. Go prepared for almost anything! It is unlikely to be very cold and snowy in lower lying towns like Lucerne or Interlaken. But up in the mountains things are likely to be different. There will still be quite a lot of snow, and in places like Engelberg and Wengen, skiing is likely to be still in full swing.
https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/weather/
Kind regards
Roger
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