MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Route to Ballenberg Open Air Museum & Beatus Caves
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I am staying in Interlaken for a couple of days in June and want to see both the Open Air Museum and the Caves, as well as Harder Klum and other small excursions.
My research has shown that the walk down to the caves is quite steep. Not sure if that is from the boat or train or what? I am 63 and my hip is not the best after surgery. Is it doable or not?
That being said, can I do the open air museum and what is the easiest way? Can I take horse trolleys there and are they easily accessible? Do you recommend the boat ride or train ride there and which route to walk for the easier on my hip etc?
Thanks so much folks.
Lori
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Hi Lori –
Here is a start on answers to your questions.
In general, it is best to search this web site for information, and use the SBB timetable to get specific travel connections and times.
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Here are some useful comments in a thread about Ballenberg,but there is no specific link.
This one may help::
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/ballenberg-open-air-museum,
and:
This map shows the two entrances to Ballenberg-
map.search.ch/?pos=650107,177898&z=25 6.
I have made a screen grab ( attached) to make that clear.
The bus stops at the parking areas ( P) show as icons at that zoom level on the map. Mouse over the icons, and you will see that bus #151 stops at each of the entrances. And, you get the exact name of each bus stop…..for use in the timetable. If you expand and contract the map you can get details….which show that bus #151 stops at Brienz Railroad Station as well as the two entrances to the museum. That tells you what you need to use the timetable to time a trip to either bus stop/ museum entrance.
The screen grab won’t respond, you have to do it on the map linked above.
Once you have the bus stop names, you can use the timetable to determine best routes and timing to the museum entrances from wherever you choose to start..
I cannot comment on the horse-drawn trolleys, or how your hip will respond to the modest grades and smooth trails in the museum. It is not level ground, but there are no substantial hills or steep trails. From the western entrance to the eastern entrance, overall, there is about a 60 to 80 meter increase of altitude.
The same map can give information about the caves. It does not show altitudes, but you may not need that. If you do, this map will give them:
It shows a 57 meter climb from the bus stop at 621 meters to the cave entrance at 678 meters. The boat landing is a couple of hundred meters to the east, and at considerably lower altitude…about 550 meters.
So, either way, you have a significant climb to get to the cave entrance.
Hope that helps
Slowpoke
Attachments:Thank you for your complete response. I was told that it is wise to take a boat to both places for the beauty of it all. From what you are telling me I think I will pass on the caves. What they say about it being steep seems true. I will do some more research on the Open Air Museum to see if it is worth the trip. It seems there are plenty of other things I can do from Interlaken to fill my time before I move on, including a day trip to Grindelwald etc. I appreciate your reply. Thanks again.
The Swiss Open Air Museum in Ballenberg is wonderful and encompasses a lot of land. Be prepared for walking all day. There is also a carriage ride from Interlaken if it works out.
http://www.ballenberg.ch/en/v isiting/information-service/a-horse-drawn-coach-ride
Hi Lori-
<<“I was told that it is wise to take a boat to both places for the beauty
of it all. From what you are telling me I think I will pass on the
caves.”>>
There is no ship landing at Ballenberg.
The nearest landing is at Brienz, very close to the railroad station. From there you can take the bus noted earlier to either entrance (East or West) of Ballenberg. The timetable will tell you when the boat from IO to Brienz runs, as well as bus timings. You may have to use the advanced time table mentioned the instruction page that I linked before.
In the “advanced” section you can specify travel by boat.
Or, the BLS, which runs the boats, has a timetable:
http://www.bls.ch/en/fahren/u nterwegs-mit/schiff#time.from:2 2.05.2019,time.to:21.0 5.2020
and,
http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakebrienz
So, you could take the boat ride on Lake Brienz from Interlaken (Ost) to Brienz. It is a scenic trip.
If you wish, you could stop at Giessbach, take the small private funicular up to the hotel, and have a bite on the terrace. Great views.
http://www.giessbach.ch/en/la ke-brienz-boat-schedule.html
The map that I linked earlier shows that Ballenberg is about 1.5 to2 km straight line distance from one entrance to the other.
map.search.ch/?pos=650106,177908&z=25 6&poi=haltestelle,mobi lity,parking
We visited it 2 or 3 times, and spent 2-3 hours before we lost interest. Everyone has varying levels of interest in what it shows.
I personally don’t find Grindelwald itself very interesting. A bunch of hotels and restaurants and shops with nice views to the Jungfrau massif. However, the cableway up to First gets you to some nice viewpoints. There is a bit of uphill walk from the lift station to the famous cliff walk at First.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/grindelwald-bort-first-bachalp-in-one-day-1
I’d prefer to wander a bit in Wengen, out to the church for the attached view on a clear day, and take the cableway up to Maennlichen ; maybe this easy walk:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
Slowpoke
Attachments:
Hi Lori –
Just for information, I also saw this while browsing through hikes on My Swiss Alps:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/giessbach-iseltwald
I’ve walked from Gieesbach to Iseltwald along a higher trail, but not on that one.
The views along that side of the lake are nice, but not something I’d seek out. And, it is about a 5 km walk.
Off hand, I think something up nearer the Jungfrau would be more worthwhile.
You could also ride the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn.
http://www.myswissalps.com/br ienzerrothorn
A slow ride, but really scenic, as are the views from the top.
Slowpoke
Thank you for updated info. I’ve actually cancelled both trips because there are so many other things to do. Thanks for the suggestion about the a scenic ride.
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