[Anna]

6 June 2020 at 13:36:46 #825572

A short description of the trail is outlined here: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/giessbach-iseltwald

I thought I’d share my experience hiking this trail last Sunday 31 May 2020, with my 3 kids aged between 9 and 14.

We drove to Iseltwald and parked in the village just right next to the boat landing stage. There is limited parking so I would recommend arriving very early in the morning, otherwise you would have to park just outside the village and walk. Alternatively you can take the Postauto bus from Interlaken Ost to Iseltwald Dorf. The journey will take about 25 mins. From 6 June onwards, boat services on Lake Brienz will resume operation and cruises are available from Interlaken Ost to Iseltwald and Giessbach. You can check the timetable here: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable

There are two trails that will take you from Iseltwald to Giessbach. The Uferweg which goes along the lake shore, is very scenic but not recommended for strollers. This trail is mainly flat and narrow but some parts are quite steep. The Uferweg leads you all the way to the Giessbach boat landing stage — here you can take a funicular up to the Giessbach Grandhotel and see the Giessbach waterfall. The funicular wasn’t running last week so we had to hike a steep trail up to the hotel. In total the Uferweg took us about 2 hours to get from Iseltwald to the Giessbach Grandhotel. There are numerous grill and picnic spots along the trail so you could take a break or go for a swim in between if you wish.

The other trail is called Hohenweg, which takes you above Iseltwald, through a forest and across open fields before you reach the GIessbach Grandhotel and the waterfall. The road is paved and wide, ideal for strollers and bicycles. This trail is signposted as 1 hour 30 mins.

My kids and I did a loop, following the Uferweg trail from Iseltwald to Giessbach and taking the Hohenweg from Giessbach to Iseltwald. In total, we spent 4 hours on the trail. Please allocate extra time if you wish to hike closer to the waterfall.

Iseltwald is a lovely little village. I would recommend it as a base if you are visiting the Jungfrau region and the areas around Lake Brienz and Lake Thun.

Here are some photos taken during the hike.

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[Removed user]

7 June 2020 at 18:19:22 #932564

Hi Anna,

Thank you for sharing this lovely hiking experience, the pictures are very inspiring as well! I will definitely try to do it with my 2 dogs when visiting Lake Brienz. It could be a nice week-end trip for this summer!

Cheers

Sara

[alimac]

8 June 2020 at 14:21:35 #932565

Hi Anna,

Thanks for providing a great description of both walks and the pictures. We will definitely add this to our plans. I really can’t wait until we visit Switzerland, hopefully, September this year, although probably more likely, this time next year.

Kind regards,

Ali

[hockeyfan]

8 June 2020 at 17:46:29 #932566

Thank you for sharing this. I have taken the lake side hike several times and was not even aware of the upper trail. We enjoyed a lovely walk followed by lunch on the Giessbach Hotel patio and a boat back to Interlaken or Brienz.

[Shroffchetan]

9 June 2020 at 6:40:33 #932567

This is amazing. Frankly picture speaks a thousand words!!!