[danicam]

3 August 2022 at 10:59:35 #827962

Hi everyone!

We’ll have a whole day to explore the 2 lakes by boat. There is not much information out there about where to stop and what to do. My plan is the following:

-Thunersee lake: stop at Beatus caves, Spiez Castle, from boat?, Oberhofen Castle from the boat?. Stop at Thun? Is it worth? Is it quicker to go back to Interlaken by train? Not thinking to go up the mount Niederhorn as we’ll go to Harder Kulm.

-In Brienz, pass by Iseltwald or worth to stop?, stop go up to Giessbach falls, go to Brienz and stop to see the town?, go back by train to Interlaken?

Thanks for your help!

Dan

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[Removed user]

3 August 2022 at 11:31:41 #945117

Thun is a historic town, worth a proper visit.

There is not much to Brienz town.

Giessbahn is famous for its falls etc.

Iseltwald is a tourist ‘hotspot’ – arguable overblown due to its location, because there are plenty of other lakeside villages around Switzerland

All the Thunersee castles are worth visiting. You can travel between them by bus, train or lake boat. The north side of the Thunersee is served by the frequent number 21 bus (it was a railway until 1950 but it ran along the road so road transport won out at that era…))

Bear in mind that Spiez station to Spiez lakeside is a steep hill. You may prefer to descend rather than ascend. There was a tramway (my late father photographed it in 1948…) to save the walk but it was closed in the 1950s

[Arno]

3 August 2022 at 12:37:16 #945118

Hi dani,

There’s lots of great sightseeing along both lakes. As for your suggestions: I think all of your ideas are nice and I’d recommend each of them. You’ll have to plan carefully to see and do it all though. I think it’s doable if you leave early and plan ahead with the aid of the general Swiss timetable (https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable) and the boat timetables, to which you’ll find links at http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakethun/gettingthere and http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakethun/gettingthere.

Alternatively you can keep your plans flexible, and make a “good weather” and “bad weather” scenario. From your other threads I understand you’re considering a Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpassflex) or Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass), correct? That would be great, as it allows you to hop on and off boats, trains and buses however you like and adjust your plans on the spot.

More specifics:

• I agree with 1960man that Thun is a wonderful town and definitely worth a visit: https://www.myswissalps.com/thun. The same goes for Spiez. If you get off the boat there, you’re right at the cosy marina, which is a nice place to have lunch or coffee/tea. The boat stop is also close to the castle. You can walk up there in about 5 minutes.
• I also like the Beatus caves and the castles. They’re a good option if weather isn’t great. In beautiful weather too, but in that case you may want to spend more time in the outdoors.
• I understand you’re skipping the Niederhorn. If you do like to include a mountain with a view that’s very different than the one from Harder Kulm, (https://www.myswissalps.com/harderkulm) you could consider the Niesen. You can reach the top in a 1h10-minute trip from the Spiez marina. So it would take a significant part of your day. You can find details here and see if you think it’s worth it: https://www.myswissalps.com/niesen.
• Brienz is an attractive lakeside town with an interesting wood-carving history: https://www.myswissalps.com/brienz. If time and budget allow, you could even consider a side trip up to the Brienzer Rothorn: https://www.myswissalps.com/brienzerrothorn.
• Getting off at the Giessbach Falls is worth it, especially if you like to take pictures. The falls are very photogenic. You could include this hike from Giessbach to Iseltwald: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/giessbach-iseltwald.

[danicam]

3 August 2022 at 14:22:40 #945119

Thanks so much, this is really helpful.

Taking into consideration that we’ll spend 2 nights, 3 days in Interlaken, unfortunately we won’t have time to do all of this things so we will have to pick and choose. Just couple of questions to help me decide what plan to do.

Which castle is the most beautiful from the inside? I won’t have time to visit all of them.

Can we visit Thun town in 1-2 h?

If we have time I would like to go to 1 of the mountains that Arno suggested. I wasn’t aware of Brienzer Rothorn or Niesen and the views from up there look incredible. If you would have to choose which one would be the better one?

We are travelling with Swiss Pass but also Oberland regional pass… still unsure what combination would be the best. I actually going to bring up my last post about this as I need to decide what is best since we are going next week!

thanks a lot again!

[Arno]

3 August 2022 at 14:39:38 #945120

Hi Dani,

If I’d have to pick one of the mentioned mountains, I’d choose Brienzer Rothorn for your specific plans. It’s easier to incorporate in your schedule, as you can access it directly from Brienz. A visit to Niesen would require more traveling time. Plus, the steam train ride to Brienzer Rothorn is great fun!

Yes, it’s good to make a final choice concerning rail passes. We’ll get back to you about this in your other thread.

[danicam]

4 August 2022 at 10:12:58 #945121

cool, thanks so much Arno.

I wish we would have time to do everything you said but is in our next trip bucket list 🙂

Best wishes,

Dan