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Recommended season: early April to late October
Altitude: 563 m (1847 ft)
Town size: Small
This town is on a lake
Local language: German
There is a train stationThings to do in Brienz 
Find your activities in and near Brienz
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- Your payment is kept safe until your tour has started
- 24/7 customer support
- No booking or credit card fee
- Extra Support: if you book here, MySwissAlps can also assist if you have questions about your order.
Wood carving in Brienz
Brienz has a history with wood. The wood carving school in town opened in 1884.
There is a wood carving museum, so you can learn everything about this craftsmanship. Several shops in Brienz offer wood carving products in all shapes and sizes.
The Ballenberg open-air museum
Close to Brienz is the Ballenberg open-air museum. This is a great excursion for the entire family. You'll see typically Swiss farmhouses and learn about the old Swiss crafts.
Bus rides over the mountain passes
East of Brienz is a network of stunning mountain roads. We recommend making at least one bus ride during your stay. Note that many rides can be made in summer only. Highlights are:
- the ride to Grindelwald via Meiringen and Schwarzwaldalp in the Rosenlaui Valley
- the four-passes tour that starts and ends in nearby Meiringen
Travel info and village map
How to reach Brienz by train
Brienz can best be reached by train. You can get there from the directions of Meiringen (10 minutes), Interlaken (20 minutes), Zurich (2h20) and Lucerne (1h30).
You can find all connections to Brienz in the Swiss timetable.
How to reach Brienz by car
It's possible to get to Brienz by car too. From Zurich, it takes about 1h30.
If you're driving from the north or east, you need to cross mountain passes:
- the Brünig Pass if you travel from the direction of Lucerne
- the Susten Pass if you're coming from Gadmen or Wassen
- the Grimsel Pass if you're arriving from the Upper Rhone Valley in the Valais
- the Furka Pass if you're coming from Andermatt
The layout of Brienz
Brienz is small, but it's stretched out along the north-eastern banks of Lake Brienz. There are outskirts toward the west, east, and up on the hills on below Brienzer Rothorn.
The two main areas in the village are:
- The area with the train station, main bus stop, and boat dock. They're all right next to one another. The supermarket can be found here too.
- The part a bit west of the train station. Smaller shops can be found here, on or near the main street "Hauptgasse". The main bus stop here is "Brienz Dorf".
Traveling in Brienz
If your accommodation is near the rail station or close to the main street, it's easy to get by on foot.
If your accommodation is a bit farther away, you can take a bus or train. There's a train station in Brienz West for example. And there are bus stops throughout the village.
Rail passes for a stay in Brienz
As a hotel guest, you'll receive the Brienz guest card for discounts on local trips and attractions. In most cases, you need more than that though.
The Berner Oberland Pass is an excellent choice if you want to travel roughly between Lucerne, Bern, Meiringen, Gstaad and the Jungfrau Region.
Consider a pass for the whole of Switzerland if your itinerary includes more regions, or if you'll be traveling in the months in which the Berner Oberland Pass is not available.
Learn how to find the best pass for your plans here.
The town of Brienz on a map
When to visit Brienz
The best time to stay in Brienz and to visit the town is early April to late October. The views of the lake and its surrounding mountains are wonderful during this season.
Brienz is less suitable for a winter stay. Snow in the village isn't likely. Boats at the lake don't operate. Nor does the train to the Brienzer Rothorn. The pass roads east of Brienz can be closed down too.
Weather forecast for Brienz
What weather in Brienz is like
Brienz has a mild climate. It's usually above freezing point in winter. In summer, expect temperatures between 20°C and 25°C or more.
On typical warm summer days, clouds tend to build over the mountains first, and then spread to other areas. On such days, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz can remain cloudless for relatively long, more so than villages in the Jungfrau Region for example.
5-day forecast for Brienz
Where to stay in Brienz
Brienz is small, so there's not a huge selection of hotels. But the hotels that are available, are often close to the lake and offer rooms with panoramic views.
Hotels in the lovely lakeside town Brienz
The pros and cons of Brienz
These are reasons to stay in Brienz:
- Brienz is a little town offering all facilities you need during your holidays. It’s not as lively as nearby Interlaken, but it’s much more authentic.
- The lake and the mountains guarantee a great view from about every spot in town.
- You can cover several areas from Brienz. That’s how we used Brienz: as a base town to visit diverse regions, and this suited us very well. The Jungfrau Region and the Hasli Valley near Meiringen can be reached within half an hour. A train trip to Lucerne takes about 1h30.
The possible cons of Brienz are:
- Hiking directly from town is possible, but the options are limited: the mountains rise up on one side of the town and the lake is on the other side.
- You’re not directly in the Alps. If that’s what you prefer, consider one of the villages in the Jungfrau Region, the Valais or Graubünden instead.
Other websites of interest
- www.brienzersee.ch: Brienz guest card
- www.museum-holzbildhauerei.ch: wood carving museum
- www.holzbildhauerei.ch: wood carving school
- www.postauto.ch: bus network Brienz-Meiringen-Hasliberg
- www.postauto.ch: bus network of the road passes east of Brienz
- www.interlaken.ch: four-passes bus tour
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