Brienz travel guide

Why visit Brienz

At the eastern end of Lake Brienz, where the lake’s extraordinary turquoise water is at its most vivid and the mountains rise most steeply from the shore, sits Brienz — a small, quiet town of around 3,000 people that tourists have been discovering, and then quietly keeping to themselves, for nearly two centuries.

Brienz has three things that set it apart from other lakeside towns in the Bernese Oberland: the Brienz Rothorn Railway, a working steam locomotive that climbs to nearly 2,350 metres; the Giessbach Falls, a multi-tiered waterfall system dropping 500 metres into the lake and served by Switzerland’s oldest surviving funicular; and an internationally renowned woodcarving tradition that has been the town’s main industry since the eighteenth century.

The lake itself deserves a paragraph of its own. Lake Brienz is turquoise in a way that Lake Thun is not — the colour is more intense, more implausible, particularly in the morning before the wind picks up. On still days, the mountains are reflected so precisely in the surface that the only way to tell lake from sky is to find a boat and watch which direction it moves. Photographers, painters, and people who simply like water that looks like this have been coming to Brienz for a very long time.

Getting to Brienz

By train

Brienz sits on the Bern–Interlaken–Brienz rail line. From Interlaken Ost, trains take approximately 20 minutes. From Bern, the journey is around 1 hour 15 minutes. The route follows the southern shore of Lake Brienz and is scenic throughout. Swiss Travel Pass holders travel free on all these services.

By boat

From late spring through early autumn, lake boats operate between Interlaken and Brienz, stopping at small villages along the northern and southern shores. The crossing from Interlaken takes around 1 hour 30 minutes — slower than the train but far more immersive. The lake views from the deck of a BLS boat, with the mountain walls rising on three sides and the water changing colour as the light shifts, make this one of the most scenic lake journeys in Switzerland. Swiss Travel Pass holders travel free.

By car

Brienz is accessible via the A8 motorway from Interlaken (approximately 25 minutes). Parking is available in the town centre and near the lake.

Top things to do in Brienz

Ride the Brienz Rothorn Railway

The Brienz Rothorn Railway is one of only three steam rack railways still operating in Switzerland, and it is arguably the most scenic. The original locomotives — coal and oil-fired steam engines, some dating to the nineteenth century — pull the small carriages from Brienz station up through pastures, forest, and increasingly dramatic alpine terrain to the Brienzer Rothorn summit at 2,350 metres.

The journey takes around 1 hour in each direction and gains nearly 1,800 metres of altitude. As the train climbs, the lake below changes perspective — first you look across it, then down into it, then eventually you are high enough that it becomes one turquoise rectangle among many elements of the landscape. The summit panorama on a clear day extends from the Bernese Alps to the Jura and on exceptional days across the Alps to peaks in the distance.

The railway operates from late May to late October, with both steam and diesel traction depending on demand and schedule. Steam departures are available on specific dates and must be checked in advance. The summit has a small hotel and restaurant where you can eat while clouds build around you. The descent on foot (2 to 3 hours, well-marked trail) is an excellent alternative to the return train.

Visit the Giessbach Falls

The Giessbach Falls are one of the most theatrical waterfalls in Switzerland. The water descends approximately 500 metres in fourteen separate cascades, framed by dense forest and accessible by a funicular railway that was built in 1879 and is the oldest surviving funicular in Switzerland.

The funicular rises from the lake landing stage — reachable by boat from Brienz in around 15 minutes — to the Grand Hotel Giessbach, a belle-époque hotel that has stood above the falls since the nineteenth century. From the hotel terraces and the wooden walkways that wind through the mist around the falls, you can watch the water thunder past at close range and feel the spray. The combination of the Victorian hotel, the wooden balconies, the funicular, and the waterfall is something that belongs to a specific era of Alpine tourism and has survived remarkably intact.

The walk from the lower funicular station up through the falls to the hotel — following the pathways alongside the cascades — is excellent and takes around 45 minutes. Lake boats from Brienz stop at Giessbach pier in season.

Explore Brienz woodcarving heritage

Brienz has been a centre of woodcarving since the eighteenth century. At its peak in the nineteenth century, the town and surrounding valley produced carved figures — bears, chamois, farmers, and elaborate decorative objects — that were shipped across Europe and to America. The Swiss Woodcarving School, founded in 1884 and still operating, continues to train carvers and has kept the tradition alive when many other regional crafts faded.

The woodcarving shops along the main street display a range of objects from simple decorative pieces to elaborate commissioned works. The Jobin family workshop and other long-established ateliers allow visitors to watch carvers at work. The Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum, a 15-minute drive from Brienz, includes woodcarving demonstrations among its extensive collection of historic Swiss buildings and crafts.

Swim or paddle on Lake Brienz

The lake swimming area near Brienz boat pier is one of the most scenic in the Bernese Oberland. The water is cold — fed by glacial meltwater from the surrounding mountains — but extraordinarily clear. On hot summer days, the turquoise colour against the dark mountain walls is almost surreal. Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available for rental near the pier.

For those who want to explore further, the lake’s northern shore is accessible by boat and has several small beaches and picnic areas. The overall shape of the lake — narrow, steep-sided, oriented east-west — means that morning light illuminates the northern shore and afternoon light catches the south, so the best photography shifts with the time of day.

Walk the lake shore path

The shore path from Brienz along the southern side of the lake toward Interlaken passes through forest, farmland, and small hamlets and offers close-up water views throughout. The full route to Interlaken takes around 4 to 5 hours; shorter sections can be walked and then covered by train on the return. The stretch between Brienz and Oberried is particularly pleasant, passing through forest that comes directly down to the water’s edge.

Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum

Just outside Brienz, the Ballenberg Open-Air Museum is one of the largest and most impressive of its kind in Europe. Over 100 historic Swiss buildings — farmhouses, barns, mills, smithies, and granaries — have been relocated from around Switzerland to a 66-hectare site in the hills above Brienz and reconstructed in regional groupings. The buildings are furnished with period objects, and craftspeople demonstrate traditional skills including woodcarving, weaving, cheese-making, and smithing.

The museum takes a full day to cover thoroughly. It is open from mid-April to late October. The combination of the architectural collection, the crafts demonstrations, and the setting in a quiet valley above the lake makes Ballenberg one of the better-value cultural attractions in the Bernese Oberland. Book Ballenberg Open-Air Museum tickets.

Where to stay in Brienz

Brienz is a small town with a modest range of accommodation. The Hotel Lindenhügel is a pleasant mid-range option near the lake. The Grand Hotel Giessbach, above the falls by funicular, is a historic property with dramatic setting and belle-époque atmosphere — an excellent choice for one special night if budget allows. Several B&Bs and self-catering apartments are available in the town and surrounding area.

Many visitors treat Brienz as a day trip from Interlaken, which is entirely feasible given the short train journey. However, staying overnight allows you to experience the lake in the early morning and evening light — the times when the colour and reflections are most remarkable.

Where to eat and drink

Brienz’s restaurant scene is modest but covers the basics well. The Restaurant Lindenhügel serves Swiss classics with a lake terrace. The Gasthof Rössli in the old part of town is a reliable option for fondue and rösti. The restaurant at the Brienzer Rothorn summit serves simple mountain food — soup, sandwiches, Älplermagronen — with one of the better views in the canton.

The town has a Coop supermarket and a couple of bakeries for picnic provisions — essential if you are spending a day walking the lake shore or descending on foot from the Rothorn.

Practical tips for visiting Brienz

The Brienz Rothorn Railway is not covered by the Swiss Travel Pass but receives a 50 percent discount for pass holders — check the current discount before booking, as it varies by season. Steam departures are on a fixed schedule and sell out on busy summer days; book in advance.

The Giessbach Falls are most impressive in late spring and early summer, when snowmelt swells the water volume. By August the flow decreases slightly. The funicular from the lake pier to the hotel runs in season and is also not fully covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.

Ballenberg Museum requires a separate entrance ticket. Combined tickets covering the museum and the Rothorn railway are available and represent good value.

If you are building a Bernese Oberland itinerary, Brienz pairs naturally with Interlaken and Grindelwald — a day on the east side of the lake contrasts well with the mountain railway focus of the Jungfrau region. The Swiss Travel Pass covers all trains and lake boats in the region and makes connections straightforward.

Brienz rewards early arrival. The lake colour at 8am, before the wind arrives and before the tour buses from Interlaken pull up, is something that photographs cannot fully reproduce — it has to be seen in person, from the pier, in the flat morning light, with the mountains still half in shadow and the water holding its impossible blue-green.