Choosing between Rigi or Brienzersee/Brienzer Rothorn

I wouldn't go to Rigi from Lauterbrunnen when it is on the doorstep in Luzern. Can you tweak the days? Rigi and the shores of the lake near Luzern are well worth the time.

I wonder what you plan to do in 6 days in Lauterbrunnen? If you won't be doing a lot of walking 6 whole days seems to me a little bit long there.

I just returned from 4 days there and if I hadn't been walking I might have found much longer a bit long.

After all the years I have visited the area I have never ridden up the Rothorn. Always wanted to, never got around to it. It isn't a cable car but rather a (usually) steam engine pushed very steep cog railway. If you have the chance and the money works, do it, on a nice day.

The Brienzersee, ah the Brienzersee. One of my favourite lakes for the ride from Interlaken Ost to Brienz, and return, or just to Brienz and look around and take the train back, or get off at Brienz and go one stop on the Zentralbahn to Meiringen, where Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes had their epic struggle on the face of the Reichenbach Falls cliff. You can go up an old funicular about half or a bit further up the side of the falls and get an incredible view, imagining what it was like after Dr Watson got the false message to go back, as Holmes was chasing his foe to their deaths (or not, spoiler alert).

If your husband could walk more I would suggest the Giessbach Falls adjacent to the Hotel of the same name at the last stop of the ship before Brienz. Maybe you could both leave the boat, take the ancient funicular up to the hotel, leave him nursing a coffee at the cafe and you could could hike over to, around, up and behind the falls. Not too strenuous, but up and down and a little distance, and wet.

Excellent advice from Nigel.

Thank you for your advice. We will plan to do Rigi from Lucerne, and definitely hope to visit Brienz from Lauterbrunnen. We already planned a day to Thun. It looks like a lovely area. I appreciate your taking the time to answer.

When you get back please write a trip report.

In particular, I'd like to know what you enjoy in and around Thun. I enjoy the seamless connection between train and ship there but nothing else has ever caught my eye there.

That is most definitely NOT to say nothing will attract you and your husband, just that I've never seen anything. That's why I want to read what you find.

NIGEL, I agree with what Lola said--you gave excellent advice.

As for THUN, I've been there several times. It has a cute cobblestone, pedestrian only Old Town only a few blocks from the train station. It looks a bit like a mini-Luzern there. Its shops are unusual, though--local new age stuff (crystal power, etc.). My husband and I enjoyed a nice outdoor Italian cafe beside the little river, under the canopy of a large tree, with a view of a little wooden bridge.

Thun also has a medieval castle you can visit, up a ~hundred steps above the town. It's free with a Swiss Travel Pass since it's also a museum. They hold evening concerts inside regularly (weekly, as I recall). We enjoyed the acoustic guitar soloist there one night. You buy tickets, in advance, in the Thun tourist office.

Speaking of concerts in ancient places--NIGEL, you mentioned visiting Meiringen. Every year Meiringen holds an international classical music performance festival in their old church, in the old part of town. It's daily, the first week or two of July. We've enjoyed excellent concerts in there several times. You get your tickets, in advance, from the Meiringen tourist office, which is in the train station.

Regarding Meiringen, (which celebrates Sherlock Holmes since Reichenbach Falls is there), in addition, on the other side of town from the train station, is cable car access up the Hasliberg (mountain) to beautiful hikes and views, including an elaborate interactive hike for children that tells a story. Oh yeah, and the Aareschlucht cliff walk is just outside Meiringen, too.
If anyone wants to know more about that area, private message me so I'll be sure to see your question.

Thank you, Linda. I think Thun and the surrounding castles sound charming. I am not much of a shopper so I will stay away from its shops. I wonder if going to the Thunersee and the Brienzersee on the same trip would be too much. I will keep your other ideas in mind. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I wonder if going to the Thunersee and the Brienzersee on the same trip would be too much.

They're both lovely, but, for me, it's too much to ride a boat all the way across each lake. We only did that on our first trip there. I do always make sure to take the boat from the town of Brienz to the first stop, Giessbach Falls. I love that place. I take the funicular up from the dock, up to the hotel. Then walk easily up along the series of waterfalls, cross behind one of the falls, and then walk back to the hotel where we have refreshments at the elegant outdoor cafe.

As for the town of Thun, you can get there easily and quickly by train.

Thanks LindaL. Time for me to look around more, eh?