Hello.
We are considering taking a cruise on Lake Thun and/or Lake Brienz. Which one is the most spectacular?
We will be there during the peak tourist season, and I noticed that there aren’t that many boat departures. We will have the Berner Oberland Pass, so the cruise will be free.
Do we need to book the cruises in advance, or can we just go to the departure point with our pass? Since it’s free, I imagine there’s a chance that all departures could be fully booked?
A big thank you!
Boats don't really get "booked". People buy tickets, some maybe in advance, but many people like you will be travelling on passes, so just board the boat and show your pass on board when asked. Get there a bit early if you are worried. You could also buy a 1st class upgrade ticket and ride in the upper deck, which should be less "crowded".
PS, above spam comment reported.
Oh.... I had the feeling that it was going to be crowded as there are not so many departure times available...
I had no idea there was a "1st class"
thanks a lot!
I see it now :)
Reduced 1st class upgrade for one day at the price of CHF 12.– instead of CHF 40.–
I prefer to be downstairs in the bows, but if you can swing a 1st Class upgrade I'd say go for it. You are that much higher (must be ok with stairs) and so much less gets in the way of scenic views. I guess - I've never been up there, in maybe 15 trips.
I personally prefer Brienz, others may prefer Thun. I really like the approach to and visit to Giessbach and its falls. You can walk behind the falls...
That sounds nice :)
They won't be booked, just extremely crowded. People are constantly getting on and off these boats, so it's more like a ferry than a tour. You will be very unlikely to get a seat in 2nd class unless you hit the first boat in the morning and don't get off or get up to look around giving up your seat. You're more likely to get a seat in 1st class on the roof. You don't have to show any ticket/pass when you board the boat. A worker will come around sporadically checking tickets/passes once the boat is moving.
In terms of what is more "spectacular"....it depends on your definition. If all I was doing was riding the boat and not getting off, I'd do Lake Brienz because the water color is more dramatic aqua and it's a shorter ride from one end to the other. If the idea is to hop on and off, I like Lake Thun because of the castles at Spiez, Oberhofen & Thun. Typically if we do Lake Thun we'll train to Thun and ride towards Interlaken West with stops at Oberhofen & Spiez, but if you want more time to explore Thun, then do it the opposite direction and then have dinner on the lovely riverfront in Thun. The homemade ice cream at the Spiez boat dock is excellent and the lakefront promenade around the Oberhofen castle is lovely. We usually go swimming with the swans there every summer.
The highlight stops on Lake Brienz are Iseltwald, which has become a tourist site because of the Korean netflix show (Crash Landing on You), so what was once a very sleepy little hamlet is now full of tour buses and people paying to go out onto the dock from the show to take their photo. The other main stop is Giessbach for the waterfall and historic hotel/funicular. Another option for Lake Brienz is to train to Brienz, do the Brienzer Rothorn roundtrip and then take the boat from Brienz back to Interlaken Ost.
Oh i did not realize it was more a ferry than a boat tour. That explains why it never really sells out. Happy to read that :)
Ahhhhh that's right! Iseltwald: the pier where people pay to get a selfie ah ah! :)
Not sure if I want to stop there....
Giessbach hotel seems amazing though!
I am not sure in what order I would do it but probably Lauterbrunnen Thun. Visit Thun. Boat to Interlaken Ost. Boat Interlaken West to Brienz. Maybe visit Brienz if worth it and then train to come back, unless there is another boat leaving at the same time.
Or the other way around maybe. Not sure if there is a logical order :)
Maybe better to go further away at first. Train Lauterbrunnen Brienz. Boat to Interlaken. Boat to Thun. back to Lauterbrunnen.
But if Spiez is worth a visit, we would stop there then :)
And I will also add "lakefront promenade around the Oberhofen castle"
Thanks a million, as usual <3
