brienz/thun

If you want to spend a day cruising both lakes, you certainly can visit both in one day. Here is the summer 2012 schedule for the two lakes: http://www.bls.ch/d/schifffahrt/fahrplan.php In addition to the individual schedules for each lake, there is a "Two Lakes Cruise" on a boat that makes fewer stops. ou can go end to end (Brienz to Thun) in a few hours, then return to your home base by train. If you are cruising Lake Brienz, I highly recommend getting off at Giessbach to see the hotel and waterfall. www.giessbach.ch

If you change the single "d" in Lola's link to an "e" the schedule information will come up in Englisch. I completely agree about Giessbach. They have an old little funicular right up from the boat dock with a view of the waterfall. There is a very easy walk up to and under the waterfall and back down to the dock. We've been going to that area and love the Brienzersee side so much we now never go on the Thunersee. (Full disclosure time - we're not made of money its just that one of the terms of my contract is European train travel, and that includes a lot of boats). I've always thought we would walk around Spiez and Thun but we never have done. I would choose Spiez over Thun as Thun seems to us a bit of a Bern suburb, and when we go to Bern we go to the old city when we can. If you plan your boat trip carefully you can travel on the "Goethe" a very old steam driven paddleboat (side paddles not one on the back like the Mississippi or Disneyland). By the way they're not ferries. They are lake steamers, and they have a pointy bow and normal stern and have first class upper decks and second class lower decks, food service and decent but compact toilets.

thanks for all the advice!!