Sitting in a prime spot between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, Interlaken is the gateway to the Berner Oberland. This is the region of Switzerland that really looks the part, with waterfalls and peaky mountains stretching in every direction. If you’re on a packed tour of Europe, this is likely the only part of Switzerland you’ll see. The activities on offer include paragliding, helicopter skydiving and  the usual mountain biking and hiking. Ferry rides on the lake are lovely.

The hardest decision is where to stay, and how much to pack in. I’ve organized this guide in roughly alphabetical order, clustering the big areas:

***Adelboden (covered here)

*Interlaken

**Kandersteg

Lake Brienz: **Brienz, **Ringgenberg

Lake Thun: **Amsoldingen, ** St. Beatus Caves, **Spiez, ***Thun

**Meiringen

Lauterbrunnen Valley and the Jungfrau Ski Area are explored in depth in this post:

**Grindelwald, **Lauterbrunnen, ***Kleine Scheidegg, **Jungfraujoch, **Mürren, **Wengen, ***Wegneralp

From the Vaud area, it’s fastest to drive through Bern, but the longer route is wonderful along the Jaunpass for epic Heidi-esque vistas.

Interlaken

Interlaken itself isn’t all that cute – there are gorgeous historic hotels, but it’s hard to see them through the tourist chaos. We keep trying to like the area, and just don’t. It’s very, very touristy in a not ideal way (think McDs and Hooters).

The nicest section is the north end of town – keep walking until you reach the mountains, and you’ll find a quieter section with pretty homes and a classic Lido swimming area. The casino, architecture wise, is worth a brief stop. 

Galen stayed at **Landgasthof Hirschen in 1982. It’s pretty darn cute, but unfortunately now right along the main road. We returned in 2026 for a good lunch – perhaps keep on your list for a meal.

Kandersteg

Lake Brienz (East Side)

Brienz

Brienz is a traditional Swiss chalet village – while we have yet to stay overnight, our trips point to a rather charming, calm destination. It’s on the tourist map, but doesn’t have the volume and chaos of Interlaken. 

For train nerds, it features the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn: Switzerland’s oldest operating steam rack railway, which has been chugging up to the 2,350-meter summit of the Brienzer Rothorn since 1892.

The “city” technically wraps around the lake, including Giessbach falls.

Key sites:

Ringgenberg

Ringgenberg was an accidental discovery – we found Hotel Restaurant Burgseeli at the last minute for a biking weekend, and were very pleasantly surprised by the area and the hotel. 

The town is historic and quite close – though not walking close – to Interlaken. With a car, it’s an excellent and easy place to stay, away from the tourist crowds.

***Hotel Restaurant Burgseeli has adorable rooms, excellent food (they claim award-winning), lots of parking, and some of the best service we’ve found in Switzerland (which is saying a lot). The property is near the main road on the lake, but there’s very little night traffic and the noise didn’t bother us.

There are two historic points of interest: the ruins of the 13th-century **Ringgenberg Castle, and inside it the historic Burgkirche (Castle Church) which was constructed in the 17th century. Great views, and bonus points for the friendly tower cat.

On an adjacent hill you can also find the Goldswil Church Ruins: an isolated Lombard-style bell tower. We looked at it, but did not make it to the top.

We took two bike rides from the hotel – one up the south side of Lake Thun, which while pleasant, gets you near the freeway quite a bit, and on day two we did an excellent, highly recommended route around Lake Brienz that was almost entirely away from car traffic and in the woods. On the north side, take Route 451, and on the south side, Route 8/9. Unless you’re extremely fit, this circuit requires an electric mountain bike.

Lake Thun (West Side)

Amsoldingen

Amsoldingen is a small historic village in the hills above Thun. It’s in especially pretty countryside with perfect views of the Eiger, and has an important historic church (the **Church of St Mauritius, or Amsoldingen Church) and castle. 

Archaeological evidence points to a church built around the year 700, which was replaced with a Romanesque church built in the 10th and 11th centuries from stone scavenged from the Roman ruins at Aventicum: the largest Ottonian basilica in the country. We were very impressed at the condition; it’s worth a stop.

The former monastery living quarters were later converted into Schloss Amsoldingen: a historic structure dating from the 10th century that remains in private hands today. 

Spiez

Spiez is an especially old town in Swiss terms – the area was home to several large Bronze and Iron Age settlements. Three separate Bronze Age cemeteries with numerous graves contained a wealth of bronze axes, knives and cloak pins from 1750 to 1500 BC. It has an especially scenic castle, a nice harbor, and a good range of restaurants, which is why we often end up there (it’s easy to get to from the freeway).

• **Riviera by Elio: A little touristy, but good food, good view. Higher end.
• *Restaurant Schlosspintli is a very local place right by the ferry dock – not my favorite. They water down their drinks and it’s generally a down-market affair.
• **Hotel Restaurant Seegarten Marina Spiez: a super local option, not fancy, large patio. Pizza, schnitzel, and salads. I would not stay here (super gritty) or consider eating indoors, but it’s a fun place to eat with highly efficient staff and good people-watching.
• On the outskirts of town, **Appaloosa Saloon is really not bad – more Tex than Mex, decorated as a saloon.

Einigen

Einigen is a suburb of Spiez – a picturesque village of holiday houses right on the lake. We rode through to see **Einigen Church (Einiger Chileli): a Romanesque church dedicated to St. Michael (estimated to be from the 10th/11th century, with 7th-century roots). According to the historical Strättligen Chronicle, it is the mother church of the 12 historic churches around Lake Thun. Legends claim it to be a healing location and early pilgrimage site. It’s a lovely building in a spectacular location, worth a quick visit. The interior, aside from a pretty wooden ceiling, is fairly sparse.

Thun

***Thun is really quite lovely – it’s a destination all by itself, and often overlooked. Great architecture, right on the right and lake, with excellent views of the Eiger. The main shopping streets are lively and picturesque. It’s a good destination without a car, easy to get to on the train. In the summer months you can also visit many sites by ferry (in the winter, the bus is much more frequent).

It’s an old town, even in Swiss terms, believed to have been inhabited since the mid-3rd millennium BC. The history is diverse (Roman, Burgundian, Holy Roman Empire, home of a major military training school, in the cradle of early tourism in Switzerland, etc. 

Sites, Lodging, Dining Options

• Untere Schleuse Brücke is one of several covered bridges in town – my favorite because you’ll often see surfers riding the waves right in front of it.
• **Kunstmuseum Thun is rather small and focused on temporary exhibits. Check what’s on before you visit. We saw the Circus show in 2023, which wasn’t great.
• **Thun Castle: Charming. Not a standout museum, but it’s cute and well-intentioned. Part of the castle is also a hotel.
• Schadaupark, right where the Aare river empties into the lake, has a high end restaurant, Schloss Schadau (haven’t tried yet), lots of lovely grass to lounge on, and fairly extensive grounds to explore. It also has the *Wocher Panorama: a quite minor (though historic) panorama painting. From here, you can take a walk through very pretty waterfront neighborhoods, along a well-signed trail. It’s a nice excursion, and quite easy to catch a bus back to town from along the route.
• **Dampfschiff: Not a bad restaurant, perhaps a bit forgettable. Outdoor seating, a bit higher end. 
• **Spedition Hotel is a newer option, extremely hip – The Aficionados say “contemporary-chic in a historic build, a loft of style filled with thoughtful design elements and a signature of urban cool.” It’s near the train station in a formerly industrial area, but despite that it’s right next to town and quite convenient. We liked it, comfortable rooms, higher end touches, friendly staff. Dinner and breakfast were fine – perhaps not good enough to visit as a dining destination, but if you’re staying at the hotel, a good option to stay in.

Further afield, along the lake on the North side

• ***Schloss Hünegg (Museum): Don’t miss this (5 minutes east of Thun). Like a mini-Biltmore, similar area and similar quality. Wonderful. 
• ***Oberhofen Castle is even better than Schloss Hünegg – do both! Oberhofen has a storybook location on the lake, and has been through several wealthy sets of owners in the last 200 years, making for a very large and grand castle experience. Signage is excellent, and they’ve done some very thoughtful digital enhancements that work – it’s quite tasteful. Also lovely garden.
• ***Chartreuse: a hotel and a truly exceptional restaurant. Some of the best Italian food we’ve had, in or out of Italy. It’s also almost never open (the restaurant), so check before you go.
• As a backup, **Restaurant Bellevue au Lac is quite good for more traditional food. Nice patio on the lake.
• **Restaurant Kreuz (next to Oberhofen Castle) is a perfectly fine schnitzel spot, classic menu, wood walls, speedy service. It’s big and you’ll likely be okay without a reservation.

Meiringen

Meiringen is famous for the nearby Reichenbach Falls, a spectacular waterfall that was the setting for the final showdown between Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty. The village is also known for its claim to have been the place where meringue was first created. 

We found the town itself rather charming – lots of Victorian-era hotel-style architecture, more tourist infrastructure than you’d expect, and pretty corners tucked away with beautiful historic homes. Very walkable, and on a well situated train line. I read that it’s often recommended for people who want a week or so in Switzerland, without having to change hotels: it does make sense, with most of the major Swiss sites within 1-2 hours by train.

We stayed at **Hotel Victoria and were happy with the choice. Comfortable, fairly modern rooms, a good breakfast spread, very good restaurant (choose the Bistro, which offers the fine dining menu as well as more casual options), excellent service. Parking and access to the town spa included. Hotel Albach would be another place to try, in easier walking distance to the tram.

Our dinner at *Ilufa (vaguely Japanese, with sushi and a range of other asian dishes) was not good, I don’t recommend it.

Sites & Activities

Unlike some other places in Switzerland, don’t expect a spa in every hotel. The community spa/gym, **Fitness Wellness Center Meiringen, is fine – newer and in good repair. The spa area has a relaxation room, warm and hot saunas, and a hammam. It’s not huge and it’s probably better to go earlier in the day.

Ski Report Meiringen-Hasliberg: From Meiringen, there’s a tram that runs up the mountain every 30 minutes. It’s not well situated (more of a walk than you’d want in ski boots), and we opted to drive 20 minutes up the mountain. This was very easy, parking at Hasliberg Wasserwendi was abundant and right by the lift.

Wasserwendi is under 1200 feet, but there are some very nice runs through the trees from the top (Käserstatt) to the middle station. Great for snow days and low visibility. Everything above Käserstatt is above tree line and exposed. Start on the west side and make your way over to the right towards Bidmi and Magisalp. We went to the **Alpen Tower, and while the runs were great, it was snowy, no views. The bar at the top is charming.

The caliber of skier is low. Seems family friendly. Medium size resort that seems like it has a lot of terrain. We’d definitely come back.

We visited in fall to tour the oft-Instagrammed ***Aareschlucht. It’s very impressive and I would recommend it, with some careful planning. It’s a gorge (obviously) and you get packed in like sardines on a narrow path. Go early, go in the swing seasons, do whatever you can to avoid the geriatric conga line this turns into.

Hasliberg

There are four “town-like” clusters on the mountain above Meiringen, Hasliberg Hohfluh, Hasliberg Wasserwendi, Hasliberg, and Hasliberg Reuti. I’m sure they all have their charms, but nothing stood out enough to warrant staying up the mountain instead of Meiringen. We did have an excellent lunch at **Hotel Gasthof zur Post, in a historic building. Swiss classics, well executed. Note you can’t ski directly to the restaurant, you’d need a car or bus.

Rosenlaui

Rosenlaui is halfway between Meiringen and the Grosse Scheidegg – an isolated spot with a lot of history. In theory you can do this in one day – it’s 23 km – but it might be better to break into two sections. It’s a pretty spot and reasonably easy to access, even in the winter, from the Meiringen side. Mark Twain describes it in A Tramp Abroad: “Next morning we walked to Rosenlaui, the beau idéal of Swiss scenery.” 

Hotel Rosenlaui has hosted guests since 1771, with the current oldest section dating to 1862 after a fire. The salons, restaurant and other rooms are Belle-Epoque era and maintained to a reasonable – if not fancy – standard. This is definitely closer to a hostel than a hotel, but I’d like to try it at some point (not open in winter).