Bernese Oberland

The Alps, which lie in the area of ​​the canton of Bern / Switzerland, are known as the Bernese Oberland. This includes the region around Lake Brienz and Lake Thun and the part of the canton that lies in the southern part. The area is a very popular destination for tourists from all over the world.

The name of the area comes from 1798, from the time when the canton of Oberland was created by Napoleon. In 1803, just five years later, Napoleon united the canton of Oberland with the canton of Bern.

The Bernese Oberland is surrounded by Ice Age glacial Alps. U-shaped valleys, such as Lauterbrunnental, are located between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. Some mountains that are in the alpine zone, or The following are called the Bernese Alps:

• Eiger (3967m.)
• Monk (4107m.)
• Niesen (2362m.)
• Faulhorn (2681m.)
• Stockhorn (2190m.)
• Jungfrau (4158m.)
• Wildstrubel (3243.5m.)
• Schilthorn (2970m.) with Piz Gloria
• Finsteraarhorn (4274m., the highest peak in the area)
• Blüemlisalp (Wyssi Frau 3652m., Morgenhorn 3626m. Blüemlisalphorn 3664m.)

Hiking in the Bernese Oberland

The magnificent and unique mountain panoramas will satisfy your wanderlust. Here you can experience unforgettable hiking holidays with impressive views or summit hikes in this unforgettable natural landscape of the Bernese Oberland. It is now time to go on exciting circular tours, climb spectacular ridges, climb peaks or explore the unique moorland landscapes. Interlaken is waiting with its

• Diverse, well-signposted hiking trail networks of all levels of difficulty,
• Impressive panoramic views of the mountains as well as Lake Thun and Lake Brienz,
• rustic alpine huts and mountain restaurants with Swiss specialties,
• adventurous themed trails for young and old and
• Impressive high-altitude hikes and panoramic trails for every fitness level; on you

The 10 best hiking routes in the Bernese Oberland

1-    Brienz Lake shore path

The starting point of the hike is Niederried, which is easily accessible with the central train from Interlaken Ost. If you are traveling in summer, the ship is highly recommended. On the ship you can experience different perspectives of the hiking route. The first part of the route, the stretch to Ringgenberg/Säge, was added to the official hiking trail network in 2018.

Passing the cozy seaside resort, right after the buildings we reach the beautiful Entenstein Brätliplatz. The riverside path always climbs slightly after a forest passage, crosses the railway and ends right in front of the Ringgenberg on the main road. We follow this path for approx.300m. to Ringgenberg/Säge In the center of this small town there is a large playground surrounded by the arches of the striking railway viaduct. We cross under the viaduct and hike along the Bühliweg through the wonderful forest passage. Shortly afterwards we walk downhill to the lake. Our hike continues along the varied riverside path passage, with its lovely opportunities for breaks, and continues to the Ringgenberg boat station. Just above this are the Ringgenberg church and castle ruins.

These buildings should definitely be visited and you should climb the wall of the restored castle ruins, where you can enjoy the excellent view of the blue-green Lake Brienz. We continue following the “Katzenpfad” signs to Goldswil/Katzenpfad. Here we are now under the end of Lake Brienz with the outflow of the Aare, which takes us to the railway bridge. We walk over the iron bridge, along the south side of the Aare and shortly afterwards reach the Interlaken Ost train station. The hiking trail takes us over a varied route, past the north side of the Aare, to the valley station of the Harderbahn. We also reach Interlaken Ost train station via the English Garden and the Aare.

2-    Llüderenalp – Napf – Luthern Bad

The route starts at Lüderenalp, which you can only reach by bus on weekends. Otherwise you should drive your private car. Already at the Berghotel Lüderenalp we have a wonderful view, which we can enjoy as a doping for the hike.

We set off leisurely and follow the gentle ups and downs in the typical Emmental. Here we have fantastic views of Mönch, Eiger, Jungfrau, Stockhorn, Blüemlisalp, Sustenhorn and many more. We continue hiking along the route for two hours and reach the Lushütte. If necessary, you can take a break or even spend the night here. We hike for another 30 minutes. and arrive at the Hochänzi self-catering stand.

Then we move on again and are approx.3 hours. on the route Now we come to the Niederänzi alpine restaurant. Our climb to the Napf begins here, where we first walk comfortably through the forest and then the path becomes increasingly steeper. Suddenly the bowl drops to 1408m. look. The summit of Napf belongs to the municipality of Trub. The cantons of Bern and Lucerne border each other just north of the summit. The 360° panorama is incomparable!

We continue through the forest over a few steep bends to descend to Luthern Bad. First we hike to the Traschelegg mountain restaurant, where we have 180° views. On the last part of the path we walk along the Luthern River and soon we reach Luthern Bad.

3-    Reichenbach Falls & Aare Gorge

Reichenbachfall is known from the sad event on April 4th. May 1891. On this day, the English master detective Sherlock Holmes lost his life in Reichenbach Falls. He lost his balance in a dizzying place and fell. It is marked as a star on the rock face.

This route starts at Meinringen train station. Here we walk through the village down to the Aare. After we cross the bridge, we go right to the valley station and take the cable car up to the Reichenbach Falls. As soon as we arrive at the waterfall, a path leads us to the viewpoint. Then we go up through the basin from the mountain station. Here the highest Reichenbachfall falls 75m. down. We walk over the Reichenbach to Zwirgi and below the inn we come to the path to the hamlet of Geissholz. Here we go north to the road on the Kirchet Pass near Lammiboden, where there is heavy traffic. We go northwest through the forest to the Aare, which we reach at the sandy footbridge. We continue on the road to the right to the western entrance to the Aare Gorge and then through the gorge to the eastern entrance, where we briefly go steeply downhill to the banks of the Aare and uphill by the river to Innertkirchen. We return with the Meiringen-Innertkirchen railway from Innertkirchen, parallel to the gorge.

4-    Laurensee – Iffigenalp

We take the post bus to the starting point at Lake Lauenen. Here we go uphill on the first very steep path, which sometimes has steps towards us. On this route we need approx.1 H. until we reach the end of the steep climb into the wide and large pasture. The path generally takes us through cool forest paths up to the tree line.

We follow our hiking trail on meadows and meadows, initially climbing a little gently, then rising sharply again to the Stiertungel-Beiz. Now we follow the path in front of us, up to the Tungelpass and from there on a steep and stony path over the Hängstesprung at 2317m. You should be sure-footed on this path because of the steepness and scree. After we arrive, the pleasant plateau path leads us first up and then slightly downhill again to Iffigsee. From here we take another steep path down to Iffigenalp.

5-    Griesalp – Gspaltenhornhütte – Bundalp – Griesalp

Our route starts on the Griesalp in the Kiental, which we can reach with the post bus from Reichenbach. We now hike to the Gspaltenhornhütte, from the bus stop we cross the bridge to the Golderli mountain hut with its sun terrace. Here you have a wide choice of options for staying and relaxing.

From here we go on a small road via Steinenberg to Bürgli, past the alpine huts. The hut path now leads us along the upper edge of the gorge into Gamchi to the alpine hut. Here we come to a path that is narrower and steeper and leads us across the alpine pastures. We come to a rock face and walk approx.100m. over the ledge, which is partly a little wet and slippery, but secured by ropes. We then continue hiking across the open area and pass two wooden bridges to Sillere. Finally we come to the moraine of the Gamchi glacier. For the next 200 meters we go steeper uphill and then flat again to the Gspaltenhornhütte.

The ascent begins from the Gspaltenhornhütte and initially takes us approx.30 min. on the way to point 2107. At the fork we turn left and climb briefly above Bettstatt, followed by a descent down to Oberloch, which then rises again opposite. We walk across the alpine pastures to the Bundläger Alphütte and shortly afterwards to the Oberi Bundalp, to the Berghaus Bundalp. Depending on your suitability, you can spend the night here and have a great time. The day after we walk from Berghaus Bundalp via Underi Bundalp and via Lärchenboden back to Griesalp.

6-    Merligen – Beatenbucht – Beatushöhlen – Interlaken West

Our route starts at the bus stop in Merligen on Lake Thun. At the signpost in the direction of Beatushöhlen to the Pilgrims' Way / Way of St. James, continue until we come through the village up into the forest onto the gravel path. Past the funicular we come to the Beatenberg and continue to climb. After we reach the top, a beautiful panorama opens up to Lake Thun and the mountains around. Here we can take a break on the benches and enjoy the view. We cross the Budelbach via the covered wooden bridge and continue to the huge Balmholz quarry. Along a fire pit, we reach a park that is located below the Beatus Caves with a waterfall.

We visit the Beatus Caves and then follow the pilgrimage route towards Interlaken. You can easily walk along the path, some of which has been blasted out of the rocks. After around 30 minutes. hiking, we are in Sundlauenen and the path leads down to the boat station. We walk a bit past the lake and through the village. We continue to hike through the forest, then downhill again to the lake to the Manor Farm campsite, next to the restaurant in Neuhaus.

Here we follow the lakeside path and reach the Weissenau nature reserve. In the federal inventory of natural monuments and landscapes, the nature reserve is of national importance and is home to many bird species. At the Weissenau ruins we leave the nature reserve, cross the Aare on the footbridge and walk straight ahead past the ship canal to the Interlaken West train station.

7-    Gasterntal – Lötschenpasshütte – Lauchernalp

This hiking route follows the oldest glacier pass between the Bernese Oberland and the Valais. They promise spectacular views of the Bietschhorn and the Rhone Valley.

The route starts at the Gasthof Steinbock in Selden, which we reach by taxi bus from Kandersteg. From here we go down to the Kander and cross it on the suspension bridge. The hiking trail is very well marked and takes us along serpentines along the waterfalls up to Gfelalp. We go up over the alpine pastures and reach Schönbüel. At the high level we have a magnificent view of the valley and its rock faces.

Here we begin the climb up under the east face of the Balmhorn and up to just below the Balme. Now we cross to the moraine and approx.1km. long on the Lötschen glacier, which takes us over long stretches. We continue on to the moraine opposite and follow it in a southerly direction to the rocky outcrop. We still have approx.45 mins on steep and rocky passages secured by wire ropes.

When we arrive at the Lötsche Pass, we look at the magnificent view of the Valais four-thousanders. We can enjoy our rest at the Lötschenpasshütte. There are both shared rooms and double rooms in the hut! You can enjoy an overnight stay here. If you want to descend back to Lauchernalp from the Lötschenpasshütte, you can follow the marked hiking trail for 2 hours. Take a long hike and you'll be there.

8-    Brienzer Rothorn – Arnihaaggen – Brünigpass

Our route starts at the Brienzer Rothorn, which can be reached either by steam cog railway from Brienz or by cable car from Sörenberg in Mariental.

From the cable car mountain station we first go through the tunnel gallery and hike down to the Eiseesattel, accompanied by the wonderful view of the Eisee. Opposite we follow the counter climb in the direction of Arnihaaggen and bypass it to the south. After we reach the top, we head back downhill on the ridge path to Zwischenegggrat. On the path we come along the southern side of Höch Gumme to the Gibel fork in the road. After a 10 minute You can hike from here to the Berghaus Schönbüel.

From Gibel our hike continues on the Obwaldner Höhenweg and goes downhill over the Scheidegg ridge to the Tüfengrat and another climb up the Wilerhorn begins. After we reach the top, a wonderful view of Lake Brienz opens up again and the fantastic view of the Wetterhorn, Rosenhorn, Mittelhorn, the Brienzergrat, the Pilatus and many others. At the Wilerhorn we leave the ridge and walk along a narrow path in serpentines in a southerly direction, downhill via Wilder Vorsess, Oberberg, Schäri to the Brünnigpass with its train and bus connections and places to stop for refreshments.

9-    The high trail from Grütschalp to Gimmelwald

We start from Lauterbrunnen by gondola up to Grütschalp. Then we follow the path to Mürren for a few minutes before turning right on the mountain path towards Bletschenalp. Luckily, the steepest route runs in the cool forest. Then we turn left on Bletschenalp to the Höhenweg in the direction of Mürren.

Now we continue hiking on a flat path until we briefly climb to Dorenhubel. Here we arrive at the Winteregg chairlift and hike along Maulerhubel before going slightly downhill to Ägertenbach and then briefly climbing up the steep path to Allmendhubel.

The route continues down into the Blumental and to the Suppenalp restaurant. We are now on the so-called “Northface Trail”. Here you can find your way through the boards with descriptions of the climb on the opposite side of the valley. As soon as we are under the Schiltgrat chairlift, we continue leisurely to the Schilt Alpwirtschaft. Then past the alp and slightly uphill into the Schilttal until we see a signpost. We turn left and go down to the Schiltbach, where we then stay on the side of the stream and follow it downhill for a bit. We continue down through the flower meadows to Spielbodenalp.

Now we descend to Gimmelwald, at the edge of the meadow. We continue until we reach an intersection and then to the Sprutz waterfall. In the forest we walk downhill on a beautiful little path with many curves. You can hear the sound of the water from far away. We follow the path to the last corner and then see the waterfall. Our path goes directly behind the waterfall and we come to the path on the opposite side. This path then leads us partly up steep steps out of the ditch. The two paths then connect again and go first through forest and then across meadows down to Gimmelwald.

Finally we take the gondola lift first down to Stechelberg and then the post bus to Lauterbrunnen.

10- From the First to the Schynige Platte

The route starts with the beautiful cable car ride from Grindelwald to the First mountain station. Here we first have to overcome a short but steep climb up to the rubber hut. You can already partially see the jagged peaks of Schreckhorn, Wetterhorn and Finsteraarhorn in the valley. After a short hike we reach the Bachalpsee on our way from the Gummihütte. The reflection of the majestic Schreckhorn opens up on the beautiful Bernese Alps. Across wide meadows and many benches, you have the opportunity to take a long break and take in the overwhelming panoramas.

The Säumerweg leads us uphill behind the lake in the direction of the Burgihütte. We hike past two shelters and reach the bottom of the alley. This Faulhorn point offers an overwhelming view of all the mountain giants in the Bernese Oberland. The Berghotel Faulhorn at 2681m. Höhe, is the oldest mountain hotel in Switzerland. It was built in 1830 and stands upright as it did on the first day. At the time, the building was considered an admirable achievement.

From the Faulhorn we walk downhill over scree to the Männdlenen mountain inn, where we can fortify ourselves and even spend the night. We continue along the panoramic path down to the Schynige Platte.

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