10 Attractions in Lake Thun That Make the Lake Worth a Visit
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When I explored Switzerland and created my 4-day and 6-day itineraries, I discovered more than a dozen beautiful lakes.
There’s Lake Thun and Lake Brienz — two beautiful attractions near Interlaken; Lake Lucerne beside the beautiful city of Lucerne; Bachalpsee near Grindelwald; Riffelsee near Zermatt; Lake Geneva, Lake Lugano, Lake Oeschinen, and more. Each one is beautiful — I have to say! But they’re not all equally worth it.
For a blend of experiences that includes not only lakeshore sightseeing, breathtaking scenery, and relaxing boat rides, consider Lake Thun.
Around Lake Thun, you can find a legendary cave, a panoramic bridge, a uniquely shaped mountain, and magical castles. I even call Lake Thun ‘Switzerland’s fairy tale lake’ because there are not just two or three castles around it, but five!
I think it’s Switzerland’s version of Lake Como in Italy. But instead of villas, Lake Thun has castles.
Another advantage of Lake Thun over other lakes in Switzerland is its strategic location, easily accessible from big cities such as Bern.
Also, it’s closer to the Jungfrau Region, which is one of Switzerland’s top destinations. If you’re staying in Bern for a couple of days or decide to spend a few days in the Jungfrau Region, Lake Thun is one of the easiest day trips you can take.
Let me show you in detail the amazing places and experiences around Lake Thun and why you must visit it on your next trip to Switzerland.
In case you need it, here’s my one-day itinerary for Lake Thun.
Lake Thun, one of Switzerland’s largest lakes, is nestled in the Bernese Oberland, the mountainous region of the Canton of Bern.
If you’re journeying from Bern, Zurich, or Geneva, the town of Thun is your nearest destination on Lake Thun.
From Bern, Thun is approximately 30 kilometers or 18.5 miles to the south. You can reach it by a 20-minute train ride or a 30-minute drive, assuming a moderate speed.
Other large towns around Lake Thun are Spiez and Interlaken, which are located on the southwestern shores and southeastern tip of the lake, respectively.
Both are accessible via train from Bern. These towns also serve as the major transportation hubs around Lake Thun. Once you reach them, you can start exploring the lake by boat, bus, and of course, train.
The eastern shores of Lake Thun are serviced by buses, while trains service the other side.
Ferry services are available all year round, although there are fewer ferry departures during the winter season. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, the public transportation in Lake Thun is free (or covered).
Of course, you can also explore Lake Thun with your car. However, unless your main goal is to have an unforgettable scenic road trip, I wouldn’t recommend using a car to get around.
Before you visit Lake Thun, however, there are a few things to remember.
Since Lake Thun is an outdoor attraction, the overall experience at the lake may vary per season. Some places of interest offer lesser experiences during winter.
For instance, Oberhofen Castle’s museum isn’t accessible during this time.
The weather also greatly affects the overall beauty of the lake. Please lower your expectations if the forecast isn’t predicting sunny weather during your trip. Consider this photo of Oberhofen Castle during a foggy day as a visual explanation.
1. Thun Castle
Among the attractions around Lake Thun, Thun Castle could be the first you’ll visit.
Located in Thun, this castle is easily accessible from Switzerland’s major cities. It’s just a few minutes’ walk from the town’s train station. Today, it functions as a museum where you can discover new cultural and historical items.
What makes Thun Castle a factor in why Lake Thun is an amazing place to explore is the view it offers from its tower.
From there, you can see an overlooking panorama that includes Thun, Lake Thun, and the snowy peaks of the Bernese Oberland.
A magical scene of Thun Stadtkirche with the snow-capped mountains in the background can be captured from the tower! Here’s my short guide to help you make the most of your visit to Thun Castle.
If you wish, after your visit to Thun Castle, you can explore the Old Town of Thun to see some of Thun’s picture-perfect sights. For your convenience in locating other attractions in Thun, see my map of Thun.
You might find these interesting!
2. Schadau Castle
Another reason why Lake Thun is a splendid destination is definitely Schadau Castle.
This castle, also located in the town of Thun, sits in an English park beside the point where Lake Thun starts flowing down to the Aare River. It’s a 15-minute walk from Thun’s train station or a quick bus ride (bus #1).
If you love architecture, Schadau Castle is a must-see as it’s one of the most notable historical and architectural masterpieces in the Bernese Oberland.
Its imposing neo-gothic exteriors and preserved 1850s interiors are a marvel you can’t miss. They are a feast for the eyes!
Some notable features of its interiors are the sandstone spiral staircase at the entrance, the elegant faux marble in the eastern corridor, and the leather wall coverings in Rougemont Hall.
The scenes inside the castle will make you feel like you’re a prince or princess in your own fairytale story.
However, as far as I know, only checked-in visitors can tour Schadau Castle. Nonetheless, you can still explore its scenic park where you can take in the idyllic views of the mountains of the Bernese Oberland and Lake Thun.
There, you can also find the hidden gem of Thun, which is the Thun Panorama.
3. Hunegg Castle
Often, I notice that the older the buildings, the more elaborate and impressive they appear. Hunegg Castle is an exception.
Despite being less than 200 years old, I believe the castle remains not only one of Lake Thun’s most notable structures but in all of Bernese Oberland!
From the outside, Schadau Castle appears more pleasing to the eye than Hunegg Castle.
However, when it comes to the interiors, Hunegg Castle is unique and incomparable to other castles around Lake Thun, all thanks to the Art Nouveau style it embodies. Absolutely marvelous!
If you are on a budget and wish to enter a real castle, Hunegg Castle is a great alternative to Schadau Castle. This castle functions as a museum with permanent exhibitions.
You don’t need to book expensive accommodation just to see its rooms and halls.
4. Oberhofen Castle
Switzerland has some of the most magical scenery in the world, reminiscent of scenes from fairy tale movies and series on the big screen.
One such place is Oberhofen, a small town on the northern shores of Lake Thun. Oberhofen is home to its own castle, aptly named Oberhofen Castle. It’s here that your fantasies from your favorite fantasy movies can come to life.
For me, Oberhofen Castle is one of the main reasons why Lake Thun is worth visiting.
Oberhofen Castle is Lake Thun’s counterpart to the famous Chillon Castle near Montreux on Lake Geneva. It’s a feast for the eyes, especially its water tower, for which Oberhofen Castle is renowned.
It can be photographed against the backdrop of the snowy peaks of the Bernese Alps.
Most importantly, this castle, dating back to the 13th century, has an iconic picture-perfect appearance, an expansive scenic park, a magnificent castle museum, and a restaurant where you can create an ultimately memorable moment to cherish for a lifetime.
Here’s everything you need to know before you visit Oberhofen Castle.
5. Spiez Castle
Among the castles around Lake Thun, Spiez Castle has the longest history, as early as the early medieval ages.
Parts of the castle grounds, such as its chapel, date back to the 8th century.
As Spiez Castle is located in Spiez, a town on the southern shores of Lake Thun, this castle lets you see a distinct scenery compared to the rest of the lake’s castles.
You would like to come here to behold a different perspective of the Bernese Oberland, with vineyards surrounding you.
Spiez Castle makes Lake Thun worth exploring as it gives an experience that’s a blend of beautiful natural scenery and fascinating history.
Interestingly, as you learn Spiez Castle’s history, you discover the different parts of the castle you can explore when you visit it.
It also offers an opportunity to witness the evolution of a castle over time. From its medieval tower to its baroque garden hall, the castle has undergone many modifications and renovations over the centuries, and so on…
6. Panoramabrücke Sigriswil
If you are looking for an epic vantage point of Lake Thun, you should try Sigriswil.
Sigriswil is a small town on the slopes of Sigriswiler Rothorn, approximately 300 meters above the surface of Lake Thun. If you are from Thun, you can get to Sigriswil with just a single thirty-minute bus ride (Bus #25).
Visiting Sigriswil, you get a rewarding view of Lake Thun with unobstructed views of Mount Niesen—the pyramid mountains of Switzerland.
The best views, however, are found in the town’s main tourist attraction, the Panorama Bridge.
Sigriswil Panorama Bridge is a 340-meter-long suspension bridge that connects Sigriswil and Aeschlen.
It is a part of the famous 56-kilometer hiking trail around lake Thun, a bridge that hangs 182 meters over Gummischlucht gorge.
In my opinion, this bridge is also a reason why lake Thun is worth visiting because of the exhilarating feeling that you can have while crossing it.
Not only does it have a height to thrill you to the bone, but most importantly, because of the breathtaking view you can see from the bridge.
7. Saint Beatus Caves
Another reason why lake Thun is worth visiting is because of the various experiences that this lake offers.
There’s more to just a calming cruise, fairytale castles, and breathtaking viewpoints. Lake Thun also has a subterranean wonderland, and it’s called Saint Beatus Caves.
Because of Saint Beatus Caves, your Lake Thun trip can still be worth it, even if it is raining, foggy, or snowing!
Saint Beatus Caves is open all year round, and the overall experience you can have inside the cave is waterproof.
If you’ve been inside another cave and seen stalagmites, stalactites, and mirror pools before, most of what you’ll see in Saint Beatus won’t be new.
Of course, it’ll not totally be the same as the other caves. In a way, Saint Beatus Caves can still be a unique experience as it’s a mix of history/culture and nature. And you’ll see it as early as the start of your trip inside Saint Beatus Caves.
8. Niederhorn
For me, the Jungfrau Region is the ultimate destination in the Bernese Oberland. It has some of the best once-in-a-lifetime experiences and heaven-on-earth scenery that nothing can compare!
However, if we talk about awe-inspiring views, we can’t deny that the scenery from the mountaintops surrounding Lake Thun is nearly as spectacular as the ones in the Jungfrau Region.
That’s why exploring Lake Thun and visiting its points of interest are also worth exploring, for example, Niederhorn.
Niederhorn is one of the easiest-to-reach summits around Lake Thun.
Visitors can quickly reach this peak from Beatenberg by cable car.
On the other hand, the cable car station in Beatenberg is only a 30-minute bus ride from Interlaken (hop on bus #101 and alight at Beatenberg-Niederhorn cable car station).
9. Mount Niesen
Some of the best places to visit in Switzerland have their own natural landmarks.
For Zermatt, it’s Matterhorn; Jungfrau Region, it’s Lauterbrunnen Valley or the Jungfrau Massif (Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau). For Lake Thun, we have Mount Niesen.
Mount Niesen is a 2362-meter-high mountain in the Bernese Alps, a breathtaking tourist attraction around Lake Thun. It is also one of the factors why Lake Thun is worth visiting (and for a few reasons).
The first reason is that Mount Niesen has a unique shape, which it is famous for.
It looks triangular when seen from Lake Thun. And because of that, people start calling it the Pyramid of Switzerland.
It’s in Mount Niesen that you can also find a world record, the longest stairway in the world—the second reason.
Although the stairway is only accessible a few days a year during a stair run event, visitors can still see it when they go up to the summit of Mount Niesen through the funicular. The stairway is literally just beside the funicular railway.
Can you imagine how awesome it is to see a world record? Overall, the stairway in Mount Niesen is 11,674 steps.
10. Harder Kulm
As you may have discovered by now, the best vantage points of Lake Thun (Niederhorn and Mount Niesen) require effort and time to reach.
But, with Harder Kulm, it’s not absolutely the case!
1322 meters high at the southern tip of Lake Thun, Harder Kulm is again another beautiful vantage point of Lake Thun. It is one of the top destinations in the Jungfrau Region, featuring a viewing deck protruding from the mountain.
Visitors to Harder Kulm’s viewing deck enjoy the awe-inspiring view overlooking the Jungfrau Region and Interlaken, sandwiched between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.
It is a unique spectacular landscape that makes one ask, ‘How was this beauty even possible?’ Expect to get thrilled, too. Standing on the platform, it’s going to be all hollowness below you. Imagine that!
Harder Kulm is very close to Interlaken. You can reach Harder Kulm within 10 minutes from this town through the funicular that starts at the valley, a few steps from Interlaken OST.
Learn more about Harder Kulm and discover everything that you can expect to see in Harder Kulm here.
Resources
Visual Summary of Experiences and Attractions at Lake Thun
So, that’s all for my list of beautiful things to see in Lake Thun. Isn’t this lake amazing?? If you need to learn more about the different places mentioned in this post, you may check the websites linked below.
- Lake Thun Boat Schedule
- SBB Trains and Public Transportation Schedule
- Schadau Castle Hotel and Restaurant
- Hunegg Castle Official Website (German)
- Spiez Castle Official Website
- Saint Beatus Caves Official Website
- Niederhorn Official Website
- Mount Niesen Official Website
Did I somehow convince you to see Lake Thun and its tourist attractions? If yes, here are some of my recommended tours to different places in Lake Thun and passes that are helpful in exploring the lake:
- Lake Thun Tours – Visit 3 of the top attractions around Lake Thun (Thun, Saint Beatus Caves, Panorama Bridge) plus a bonus destination: Lake Blausee.
- Lake Thun Unlimited Boat Ride – See the tourist attractions around Lake Thun at your own phase.
- Swiss Travel Pass – Unlimited use of public transportation (bus, trams, trains, boat). This is recommended if you are planning a week-long Switzerland trip.
Plan Your Trip Now
Here are my recommended services
Did you know that, aside from Lake Thun, there’s another lake in the Alps that looks totally fairytale-ish too? Here’s a clue: it’s very famous, it inspired a Disney movie, and it’s one of the top trips from Salzburg as well as one of the most beautiful day trips from Vienna within Austria.
