Any first time tourist to Switzerland would definitely visit the tourist spots in the Bernese Oberland region and pass through Interlaken. The town is speedily accessible by train from all the main towns and this affords a viable option of staying away from the town.The other option is of course making the town your base for further exploration of the region. Most travel agencies prefer the former perhaps because of the lower hotel costs.

We took the direct train from Zurich main to Interlaken via Bern as the shortest distance via Luzern required a change of train. The last bit of the journey from Thun to Interlaken is along the shores of Lake Thun and presents a gorgeous view of the surrounding hills and the lake before crossing the Aar river just before entering Interlaken Ost station. Do sit on the left side of the train for best views and photos.

Interlaken is nestled between the twin lakes of Thun and Brienz . Boat cruises are offered on both the lakes and we chose the Brienze cruise as the jetty was alongside the station. As we had a Swiss Travel pass the trip was free but tickets are available at the pier, or on the boat or even online. The round trip cruise from Interlaken to Brienze takes about two and a half hours while touching many charming Swiss villages enroute . Apart from a round trip other options such as one way/ short cruise/breakfast/ cruise and train options are also possible. Combine this with a meal on board and round off the experience .

We set out on the afternoon cruise from the pier at Interlaken on MV Brienz -With a chill wind blowing in our hair and a panoramic view of the Alps we made a few stops at charming Swiss villages all looking typical of picture postcards on tourist brochures before we reaching Iseltwald village. Get off and spend some time and continue on to Brienz or return on the next boat or better still consider staying at one of the hotels at these villages. You can spend time at every stop but I picked the two most prominent ones – Iseltwald and Giessbach, Do not miss a view of Seeburg castle ( Schloss Seeburg) at Istelwald .

The boat then crosses the lake and heads back to Giessbach village. Take a break and go up the funicular, have lunch at the Grand Hotel or else continue along for a view of the Giessbach falls roaring down into Lake Brienz, Sit on the bow of the boat and watch it cutting through the cutting through the turquoise waters of the lake or sit in the cafe and watch the Alpine scenery while sipping a beer till you reach Brienz. I would suggest you set out by the first boat of the day which will give you ample time to explore the area around the lake.

As we approached Brienz dock we could see the the last train of the day on the Brienz-Rothorn rack railway steaming away.This route is perhaps the last of the steam railways still operating ! and we missed this boat(train). We got off the dock and decided not to take the boat on the return journey. Instead we walked around the town of Brienz and then headed back on the Panorama Express which traverses the northern edge of the lake all the way to Interlaken.

Brienz lake as with every other tourist attraction in Switzerland requires a lot of time to enjoy a complete experience of the history, geography and the local flavor besides of course the natural beauty. As always it is a tradeoff with the time available and so it is with Lake Brienz but then even a short cruise is better than none !

In my next post i shall cover our trip to Jungfraujoch the top of Europe.