On the sunny shore of Lake Brienz

18.06 km long
Difficulty: medium
Condition: medium
Hiking Trail
  • 5:30 h
  • 18.06 km
  • 550 m
  • 540 m
  • 565 m
  • 760 m
  • 195 m
  • Start: Interlaken
  • Destination: Brienz

Very varied, sunny section of the Brienz Lake circular trail. Cozy villages, ruins, lush mountain meadows and magnificent forests line the path to the woodcarving and violin-making village of Brienz. The colors blue and green dominate the landscape: the dark green of the extensive fir forest on the opposite lakeside appears serious under the blue of the mountain sky. The lake surface gleams an unfathomable blue-green. In the second part of the hike, passage can sometimes be difficult after storms. Hard surfaces only in the settlement areas.

From Interlaken East station through the underpass to the boat station and along the Aare riverbank towards Lake Brienz. Rising at the railway bridge, switch to the other riverbank to the lowest houses of Goldswil. On the left, the Goldswil hill rises with the widely visible church ruin. The Romanesque-style church built in the 12th century once served the parishes of Ringgenberg, Unterseen and Habkern. It was abandoned in 1671 due to dilapidation and restored between 1940 and 1945 under the guidance of the Lake Shore Protection Association of Thun and Brienz Lakes. Hidden behind the now to be walked wooded ridge lies the idyllic Burgseewli. The view of Lake Brienz and the opposite mountain range of the Schynige Platte is magnificent.
Following a line of magnificent holiday homes, one now reaches the church of Ringgenberg and shortly afterwards turns to the main road (to the station 10 min). On a small road, it goes over a meadow ridge ridgeways and then almost flat over a meadow path to a quarry. A wonderful view of the lake far below. Over a wooded rocky ridge, you soon reach the ruin of Schadburg. East of the ruin, the path leads out of the small forest and first gently, then steeper, down to Niederried/Wyssechen (to the station 5 min). Here initially on the small road, then over a forest road uphill to the Farlouwi ditch and through the forest and over clearings slightly downhill to Oberried. Wonderful views of the lake, Iseltwald, and the nearby Schnäggeninsel. Now first on the main road to the station, then below the road to the nearby underpass to the church (nice viewpoint!) and eastwards over the meadow ridge to the forest. During the now easy hike through colorful mixed forest, you cross several ditches whose mountain streams cause havoc after storms, often interrupting the path. After the Unterweidli ditch (to the Ebligen stop 5 min), the path rises very steeply shortly and then leads in an entertaining up and down over Dorni–Ried down to Brienz. Through the narrow village lanes with their brown-burnt houses or over the lakeside promenade, you finally reach Brienz station. The mountain streams swollen disastrously after the heavy rains of summer 2005 unfortunately destroyed part of the village.

Berner Wanderwege
Berner Wanderwege

Good to know

Pavements

Asphalt
Gravel
Path
Trail
Street

Best to visit

suitable
Depends on weather

Directions

Interlaken - Ringgenberg - Niederried - Oberried - Brienz

Equipment

We recommend the following equipment: lightweight trekking shoes, light backpack, sun protection, rain jacket, pocket pharmacy, light picnic, sufficient fluids, mobile phone.

Directions & Parking facilities

Paid parking spaces at Interlaken East station

Outbound: By train to Interlaken East

Return: By train from Brienz

Additional information

Bernese Hiking Trails Association, Bern, Tel.: 031 340 01 01, E-Mail: info@beww.ch, Homepage: www.bernerwanderwege.ch

Literature

Hiking suggestion from the hiking book Jungfrau Region Brienz Lake - Oberhasli, hiking book series of the Bernese hiking trails

License (master data)

Safety guidelines

This route runs exclusively on marked paths of the hiking trail category.

 

Map

Swisstopo hiking map 1:50,000 254T Interlaken

Nearby

Address

On the sunny shore of Lake Brienz
Interlaken (Gemeinde)