Bernese Oberland

huenegg.ch, in German; Staaststrasse 52, Hilterfi
ngen; adult/child Sfr9/3; h2-5pm Mon-Sat &
11am-5pm Sun mid-May–mid-Oct) is a feast of
art nouveau and neo-Renaissance styles,
featuring fabulous 19th-century stuccoed
salons.
In summer, you can cool off on and
around the lake with activities ranging
from swimming and messing around in
boats to scuba-diving, windsurfi ng, waterskiing,
wakeboarding and sailing. Thun
tourist offi ce has a complete list of centres
and schools in its Thunersee brochure, or
see www.thunersee.ch.
Brienz
POP 3000 / ELEV 566M
Quaint and calm, Brienz peers across the
exquisitely turquoise waters of its namesake
lake to rugged mountains and thick
forests beyond. The deeply traditional
village has a stuck-in-time feel with its
tooting steam train and woodcarving
workshops. In town, mosey down postcardperfect
Brunngasse, a curving lane dotted
with stout wooden chalets, each seemingly
trying to outdo its neighbour with window
displays of vines, kitsch gnomes and
billowing geraniums.
1 Sights & Activities
Kids can splash around in the water playground
on the tree-fringed lake promenade.
Rothorn Bahn RAILWAY
(www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch; one way/return Sfr51/
80; hhourly 7.30am-4.30pm Jun-late Oct) This is
the only steam-powered cogwheel train still
operating in Switzerland, climbing 2350m,
from where you can set out on hikes or
enjoy the long views over Brienzersee to
snow-dusted 4000m peaks. Walking up
from Brienz takes around fi ve hours.
Schweizer Holzbildhauerei
Museum MUSEUM
(Hauptstrasse 111; adult/child Sfr5/free; h9am-
6pm May-Sep, 1.30-5.30pm Tue-Sat rest of year,
closed Jan & Nov) Several woodcarvers open
their attached workshops, including Jobin,
which has been in business since 1835. You
can see its intricately carved sculptures,
reliefs and music boxes in this museum.
4 Sleeping & Eating
Pick up a list of holiday apartments and
B&Bs at the tourist offi ce.
Hotel Steinbock HISTORIC HOTEL $$
(%033 951 40 55; www.steinbock-brienz.ch; Hauptstrasse
123; s Sfr130-160, d Sfr180-220; pW)
Guarded by a namesake Steinbock (ibex),
this beautiful pine chalet dates to 1787. Decorated
in warm terracotta hues, the plush
rooms have organic mattresses, fl at-screen
TVs and slick bathrooms with pebble-fl oored
showers for a spot of DIY refl exology. There’s
a cosy restaurant (mains Sfr27to Sfr46) and
wine cellar downstairs.
Camping Aaregg CAMPGROUND $
(%033 951 18 43; www.aaregg.ch; Seestrasse 22;
sites per adult/car & tent Sfr12/20; hApr-Oct)
Set on a little peninsula, this is a peaceful
lakeside campsite with excellent facilities
including a restaurant and playground. It’s
a 10-minute walk east of the train station.
Tea-Room Hotel Walz CAFE $$
(Hauptstrasse 102; mains Sfr29-35; h7.30am-
10pm, 7.30am-6.30pm Thu-Tue winter) Dirndlclad
waitresses bring hearty meals and
cakes to the table at this old-fashioned tea
room. Try the unfortunate-sounding but
tasty speciality Brienzer Krapfen, pastries
fi lled with dried pears.
Seerestaurant Löwen SWISS $$
(%033 951 12 41; Hauptstrasse 8; mains Sfr24-46;
h11.30am-9.30pm) Sit on the lakeside terrace
to choose from a vast array of fi sh dishes,
including beer-battered perch, catfi sh in
wholegrain mustard, and monkfi sh in green
curry. Meat-lovers, children and vegetarians
are also catered for.
8 Information
The train station, boat station, Rothorn Bahn
and post offi ce all huddle in the compact centre.
The tourist offi ce (%033 952 80 80;
Hauptstrasse 148; www.brienz-tourismus.ch;
h8am-6pm mid-Jun–Oct, closed Sat & Sun in
winter) is in the train station.
8 Getting There & Away
From Interlaken Ost, Brienz is accessible by train
(Sfr7.80, 20 minutes) or boat (Sfr28, Apr–mid-
Oct). The scenic Brünig Pass (1008m) is the
road route to Lucerne.
Around Brienz
FREILICHTMUSEUM BALLENBERG
For a fascinating insight into the rural
Switzerland of yore, visit Ballenberg
Open-Air Museum (www.ballenberg.ch; adult/
139
THE BERNESE LAKES OBERLAND SIGHTS & SIGHTS BRIENZ ACTIVITIES & ACTIVITIES