Hiking in 3 days around Lake Thun
It is the Easter weekend 2024 and in Switzerland that means a long weekend off! As Easter falls early this year, it is this weird point in the hiking season; either you go skiing or you go hiking. With no talent for skiing, I choose the latter. There is plenty of snow in the mountains, so I opted for a easy multiday hike around Lake Thun, or Thunersee in German. It is one of the many regional routes as signposted by the Swiss Hiking Association with number 26 (“Thunersee Panoramaweg”). This early in spring, the trees were still without leaves. Although this meant my view on the lake was less obstructed, I guess it is prettier in summer, and also autumn must be stunning.
The route is 63 kilometers long, and officially starts in Thun. It offers breathtaking views on the Alps, the lake and has not 1 but 2 hanging bridges, multiple waterfalls and goes through forests and meadows. You pass through the cute towns of Thun and Spiez, and walk past an insta-famous attraction; the Beatus Caves. Not much of the route actually is directly on the shores of the lake, but you often are a bit higher up, so you have a better view.
The offical route is divided into 4 stages. You start in Thun, but as it is a circular hike, you can basically start anywhere along the route. Thun, Spiez and Interlaken are all well connected by train. I hiked the route in 3 days, and opted to sleep at campsites. There are however plenty of hotels around the route, in case you need a bit more luxury.
Day 1: Thun – Beatenberg
Starting at the railway station in Thun, you pass through the old town with its magificant castle and across the old wooden bridge. First along the river, and slowly making your way up through the outskirts of town, before entering the forest. At Balmflue I had to cross a stream, and there was no bridge. So taking off my shoes to cross though the chilly water was a thing. You pass through cute little villages and after 11 km you’ll encounter hanging bridge number 1; the Sigriswil panorama bridge. As someone with fear of heights, this was a solid “face your fears” moment, that thing is 182 off the valey floor! It costs 8 CHF to cross (either you pay at the ranger on the far side of the bridge, coming from Thun), or you drop the money into the metal pillar on either side of the bridge. It is free on your birthday! If you don’t want to fork out the money, you can also take the hiking path down into the gorge.
From Sigriswil it is slowly down, through meadows and forrests. At the end of the day, I passed by the Beatushöhlen, or caves. On a holiday, as was the case, it is packed with tourists. From here I left the route, as I booked a small campsite in Beatenberg, which is 400 meters up from the caves, along the towering cliff. There are some campsites along the route a few kilometers from the caves on the lake shores, but these were massive and I like the smaller farmer’s camping.
So I ended up at Camping Wang, with a perfect view on the opposite side of the lake, with snowcapped mountains.
Day 2: Beatenberg – Krattingen
On the second day I got up early, packed my tent and made a coffee, before hiking back the way I came up. This early I had the views at the waterfalls for myself and I joined the route again blisfully alone. From here I walked on the shores of the lake in the early sping sunshine. Around Interlaken the route got a bit less idyllic. To pass the southside of the lake, all infrastructure has to pass between the water and a mountain. This means the highway, trains and electricity lines all are packed together. So between Interlaken and Därligen the route is not the prettiest. However, from Därlingen the path goes higher up again, slowly climbing to 1000 high meters, and away from the hustle and bustle. On this stretch you also encounter hanging bridge number 2. Not as high, but still high enough to give me the jitters. No payment for this bridge required. From the highest point I hiked down to Krattigen, got myself some snacks at the Volg supermarket (open even on Sundays!) and camped at campsite Stuhlegg. Luckily I got there early, so I could set up my tent before the rain came in.
Day 3: Krattingen – Thun
It stopped raining in the night, so I could pack up my soaked tent, get some coffee in my system and start hiking. Hiking down towards the lake, the route was diverted due to maintenance. Impeccable as always, the signs were adjusted, so you don’t get lost. This part of the hike is very pittoresque, along Faulensee until you reach the town of Spiez. You go up and walk through the castle grounds, and through the vineyards. Don’t forget to turn back every now and then, the views from the hill onto the town, the lake and the mountains look like a postcard picture.
Some rolling hills and then down for the last stretch back to Thun, along the lake. It was Easter sunday, and all the Swiss were out and about, with lots of barbecueing in the parks. You follow the lake all the way back to Thun, and in the early afternoon I got my train back home.
