By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 8 February 2026 | Updated: 8th February 2026
Thinking about visiting Brienz, but not sure what to do in the area or how long to spend there? This little known location, in comparison to its neighbours Interlaken and Grindelwald, is a haven for local experiences, quiet walks and yet still some of the best blue waters and mountains views you can get in Switzerland, all without the hoards of tourists. Even when we visited Brienz in the peak of the summer and over Swiss National Day, (which the whole country gets as a holiday), we found it to be relatively quiet in comparison to other locations in the Bernese Alps, giving it that ‘not quite yet found’ feel.
Paragliders float across the skies, the local paddle steamer on the lake and steam train up to one of the local mountains fill the air with their wonderful tooting and the wood carving that initially made Brienz famous in Switzerland is on display at every corner. What more could you want from a true Swiss experience! So here is our Brienz itinerary for how to spend 1 to 5 days in this beautiful area.
📍Brienz Itinerary Day 1: Brienz Village & Brienzer Rothorn
📍Brienz Itinerary Day 2: Aareschlucht & Meiringen
📍Brienz Itinerary Day 3: Trauffer Museum & Ballenberg Open Air Museum
📍Brienz Itinerary Day 4: Giessbachfalls & Schnitzlerweg Axalp
📍Brienz Itinerary Day 5: Day trip to Interlaken & Brienzersee Cruise
Brienz Itinerary Map
The Perfect Brienz Itinerary: 1 to 5 Days
Below we have put together multiple itineraries from 1 day up to 5 days to make sure that you can make the most of your time in Brienz, and not miss any of the things that we really recommend you do. We’ve also included a couple of day trips in the surrounding area to help you figure out how many days you might want to spend with Brienz as your base.
It is however worth noting that your experiences can differ a lot depending on when you are visiting Brienz, and even if it was brilliant sunshine in the summer one year it doesn’t mean that will be the case every year! (On our last trip to Brienz in the summer it was supposed to be brilliant sunshine right up until the day we got there, then we had thunderstorms and heavy rain most evenings / nights). Quite a few of the local attractions also close for the winter, (we go into which ones below), so if you really want to experience them make sure you plan to visit accordingly.
Also, before setting out on any hikes throughout the area be sure to check the weather and any hiking trail statuses, you don’t want to be caught out on a trail that is closed or in bad weather up a mountain. You can find the trail information for the area here or via the Switzerland Mobility App, (be sure to turn on closure / diversion).
When staying at accommodation in the area you either get a free Berner Oberland Guest Card or a Camping Card Berner Oberland, which both give you discounted rates for local attractions. For a few of the things in the below Brienz itinerary you can get between 10 and 20% discount on entrance, so don’t forget to show them your card if you have it!
If you just plan on visiting Brienz, then we recommend you pay full fare on public transport as you go. If however you are visiting Brienz as part of a wider Swiss trip, then we highly recommend getting either the Berner Oberland Pass if you plan on staying around the Bernese Oberland, (this includes Brienz, Interlaken, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Kandersteg, Gstaad, Bern and Lucerne), or if you plan on heading further afield, getting the Half Fare Card, for 50% discount on all public transport, including trains, ferries, buses and mountain transport.
Unfortunately, a railway pass doesn’t work out just for the below 5 day Brienz itinerary as the cost of the pass is more than paying full price as you go.
You can of course get the Swiss Travel Pass, (we have a guide to the Swiss Travel Pass here), but this isn’t right for everyone, especially if you plan on doing some specific mountain trips, so be sure to check our guide out to see. If you are travelling with children, then those aged under 6 travel for free and those aged 6 to 16 pay half price.
Brienz Itinerary Day 1: Brienz Village & Brienzer Rothorn
You can’t have Brienz itinerary and not start the trip off with a wander around the pretty village, along the lakeside promenade and up the local mountain. Brienz is a really small village, you can easily walk from one side to the other in half an hour, so it won’t take long to see all the main sights, before spending the afternoon in the mountains.
To start off make your way from the main train station through the village main road, Hauptstrasse, to the west, passing past beautiful historic wooden buildings often covered in beautiful flower boxes and with cantonal flags flying. You will pass by the Schweizer Holzbildhauerei Museum, which is dedicated to woodworking which the village is so famous for, (if you’re interested in this then do visit, it costs CHF 9 per adult and children go free), before passing a couple of car parks which must have some of the best views in Switzerland. You will then find Brunngasse, which is often voted the most beautiful street in the world on the right hand side.
Now if we are being completely honest, there are a tonne of stunningly beautiful streets in Switzerland, (our home city Basel has some beautiful streets in the Altstadt, as does Lucerne and Zurich, and pretty much all Swiss villages are filled with timber buildings and covered in flowers, Appenzell and Gruyeres are prime examples!), but it is still worth wandering up Brunngasse, especially if you are visiting near Swiss National Day when all the flags are out. From the top of the street it is also worth walking the short way through the residential area around here, along Oberdorfstrasse, to the church that overlooks the village. It isn’t much inside in comparison to other churches in Switzerland, but the views from outside over Brienzersee are worth it.
After making your way back down to the lakeside from the church, (there are some steps around the back), follow the Via Jacobi, Route 4 that goes along the lake promenade, passing by numerous wooden sculptures created by local artists and pretty gardens, all with the bright turquoise lake at your side. If you are visiting during warmer weather don’t forget to bring some swim stuff with you, or at least dip your feet in the lake, it’ll be cold but refreshingly so!
We then recommend either grabbing lunch in Brienz, (you can grab something to go in the Coop for a lakeside picnic if the weather is good, or head to Pizzeria Aroma at Hauptstrasse 59, for some delicious pizza or lasagna), or depending on the time of your ticket to Brienzer Rothorn, have lunch up the mountain at Berghaus Rothorn Kulm.
Brienzer Rothorn is the local mountain to the village, and one that is often hidden by cloud, but very much worth a visit. With incredible views over the local area and fantastic walks you can do down the mountain and across to a neighbouring lake, as well as a unique trip to the top in a historic steam train, Brienzer Rothorn is unlike any other mountain in Switzerland. Plus as the top or on the way up you may even catch a glimpse of the local Steinbock that live up the mountain too!
Just be sure to book your Brienzer Rothorn tickets before you plan to visit as they often sell out well in advance, this does however mean that you can’t really make sure that the weather is going to be ideal… It can be clear and cloudless on the mountain webcam one minute and by the time you get to the top an hour later, (yes it does really take that long, it is a slow historic steam train after all!), it may have clouded over. But just wait a little, grab a warming drink, and the views are sure to come back.
At the top we recommend grabbing a bite to eat if you didn’t down in Brienz, before exploring the peak and, if you fancy it and the weather is good, heading out on one of three hikes in the area, (we have mapped three routes out in our above map), Brienzer Rothorn to Planalp, Planalp to Brienz or Brienzer Rothorn to Turren. It is worth noting that hiking in the Swiss Alps should only be done if the weather is good, (no storms or heavy rain /snow), and also only if you are a confident hiker, the ridge route to Turren and the route from the peak to the middle station in particular are tough!
Also if you plan on hiking, either down from Brienzer Rothorn or Planalp, or hiking across the ridge to Turren, then please make sure to check the trail status and if they are open on Switzerland Mobility. In the colder months snow and ice will mean that the trails can be too dangerous to do, and there is also a significant amount of storm damage that is being repaired from the summer season leading to intermittent closures.
It is also worth noting that the train does not run between the months of November and May, due to snow over and the colder weather making the route impassable.
📍Return tickets to the top station, (Brienz to Rothorn and back), cost from CHF 96 per adult, CHF 48 per adult with a Half Fare Card and CHF 10 per child aged 6 to 16. One way tickets cost from CHF 62 per adult, CHF 31 per adult with a Half Fare Card and CHF 5 per child aged 6 to 16. The hiking ticket, (three sections by train and one section on foot), costs from CHF 81 per adult, CHF 40.50 per adult with a Half Fare Card and CHF 10 per child aged 6 to 16.
If you didn’t eat in Brienz earlier in the day, then we recommend stopping by Pizzeria Aroma for dinner instead. With good views and great food, perfect after a long day in Brienz.
Brienz Itinerary Day 2: Aareschlucht & Meiringen
For day two on the Brienz itinerary we are heading a short 20 minute train ride out of the village to a local river gorge and neighbouring village famous for a certain well-known detective… It might not sound like much but by the end of the day you will have truly walked your socks off!
One of the most impressive gorges and gorge walks you can do in Switzerland let alone in Brienz is the trail through Aareschlucht. This limestone gorge has been carved out over thousands of years by the ancient Aare Glacier and now by the River Aare leaving a really beautiful area to explore, with public walkways and tunnels through the gorge sides.
We recommend you do this as early in the day as you can as it can get quite busy especially on weekends or holidays, but that being said the further you walk from the entrances at either end, the quieter it seems to get, (we do wonder if people don’t actually walk all the way through!). We also recommend starting at the west entrance and walking to the east entrance, which is around 1.5km and 1 hours walk, this way the gorge slowly opens up which is really beautiful. Be prepared to get a little dripped on by water as you walk through!
📍Tickets cost from CHF 12 per adult and CHF 7.50 per child aged 6 to 16. You can also combine this ticket with the ticket for visiting Reichenbachfall, (which you will do later in the day), which costs CHF 20 per adult and CHF 14 per child aged 6 to 16.
After arriving at the east entrance you can either hop on a bus directly at the entrance / exit or take a short walk down into the valley to get on the train heading back towards Brienz, (this is honestly one of the craziest train stations we have seen in Switzerland as it is completely hidden in the rock face with a train conductor ready to open the doors when the trains arrive!). Don’t however go all the way back to Brienz but hop off in Meiringen just a quick 5 minute train ride away.
You may not have heard of Meiringen, but this little valley village is an unassuming location filled with all things Sherlock Holmes, (museum, hotels, cafes selling English speciality tea and cakes and even Sherlock fondue!), as it is home to what is deemed the end of Sherlock, the waterfall where both he and Moriarty fall into the depths.
Before heading up to see the famous local waterfall, however, be sure to stop by a couple of places in Meiringen to grab some food for a picnic at the top overlooking the falls. First up Fructal Teestube to get some of the local meringues, which are said to have originated in the village in the 1600’s, then by Molki Meiringen AG to grab some locally made Swiss cheese, chocolate and even wine. There is also a Coop close to the main Meiringen Station which is ideal to grab anything else you fancy for a picnic.
To get to Reichenbachfälle it is a 20 minute walk from the main station to the Reichenbachfalle-Bahn Talstation and this goes past all the food places mentioned above so it won’t feel like a long walk at all. You can then take the vintage funicular up the 110 metres past the waterfalls. At the top there is a short walk down to a couple of viewing platforms that look over the waterfall and out to Meiringen, the views here are beautiful, so perfect for that local food picnic!
Once you have taken in the views at the top there are a few options on how to get back to Meiringen. One take the funicular back down, two walk back down via the local hiking routes / roads, or three, hire a Monster-Trotti from Zwirgi, (the top station), and wheel your way down!
It is worth noting that this waterfall excursion is only open from the beginning of May through to the beginning of October, although you can still hike up and down to the falls via Schwendistrasse and Scheideggstrasse if outside of these months, just be prepared from some possible snow!
After exploring the area around Reichenbach and depending on what time you get back into Meiringen, you can also stop by the Sherlock Holmes Museum, which although only small, (it takes around half an hour to see everything) is well worth a visit if Sherlock and the works of Arthur Conan Doyle interest you. It is open daily from 1pm to 5:30pm throughout the summer, but only on weekends during the winter months.
📍Tickets cost from CHF 7 per adult and CHF 4 per child aged 6 to 15, but you can get a combi ticket with the waterfall trip that costs CHF 15 per adult and CHF 9 per child, just be sure to mention this at the ticket office for the Reichenbachfall Funicular.
After all that Sherlock exploring, stop for dinner at Restaurant und Pizzeria Bahnhöfli in Bahnhofplatz, (delicious local dishes like cordon bleu as well as more Italian based cuisine), before hopping on the train back to Brienz and your accommodation.
Brienz Itinerary Day 3: Trauffer Museum & Ballenberg Open Air Museum
One of the best things you can do in Brienz is visit the Trauffer Erlebniswelt. You may never have heard of this unassuming place famous for its little wooden cows across Switzerland but believe us when we say we spent a couple of hours here exploring the Kuhniverse and it was so much fun. Not only do you learn all about the history of these beautiful wooden sculptures, and the wood sculpting history of Brienz, but you also get the chance to carve and / or paint your own cow as well, (we came home with two of our own hand painted cows!).
📍Tickets cost from CHF 15 per adult and CHF 9 per child, aged 6 to 16 and allow entry anytime from 10am until 6pm on the day of your choice.
The museum is open daily from 10 am through to 6pm, with Rosa’s Bakery open from 6:30am and Alfred’s Restaurant on the top floor open until 9.30pm.
We recommend grabbing lunch at Alfred’s roof top restaurant in Trauffer Erlebniswelt, before continuing on with the day as not only are the views incredible but the food is heavenly! No seriously, we only ordered small dishes as we weren’t that hungry but they were so delicious we were considering coming back again for dinner.
Just a short walk down the road from Trauffer you will find the Ballenberg Open Air Museum, a museum where you can explore over 100 historic traditional Swiss buildings, get involved with local crafts, (including cheese making, bread baking and lace making), and more, all in the 66 hectare location. It is also set within a local forest so there are plenty of beautiful walks you can do through the area too. Be sure to grab a map at the entrance so you don’t miss out on anything you want to see, it is a large area to cover!
The Ballenberg Open Air Museum is only open between April and November, 10am to 5pm daily, as it is shut over the colder winter months, so be sure to plan your trip to Brienz accordingly if you want to visit.
📍Tickets cost from CHF 32 per adult and CHF 16 per child, aged 6 to 16, and allow entry at any time on the date of your booking.
It is really easy to get to both the Trauffer Museum and the Ballenerberg Open Air Museum via public transport from Brienz, so we recommend hopping on the bus 151 to Hofstetten b. Brienz, Trauffer, Holzkuhplatz, or to Ballenberg West bus stop. After exploring until your heart is content, you can either then take the 151 bus back to Brienz or walk back via some local footpaths that we have mapped above. To be completely honest here, we had fully planned on getting the bus back, however for some unknown reason the buses seemed to be very irregular heading in that direction in comparison to the other way, so we walked. We actually beat the bus back into Brienz too!
If you walk you can easily stop off at the Kuriosa Brienz Jungfrau Brauerei for a tasting of the local brews and some delicious wood fired pizza too. Even if you don’t walk, you should stop by the brewery for dinner, as both the food and drinks are really good!
Brienz Itinerary Day 4: Giessbachfalls & Schnitzlerweg Axalp
Day four of the Brienz itinerary and it is all about the waterfalls and local sculpture trails. The Bernese Oberland may be one of the best areas in Switzerland to see waterfalls up close, (Lauterbrunnen is just around the corner after all), and Brienz also has its fair share of waterfalls, with one of the best and most impressive ones being Giessbachfalls.
Giessbach Nature Park, where the falls are located, has been protected since 1950 as a natural monument for its flora and fauna, so you know the waterfalls and the woodland you walk through are going to be beautiful! We recommend getting the ferry from Brienz See across to Giessbach See before either walking up the blue Rundweg Wasserfälle trail to the Giessbach Grandhotel, which is a 30-minute walk upwards past the lowest parts of the falls, (officially the 11th and 12th sections of the waterfall!), or taking the Giessbachbahn, (the worlds first funicular railway for tourists), up instead.
From here you can continue following the waterfall up through the woodland on the 45-minute red Rundweg Wasserfälle trail, (it is steep and quite wet in places, especially if you walk under the waterfall or are visiting after some heavy rain), before coming back down to take in the views over Brienzersee with some delicious food on the terrace of the hotel for lunch.
There is an information booklet with the hiking routes mapped out available to pick up for free at the lake on arrival.
📍An adult one way ticket costs CHF 7.00, (one way for children under 17 is free).
After stopping for a bite to eat, or just a drink with a view, head on past the hotel and out to the nearby road to catch bus 155 from Brienz BE, Abzw. Giessbach to Axalp, Sportbahnen ready for an afternoon hike in the local mountains at Axalp. Be sure to check the timings of the bus to and from Brienz on the day that you do this excursion as they don’t run particularly regularly and you don’t want to be caught out and end up walking the 3 hours back into Brienz!
Axalp and in particular the hike we recommend doing in the area, the Schnitzlerweg Axalp, is famous for the numerous wooden carved statues you will find along the trail to the lake Hinterburgseeli. This route was brought about following a severe storm that passed through the area, and the local wood crafters deciding to make the most of it and create some beautiful from the chaos. All in it is roughly 2.5 hours, 6.5km long to do the whole trail loop to the lake and back.
If you didn’t stop for food at Giessbach then the Restaurant Hilton Axalp a 30 minute walk along the sculpture trail to the lake is a great place to eat, and with some pretty incredible views too. In the summer you can sit on the outdoor terrace soaking up the sun, whilst in the winter you can snowshoe or even toboggan past.
After getting your fill of Axalp, and if you don’t stop at the restaurant for an early dinner, make your way back into Brienz and stop at Hotel-Restaurant Steinbock for some traditional and seasonal local dishes right in the heart of the village.
Brienz Itinerary Day 5: Day trip to Interlaken & Brienzersee Cruise
For the final day on the Brienz itinerary we recommend hopping on board one of the ferries on Brienzersee, (you can check the ferry times and cost here), and taking a trip down to Interlaken. We were lucky enough to have ended up on the beautiful Lötschberg paddle steamer for this so the 1 hour 15 minutes trip was extra wonderful, especially with the steam powered whistle echoing across the lake before every stop!
If you fancy breaking up the trip you can always hop off at one of the stops on route, Iseltwald is particularly beautiful, you just have to be sure there is another ferry coming past again later as there is a maximum of 5 sailings from Brienz to Interlaken each day and you don’t want to get caught out.
There is a lot to see and do in and around Interlaken, (we have a separate itinerary for visiting there), but you can easily spend a day wandering around the town, taking in the sights from Harder Kulm and even taking to the skies yourself too! There are numerous great cafes and restaurants throughout the town too, so you won’t go hungry, (Velo Cafe and the Pasta Store are two of our favourites).
Once you’ve had your fill of Interlaken you can then head back to Brienz either via boat or via the train, which is much faster taking only around 20 minutes in comparison to the boats 1 hour 15 minutes. You can also switch the transport around completely and take the train in the morning and boat in the later afternoon / evening, but we think the boat is particularly lovely in the morning when the mist often hangs over the mountains.
Best Day Trips from Brienz
The area surrounding Brienz is filled with incredible places you can take day trips to, but these are some of the best in our opinion. So if you have more time to spend in the area then be sure to add some of these to your list.
📍Lungern – 40 minutes via train, (be sure to take the Luzern Interlaken Express, which has big panoramic windows to take in the views!).
📍Grindelwald – 1 hour by train with a change over in Interlaken
📍Lauterbrunnen – 1 hour by train with a change over in Interlaken
📍Schynige Platte – 1.5 hours via train and funicular railway
📍Lucerne – 1.5 hours via train, (again make sure to get the Luzern Interlaken Panoramic Express train, PE train for the best views)
We have dedicated itineraries to Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and Lucerne so you won’t be short of things to do if you do visit any of them.
Where to stay in Brienz
If you fancy camping in the area, (which we highly recommend!) then Camping Aaregg Brienz am See at the very edge of the village and right on the lake side, is our favourite place to go, with camping plots for tents, campervans and caravans as well as various sized cabins and pods perfect for having some home comforts whilst camping.
If camping is not you thing then these are fantastic options for other accommodation in Brienz, or you can check out the map below:
Budget – Apartment Am Brienzersee by Interhome
Mid range – Romantic Lake & Mountain apartment Pure Swissness
Luxury – Art Residence, Beat Stähli
Brienz Itinerary FAQs
How to get to Brienz
Getting to Brienz is very easy, with numerous rail connections every hour from both the east, (from Lucerne), and from the west (from Interlaken), as well as ferry connections from Interlaken as well. It is also relatively easy to get to via car too due to the local road network in the area, making it a perfect stop for a camping trip around Switzerland.
By car:
🚐 Basel to Brienz via car – around 2 hours, 150km.
🚐 Bern to Brienz via car – around 1 hours 15 minutes, 80km.
🚐 Lucerne to Brienz via car – around 1 hour, 55km.
🚐 Zurich to Brienz via car – around 1 hours 30 minutes, 100km.
By train:
🚃 Basel to Brienz via train – roughly 2 hours 30 minutes with one change in Interlaken Ost.
🚃 Bern to Brienz via train – roughly 1 hours 30 minutes with one change in Interlaken Ost.
🚃 Lucerne to Brienz via train – roughly 1 hour 30 minutes direct.
🚃 Zurich to Brienz via train – roughly 2 hours 20 minutes with at least one change in Lucerne or Interlaken depending on which route you take.
How to get around Brienz
Brienz is extremely easy to get around on foot, or by public transport, you honestly do not need a car when visiting the area, (you’ll just end up leaving it at your accommodation or paying a lot to park it everywhere!). It takes roughly 20 minutes to walk from the station to both the campsite at the far south eastern edge of the village and to the church at the other end, so less than an hour to walk the whole length, (see why we said no need for a car now!).
You can of course take the local buses 151 and 155 to get around Brienz and out to the local area, just be sure to check how often they are running each direction as they are not always as often as you think. On our visit to Trauffer we took the bus there but ended up walking back to Brienz as the bus was very irregular going back into the village in comparison to heading out. (It was a lovely walk so we didn’t mind!).
There are also two train stations in Brienz; the main one being Brienz, which is located next to the Brienz ferry stop and the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn, and Brienz West, which is located at the very western edge of the village.
Best time to visit Brienz
Brienz itself is great to visit throughout the year, however a few of the main attractions in the area are only open during the summer / autumn seasons, so if you want to experience them you need to visit between June and October. Both Brienzer Rothorn and the sculpture trail up Axalp are the most popular ones that shut when the first colder weather arrives.
How much time to spend in Brienz?
You can easily spend 3 or 4 days just exploring the local area around Brienz, but if you want to be able to visit a couple of locations a little further from the village and not feel rushed whilst visiting anything, then we recommend at least 5 days.
Is Brienz worth visiting?
100% yes Brienz is worth visiting, partially for its incredible views but also because of the wonderful woodcarving history of the village and all the local experiences you can have there.
Why is Brienz famous?
Brienz is famous for having ‘the most beautiful street in the world’, as well as for being the top wood carving location in Switzerland. It also recently gained quite a bit of attraction due to the South Korean drama Crash Landing On You being filmed in locations throughout the area, (including Iseltwald and Giessbach).
What is the most beautiful street in Brienz Switzerland?
Officially the most beautiful street in Brienz is Brunngasse, which is incredibly beautiful, but the whole village is stunning, especially the lakeside promenade.
How long does a Lake Brienz cruise take?
From Brienz in the east to Interlaken in the west it takes around 1 hour 30 minutes via ferry, with stops at Giessbach, Oberried, Iseltwald and Bönigen before arriving in Interlaken Ost.
Conclusion: The Perfect Brienz Itinerary
So there you have our guide to the perfect Brienz itinerary, how to spend 1 to 5 days in the area. Brienz is like no other location in Switzerland with its woodcarving history and incredible views from the village, the lake and the local mountains. If you want to experience a true little bit of Switzerland and it not be overly touristy, then Brienz is the place to visit.
Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.