Lake Brienz

Why go

Start at the Bönigen promenade if you want to see the water without committing to a boat trip. For more time on foot, the north-shore path between Ringgenberg and Niederried keeps the lake in view. A cruise changes the perspective to villages and mountain slopes along both shores, but its departures need a timetable check.

What to look for

• The Bönigen promenade has benches facing Lake Brienz and the mountains.
• The Ringgenberg–Niederried shore path looks across the turquoise water.
• From a boat, lakeside villages appear beneath the surrounding slopes.

The full story

Lake Brienz begins at the eastern side of the Bödeli, the strip of land between it and Lake Thun. Bönigen is the village on the lakefront nearest Interlaken, while Brienz stands at the far eastern end and gives the lake its name. Ringgenberg and Niederried line the north shore; Iseltwald sits on the south shore. These settlements explain why a lake visit can take several forms. At Bönigen, the water and mountains are the main event during a short promenade stop. A north-shore walk lets the view change gradually. Passenger boats have crossed the lake since the nineteenth century and link shores that otherwise involve a different land journey. The water's color is striking, but the more useful choice is how much of the shoreline you want to explore.

Useful to know

• Use Bönigen's Schiffländte quay as the approach to the public promenade, not as a marker for the whole lake.
• For a longer shore walk, plan the Ringgenberg–Niederried stretch separately from a brief Bönigen stop.
• Check the boat timetable before building a day around a cruise or a lakeside connection.

Your next visit

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