What To Do At Oeschinensee For A Day | Lake Oeschinen Day Trip
Oeschinensee (Lake Oeschinen) is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in Switzerland – even one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe.
The Lake is about a 2.5 hour drive from our home. We just wanted to have a picnic and were rewarded with one of the most beautiful places in Switzerland.
So here we show you what to do at Oeschinensee for a day.
Getting to your Oeschinensee Day Trip
We drove from with our car in the direction of Bern/Thun to the village of Kandersteg. From there everything is well signposted. The train is a great way to get from Bern to Kandersteg station and then take the bus to Oeschinensee. You can also walk from Kandersteg, we didn’t do it ourselves, but it takes about 15 – 20 minutes.
When we arrived at the parking lot, it was already quite busy, but we didn’t expect anything else on a Sunday.
The parking fee for the whole day is 5 CHF.
Now you have two options: The convenient and expensive option is to take the gondola up. This costs 32 CHF for a roundtrip ticket, or 16 CHF if you have the Swiss Travel Pass. Gondola rides are generally quite expensive in Switzerland, but you get up faster.
You can find more Information about the Cable Car, Timetables and Prices here.
If you prefer to hike to the top, you can do so from Kandersteg. Here are the Hiking Details from Kandersteg to the Lake:
Duration: 1:30 hours.
Distance: 3 km
Altitude: 382 hm
Best time to visit Oeschinensee
I recommend the summer months to visit Lake Oeschinen, especially June to August. Please note that the cable cars don’t run all the time, so check the timetable on the official website.
Winter is also a good time to visit Lake Oeschinen, although you won’t see the deep blue lake. Instead, you can go ice walking, skiing, sledding, ice skating and winter hiking at Oeschinensee.
The Oeschinensee
Once you have reached the top in the gondola, you still have to walk about 30 minutes to the lake. The landscape here is gigantic. We often stopped to take lots of photos. The Bernese Oberland is simply super photogenic. Incidentally, this part of the trail can also be walked in sneakers and you don’t need any special fitness levels or anything like that. It is simply a leisurely walk.
We still recommend hiking boots, however, as we recommend another viewpoint that you have to hike to.
Which Path should I choose?
You will then come to a junction with a sign. Both straight ahead and to the left lead to Oeschinensee. But on the left is a view point marked with the Instagram logo. It’s clear which way we went. Once we reach the view point, there is a small bench where we can get a glimpse of the lake. We continue on, this time a little steeper downhill. The path was littered with roots and stones, but if you look at the path, you shouldn’t have any problems. I didn’t find it challenging, but there was a couple in front of us who apparently rarely walk such paths. The woman was terrified and very slowly stepped one foot in front of the other. So if you are a bit more anxious, take the regular path to the right and not the left Instagram turn-off.
We finally arrived at this beautiful lake, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. And rightly so, if you take a look at the pictures (or even better – in real life).
You can swim in the lake, but it is very, very cold, even in the summer. But I can still recommend it, it’s really refreshing.
There is a restaurant at the lake that is open daily from May to October. So you don’t have to bring food with you, but if you come here as a tourist, be prepared for the prices. On average you pay 30 to 40 CHF for lunch. Normal prices in Switzerland, but I just wanted to mention it. Accommodation is also available, but we have no experience with this as we were only planning a day trip.
What to bring to Oeschinensee?
Bring sunscreen and a water bottle. Please wear sunscreen even when the sun is not shining. You can get sunburnt quickly in the mountains. You can have a wonderful picnic at Lake Oeschinen, so bring blankets and everything else you need for a chilly day at the “beach”. However, if you also want to do a breathtaking hike, remember that you will have to carry all these items, so you may want to travel light. We went twice. The first time just for a picnic and the second time for a hike. I wouldn’t recommend doing both, but if you don’t have that much time, you might want to do both. If you only want to do one, I would say do the Heuberg hike.
Wear good shoes if you plan to hike and bring walking sticks.
Renting a boat at Oeschinensee
Summer is the perfect time to rent a boat on Oeschinensee. As you walk towards the main lakeshore area, there is a small booth by the lake.
- The opening hours are adapted to the weather conditions.
- Prices: 1 hour CHF 29.00, 1/2 hour CHF 18.00, every additional quarter of an hour CHF 9.00
- Boat hire is at your own risk
- No reservation possible
- Due to the risk of falling rocks, rowers are required to keep a distance of 100 m from the rock faces
Hike to Heuberg
Welcome to the absolute highlight of your Oeschinensee day trip! You’ll need good footwear as you’ll be walking up to the Heuberg. This is a viewpoint that has become “Insta Famous”. Despite all the hype, not many tourists actually get lost here. Most of them hang around the lake itself and only photographers, hikers or influencers are on the Heuberg. We hiked to catch the sunset at the viewpoint and actually only met one other photographer. On the weekend. This is because the last gondola has already left. So even a crowded place has its quiet times.
Hiking Details to Heuberg
If you hike directly from the lake, it is about 2.4 kilometers to the viewpoint, 300 meters in altitude, and takes between 1 and 1.5 hours.
Of course you have to return the whole way.
Since we did the whole thing at sunset, the last gondola didn’t run and we walked down to the campsite. Please note the times or plan to walk down.
From Heuberg to Kandersteg, where the gondola station is located, it takes about 1:45 – 2 hours. It is 4.1 kilometers and 670 meters down (only 10 m up).
Hiking Summary – Oeschinensee
Here is a summary of the various hiking options around Oeschinensee:
Kandersteg – Oeschinensee – Kandersteg:
Duration: 2:15 h
Distance: 6,1 km
Altitude: 380 hm
Oeschinensee – Heuberg; circular route:
Duration: 3 h
Distance: 7,1 km
Altitude: 410 hm
Kandersteg – Heuberg – Oeschinensee – Kandersteg:
Duration: 4:30 h
Distance: 9,6 km
Altitude: 680 hm
Lake Cable Car Station – Heuberg – Oeschinensee – Lake Cable Car Station:
Duration: 2:30 h
Distance: 6,4 km
Altitude: 310 hm