Day Trip to Brienz and Interlaken from Lucerne

A day trip from Lucerne to Brienz and Interlaken offers a perfect glimpse into the beauty of central Switzerland.

Nestled along the turquoise waters of Lake Brienz, Brienz is a charming Swiss village known for its traditional wooden chalets. Verdant mountain slopes in the backdrop of massive turquoise Lake Brienz leave you spellbound with their beauty!

Interlaken, located between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, is a lively resort town famous for its scenic landscapes and outdoor adventures.

How to reach Brienz and Interlaken from Lucerne

One of the highlights of visiting Brienz and Interlaken from Lucerne is the journey itself. The route passes through some of the most scenic landscapes in Switzerland, with crystal-clear lakes, charming villages, waterfalls, and mountain views along the way.

By Train

The easiest and most convenient way to reach Brienz and Interlaken from Lucerne is by train. Direct trains operated by the Lucerne-Interlaken Express connect the two regions. The train ride from Lucerne to Brienz takes around 1.5 hours, while continuing onwards to Interlaken Ost takes around 1 hour and 50 minutes.

If you're planning a day trip, then start early so that you can comfortably explore both destinations.

Brienz is located before Interlaken on the same railway line. Hence, a practical itinerary is to stop in Brienz first, spend a few hours exploring the lakeside village, and then continue to Interlaken.

By Train and Ferry combined

The scenic Lucerne-Interlaken Express takes you through mountain passes and stunning Swiss countryside before arriving in Brienz. You can plan to spend a few hours in Brienz, and then take a ferry further to Interlaken.

The boat ride takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes. This route is ideal for travellers who want a slower, more scenic experience rather than simply reaching Interlaken.

Things to Do on a Day Trip to Brienz and Interlaken from Lucerne

Morning in Brienz

• We arrived by train in the morning and spent the next two hours exploring the peaceful lakeside village.

• Brienz has Ballenberg, Switzerland's only Open-Air museum and also its largest. One needs a full day to take a tour of the museum that houses historical buildings and architecture. Since we were travelling with kids, and there was obviously a lot of walking involved, we gave it a miss.

• We roamed around Brienz, looking at its surreal beauty, had lunch at a small cafe near the station, and took pictures in the background of the lake before continuing on our journey ahead to Interlaken by boat.

Ferry ride across Lake Brienz

• The trip to Interlaken takes about 75 minutes. Round trips on Lake Brienz are also available. The boat goes around the scenic villages dotting the shoreline of the lake.

• Along the route is the spectacular Giessbach Falls alongside many smaller streams flowing into the lake. The ferry stops at the Giessbach Falls, where visitors can take a historic funicular up to the hotel and waterfall trails.

Please note that boat cruises on Lake Brienz are included in the Swiss Travel Pass.

Afternoon in Interlaken

Nestled between the emerald blue waters of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, serves as the gateway to the Jungfrau region. It is the most popular tourist destination for adventure seekers for activities like river rafting, bungee jumping and many more and is the starting point for many day trips like the famous one to Jungfrau.

Ideally, one should plan to stay here for at least 3 to 4 days to soak in the beauty of this immensely lively and beautiful city, cradled by mountain peaks on all sides.

But like all hot tourist destinations, Interlaken is also expensive compared to cities like Lucerne, for example. In fact, it is considered to be one of the most expensive destinations to travel to in Europe. So, if you are travelling with small kids, then it would be wise to just plan a day trip to Interlaken.

• The ferry will drop you off at Interlaken Ost.

  
  

• We reached Interlaken in the afternoon and started with a walking tour of the city. After idling around the city for 2 hours, post-lunch, we took the funicular to Harder Kulm. A funicular leaves every 30 minutes and the journey lasts only 10 minutes from the Valley station.

  
  

• This was a fun outing for all of us, especially the kids. After Pilatus, they seemed to have developed some fascination for funiculars. Although this was not as thrilling as the one on Pilatus, it offered some truly mesmerising views of the Bernese Alps, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.

  
  

• Interlaken has some great shopping avenues. The main street, called Hoeheweg, has some great watches and souvenir shops. I bought the famous Swiss cuckoo clock from here.

• One of the highlights of walking around Interlaken is the stunning view of the Jungfrau mountain visible from the Hoehematte area, as you can see in the picture below.

  
  

  

Returning to Lucerne

In the evening, we took the direct train from Interlaken Ost to Lucerne. The return journey was equally scenic, especially during the golden hour when the mountains and lakes glowed in the evening light.

Interlaken is so beautiful that you can lose yourself in the beauty all around you and never get tired of it but as I've said earlier on, one has to keep moving with kids around.

We took a train on our return journey to Lucerne in the evening.