The Mountain With The 360° Panorama
At 1950 m above sea level, the Niederhorn offers a breathtaking panorama of the surrounding mountains and the deep blue waters of Lake Thun. Escape your everyday life and secure your ringside seat far above the cloud line. Experience action on a scooter bike descent into the valley or one of the many different hikes through the impressive natural landscape.
Travel
Berner Oberland regional pass.
5 mins walk from chalet to Faulensee Am See dock to catch the ferry and cross Lake Thun to Beatenbucht with a quick stop at Merlingen.
Travel Time: 37 mins
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Amazing views of Niederhorn and villages from boat at 8am. A thin layer of cloud surrounds the peaks and the valley below making it magical.
Riding up to Niederhorn
The dock is next to the valley station at Beatenbucht, with parking, the bus stop and a small lakeside cafe. You can also buy your tickets here to board the glass-sided funicular railway which conveys you in comfort from Beatenbucht to the sun terrace at Beatenberg in only ten minutes.
After a short stopover, you continue your journey on the modern cable car up to the summit of the Niederhorn. The ascent is both magical and imposing, because the journey time of just under 20 minutes gives you plenty of time to relax and enjoy the surrounding mountains and lakes. You get to see the majestic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau from the best possible angle – the perfect backdrop for a souvenir photo of your mountain trip.
The funicular train leaves every 20 mins from 8am and the cable car has 3 cars that leave every 10 mins or so.
High above the glistening lake Thun, in view of the beautiful Alpine panorama, we had a very good self-serving breakfast at the Berghaus Niederhorn on the sunny terrace. This is also a hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast, milk and cheese were fresh and tasty. We found the prices reasonable. Cannot miss it, it is next to the cable car station and where also the trails start.
Beatenberg Village
Beatenberg high above Lake Thun, above the fog, at an altitude of 1200 metres, Beatenberg has a ring-side view of the Bernese Alps. The breathtaking peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau pose against a background of steel-blue skies - Lake Thun’s blue-green waters glisten far below Beatenberg, the village that has not lost any of its country charm, despite being dependent on tourists. You go to Beatenberg for peace and relaxation.
Beatenberg extends from Lake Thun, at an altitude of 556m, to the Niederhorn-Gemmenalphorn-Seefeld area, the highest point of which is 2061m above sea level. Three (Waldegg, Schmocken, Spirenwald) of the four parts of the village are spread out along the 7km village street, the fourth (Sundlauenen) is down by the lake. This makes Beatenberg, with its 1400 residents, the longest village in Europe.
Its sunny, wind-sheltered position gives Beatenberg a mild, pleasant climate.
Hike
There are a number of hikes ranging from easy to hard and also from about 4 Kms to 16 Kms.
The most popular is:-
We recommend a 5 min detour right at the start from the station past the Berghaus and up to the viewing platform for a wonderful panoramic view over Lake Thun, the alps and the Justistal.
- This is followed by a steep S-curve.
- Before the alp Flösch comes into view, a trail turns off eastwards direction Häliloch-Oberburgfeld.
- From alp Flösch the trail leads through thin forest and after a few minutes you can see the restaurant Vorsass.
- From there the trail zigzags on through forest and alpine pastures in the direction of Bodenalp.
- Soon you can see the first houses of Beatenberg, the longest village in Europe. Along the trail you can find barbecue-spots with seating areas.
- From afar you can see the huts on the Oberburgfeld.
- You will find the best view if you hike from the station past the Berghaus along the ridge upwards. This short detour takes 5 minutes and is worth it as it offers splendid views of the lake from Spiez all the way to Thun, which is not possible anymore further on. You get a clear view over Lake Thun and the world famous Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
- After around 15 minutes you will reach the Hohseil-Lake where you can spot salamander and enjoy the mountains reflecting on the water surface.
- The trail now leads down to alp Unterburgfeld, past gentian fields (please don’t touch them, they are protected flowers) and the village of Waldegg, part of the Lake Thun and Interlaken all the way up to Wilderswil come into view. The relatively steep trail leads down through the forest.
- Past the forest you can already see Waldegg and Spirenwald with several restaurants.
- From Spirenwald you can take the bus back to the station or directly to Interlaken or you walk the last 30 minutes to Beatenberg station.
We planned to do this hike, instead we ended up doing a 16 Kms hike as we really got lost following different trails, oblivious of where we were supposed to go as we were just marvelling at the magnificent views along the way. We ended up in a village which I cannot remember the name and from there, fortunately there is a bus which took us to Beatenbucht just in time to catch the last boat back to Faulensee.
Thinking back, it was fun but also a bit careless not to follow a trail. We were tired but also a certain relief and satisfaction of what we accomplished inadvertently.
The thrilling ridge trail promises 360-degree views as it leads past spectacularly rugged cliff edges. Stunningly panoramic viewpoints open up along the way: gaze down into the idyllic Justis valley and savour the breathtaking mountain range with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on the horizon.
Along the trail, notice boards provide information on the unique flora and fauna of the alpine environment. Cows grazing peacefully with the wonderful chime of their bells and relaxing on the lush green alpine meadows.
We watched the colourful paragliders taking off against the blue sky until they are just a silhouette over the mountains.
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