Brienz

Brienz is located in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland at the opposite end of Brienzersee to Interlaken. It is a small village with approximately 3000 inhabitants. Brienz is famous as the Swiss centre for woodcarving.

Get in
Zentralbahn trains run from Interlaken Ost every 30 min, taking 20 min. They continue to Meiringen (10 min), connecting with trains up the Aare Gorge to Innertkirchen. Alternate trains continue from Meiringen to Lucerne (90 min from Brienz).

is central.

Alternatively you can take the boat operated by BLS from Interlaken Ost. There are a handful of departures a day during winter and roughly hourly departures in summer. The trip takes around 1 hour 10 minutes and both in Interlaken Ost and Brienz, the train station and the dock are right next to each other.

Get around
Brienz has one main street (Hauptstrasse), so getting around on foot is fine. To walk the full length of the street will take approximately 15 minutes. You can walk uphill from the Hauptstrasse on subsidiary side streets and public paths to view chalets built using traditional log construction techniques dating from over one hundred years ago.

See
There is beautiful Swiss scenery to see - the lake is a beautiful blue colour and the surrounding mountains spectacular. At the west end of the village you can visit the community church to view its unique hand-carved woodwork fashioned by Brienz wood carvers.



Do
Walking, sightseeing and looking in the Woodcarving Shops.

Walking along the lakefront promenade offers spectacular views.

All kind of rentals available at Funrental Interlaken, including scooters, bikes, go karts, funcars, ATVs and motorcycles.



Buy
There are several woodcarving shops:



Eat
A number of restaurants and tea-rooms line the main street.

Opposite the woodcarving shop Jobin to the right is a Coffee Shop/Restaurant/Bar.

Sleep
As a tourist destination there are a number of hotels, and many flats/houses are holiday rentals.

Campsites are available along the lake past the Youth Hostel.



Connect
Brienz has 4G from all Swiss carriers. As of Dec 2022, 5G has not reached town.

Go next

 * Interlaken is the regional transport hub and route to the Jungfrau resorts.
 * Meiringen is famous for the Reichenbach Falls, but the Aare Gorge is even more scenic.
 * Lucerne is a pleasant lakeside resort.
 * Berne the Swiss capital has a charming medieval centre and lots to see and do.