Oeschinen Lake at Kandersteg

Discovering Oeschinen Lake at Kandersteg in Switzerland

Oeschinen Lake is arguably the most beautiful and bluest lake in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland, about 4 km east of the small village of Kandersteg. It takes a modest amount of effort to get here, and is very accessible for families looking to spend an afternoon in the most lovely and serene of settings.

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Alpine lakes are so special and this one sits at about 1578 meters above sea level. It is counter-intuitive to have to take a mountain gondola to a lake, since we expect water to run down the mountains. But, thanks to some rock slides, the basin is closed and receives inflow from glaciers and springs creating the most surreal landscape.

Above photo: Oeschinen Lake

In this article, I will share the details of my recent visit and how to get to Oeschinen Lake yourself. The well-connect Swiss Rail system makes this a very do-able day trip regardless of your base location in Switzerland. The photos speak for themselves. It hardly took any convincing that this was a place we had to have on our itinerary — and hopefully you’ll feel the same way!

Our day-trip itinerary included the following stops:

• Kandersteg
• Oeschinen Lake
• Blausee

Kandersteg

Kandersteg is a small, high-altitude village located in the valley below the mountain peaks of the Blüemlisalp, Oeschinenhorn, Fründenhorn and Doldenhorn. Wherever your starting point may be, Kandersteg is the first stop in order to reach Oeschinen Lake. We were staying in Interlaken and took the train from Interlaken to Kandersteg, with a brief connection in Spiez. The entire journey was around an hour.

Above photo: Kandersteg

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was how wide open the village is and how tall the surrounding mountains are. It was really different from Lauterbrunnen (where we had been the day before) that is wedged in a narrow trough valley. Kandersteg is much more open with grassy fields and bubbling streams.

We walked through Kandersteg on our way to the gondola, stopping off at the Co-op Supermarket across from the train station for picnic provisions. The village is precious! The dahlias were in full bloom, ushering in the first days of autumn, while the leaves on the trees were starting to show signs of color change.

Above photos: Kandersteg

It is easy to find your way around with the help of the posted signs there to direct visitors. Along the way we passed The Church of Our Lady Marienkirche with its wood-shingled roof. It was built in 1927 as a result of Italian visitors and increasing Catholic families settling in the village.

Above photo: The Church of Our Lady Marienkirche

The views along the Öschibach River were also very pretty. It is only 1 km (about a 15 minute walk) from the train station to the gondola, but there is plenty to see in between.

Above photo: Öschibach River

Above photos: Walk to the Kandersteg gondola

Once we made it on the Kandersteg gondola, it was time to enjoy the ride as we passed goats and cows grazing in the fields below, their bells chiming and creating the soundtrack to my videos.

Above photos: Kandersteg gondola

Oeschinen Lake

Mountain Coaster

Just before reaching the top station, we were able to get a nice view of the mountain coaster, which we were about to ride. It is only open during the summer months and is probably a consolation prize for not being able to ski and do other winter sports.

Above photo: Oeschinen Mountain Coaster

The mountain coaster is a fun toboggan run of sorts. You can pay to go down it once, or you can buy a group of tickets if you want to go down it several times in a row. It’s a great pricing plan for kids who inevitably will want to wear themselves out on it. We just went once for grins and then started our hike down to the lake. Tickets are available to purchase online in advance here.

Above photo: Oeschinen Mountain Coaster

Hiking trails

There are a couple well-traveled hiking trails around Oeschinen Lake to choose from depending on your stamina and interest in the higher viewpoints. The lesser-traveled hiking trails include a forrest walk from Kandersteg to Oeschinen (in lieu of the gondola) and other high altitude hikes that are usually only open during the summer due to dangerous ice and snow conditions during the winter months. Click here for more routes.

Oeschinen Lake Panorama Trail

Total Distance 4.5 mi round trip | Elevation gain 1538′ | Type: Loop | Difficulty: Moderate – Difficult

The Oeschinen Lake panorama trail is a loop trail that is considered to be one of the best trails for high views of the Oeschinen Lake area (hence the name). Most people allow around 3 hours to complete the loop, but of course that all depends on your pace and any stops you make along the way. The trail starts at the Hotel and Berghaus Oeschinensee. Along the way, you’ll not want to miss the Aussichtspunkt Heuberg observation deck.

Oeschinen Gondola-to-Lake Trail

Total Distance 2 mi round trip | Elevation loss 295′ | Type: Out and back | Difficulty: Easy

The Oeschinen Lake gondola-to-lake trail (also known as the Bergstation-Oeschinensee route)is a wide service road that is mostly downhill on the way to the lake (and uphill on the way back to the gondola). It is a pretty even (i.e., not rocky) trail that can be managed with kids, strollers, wheeled coolers, etc. It can get quite busy on the weekends with so many folks coming out to picnic along the shore. It took us about 20 minutes to reach the lake at a leisurely pace. For the return trip back up from the lake to the gondola station, we hopped on the electric shuttle bus for 5 CHF.

Above photos: Oeschinen Lake gondola-to-lake trail

Boating on Oeschinen Lake

As you near the lake, there is a little restaurant and a boat rental place. The row boat was a must-do for us! Boat rentals are half-hourly so you can choose to quickly paddle out & back or you can row to the other side of the lake for spectacular views of the Bärgfall Waterfall and have a nice float.

Above photos: Oeschinen Lake boat rentals

Being out in the middle of the turquoise blue water while the sun rose over the mountain peaks and flooded the canyon with light was so magical. I am glad we arrived early because the trails, shoreline, and boat traffic were quite heavy by the end of our visit. Of course, some people prefer the livelier afternoon vibe.

Above photos: Oeschinen Lake

A few more notes about Oeschinen Lake

• There are hotel accommodations available, in case you would like to make more than a daytrip of your visit.
• The gondola has defined operating hours from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. So, if you miss the last ride down you will either need to walk to Kandersteg or check for vacancy at the hotel. Gondola tickets are available to purchase online in advance here.
• The two restaurants looked fine, but we didn’t eat at either of them so I can’t say much else about them. One is by the gondola station and the other is down by the lake. If you are depending on the restaurants for your lunch, it is advisable to check their opening hours ahead.
• We stopped at the Co-Op Supermarket across from the train station before taking the gondola up. This is a great option if you would like to take a picnic, snacks, and/or drinks for your day at the lake.

Above photo: Oeschinen Lake

Blausee

Blausee (translated means blue lake) is a lovely park with a very scenic (and very blue) lake just down the road from Kandersteg. If you have time, I highly recommend adding this on to a trip to Kandersteg.

Above photo: Blausee Nature Park entrance

To reach Blausee from Kandersteg, catch Bus 230 in front of the train station. The ride is under 10 minutes and is free with the Swiss Travel Pass. You can also walk or take a taxi, if you prefer, but the bus was easy and the price was right.

A ticket to enter the nature park is 8 CHF and can be purchased online in advance here.

There are all kinds of family-friendly things to see and do at Blausee, including a glass-bottom boat ride, picnic area, playground, and a llama and alpaca enclosure. My top recommendation would be follow the footpath around the lake for all the amazing views. The water is so crystal clear that you can see straight to the bottom, including all of the trout swimming around.

Above photos: Blausee Nature Park

Following our walk around the perimeter, we stopped at the Wasserhaus, a self-service bistro open during the summer season. There are picnic tables here where you can enjoy your whatever you buy or brought with you. We brought our own picnic of wine, cheese, bread, and charcuterie;)

Behind the Wasserhaus, there is a short path to the Kander River where you can cross a small footbridge to adjoining hiking trails. Just follow the walking map provided at the entrance to find your way to the surrounding trails.

Above photos: Kander River

This is a gorgeous place to visit during early autumn. Some leaves had started to fall even though the canopy was still mostly green. Colorful leaves floated on top of the water like confetti. The landscape beckons poets, painters, and photographers alike.

Above photos: Early autumn colors at Blausee Nature Park

All-in-all Blausee was an incredible place to see and experience. It is wonderfully enchanting! Although I only have seen it during the fall, I don’t doubt that it charms visitors in every season. For more information, visit the Blausee website here.

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