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).

1 Brienz railway station 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.

• 1 Woodcarving museum, Hauptstrasse 111, ☏ +41 33 952 13 17, info@museum-holzbildhauerei.ch. May & October, W-Su 13:30-17:00, June-September, W-Su 10:30-17:00. Fr. 5. (updated Mar 2017)

Do

A Brienz cuckoo clock

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.

• 1 Ballenberg Swiss open-air museum, Museumsstrasse 131, Hofstetten bei Brienz (Postal bus from Brienz to either Ballenberg West or Ballenberg Ost.), ☏ +41 33 952 10 30, info@ballenberg.ch. Mid-April - October 10:00-17:00. A huge open-air museum consisting of old buildings from different parts of Switzerland which have been dismantled and moved to the museum for display. Most of the houses can be entered and exhibitions showcasing traditional Swiss life have been put up. Fr. 24/12. (updated Jan 2017)
• 2 Brienz Rothorn Bahn (The station is right opposite the train station and the dock for the boats), ☏ +41 33 952 22 22, info@brb.ch. Take Switzerland's last steam rack railway to the Rothorn. At the top there is a hotel, sun terraces and superb views. Return ticket Fr. 88/44. (updated Mar 2017)

Buy

There are several woodcarving shops:

• 1 Jobin, Hauptstrasse 111, ☏ +41 33 952 13 00. Jobin is still the biggest woodcarving shop in Brienz. It has been completely refurbished since the floods in Brienz in 2005. The building also houses the woodcarving museum. (updated Mar 2017)
• 2 Huggler, Haupstrasse 64, ☏ +41 33 952 10 00. M-F 09:00-12:00, 13:30-18:00, Sa 09:00-12:00, 13:30-16:00. Huggler is another woodcarving business. The shop stocks woodcarvings. Like Jobin, Huggler has been in business for over 100 years. (updated Mar 2017)

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.

• 1 Restaurant Engi, ☏ +41 33 951 15 31, kontakt@restaurantengi.ch. From 9:30. (updated Mar 2017)

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.

• 1 Youth Hostel, Strandweg 10, ☏ +41 33 951 11 52, brienz@youthhostel.ch. Try the youth hostel for good value, albeit basic, accommodation. Near the lake-side and only ten minutes walk from the railway station and five minutes from the bus stop. Watch the sun set over the lake in the evening! Dorm from Fr. 30. (updated Jan 2017)

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.