On foot to 5 beautiful places on the Lake Thun panoramic circular route

Admittedly, after almost ten years in Zurich, I have made friends with the city on the Limmat – and especially with Zurich West. Nevertheless, every time I head for the Bernese Oberland, I have to swallow empty. It’s just really beautiful! And the mountain view – wow. Well, dear Zurich, you can really pack up.

Recently we were on the road again for 24 hours in our old home. And that’s when we seized the opportunity and not only scouted out a nice hotel/restaurant combination, but also hiked along the varied Lake Thun panorama trail. From this foray we have brought you five great tips for a trip to Lake Thun.

1. Thun & Aare-Quai Castle

The Lake Thun Panorama Trail starts at Thun train station and leads from there directly via the Scherzligen lock to the Aare-Quai. At this point, I can’t resist a short detour through the Bälliz and across the Mühleplatz to the Obere Hauptgasse. And what goes perfectly with a stroll through the old town on a beautiful summer’s day? Of course – an ice cream! You can get the best of Thun at Gelateria La Favolosa in Bälliz. A special feature of Thun’s old town are the high pavements in the Obere Hauptgasse. This urban structure, which originated in the 12th century, is unique in Switzerland – interestingly, a comparable example can be found in Chester, England. If you still have enough energy left over despite the upcoming kilometres on the Panorama Trail, you will also find the narrow staircase that leads up to the castle in the Obere Hauptgasse.

After that, the panorama trail leads along the Aare-Quai to Hünibach without any inclines for the time being. A section of the route that is very well frequented, especially on nice weekend days – but it is also really pretty and also wheelchair accessible and stroller-friendly.

2. Dolce Vita in the Chartreuse

In Hünibach, the panorama trail branches off to the left at the boat landing stage and leads into the town centre. If you follow the hiking trail, you can’t miss a striking building on the main road. The Chartreuse is known to many locals. In 2015, the venerable business changed hands and since then a touch of Italianità has returned to the middle of Hünibach. Pascal Sonderegger, who runs the business together with Karin Villiger, is a self-confessed fan of Italy. He now passes this enthusiasm on to his guests at the Chartreuse Osteria da Pasquale. The guest rooms are bright and comfortably designed – and if the weather isn’t as capricious as it was during our visit, then you can spend the balmy summer evening on the secluded terrace right in front of it anyway. As we know it from Italy, the aperitivo is accompanied by fine appetizers.

The menu consists of a few, carefully selected antipasti, Primi Piatti, Secondi Piatti and Dolci. The credo: fresh & seasonal. If you like a glass of wine to go with it, it’s best to get advice from Pascal Sonderegger himself. In his wine cellar you will find one or two fine wines.

In the Chartreuse you can not only eat fine, but also sleep well. This spring, all hotel rooms have been completely renovated and now present themselves in a fresh, minimalist look. Due to the proximity to Thun and the bus stop directly in front of the hotel, the Chartreuse offers a great base to discover the highlights around Lake Thun. By the way, the love for Italian products is not limited to the Osteria on the ground floor. In addition to a small lounge with work surfaces, there is also a small fridge with lemon soda on the hotel floor – these small details remain in my memory.

3. Mystical Cholera Gorge

Less than ten minutes from the Chartreuse is the Cholera Gorge. This is not to be confused with the gorge of the same name – somewhat better known – in Adelboden. The Choleren Gorge in Hünibach is considered a place of power and an oasis of peace. If you follow the gorge path uphill, you will reach Goldiwil after a little more than an hour. A place that lends itself to “forest bathing”; just follow the path mindfully and listen to the calming babbling of the Hünibach – oh, isn’t that wonderfully relaxing?!

4. Hiking to the Sigriswil Panorama Bridge

If you set off on your way through the Choleren Gorge, you will branch off from the Lake Thun Panorama Trail. Alternatively, it is possible to hook in an additional loop of around 15 minutes of walking time and get a short taste of the “canyon air”.

The Lake Thun Panorama Trail now follows a varied up and down along the edge of the Lake Thun villages. Sometimes we hike in the forest, sometimes across fields and meadows with an unobstructed view of the Alpine panorama, which unfortunately only blinks tentatively from behind the clouds on this day. After about 2.5 hours of walking, we reach the deeply incised rubber gorge that separates Aeschlen from Sigriswil. Since 2012, an imposing suspension bridge has provided a convenient ground-level connection between the two villages. The bridge was built in connection with the Lake Thun Panorama Trail – in the long term, in addition to two bridges that have already been built, four more are planned to make all the deeply cut gorges easier to overcome and thus accessible to the general public.

To cross the panorama bridge in Sigriswil, a “road toll” of CHF 8 must be paid. If you, like us, spend at least one night in the region, you will benefit from a 50% discount with the PanoramaCard Lake Thun. The PanoramaCard cannot be purchased – it is given free of charge to every guest in one of the participating partner establishments and also includes free use of the regional bus and post bus connections. If you prefer to save the money, you can alternatively follow the old path through the gorge.

5. St. Beatus Caves

Another place where you can benefit from reduced admission with the PanoramaCard are the St. Beatus Caves below Beatenberg. From Sigriswil to the cave entrance it is another 2.5 hours on foot. Alternatively, the route can also be covered by bus (1x change in Gunten – 36 minutes travel time). The stalactite caves are one of the most famous attractions on Lake Thun and are a popular destination for school trips. We catch a good time on this weather-beaten Saturday afternoon and don’t have to queue for 5 minutes to get the tickets. Unlike in the past, the St. Beatus Caves can no longer only be explored in guided groups, but also individually. As an individual traveler, you can either join a group (group tours start every 45 minutes) or visit the caves on your own. The facts about the individual rock formations can be obtained via information boards or via the free “Saint Beatus” app. Photography and filming in the cave is now also allowed (without a tripod). I really appreciate that we can explore the caves at our pace.

The visit to the approximately 1 kilometer long accessible cave system takes between 1 – 1.5 hours, depending on the pace. Afterwards you can either continue on foot to Interlaken, or travel back to Thun by bus or boat.

Practical tips for hiking the Lake Thun Panorama Circular Trail

The Lake Thun Panorama Trail leads around Lake Thun in a total of four stages (63 kilometres). The course of the trail changes between locations above the edge of the settlement with a magnificent panoramic view towards the Bernese Alps and sections where the path runs directly along the lake.

On our tour to the five beautiful and interesting places on the right bank of Lake Thun, we have added a part of the second stage (Sigriswil-Interlaken) to the first stage of the Panorama Trail from Thun to Sigriswil. The route can be found on the map below. The distance from Thun to the Beatus Caves is a good 20 kilometres and an ascent of 975 metres in altitude. If you do everything at once on foot, then you have to calculate about 6.5 hours of pure walking time. Alternatively, all places can also be reached by bus from Thun and/or Interlaken.

Our stay was supported by the Chartreuse Osteria da Pasquale. All impressions and opinions are, as always, ours.