Lake Brienz, surrounded by mountains, is like an oval bowl with turquoise milk water on the bottom. The water owes its milky color to the Aare, which flows into the lake between Brienz and Giessbach falls.
Despite the beautiful color of the water, a Lake Brienz cruise seemed boring to me. Apparently because of always the same banks. It was more pleasant to take the Interlaken – Meiringen train with huge panorama windows than to “hang around” for a long time on a ship between the banks.
Lauterbrunnen valley waterfalls hike is for me more interesting und must to do as train to “Top of Europe”. In this post we go through “thundering streams” of Lauterbrunnen valley, climb with cable car to Mürren and fascinate incredible views of the Jungfrau mountain range.
After all the previous valleys, the Meiringen Valley surprised me with how flat and wide it is. People come here for the Aare Gorge and Reichenbach Falls. The town seemed boring.
Lucerne (Luzern) is one of the most beloved Swiss cities for tourists. Lucerne old town and attractions are enough for whole day visit. It can be also a good rainy day option. But staying here for a long time to explore the lake is probably not the best idea: there are many people, transports, and the view is not the same as further along the lake, where the mountains are higher and closer.
The statement that Lucerne is surrounded by mountains, which I have repeatedly come across on the sites, is not true. There is only one mountain nearby – Pilatus. And you can climb it not from the city itself, but from the suburb of Kriens. However, the Reuss River is beautiful, and away from the center, for example by the ramparts, there are quiet, pleasant residential areas.
Region Jungfrau has too much interesting. What to choose – Lake Thun or Brienz? Lake Thun is larger. The relief here is more varied, the picture is changing all the time. There are several interesting places on the lake: the Beatus caves, Spiez and Oberhofen castles, Thun and the Thun castle. Lake Brienz is rather monotonous in relief and boring, but Giessbach waterfalls are very impressive. So I would choose Lake Thun cruise, but also Brienz and Giessbach waterfalls with car or public transport.
Ballenberg open-air museum is an exemplary museum of this type in Europe. German pedantry in the collection and preparation of material here met with Swiss identity and diversity. And if you are even curious how people used to live, how they worked, got food, what they carried, then you are right here for the whole day.
We continue to move clockwise around Lake Lucerne. This part will focus on Klewenalp (part of the shore from Seelisberg to Bürgenstock), Bürgenstock and Stans.
The villages of Beckenried, Emmetten, Buochs belong to Klewenalp.
Mount Jungfrau is not the highest mountain in Switzerland, but it is probably known more than others and is proudly called the “Top of Europe”, because the highest railway station in Europe was built here. This viewpoint attracts a lot of tourists both in summer and winter. In this post some advice for orientation: where to stay in Jungfrau region, how to get and what about altitude sickness.
The main thing in Jungfrau region, in my opinion, is not so much this station on the ridge between Jungfrau and Mönch, but the deepest gorges, rocky slopes, countless waterfalls, milky blue-green rivers and lakes, forests, which can be reached by railways, cable cars and simply on foot.
The tourist fame of Pilatus can compete that of the Jungfrau. And this is well deserved: an expressive silhouette against the sky, different ways of ascent with Pilatus mountain train and cable car, stunning views from above and additional entertainments. Pilatus is a full day excursion.
Lake Uri (Urnersee) is the most beautiful part of Lake Lucerne, with emerald waters and surrounding high mountains. This part is at the same time the historical heart of Switzerland, from where it actually began.