Explore Lake Brienz on this Fantastic 2-Hour Walk in Interlaken, Switzerland

INTERLAKEN TO RINGGENBERG

We put off this walk along Lake Brienz for a couple of weeks, but I am so glad that we finally got around to it. This is one of the best short walks in Interlaken with two Medieval ruins and excellent views of Lake Brienz’s turquoise water. It is a great option for a half-day walk in nice weather or on a cloudy day but, if it is raining hard and you don’t want to get too muddy, maybe save this walk for another day!

From Interlaken Ost (East) train station, you have two options to start the walk. You can backtrack and cross the Aare River at a road bridge then follow the path along the northern bank of the river towards Lake Brienz or walk along the southern bank of the Aare towards Lake Brienz on a paved pedestrian path. If you take the southern bank, you can cross the Aare close to Lake Brienz using a pedestrian path along a high trestle rail bridge (quite an experience if the train is going by at full speed). I would recommend the trestle bridge. As you cross, you get your first nice views of Interlaken and Lake Brienz with its beautiful turquoise waters.

Either way you go, you get a feel for the Aare River which slices through Interlaken, connecting Lake Brienz to Lake Thun. On the morning we went, the ships were all tied up and there were a number of local school kids out trying to catch fish along this pretty stretch of river.

You can follow along with our Lake Brienz trip using this interactive map

Ruine # 1: Kirchenruine Goldswil

Ruin #1: Kirchenruine Goldswil, the remains of an 11th Century Church outside of Interlaken

The view looking back at Interlaken from Kirchenruine Goldswil

As you get to the top of the hill you are greeted by a large, mostly intact church bell tower that might look common place in northern Italy. The bell tower is most of what is left from the 11th Century Romanesque St. Peter’s church and the architecture is evidence of a trade network across the Alps which has been going strong for over 2000 years. In its hey-day, the church served the entire surrounding region but in the 18th Century, services moved to Ringgenberg, and the old church fell into ruin. Today, the spot plays host to exceptional views of Interlaken, a small cemetery, and some information panels on the remains of the church. The original church decorations just inside the bell tower are a real treat.

Immediately after crossing the trestle bridge, there is an intersection with the walking path on the northern bank of the Aare River. If you go to the right (straight ahead if you took the northern bank), you can follow the path along Lake Brienz towards Ringgenberg. If you don’t feel like walking uphill, this is an option but, if you want to get to our first ruin then you need to put in a bit more effort and head up the hill. I think a bit of sweat is well worth the exceptional views from Goldswilhubel or Goldswil Hill.

If you plan to go to the first ruin, follow the signs towards Kirchenruine Goldswil through a small neighborhood and into the forest on the hill. The path up to the ruin is a bit steep in places but well-formed and marked. At one point, there are signs pointing up a very steep (slightly more direct path) to the ruin but I would just keep going on the more gentle path which only takes a few extra minutes.

A Lovely Forest and Great Views of Lake Brienz

Once you have had your fill of the views and have explored the church ruins a bit, I would head back down towards the lake the way you came. As you walk down, you will have nice views over Burgseeli, a small lake which, on a calm day, has a perfect reflection of the mountains high above. With the lake and the forest all around, it is simply lovely. Before you get back out of the forest on your way down the hill, you can follow signs for the Burgweg and contour around the northern side of a small hill that lies between Lake Brienz and Burgseeli. Eventually, you will hit a small road called Brandstrasse and, from here, a short walk downhill towards Lake Brienz brings you back to the junction with the lake path.

Looking down on Burgseeli reflecting the mountains from the Burgweg in the forest above

From the junction with the lake path, continue along Brandstrasse and into a small neighborhood. This grouping of mostly traditional chalets would be idyllic in their own right, but the incredible views of Lake Brienz and the Alps from the other side of the street are exceptional. As you walk along the road here, a keen eye might find some tiny models of planets. Together, these form part of the Ringgenberg Planetenweg or Planetary Path, a themed path giving a unique sense for the scale of our solar system at a scale of 1:1 billion over 12 km (about 7.5 miles). The path here curves around the hill and heads down towards Bergruine Ringgenberg, our next stop!

The Church at Ringgenberg

The late 17th Century Ringgenberg Church built within the ruins of Ringgenberg Castle

Following the well-marked path towards Burgruine Ringgenberg leads you directly into the town of Ringgenberg and to the bottom of a rock outcrop with an incredible church. In 1670, the former ruins of the 13th Century Ringgenberg Castle were partially renovated to house the new village church. Ultimately, this church would replace the ruined church we saw previously at Goldswil. As with most churches in Switzerland, you can go inside absolutely free during the day as long as you are respectful and quiet. So, head up the stairs and check out the the church!

On the inside, the church is simple but wonderfully decorated. Early in the Protestant Reformation, which was largely born in Switzerland during the 16th Century (see our article on Geneve), formerly Catholic churches were stripped of all fanciful features that might distract from parishioners focus on God. I find that younger, purpose-built, Protestant churches like the church at Ringgenberg, often have slightly more decoration and tend to be a bit more pleasing to the eye. A beautiful high painted ceiling and wonderfully intricate stained glass frame the inside of the church at Ringgenberg. Walking out the side door of the church takes you into the courtyard of the castle ruin and several information panels on the history of the castle.

As an aside, the information panels at most historical sites in the Berner Oberland are written in German so, if you don’t speak the language, I typically recommend the Google Translate App’s Camera feature which lets you take a picture of text and automatically translate it. With its proximity to Interlaken, many of Bergruine Ringgenberg’s signs have information in both German and English so, if you are reading this article, you should be set to learn about the fascinating history of the castle and church.

Ruin #2: Burgruine Ringgenberg

If the church is closed, you can generally still get into the rest of the castle ruins at Ringgenberg via a second staircase to the right the of the church steps. Regardless of how you get there, there are great views over the broken-down castle courtyard walls and an interesting tower to explore that make it absolutely worth it to head up the stairs.

I will leave it to you to find detailed information on the history of the Ringgenberg castle but, in brief, the castle was built around 1231 in several stages and was burned in 1381 by invading forces from today’s Swiss Canton of Uri. Lacking funds to rebuild, the castle ruins passed hands for several centuries until the building of the ‘modern’ church on the site in 1670. The castle architecture is quite interesting and resembles several castles in Italy and further afield, more evidence of the important position of Lake Brienz in trans-alpine trade during the middle-ages.

A metal walkway installed in the early 2000’s allows visitors to safely climb up into the main castle tower. For a few moments at least, I would highly recommend sitting in one of the preserved window nooks and contemplating life as a feudal lord here on Lake Brienz, if only to recover slightly from the dizzying spiral staircase and open metal grates holding you 50 feet above the bottom of the ruined tower! By the time I got to the upper most viewing platform, I was holding on for dear-life but, Corinne and I both have a trembling fear of heights so you might have an easier time than we did. I willed myself all the way up to the top and I recommend you do as well as the views are quite wonderful. I would say drop-dead gorgeous, but this seems too on-point given the heights…

Colin from Hidden Switzerland Travel inside the ruins of Ringgenberg Castle with beautiful window nooks. Perfect for a good Medieval newspaper and morning coffee.

To the Turquoise Blue Waters of Lake Brienz

If you have had your fill of history for the day, leave Burgruine Ringgenberg either through the church or down the steps. If you are in need a bathroom, there is one just across the path from the bottom of the stairs. From here, you have a bit of a decision to make. In the summer, you can keep walking down the hill to the Ringgeberg boat station and catch a boat back into Interlaken or you can head up to the Ringgeberg train station to catch a train. Alternatively, if you are feeling a bit more ambitious, you can walk past the boat station and continue following the lake path towards Niederried. This is what Corinne did for her run and she confirmed that it is a lovely section of trail that rises and falls along the inviting waters of Lake Brienz.

Just beyond the boat station in Ringgenberg, there are some cute waterfalls and a great place to swim. It was quite cold in March when we were there, but jumping in the lake still crossed my mind. Winter plunges are somewhat of a Swiss passion, but if I am being honest, I don’t really have the constitution for such things and decided against it..

The inviting view of Lake Brienz from a nice swimming spot just past Ringgenberg boat station.

Trip Details

After meeting back up in Ringgenberg, we extended our walk by heading back along the entirety of the lake path into Interlaken. In total, the walk was about 9 kms or about 5.5 miles round-trip from Interlaken to both ruins and back in about 3.5 hours. That was about 5 kms (3 miles) there including Kirchenruine Goldswil, and 4 kms (2.5 miles) back without hitting Kirchenruine Goldswil.

If you are not keen on doing the entire walk there and back, you have a number of alternatives. At any time of the year, there is bus and train service from Ringgenberg or Niederried back to Interlaken. In the summer, you can also take a boat on Lake Brienz from either of these villages.

We decided to start our walk from the Interlaken Ost (East) train station. While you can start from pretty much anywhere in Interlaken, I think the train station is always a great base. This is the end of the line for several of the larger trains and busses and there is a small grocery store in the train station that is usually open to grab lunch (even on a Sunday).

We hope you enjoyed reading about this trip and that it gives you some inspiration to plan your next adventure in the Berner Oberland. If you are looking for additional walks around Interlaken, you can check out the other articles in our series Discovering Bern. If you would like to explore more of Switzerland, you can check our One Year: 26 Canton project where we visit every Swiss canton in 2024.

Until next time, gute Reise!

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