Oeschinen Lake Panorama Hike in Switzerland
The Oeschinen Lake panorama hike lies just outside the town of Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. With its turquoise waters, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and cascading waterfalls, it’s easily one of the most beautiful hikes in the Swiss Alps—and definitely one of our favorite hikes in Switzerland!
Although a quick trip to Kandersteg with a gondola ride and a brief visit to the lake shore is possible, we highly recommend dedicating an entire day to fully experience everything this destination has to offer. From hiking, swimming, and picnicking to riding the mountain coaster and rowing a boat on the lake, there’s no shortage of activities to enjoy!
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Oeschinen Lake Panorama Hike
General Information
- Trail Operation: Late May through October
- Trail Map: AllTrails Map
- Location: Öschistrasse 50, 3718 Kandersteg, Switzerland
- Arrival By Car: 42 minutes from Interlaken | 2 hours from Zurich | 2 hours 20 min. from Geneva
- Arrival By Train: 1 hour 15 min. from Interlaken | 2 to 2.5 hours from Zurich | 3 to 3.5 hours from Geneva
- Gondola to Oeschinensee: Adult 32 CHF | Child 16 CHF 50% Discount w/Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass.
- Hike Difficulty: Moderate. Mostly wide trails with some moderate elevation gain.
- Hike Distance: 5.4 mile (7.25 km) loop trail
- Hike Time: 3 to 3.5 hours
- Elevation Gain: 1,625 feet (495 m)
- Weather Camera: View Here
The two main trails leading to Oeschinen Lake are the Oeschinensee Panorama Trail and the River Trail. For those seeking more adventure, there are also a few challenging trails that branch off from the Panorama Trail. While we didn’t tackle those ourselves, we’ll point you in the right direction if you’re looking to explore more options!
Directions to Kandersteg
Getting to Kandersteg from Interlaken
Interlaken is the main hub of the Bernese Oberland region, serving as the primary gateway to Kandersteg. If you’re driving, it’s about a 40-minute trip—an easy and scenic drive, and with Switzerland’s well-maintained roads and skilled drivers, there’s nothing to worry about.
If you’re taking the train from Interlaken, the journey takes between 1 and 1.5 hours, with a required transfer in Spiez. To make your trip smoother, be sure to download the SBB Mobile App to see all Swiss public transportation schedules and to buy tickets and passes.
Getting to Kandersteg from Zurich
The drive from Zurich to Kandersteg is about 2 hours.
If you choose the train to Kandersteg, the journey is 2 to 2.5 hours with a stop in Spiez and possibly Bern.
How to Get to Oeschinensee Once in Kandersteg
If you’re driving, you’ll find a parking lot conveniently located next to the Oeschinensee cable car station.
If you’re arriving by train, expect about a 15-minute walk from the Kandersteg train station to the cable car station or trailhead. After exiting the train station, look for the bridge crossing over the stream. Cross the bridge and walk down to the cross street. Turn left, then take the second right. You’ll likely see others heading the same way, so navigation is easy. Continue straight for about 1/3 mile, then take your third left to reach the main parking lot near the lift station’s ticket office.
Getting to Oeschinensee – Hike The River Trail or Ride The Cable Car?
There are two options. The free option is a 1.9-mile hike along a small river to the lake. The second option is paying for a gondola ride.
Hiking the River Trail to Oeschinensee
If you want to save money by skipping the cable car, your only option is the River Trail. Starting from the main parking lot, it’s about 1.9 miles to the lake. While there’s some incline, it’s manageable for those in decent shape. The well-marked trail offers plenty of shade, making for a comfortable hike. Expect it to take around 1 hour to reach the lake.
Upon arrival, you’ll find the Berghotel Oeschinensee and a charming outdoor café right on the lakeshore. We stopped for about 20 minutes, enjoying espresso and pastries—both were delicious!
For a different way to experience the lake, consider renting a rowboat from the dock. Drifting in the middle of Oeschinen Lake, surrounded by its towering cliffs, made us feel incredibly small in the best way! Boat rental prices were 18 CHF for 30 minutes and 29 CHF for 1 hour.
Taking the Cable Car to Oeschinensee
The cable car ride takes about 15 minutes, offering a convenient way back to the parking lot in Kandersteg. While we took it on our return trip, it’s not as scenic as some of the other cable car rides in Switzerland.
As of 2025, it is 32 CHF for a full-price adult return ticket, or 16 CHF with a Half Fare Card. Current prices can be found here.
Once you arrive, it’s a 15-minute walk to the lake. There’s also a lovely viewpoint just before you reach the lake, perfect for photos. However, it can get crowded, so try to get there early for the best shots!
Also, for those who are physically challenged, a shuttle service is available to take people from the lift station to the lake. As of September 2023, the price was 10 CHF for adults and 8 CHF for children.
Once on the lake trail, you can turn right and walk for 10 minutes to reach the cafe and boat rental facility, or you can turn left and begin the ascent to the more elevated trails.
Tip: If you plan to take the cable car down after hiking, be there by 5:00 PM before it closes. Otherwise, you’ll need to hike downhill to Kandersteg, which takes about an hour.
The Oeschinen Lake Panorama Hike
We can’t emphasize it enough that the hike around Oeschinen Lake is one of the best hikes in Switzerland! You can tackle the trail in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. While there are some steep drops, the path is wide and generally safe. Along the way, you’ll find a few scenic spots just off the trail, perfect for capturing breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.
When we were there, most people seemed to be going counterclockwise. If you take this route, you’ll encounter a steady ascent before reaching the upper part of the panorama trail. Along the way, you’ll come across a mountain hut—Unterbärgli, located on the backside of Oeschinensee. It’s a perfect spot to grab a snack and enjoy a beer, offering a nice break before continuing your hike up.
This spot also offers some incredible photo opportunities. If you’re going counterclockwise, be sure to look behind you as you make your way to the mountain hut—you’ll be treated to some amazing lake views!
If you continue along the backside of Oeschinensee, you’ll find some great photo opportunities before reaching the upper trail.
Once you reach the Oberbärgli hut higher up, you’ll be at the farthest point of the hike. From here, take the path to the left (right if you’re going clockwise) to begin your return journey along the upper trail (or lower trail if you’re going clockwise). Don’t worry—the hardest part of the climb is over, and you’ll be rewarded with stunning panorama views on the way back down to the lake.
If you’re going counterclockwise like we did, the trail will eventually connect with the road leading to the gondola station. From here, you have a couple of options: you can turn right for an easy walk back to the station, or turn left toward the café and boat dock. If you’ve got the time, there’s also a mountain coaster just to the right of the gondola station, which is very popular!
If you choose the latter option, you can take the river trail back to Kandersteg. We opted for the lift on the way down, as we were on our third straight day of hiking and our legs were feeling it! From Oberbärgli, it’s about a 1-hour walk back to the lift station, so be sure to give yourself enough time to get back before the lift closes for the day.
Need a camera carrying pack made for the trails? See our review of the Atlas Athlete backpack that carried our gear across 60+ miles on foot in Switzerland!
Other Oeschinensee Hikes
For reference, the yellow trail above is the Panorama loop
Hohtürli Pass to Blüemlisalphutte
The Hohtürli Pass (marked in green on our map) begins at Oberbärgli. If traveling counterclockwise on the Panorama Trail, you will turn right at Oberbärgli instead of left. We didn’t hike this trail so we can’t speak from experience on it, but according to AllTrails, it is another 2.3 miles from Oberbärgli, 2,800 feet of elevation gain, with some 25-30% grades involved. If planning this hike, consider overnight at the hut since an out-and-back day hike would be over 12 miles with some serious elevation changes.
Fründenhütte via Fründschnuer
The trail to Frundenhutte (marked in purple above). This trail splits off at Unterbärgli and heads around the back side of the lake. This was also a trail we did not do, but if interested the hike will have you cutting through the cliffs along narrow and exposed areas with steep dropoffs. The hike around the back of the lake used to be more dangerous, but recently steel cables have been anchored into the rock making the trail ideal for those with via-ferrata gear. Still, this would be a hike for experienced hikers.
Other Activities at Oeschinensee
Summer Toboggan Run (Mountain Coaster)
The summer toboggan run is just outside the upper cable car lift station which is open from 9:30 to 4:30. It is not open during the winter or rainy weather. Children can ride, but those under 8 must ride with someone older. At the time of writing, ride prices were 6 CHF with slight discounts for 2 or more tickets.
Other Activities In Kandersteg
Blausee (Blue Lake)
Blausee is about about 3.5 miles north of Kandersteg. It’s a picturesque small alpine lake with crystal clear water, but it will also get crowded with tourists. If you arrive early before the tour buses start to file in, it will be a much better experience.
Oeschinensee in the Winter
During the summer months, the full Panorama Trail is open for exploration, offering breathtaking views under the bright sun. However, when winter arrives, Oeschinensee transforms into an entirely different spectacle. The vivid blue color of the lake and lush green grass are replaced by a pristine, snow-covered landscape. On especially cold days, the lake freezes over, inviting visitors to enjoy ice skating and ice fishing. For more details on winter activities, here.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Given its pristine beauty and what many consider the most beautiful Alpine Lake, Oeschinensee has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2007.
Increased Popularity of Oeschinensee
For many years, Oeschinensee was not as popular with tourists since it is located about an hour from Interlaken which serves as the gateway to the more touristy places like Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. In recent years, however, social media has brought much attention to Oeschinensee making it more popular than ever before. But don’t let this keep you away since there is plenty of space around the lake to spread out.
Where to stay in Kandersteg to visit the Oeschinen lake?
Kandersteg being a small ski village and summer destination has several options worth exploring. One of the cool things about staying in Kandersteg is that when paying the tourist tax, you will receive discounts for various things.
You can check out some of the lodging offerings below. If you book through the tool below we will receive a small commission from Booking.com at no additional cost to you which helps fund the blog!
Frequently Ask Questions
What is the best time to hike Oeschinen Lake?
The weather conditions are ideal in the summer months, but mid-May through the end of September, the trails should be snow-free. Before May and after September it becomes a little less certain. We hiked in the second half of September and the weather was still warm. We recommend doing this hike on a sunny day. The sun really brings out the blue color in the water!
Is the hike dangerous?
The main trail has some areas with steep drops, but it is also wide and well-maintained. We saw lots of young kids handling this trail with zero problems.
The Fründenhütte via Fründschnuer is more sketchy with the narrow, exposed areas. There are anchored cables along the wall for support and via-ferrata gear, but it may not be the best trail for anyone afraid of heights or small children.
Also, there was a time when you could hike the southern shore, however, over the last few years this area has been closed due to the increased risk of rock slides.
Should I rent a rowing boat on Oeschinen Lake?
Absolutely! One of the most peaceful experiences was drifting out to the middle of the lake, surrounded by nothing but the gentle breeze and the stunning blue water rippling beneath the boat. As we took in the amazing views of the Alps towering above, it felt like pure serenity. Arriving before noon gives you plenty of time to rent a boat and explore the trails.
Is Oeschinen Lake Accessible for those with Mobility Issues?
Oeschinensee is very accessible for those with mobility issues. There is a shuttle bus at the gondola station that offers a convenient way to reach the lake.
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