Just out of curiousity, I began to look around for events and those elusive "things to do" when it's raining. Afterall, fall is right around corner and the rain has been greeting us with a vengeance the last couple of days. To help out those who happen to be here, soaking up the rain, here's a few ideas on how to spend the time.
Take Bus #21 direction Thun from Interlaken West and you can stop along the way at a few rainy day places.
The first stop is the St. Beatus Caves.
According to a legend, St. Beatus was an Irish monk who arrived here in the 6th century AD - he is said to have killed a dragon that lived in the caves, freeing the surrounding villages from a fire-breathing menace! Although there is no evidence to support that part of the tale, St. Beatus did actually live here, hermit-like, for many years. Archaelogists also found evidence of a prehistoric settlement.
The caves themselves lead for 1 km into the Niederhorn Massif and are only accessable on a guided tour - however it is truly mpressive to walk beneath the ground through gorges, see massive stone halls fit for a king marvel at ancient stalactites and above all the beautiful underground waterfall, rumbling and roaring its way through the dark Not that the tour is in the dark - the path is well lit with electric lights!
The caves are open daily from 9.30am to 5pm and tours start every 30 minutes.
Prices:
CHF 18.- for adults, CHF 6.- for children (aged 6-16).
The caves are not wheelchair or pram accessable.
Bus 21stops along the way at 2 little lake side towns - Oberhofen and Hilterfingen, both homes to two unique castles.
Castle Oberhofen
Sporting a keep and turret, construction of the castle was started in the 13th century. The Habsburgs laid their claim to the grounds in the 14th century but they did not remain long - after the Battle of Sempach, Bernese troops took over the castle and it began its long and varied history, changing hands through several noble families,starting with the Scharnachtal dynasty and ending, in the middle of the 19th century with the Counts of Pourtalés, who undertook several interior and exterior transformations of the building. Their reign has not lasted forever and the building is now run by an independent museum foundation.
Today, the interior of the castle hosts a fine furniture collection and is a tribute to the changing lifestyles of the nobility from the 16th to the 19th centuries, showing off a bewildering array of furniture and decor, ranging from Gothic to Historism, all tastefully displayed in the now silent halls and rooms.
The castle is set in a beautifully landscaped 6 acre park which in itself is a tribute to time - laid out orig and inally in 1840, it has been continually changed and modified to reflect the fashions of the day and the various influences can still be seen today. Castle Oberhofen is open from the 15th of May to the 16th of October, Mondays from 2pm until 5pm, and Sundays from 11am to 5pm. The garden is open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Prices:
Adults: CHF 10.-
Children (6-16years) - CHF 2.-
Castle Hünegg
Less imposing but no less interesting is Castle Hünegg. Built in the Historism Style between 1861 and 1863, this was never really a castle as such, but the home of Baron Albert Emil Otto von Parpart - an officer in the service of the king of Prussia. He modelled the building on the form of other Renaissance castles found on the Loire - the Blois, Chenonceau and Azay-Le Rideau. The castle was bought at the turn of the century by the Lemke-Schuckert family who remodelled the interior to reflect the Art Nouveau style and the castle has remained unchanged since 1900. It is truely a testament to it's times and must see for all Art Nouveau fans.
It is open from mid- May until October, daily from 2pm until 5pm and Sundays from 11am until 5pm.
Prices:
Adults: CHF 9.-
Children (6-16 years): CHF 3.-
Bus 21 ends in Thun - and it is certainly a worthwhile stop as this is the home to most famous castle in the Bernese Oberland, Castle Thun.
This imposing, fairy-tale structure with four turrets was built between 1190 and 1200 by the dukes of Zähringen, the same family responsible for establishing the cities of Bern and Fribourg. Within it's walls are five large halls, the most imposing of which is the Knights Hall which includes a huge stone fireplace and a massive wood-beamed ceiling. There are plenty of displays to look at, and the towers are accessable, giving a fantastic view of the city below. As these towers were also used a jail cells, the walls are covered in graffitti - not left behind by careless tourists, but by mournful inmates who left engravings of their sad histories.
The castle is accessable by foot from the city below and is open daily from April until October, 10am to 5pm.
Prices:
Adults: CHF 8.-
Children (6-16years): CHF 2.-, under the age of 6, free.
Family card (2 adults and 3 children): CHF: 16.-
Thunersee Museum Pass
It is possible to save yourself some costs, especially if you plan to visit a few more castles and museums by getting yourself the Thunersee Museum Pass. http://www.thunersee.ch/en/experiences/places-of-interest/museum-pass.html
Valid for the whole season, the pass allows you unlimited access to 12 museums on the Lake of Thun:
Take Bus #21 direction Thun from Interlaken West and you can stop along the way at a few rainy day places.
The first stop is the St. Beatus Caves.
According to a legend, St. Beatus was an Irish monk who arrived here in the 6th century AD - he is said to have killed a dragon that lived in the caves, freeing the surrounding villages from a fire-breathing menace! Although there is no evidence to support that part of the tale, St. Beatus did actually live here, hermit-like, for many years. Archaelogists also found evidence of a prehistoric settlement.
The caves themselves lead for 1 km into the Niederhorn Massif and are only accessable on a guided tour - however it is truly mpressive to walk beneath the ground through gorges, see massive stone halls fit for a king marvel at ancient stalactites and above all the beautiful underground waterfall, rumbling and roaring its way through the dark Not that the tour is in the dark - the path is well lit with electric lights!
Prices:
CHF 18.- for adults, CHF 6.- for children (aged 6-16).
The caves are not wheelchair or pram accessable.
Bus 21stops along the way at 2 little lake side towns - Oberhofen and Hilterfingen, both homes to two unique castles.
Castle Oberhofen
 |
| Castle Oberhofen from the lake |
Sporting a keep and turret, construction of the castle was started in the 13th century. The Habsburgs laid their claim to the grounds in the 14th century but they did not remain long - after the Battle of Sempach, Bernese troops took over the castle and it began its long and varied history, changing hands through several noble families,starting with the Scharnachtal dynasty and ending, in the middle of the 19th century with the Counts of Pourtalés, who undertook several interior and exterior transformations of the building. Their reign has not lasted forever and the building is now run by an independent museum foundation.
Today, the interior of the castle hosts a fine furniture collection and is a tribute to the changing lifestyles of the nobility from the 16th to the 19th centuries, showing off a bewildering array of furniture and decor, ranging from Gothic to Historism, all tastefully displayed in the now silent halls and rooms.
The castle is set in a beautifully landscaped 6 acre park which in itself is a tribute to time - laid out orig and inally in 1840, it has been continually changed and modified to reflect the fashions of the day and the various influences can still be seen today. Castle Oberhofen is open from the 15th of May to the 16th of October, Mondays from 2pm until 5pm, and Sundays from 11am to 5pm. The garden is open daily from 10am to 6pm.
Prices:
Adults: CHF 10.-
Children (6-16years) - CHF 2.-
Castle Hünegg
Less imposing but no less interesting is Castle Hünegg. Built in the Historism Style between 1861 and 1863, this was never really a castle as such, but the home of Baron Albert Emil Otto von Parpart - an officer in the service of the king of Prussia. He modelled the building on the form of other Renaissance castles found on the Loire - the Blois, Chenonceau and Azay-Le Rideau. The castle was bought at the turn of the century by the Lemke-Schuckert family who remodelled the interior to reflect the Art Nouveau style and the castle has remained unchanged since 1900. It is truely a testament to it's times and must see for all Art Nouveau fans.
 |
| Castle Hünegg |
It is open from mid- May until October, daily from 2pm until 5pm and Sundays from 11am until 5pm.
Prices:
Adults: CHF 9.-
Children (6-16 years): CHF 3.-
Bus 21 ends in Thun - and it is certainly a worthwhile stop as this is the home to most famous castle in the Bernese Oberland, Castle Thun.
 |
| Castle of Thun |
 |
| View from the castle tower |
The castle is accessable by foot from the city below and is open daily from April until October, 10am to 5pm.
Prices:
Adults: CHF 8.-
Children (6-16years): CHF 2.-, under the age of 6, free.
Family card (2 adults and 3 children): CHF: 16.-
Thunersee Museum Pass
It is possible to save yourself some costs, especially if you plan to visit a few more castles and museums by getting yourself the Thunersee Museum Pass. http://www.thunersee.ch/en/experiences/places-of-interest/museum-pass.html
Valid for the whole season, the pass allows you unlimited access to 12 museums on the Lake of Thun:
- Art Museum Thun
- Art Collection Hans & Marlis Suter, Oberhofen
- Museum for Timekeepers and Mechanical Musical Instruments, Oberhofen
- Hünegg Castle, Hilterfingen
- Oberhofen Castle
- Spiez Castle
- Castle Museum Thun
- Swiss Gastronomy Museum, Thun
- Toy Museum Thun
- Tourism Museum, Unterseen
- Wocher-Panorama Thun
- Touristik-Museum Unterseen
- Tin Figures Museum, Interlaken
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