Interlaken sits between two lakes that look nothing like each other — Lake Thun is deep blue with castles around its shore, Lake Brienz is glacier-turquoise and almost undeveloped. The cheapest way onto both is the $52 boat day pass; the highest-rated Interlaken lake trip is the Lake Brienz kayak tour at 4.9★ across 273 reviews. This is every boat trip worth taking, and which lake deserves your day.
Both lakes touch Interlaken — the name literally means "between the lakes" — but they run in opposite directions and offer opposite kinds of day. Pick the lake before you pick the boat.
The bigger of the two, with castles at Thun, Spiez and Oberhofen, the St. Beatus caves in the cliff, and boats from Interlaken West.
Glacier-fed, colder and greener, framed by steep forest. Giessbach Falls, the woodcarving village of Brienz, and boats from Interlaken Ost.
The two ways to be on the water rather than watching it — a 50-minute jetboat spin, or three hours of paddling into the turquoise.
The pier on Lake Brienz used in Crash Landing on You. Reachable by boat, by e-quad tour, or on foot from the Giessbach trail.
One for the budget, one for the water, one for the shore. Ranked on rating and review volume rather than price — all three run through the summer season.
Our take: 4.9★ across 273 reviews — the highest-rated way onto either lake. Three hours at water level in glacier-fed turquoise, with a sunset version in summer.
Our take: $52 for unlimited boats on both lakes for a day. The best-value ticket in the region and the correct answer when the summits are in cloud.
Our take: 4.7★ across 420 reviews. Fifty minutes of spins and hard turns on the turquoise — the one lake trip that belongs in the adrenaline column.
Unlimited boats on both lakes for $52, valid all day. The most flexible ticket in the region — and free cancellation up to 24 hours if the forecast turns.
Every boat-based trip we've checked on either lake, from a $52 all-day pass to a seven-hour cruise with a cave visit. The card says which lake each one is on.
Our take: Unlimited scheduled boats for a day. The 4.2★ average reflects crowded peak sailings rather than the route — go early and it's the best $52 here.
Our take: The highest-rated trip on either lake. No experience needed, and the water colour genuinely does look like the photographs.
Our take: Fast, loud and short. 4.7★ across 420 reviews and the only lake trip that gets a reaction out of teenagers.
Our take: Thun, Spiez and Oberhofen in one afternoon with entry included. The cultural half-day the region is otherwise short of.
Our take: Boat across the lake to the cave system in the cliff above the shore, with a picnic. New listing, very few reviews — but a genuinely different day.
Our take: Boat to the falls, the historic funicular up to the hotel terrace, then the shoreline path to Iseltwald. The best walking-and-water combination here.
Our take: Exactly what it sounds like, and it works: 4.8★ across 89 reviews for two hours on the water with chocolate fondue. Good evening option.
Our take: Not a boat, but it's the quickest way to the Iseltwald pier and the lake's south shore. 4.4★ across 27 reviews — a light, easy 90 minutes.
If you only have one day on the water, this is the decision. They are half an hour apart and could not be less alike.
| Lake Thun (west) | Lake Brienz (east) | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Deep blue | Glacier turquoise |
| Size | 48 km², the larger | About 30 km² |
| Shoreline | Castles, villages, vineyards | Steep forest, almost undeveloped |
| Pier in Interlaken | Interlaken West | Interlaken Ost |
| Headline stop | Thun castle & old town | Giessbach Falls |
| On-water activities | Scheduled boats, castle tour | Kayak, jetboat, fondue float |
| Rainy-day value | Castles and caves indoors | Falls look better, but nowhere to shelter |
| Pick it if | You want history and villages | You want the colour in the photos |
Our verdict: Lake Brienz for a first visit — the turquoise is the thing people actually came to see, and the kayak and jetboat trips both launch there. Lake Thun for a second day, a rainy day, or anyone who'd rather look at a castle than a colour. The $52 day pass covers both, so the honest move on a clear day is to take an early boat down Brienz and a late one back along Thun.
Both lakeshores are public, and some of the best water time in Interlaken involves no ticket at all.
The public beaches at Neuhaus on Lake Thun and Bönigen on Lake Brienz are both a short bus ride from the centre and free to use. The water is glacier-fed and stays cold well into summer, which is either the point or a warning depending on your temperament. The Aare river path linking the two lakes is flat, paved and walkable end to end in about an hour.
If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, the scheduled boats on both lakes are already included — so the $52 day pass is redundant for you, and the trips worth paying for are the ones a scheduled boat can't do: the kayak, the jetboat and the castle entries.
For value, the $52 Lake Thun and Lake Brienz day pass — unlimited scheduled boats on both lakes for a day. For quality, the Lake Brienz kayak tour at 4.9★ across 273 reviews is the highest-rated trip on either lake. For something short and fast, the 50-minute jetboat on Lake Brienz holds 4.7★ across 420 reviews.
Brienz for the colour — it is glacier-fed and genuinely turquoise, with Giessbach Falls and the Iseltwald pier on its shore. Thun for the shoreline — three castles, the old town at Thun, the St. Beatus caves and more villages. Brienz photographs better; Thun gives you more to do when it rains.
The all-day pass covering both lakes is $52. Guided trips run from $124 for the two-hour chocolate fondue float to $261 for the three-castle tour on Lake Thun. The Lake Brienz kayak tour is $143 and the jetboat $148. Scheduled boats are included free with a Swiss Travel Pass.
Lake Thun boats leave from the pier at Interlaken West; Lake Brienz boats from the pier at Interlaken Ost. Both piers are next to their respective railway stations, and the two stations are about fifteen minutes apart on foot along the Höheweg.
Yes. The public beaches at Neuhaus on Lake Thun and Bönigen on Lake Brienz are free and easy to reach by bus. Both lakes are glacier-fed and cold — Brienz noticeably colder than Thun — with the warmest water in late July and August.
Yes — it's run as a guided small-group paddle with no experience required, and the guide covers technique before you set off. Three hours on the water is the main demand; basic fitness is enough. It holds 4.9★ across 273 reviews, which for a physical activity is unusually consistent.
Iseltwald is the small village on Lake Brienz whose pier featured in the Korean series Crash Landing on You, and it draws a steady stream of visitors because of it. Scheduled Lake Brienz boats stop there, so the day pass covers it; the e-quad tour and the Giessbach shoreline hike also end up there.
Scheduled sailings are heavily reduced from roughly late October to April, with only a limited winter timetable on Lake Thun and little on Lake Brienz. The kayak and jetboat trips are summer-season activities. If you're visiting between November and March, plan the lakes as a shoulder-season option and check the current sailing list before travelling.
Scheduled boats on both lakes are covered by the pass, so don't buy the $52 day pass on top of it. What is still worth paying for is what a scheduled boat can't do: the kayak tour, the jetboat, the castle entries on the three-castle tour and the fondue float.
The scheduled boats on Lake Thun — they are enclosed, the castles and the St. Beatus caves at the far end are indoors, and Thun's old town gives you somewhere to spend the middle of the day. Kayaking and the jetboat both depend on conditions and are commonly cancelled in rough weather, with a refund or a rebooking.
The eight trips above are every boat-based experience on either lake that we've checked against its live listing, current rating and review count. Prices are the GetYourGuide "from" price in USD and move with the season. Where a listing is new and thin on reviews — the Lake Thun cruise and the Giessbach boat trip both are — the card says so.
Where a scheduled public boat does the same job for less, we say that too, and the free-swimming and Swiss-Travel-Pass notes exist because they save money we'd otherwise be recommending you spend. Last updated: August 2026.
The complete regional ranking — peaks, adrenaline, lakes and local experiences, sortable by price and rating.
Seven thrills rated by fear level — including where the jetboat sits against skydiving and the canyon swing.
The lake days that work with children, minimum ages across every tour, and the free layer.
Brienz for the turquoise and the kayak, Thun for the castles and the rainy-day plan — or the $52 day pass and both. Free cancellation up to 24 hours on everything here.
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