Niesen

Niesen, the Swiss pyramid with a fantastic panorama

Why would you go to Egypt, if you find the largest pyramid right here? If you look towards this mountain from Lake Thun, its shape really resembles a pyramid and the best thing, you can easily get to the summit of the Niesen.

The longest funicular of its kind in the world

Next to the tracks, the longest stairs (for maintenance and evacuation only) is the scene of a yearly run up the 11,674 steps! From the summit, an overwhelming panorama of the Bernese Alps and the lakes is the reward of the visit.

The funicular started operation in 1910. It leads in two sections from Muelenen, in the Kander Valley, to the summit station. Upon arrival at the summit station, you can reach the the panorama restaurant in less than 2 minutes. You can climb the actual summit in just about 5 minutes over an easy and well paved path. Because its freestanding location, the panorama is unique! On the northern side, Lake Thun lies deep below your feet. On the other sides, the whole Bernese Alps range can be seen and even some peaks near Zermatt! You can discover even mountains in France on the western horizon.

Niesen funicular

Highlight

No fuzz here, it is the terrific view which is the highlight. Because the Niesen stands totally free, the view is largely unobstructed by any nearby mountain. If you have an opportunity, and the weather is clear, we reccomend to visit the Niesen late afternoon or evening. Because on Fridays, Saturdays and in high season also on Wednesdays, the restaurant is open until late night and you can see the sunset! In late autumn the famous Niesen pyramid shape shadow can be seen over Lake Thun.

Eating and drinking

You can enjoy the best possible panoramic views in the newly renovated panorama pavilion. Large glass windows from the floor to the ceiling allow an unobstructed view of the mountains, even if you don’t sit directly at the window! Indulge yourself with the local specialties. We especially reccomend the soup of the day “Baerghuus Suppe”, try it yourself.

Good to know

The hotel was built long before the funicular. The earliest guests either walked up or let themselves be transported with a litter. Knowing the vertical rise is about 1700 meters, one can imagine how hard the job must have been for the people who carried the guest and his/her luggage!

Milling stones. Because of the specifications of certain rock layers on the Niesen, craftsmen have carved milling stones on the slopes of the mountain. Several milling stones are still to be found on the mountain. Why are they still there? Well, when it became clear, a crack appeared or a mistake was made while crafting the stone, it made no sense to carry them down to the valley.

If you are looking for a new challange, what about the run up the longest stairway in the world? As mentioned above, each year, about 250 runners climb the 11,674 stairs. The fastest athlete has done it in less than an hour!

This excursion is perfectly suitable for our packages Spiez Exclusive and Interlaken Exclusive.

Duration of the trip

Included is some time at the restaurant for drinks or a meal.

Season

Mid April to mid November

The perfect pyramid shape over the low clouds seen from the Niesen summit