Switzerland 2025 - Day 3 / Aareschlucht, Lake Brienz, Thun, Interlaken

Steps today: 18 712 / 12.34 km

Day 3 was jam-packed with activities from start to finish, just the way I like it!

First was the Aare Gorge, fascinating carved by glaciers.

Next I wanted to visit the Reichenbach Falls, but the funicular that takes you up was closed for the season... a little detail Google left out!

Instead, after hemming and hawing over what to do next, we decided on a lunch cruise on Lake Brienz

But not before an Aperol Spritz stop!

The cruise was beautiful!

And lunch was delicious!

Next, we got on the train and went to spend a few hours wandering around in Thun

What to do for supper? Well, lack of imagination sent us back to Interlaken and to the place with the cute bread for more fondue.

I wasn't ready to call it quits after this... so we went on for a last hoorah overlooking the park.

Finally making it back to Wilderswil just after 7PM.  The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the bus/train... I presume on this night we took the train since I took this picture!

Switzerland 2025 - Day 2 / First and Lauterbrunnen

Steps today: 24 772 / 16.34 km

For Day 2, we started with a hike up at First in Grindelwald. 

I had forgotten the cable car ride up was almost a half an hour!

Like our last visit 11 years ago, we picked the hike to the Lake (Bachalpsee) - which is just under 2 hours there and back but took us closer to 2.5 since I kept stopping for pictures.

The trail was quite crowded but I managed to get some clear shots, and it was more strenuous than I remembered... but it was a decade ago!

We were really lucky with the weather because the fog rolled in on the way back and the views disappeared.

Predictably after this it was time for lunch. Chässchnitte - a typically Swiss Dish which I love!

We decided to go over to Lauterbrunnen for the rest of the afternoon; we didn't walk the entire valley because we had plans to do that on another day, but just enough of a walk to feel like we burned off lunch!

And you guessed it - an Aperol Spritz stop too!

By about 5PM we decided to pack it in, headed back to Wilderswil and had supper at the Italian Restaurant across the street from the hotel.

Here you can see the restaurant on the right, and our hotel on the left. 

It was perfect! Couldn't be closer for us to roll into bed with full bellies around 8ish.

Switzerland 2025 - Day 1 / Interlaken and Wilderswil

Steps today: 20 266 / 13.36 km 

As one would hope and expect, we made it save & sound and landed nice and early around 6-something AM. 

Leg 2 was a 2.5-hour train journey from Zürich Airport to Interlaken, which thankfully was direct because it was jam-packed so we were happy to get seats and places for our bags where we could see them! 

We arrived just after 10AM, and according to my app, from Interlaken it was a quick walk to the bus stop that would take us to our final destination of Wilderswil, but we could not find it for the life of us! In hindsight, I know what happened: if you take the train to Interlaken WEST, you get to Wilderswil by bus (9 minutes) but if you stay on the train to Interlaken EAST, you get to Wilderswil by train (5 minutes). I must have mixed up east and west in my mind; we were in "East" walking in circles looking for the bus stop with no success, and eventually gave up and took the train.  Both the bus and train end up in the same spot.

The hotel was predictably not ready, but we were already impressed by the location and the views - Amazing! That's it behind the cow in the distance.

And what a view! and the melodious sounds of cow bells in the air added to the atmosphere.  I was a little nervous that it would keep us up at night, but it didn't. It was calming, not annoying at all.

We left our bags and went back to Interlaken for lunch - my goal was to go have fondue at a place we went to back in 2014 where the bread presentation really impressed me.  I have never seen it served this way before or since, would they still have it? yes!

After lunch it was up to the Harder Kulm to enjoy the sweeping views over Interlaken. It seems every time I am up here, the view is hazy...  I don't mind, it's better than cloudy!

I wanted to sit and have a drink, but the terrasse was packed and there was no shade. It was TOO HOT

We spent the rest of the afternoon just strolling around Interlaken

And of course, an Aperol Spritz stop!

By about 4PM, we headed back to Wilderswil to collect our bags and unpack. The hotel was fantastic. I was a bit nervous about it because it was an annex to the main hotel, and Google Street View made it seem like it was a motel on the side of the road. OMG I had nothing to worry about! Yes it was motel-ish, a two-story block of about 16 rooms with individual doors at the back and gardens or balconies at the front all gazing towards the Jungfrau. Jaw dropping.

This is the view from all the rooms, and that building in the shot was the breakfast room. A little chilly in the early morning to run over to it, but it was great! 

After we unpacked, we set off on a wander around the village. It was idyllic.

By about 7PM we were ready to call it quits. It was a full first day!