Thun Transportation

3 more images

If you’re looking for a relaxing transit from Thun to Interlaken, vice versa, or points between you might enjoy taking a “walk on” ferry instead of bus or train.
It’s easy, comfortable, and I thought enjoyable to be able to sit and watch the World flow by, the scenery on a sunny day is incredible. I wasn’t in a terrible hurry and the journey took about two hours.

The ferry service is operated in conjunction with SBB by a company called BLS or Schifffahrt Berner Oberland that has been sailing these waters since about 1834.
They also operate special events on sailing boats out of Thun or Interlaken that include music, food and dance.

The boat I sailed on, the Berner Oberland, was quite clean and there was in seat service on the upper deck for drinks, coffee and food. On board you’ll find a clean and efficient dining area with a good variety of food and beverages.

I paid about 4 CHF for a good cup of Espresso and closer to 5CHF for a cool glass of tomato juice and seasoning.

I used the ferry to transit between Interlaken and Thun, starting my journey by train to Fribourg that day in Wengen and Lauterbrunnen. The ferry connection is easy and the wharf in Interlaken is found easily just behind the Interlaken West train station.

The ferry wharf in Thun is conveniently located just a five minute walk from the front doors of the train station here, just to the right and across the parking area, you really cant miss it.

The ferry is NOT DIRECT however but in fact zigzags back and forth across the lake making about 10 stops in lakeside communities such as Spiez and Oberhofen..

I paid the extra for 1st class and that enabled me to sit topside to enjoy an unobstructed view of the scenery, it was also less crowded up top. To upgrade my ticket it cost me about 25 CHF but it was recommended to me that I would enjoy topside and I thought it was a good idea. Certainly the ride would have been comfortable either way Im sure but maybe the seat that I secured for the journey was a little plusher than seats on the lower deck.

Ill attach links for the timetable from ferry transit between Thn and Interlaken, there you’ll also be able to find precise information for destinations in between.

The photo of the Berner Oberland is actually taken docked in Interlaken. The second photo is taken in the Canal leaving Interlaken just before we get out onto the Lake Thun.

4 more images

Located centrally just south of the River Aare ,its an easy walk arriving by train to either the attractions of the Old Town or if you are continuing transit on the Thunersee, to the wharf where the boats depart from. The wharf is only about a five minute walk from the station.

The station itself is not overly large or confusing and is a modern structure with storage lockers and a restaurant, a TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE, plenty of information boards for train departure information and easy access to the various tracks. There is of course an SBB ticketing department for train and boat travel.

The SBB stands for Swiss Federal Railways..in German it means Schweizerische Bundesbahnen.
Here at the Thun station you can arrange and pay for transit tickets including transit on Lake Thun as well.

Outside the front doors of the station is where you will find buses waiting for local transit if that might be your need.
Through the front doors, across the parking lot and turn right to get yourself to the wharf if you are connecting or taking a boat to destinations served by the boats.

To access the Old Town from here it’s only about a ten minute walk through the front doors, cross the road and walk to your left, this road, Freienhofgasse, will take you across a bridge and the sights begin!

I exchanged currency here at the SBB counters and made use of some really good brochures that I was easily able to find at the Tourist Information Office found here in the train station. The woman that I interacted with spoke English very well.

The Tourist Office will provide you with a pamphlet that outlined a “self guided” walking tour of the Old Town. The brochure outlines a route and the buildings of interest and correlates the information on a map that you can easily follow. The one brochure provides a photo of the various structures that are historically significant and in three languages explains a little of the history of each of these structures.

If you are interested in “guided tours” you can arrange this here although I thought the prices were a little expensive.

The operating hours of the Tourism Office are Monday – Friday: 09.00 – 18.30 and Saturday: 09.00 – 16.00...A contact telephone number for them is 41 (0) 33 225 90 00.

The attached link is a floor plan of the interior of the train station in Thun

1 more image

Public transportation in the area is sufficient as one might expect in Switzerland. Beside the trains and boats there are the buses. While the town itself is compact and very walkable (at least the places of interest for tourists) you might want to take the bus along the northern shore of Lake Thun to explore a bit.

The buses run between Interlaken-Ost railway station and Thun railway station. During the day they run every 30 minutes. Tickets are available at the ticket machines in the bus or from the driver, better even at the local tourist infos if you're in the small villages. And of course you can buy them in advance from ticket machines or at the train station in Thun/Interlaken. The Regional Pass Berner Oberland is valid here.

You have the possibility to use bicycles, E-Bikes, Skateboards or Trottinettes for free. This is a great way for a day of sightseeing the region.
The place is located a few meters from the train station on the Aarefeldstrasse (Between Manor shopping and Coop shop).
It is open daily from 7:30 to 21:30. You will have to hand in a ID and 20.- CHF deposit.

4 more images

Thun is about halfway between Interlaken and Bern and its train-station is in the very centre of town, in a walking-distance of just about 20 minutes to the castle of Thun and even less to Obere Hauptgasse, the river Aare and Rathausplatz.
From the Hauptbahnhof Thun you will get to the ship-landing-station of Thuner See walking within about 5 minutes, so that is very easy as well.
there are lots of automatic lockers for your luggage at Hauptbahnhof !
Just opposite of the station there is a kiosk serving snacks, coffee and drinks :
Steimann Pic is open 7 days a week !
Monday-Friday 06.00a.m. - 07.00p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 08.00 a.m. - 05.00p.m.

Regional-Pass Berner Oberland is certainly the best pre-paid train-pass that you may get for the area around Thun, Interlaken & Brienz and it makes sense, when you have at least 3 days and want to go to the most spectacular mountain-tops of the Jungfrau-Region :
Regional-Pass berner Oberland is valid 7 days (224,-sfr) or 15 days (270,-sfr) and during 3 of these 7 or 5 of these 15 days you may use that ticket for unlimited travels, only for a tour to Jungfraujoch you pay 50 sfr extra and for Schilthorn 30 sfr extra - the Brienz Rothorn is totally included !!
The tickets are for 7/15 consecutive days, BUT you may choose any 3 (or 5) days of unlimited travels by yourself - you simply stamp your ticket at any trainstation into a machine on these days.
During the rest of the days you pay half of the ordinary prices.
This ticket includes also all trains and ships around Brienzersee and Thunersee, trains till Brig, Lenk i.S., Adelboden, Meiringen, Gstaad and halfprice all days to Zermatt, Luzern, Bern etc...
I had such a ticket with 7 days and could save a lot of money, although I had only 3 days with excellent weather-conditions !!.
See more details about that ticket on my link below !!
Click here for a map of the area showing all train-tracks that are included in this offer !
Click again at the map that you get and it will enlarge once more !!

4 more images

Thuner See and also Brienzer See are the largest lakes in the Jungfrau-Region and it will be a great idea to dedicate a full day of your stay in Thun for cruising them !
Both lakes may be done easyly within a single day, especially when you always stay on the cruiseships or choose the stations carefully, where you are leaving the ships, explore lovely places like Spiez, Schloss Oberhofen or Huenibach, Beatenbucht, Interlaken etc. and continue later-on by the next ship.
All of the ships will also have a 1st class, that is the total upper deck, and a 2nd class in the lower decks.
Normally on mondays and at special days during the lower season day-tickets are available for both lakes for just 25 sfr for 2nd class (35,- sfr for 1st class) and those tickets are for both lakes.
All of the ships on Thunersee and Brienzersee belong to the swiss railway-system and are also included in the "Regionalpass Berner Oberland" !

Take a closer look at my photograph for this great Mercedes 220S that dates back to the year 1957 and may be rented for special occasions like marriages, private festivities and certainly also as a taxi or "tour-bus" for people who are looking for the un-usual experience. This Mercedes even has a folding top !
Of course this is not a usual rental car that you may drive yourself, BUT you rather have to rent it togeather with the owner as a driver, but that might even be the better experience, to have your own chauffeur.
You certainly have to reserve that car a long time in advance - see the telephone-number below !
I saw this announcement at the "Kunterbunt-Laden" next to Berntorscheune, so maybe that car is to be seen inside the Berntorscheune.
Kunterbunt-Laden is open :
Mondays 01.30 p.m. - 06.30.p.m.
Tuesday - friday : 10.00a.m.-12.00 + 01.30 - 06.30p.m.
Saturday 09.00a.m. - 04.00p.m.