Unterseen Transportation

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During the summerseason you may even take a steamtrain from Interlaken Ost to Ballenberg and Bruenig. At the end of track #4 at the station Interlaken Ost you will find an interesting shed with an old steam-train : Ballenberg-Bahn is a museum-steam-train that used to go east of Brienz on a regular schedule many years ago. When you are lucky, there will be someone there to let you inside the shed, otherwise you may see at least the old wagons in front of the shed or you return on any friday at 02.00p.m., because every friday afternoon the shed is open for visitors !!
In summer the steam-train will make special tours according to these timetables :
http://www.dampfbahnen.ch - you may use the link below !
for prices click on "Preise" - it is a pity that everything is just in german, but I guess you may understand most of these infos anyway.
Several train-rides are done each year in July, September and October between Interlaken Ost and Giswil ( that is halfway between Brienz and Luzern - with a scenic ride going through Brienz and over the Bruenig-Pass)

Be careful, I spoiled one of my jackets , when I touched the steam-train in order to make the picture of the driver's place - coal-dust is everywhere and it will be hard to clean your clothes again !!

Driving with your own car in Unterseen & Interlaken and its surrounding is quite ticky, because the road along the southern bank of Brienzersee is ment to be a highway, although it does not look that way and you will have a single track for several km. For using the AUTOBAHN / highway in Switzerland - you will have to pay a " vignette " - a sticker or ticket to be attached behind your windscreen.
There are only 1-year-tickets available for the price of 40 sfr / 32 Euros and be aware, that there are high penalties, when they catch you without such a sticker on your windscreen.
Buy them at newspaper stands or directely at the border.
When arriving in Switzerland ON the Autobahn from another country, there will be an exit for all those NOT WILLING to buy a vignette...
I may highly recommend to buy this sticker, simply because many of the fast roads like the road along the southern shore of Lake Brienz are included in the highway-system, although there is only 1 track in each direction and only a very few places, where you may overtake others. And still you save 30 minutes driving-time between Brienz and Interlaken. Also in other parts of Switzerland you may get on a highway without realizing immediately !!

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Interlaken WEST is the train-station that is closest to Unterseen in a distance of just a few hundred meters, so you could easily walk there .This is where ALL of the international trains will arrive via Bern-Thun-Spiez. This station has ONLY rails for the international size, so the cog-wheel-trains may never go there.
In a short distance of just a few meters (BUT in a walking-distance of about 400 meters through different tunnels you will get from the station Interlaken WEST to the station of the cruiseships of Thuner See, see my 2nd picture !
Around the station of Interlaken West you will find the centre of the village, most of the shops, a giant MIGROS-supermarket and restaurant. In a walking-distance of just 3 minutes you may change from the train to the ships, cruising Thunersee / Lake Thun.
The train to Interlaken Ost takes about 3 minutes, the ordinary fare would be 2,20 sfr !

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Transportations around Unterseen & Interlaken are quite expensive, but at least you may save some money, when you buy one of the special tickets, that are available in a big variety : In case that you are lucky with perfect weather and stay in the area around Brienzersee & Thunersee for at least 3 days , it really makes sense to buy the "Regionalpass Berner Oberland" :
This train-pass is valid 7 (220,-sfr) or 15 days (265,-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 !!

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Unterseen is the perfect place to spend a day cruising on Thunersee & Brienzersee and both lakes could easily be done 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, Thun etc. and continue by the next ship.
All of the ships have a 1st class : 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 20 sfr / 13 Euros for both lakes.
All of the ships on Thunersee and Brienzersee are also included in the "Regionalpass Berner Oberland" - read more about it in my next tip !!