Oeschinen Lake, Switzerland

How to visit the Oeschinen Lake in Switzerland

Oeschinen Lake is a lake in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, situated 4 kilometers east of Kandersteg in the Oeschinen valley at an elevation of 1,578 meters.
From December to May the lake is frozen so ice skating is possible.
Fish in the lake include: Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, and Arctic Char.

How to get there: 
By train: Take the train to Kandersteg. There are trains that depart every hour from both Bern and Brig, or, if you're coming from Zurich, it's about a 2 and a half hour journey. It’s possible to hike from Kandersteg to and from the lake which takes nearly 30 minutes through forest and pasture.

By car: Get yourself to Kandersteg and follow signs to the Oeschinensee cable car. There's a parking lot by the cable car station and some in town, but it can fill up fast on a busy summer weekend. So get there early.

What to Do:
In Summer:

• You can swim in the translucent water; if you don’t want to swim, you can go on a boat ride by hiring a rowing boat to explore the blue and clear water. It will be a fantastic way to explore the lake. Rowing boats are available during the summer season, and cost CHF 26 for one hour.
  
• You can fish but you have to bring the equipment with you. You can either go fishing on a boat or from the lakeside. You can buy a fishing license at one of the restaurants surrounding the lake (it costs around CHF 28 per person).
• Alpine Slide is 750 meters long and is open every day during summer. So head to the mountain station and prepare yourself for a wonderful ride. Adult tickets cost CHF 6 for 1 ride. Children over the age of 6 are permitted to ride; the cost for a child (6 to 15 years) is CHF 5 for 1 ride.
• You can take a walk from Kandersteg via the Oeschinen creek to the lake and enjoy the view.

In Winter:

• In winter the lake is frozen so ice skating is possible for everyone whether you have experience or not.
• You can do ice fishing in the winter from January 1st to mid-March when the ice thickness is between 30cm to 50cm to ensure safety.
• Ice Walking
• Skiing:

	Adults	Children
1 Day	CHF 44.00	CHF 31.00
2 Days	CHF 84.00	CHF 59.00
3 Days	CHF 114.00	CHF 81.00

 

• Sledging
• Hiking

You can grill at the lake front of Oeschinensee on Summer and Winter and you don’t even need to bring your own food or supplies. The Berghotel Oeschinensee has a “basket” with BBQ kit including eco-grill bag, fried sausage, baguette, mixed salad, chips, vegetables, butter, matches, cutting board/ knife, etc.
You will have to purchase the BBQ bag which cost CHF 35 per person with minimum of 2 person (with CHF 20 for deposit). You can also purchase a bag of firewood for CHF 10 from Berghotel.