This is the only steam-powered cogwheel train still operating in Switzerland, climbing up to Rothorn at 2350m, from where you can set out on hikes or enjoy the long views over Brienzersee to snow-dusted 4000m peaks. Walking up from Brienz takes around five hours.
© Michael Derrer Fuchs/Shutterstock
Rothorn Bahn
Brienz
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.6 MILES
This is the big one. At 3454m above sea level, Jungfraujoch is Europe’s highest train station: a once-in-a-lifetime trip, with views of the deeply…
22.13 MILES
If ever a view in Switzerland is going to leave you dumbstruck (and there are a few great ones to choose from!), it will surely be the infinite swoop of…
29.93 MILES
Bern’s answer to the Guggenheim, Renzo Piano’s architecturally bold, 150m-long wave-like edifice houses an exhibition space that showcases rotating works…
7.41 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…
21.14 MILES
Marking the cantonal frontier with Uri is the vertiginous Furka Pass (2431m), the run up to which offers superlative views over the fissured Rhône glacier…
24.1 MILES
You haven’t really been to Lucerne until you have strolled the creaky 14th-century Kapellbrücke, spanning the Reuss River in the Old Town. The octagonal…
13.04 MILES
Especially in the early morning light, you can see how the vaporous, 297m-high Staubbach Falls captivated prominent writers with its threads of spray…
20.24 MILES
Coming from Valais, the mesmerising Rhône Glacier is first seen from the tiny hamlet of Gletsch. This glacier is the source of the Rhône River, which…
Nearby Brienz attractions
1. Schweizer Holzbildhauerei Museum
0.3 MILES
Homing in on the tradition of woodcarving in Brienz, this museum contains the prized collection of the Jobin workshop, which has been in business since…
0.59 MILES
In town, mosey down postcard-perfect Brunngasse, a curving lane dotted with stout wooden chalets, each seemingly trying to outdo its neighbour with window…
1.68 MILES
Illuminating the fir forest like a spotlight in the dark, the misty Giessbachfälle plummet 500m over 14 rocky ridges. Europe’s oldest funicular, dating to…
2.25 MILES
For a fascinating insight into the rural Switzerland of yore, visit this open-air museum, set across 80 hectares east of Brienz. Authentically…
6.03 MILES
Utterly entrancing in the still of early morning, with its perfect reflection of the white pyramid of Schreckhorn (4078m), this glacial lake is less than…
6.8 MILES
Next to Berggasthaus First at around 2200m, this new lookout platform, jutting out 45m into the void, provides heart-pumping views of the valley and…
7.32 MILES
Sherlock fans won’t want to miss this museum in the basement of the English church in Meiringen. The highlight is a re-created sitting room of 221b Baker…
7.41 MILES
Gazing over the mighty Reichenbach Falls, where the cataract plunges 250m to the ground with a deafening roar, you can see how Arthur Conan Doyle thought…