Spiez on Lake Thun: Castle, Bay, Swimming and the Niesen (2026 Guide)

Spiez is a small town on the south shore of Lake Thun, built around a sheltered bay with a medieval castle, a thousand-year-old church and a vineyard that runs down to the water. Behind it rises the Niesen, a mountain shaped almost like a pyramid. We stopped here on the evening of July 7, 2026, on the drive back from Oeschinen Lake, walked through the castle park, looked down on the bay and let our dog Miley swim in the lake. It was a short visit, so this guide says clearly what we saw ourselves and what comes from official sources: castle hours and prices for 2026, swimming, the boat, the Niesen, wine and parking.

Is Spiez worth a visit?

Yes, Spiez is worth a stop of two to three hours, especially if you are already travelling between Interlaken, Thun and the Kander Valley. The castle, the church and the view over the bay to the Niesen are all within a few hundred metres, the park is free, and you can swim in the lake right below.

Spiez is not a place for a whole week. The town around the station is mostly modern. What makes it special is the old core by the water: the castle on its promontory above the bay, the vineyard on the slope above the marina and the view across Lake Thun. Many travellers only change trains here on the way to Interlaken or Kandersteg. That is a pity, because the castle is just 15 minutes on foot from the station.

For us it was the perfect end to a long day at Oeschinen Lake. Kandersteg is less than half an hour away, and Spiez lies right on the way back to Interlaken.

Our evening in Spiez

We spent about 50 minutes in Spiez on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, between 17:55 and 18:45. We walked through the castle park, saw the castle and the church from outside, enjoyed the bay from the terraces and swam in the lake with Miley. We did not see the museum or the church interior, and we did not take the boat or go up the Niesen.

We arrived just before the museum closed at 18:00. The upside of an evening visit: the park was quiet, only a few people sat on the benches, and the light on the bay was soft. It was warm, with blue sky and high cloud, and the lake was calm. Everything we describe as seen comes from that evening and our photos. Hours, prices and details about the museum, the church interior, the boat and the Niesen come from the official websites, checked in October 2026.

Our loop took less than an hour: from the welcome board at the castle grounds along the gravel path to the church, onto the terrace above the marina, around the castle to the lake side, through the rose and herb gardens and down a narrow lane to the shore.

Spiez Castle: museum, tower and prices 2026

Spiez Castle is open from May 1 to October 31, 2026, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 and Monday from 14:00 to 17:00; in July and August it stays open daily until 18:00. A museum ticket costs CHF 12 for adults. In winter, from November 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027, the museum is closed.

According to the foundation that runs it, the oldest part is the residential tower of about 30 metres, built shortly after 1241. In 1338 the Bubenberg family of Bern bought Spiez and rebuilt the castle after a fire between 1456 and 1469. From 1516 the von Erlach family owned it for nine generations and added the early baroque banqueting hall from 1614. Since 1929 a foundation has owned the castle, church and park and opened them to the public.

The museum in the old castle tells the story of the site and its residents. You can climb the tower for a 360° panorama over the lake. Each year there is also an art exhibition; in 2026 it showed Otto Nebel until October 18. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.

Free entry with the Swiss Travel Pass and the Swiss Museum Pass; children under 6 are free. The Berner Oberland Pass and regional guest cards give 20 percent off. You can pay in cash, by card or with Twint. Private photos without flash are allowed; drones are not welcome anywhere on the site.

The castle church

The castle church is an early Romanesque church from around the year 1000, with three apses and frescoes from around 1200. Entry is free. In the season it is open Monday afternoon, Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00 (until 18:00 in July and August) and Friday morning; on Saturdays it is closed for weddings.

The frescoes in the choir show Christ in a mandorla with the apostles; the castle foundation counts them among the finest paintings of their period in Switzerland. Below the raised choir lies an unusual hall crypt, and the von Erlach family used the side apses as burial chapels. The church is often booked for concerts and weddings, so call ahead if the interior matters to you (+41 33 654 15 06). We only saw it from outside: the tower with its clock and the small apses face straight out over the lake.

Castle park, terraces and gardens

The castle park is open all year and free. It surrounds the castle with lawns, old trees, terraces above the lake and small gardens, and you can enjoy it even when the museum is closed.

• Terrace above the marina: from the wall on the town side you look down on chalet roofs, boats and the Niesen. The first rows of vines start right below.
• Shady terrace on the lake side: big trees, a stone balustrade and benches facing Lake Thun. In the evening it was almost empty.
• Rose garden: labelled roses with the bay behind. One label read “Rusticana, Meilland 1972”.
• Herb garden: a reconstructed 17th-century herb garden with an information board.

Picnics are allowed on the benches but not on the lawns, and there is no music or fire. For sunbathing in summer, the castle site points to the Walenrain meadow next to the castle.

Between castle and church you pass the rectory, a pink house with green shutters, and an old bell displayed on the lawn.

The bay and the view of the Niesen

The best view of the Spiez bay is from the castle terraces: the marina full of sailing boats lies below you, and behind the town the Niesen rises like a pyramid. You need no ticket, the terraces are part of the free park.

Around the bay you find the marina, the boat landing, a promenade, rental stands for kayaks and paddleboards and, along Schachenstrasse, the public lido. For the classic photo with the Niesen, stand in the gardens on the town side of the castle. In the evening the sun lights the mountain from the side.

The Niesen (2,362 m) stands at the entrance to the Simmental and Kander Valley and is visible from almost everywhere in Spiez. From the castle grounds it looks almost too regular to be real.

Spiez vineyard and wine

Spiez has its own vineyard on the slope between the castle and the marina, and the wine is made in the castle cellar. Tastings take place from May to October on Fridays from 17:00 to 19:00 and Saturdays from 11:00 to 14:00 at Schlossstrasse 8.

The vineyard belongs to the Rebbau Spiez cooperative (a cooperative since 1942), which sells its wine as “Spiezer”. BLS gives the area as about 13 hectares, the second-largest wine-growing area in the canton of Bern. Mainly Riesling-Sylvaner and Pinot Noir are grown.

• Vineyard trail: the “Erlebnispfad Spiezer Rebberg” has 12 information boards and 6 hands-on stations, is open daily and takes one to two hours.
• Wine museum: the Heimat- und Rebbaumuseum (Spiezbergstrasse 48) shows an old wine press and cellar. In 2026 it opened on weekends from 14:00 to 17:00, May 9 to October 25.

We did not taste the wine; it was a Tuesday evening. We saw the rows of vines below the castle wall and the herb garden at their edge.

Swimming in Lake Thun at Spiez

You can swim in Lake Thun at Spiez in the Frei- und Seebad, the public lido with pools and lake access, or at free spots along the shore. The lido is open from early May to mid-September and costs CHF 7 for adults.

Frei- und Seebad Spiez (Schachenstrasse 17): in 2026 open from May 2 to September 12, daily from 7:30 to 20:00. It has a heated 50-metre pool, diving boards, an 86-metre water slide, a lawn with direct lake access and a restaurant. Adults pay CHF 7 (CHF 4.40 after 18:00), children from 6 to 16 CHF 3.30. Arriving by BLS boat gives a discount. Prices are from Badi-Info; the operator’s own website was not reachable for us.

Free swimming at the Walenrain meadow: we swam at the Walenrain, the lakeside meadow right next to the castle, with a small pebble shore by an old boathouse. Entry is free. What we loved: the meadow has its own section for people with dogs and one for people without. You only see something like that in Switzerland, where dogs are welcome almost everywhere, and there was none of the “no dogs” signs you find on so many lakes back home in Germany. At about 18:30 several people were in the water, almost all of them locals, and the lake felt pleasantly fresh. Many of them brought something to eat and simply enjoyed the evening on the meadow, which is exactly what we would do again after a walk round the castle. The bottom is stony, so water shoes help.

Spiez with a dog

Spiez is easy with a dog: dogs are allowed on a leash in the whole castle park and in the castle café, but not in the museum. For a swim, choose a free shore spot, because according to Badi-Info Swiss outdoor pools do not admit dogs.

• Boat: dogs under 30 cm shoulder height travel free on BLS boats; larger dogs need a dog ticket.
• Niesen: the funicular takes dogs for CHF 10 for the whole trip.
• Walenrain meadow: free, right next to the castle, with a separate area for dog owners. Follow the signs on site so each group keeps to its part.

More tips are in our guide to the Bernese Oberland with a dog.

Boat trips on Lake Thun

BLS boats call at Spiez several times a day and connect it with Thun and Interlaken West. In summer 2026 (May 9 to October 11) there were six departures a day in each direction; Interlaken West is about 1 hour 20 minutes away, Thun about 45 minutes.

The landing (Seestrasse 69) is 5 minutes on foot from the castle. Examples from the 2026 summer timetable: Spiez 10:28, Interlaken West 11:49; Spiez 12:34, Thun 13:20. On the way to Interlaken the boat stops at the St. Beatus Caves.

• Fares: in the BLS fare list for 2025, a one-way ticket in 2nd class cost CHF 32 from Spiez to Interlaken West (about US$39) and CHF 24 from Spiez to Thun. Check bls-schiff.ch for the current price.
• Passes: GA, Swiss Travel Pass and Berner Oberland Pass are valid, according to BLS.
• Paddle steamer: in summer the historic Blümlisalp runs an evening cruise from Tuesday to Saturday (until August 29 in 2026).

From Interlaken you can continue on Lake Brienz, the second big lake of the region. Our overview of the lakes of the Bernese Oberland compares them.

The Niesen above Spiez

The Niesen (2,362 m) is reached by a historic funicular from Mülenen, 5 minutes from Spiez by train or car. The ride takes about 30 minutes with a change at Schwandegg, and a return ticket costs CHF 64 in 2026. We did not go up; the details come from the operator.

• Season 2026: April 25 to November 8, every 30 minutes, from Mülenen between 8:00 and 17:00.
• Fares: return CHF 64 (about US$77); with Half Fare Card or GA and for children CHF 32. From 15:30 an afternoon return costs CHF 32. Free with the Berner Oberland Pass.
• Parking in Mülenen: CHF 5 for up to 5 hours, CHF 8 for the day.
• Staircase: next to the railway runs a staircase with 11,674 steps, open to the public only during the annual stair race.

Getting there and parking

Spiez station is on the main line from Bern to Interlaken: 30 minutes from Bern, about 20 to 25 minutes from Interlaken Ost and 10 minutes from Thun. From the station you walk about 15 minutes to the castle, or take PostBus B 61 to “Spiez, Eden Hotel” and walk 5 minutes.

• Kandersteg: the RegioExpress from Spiez takes 28 minutes.
• Construction: from October 19 to December 11, 2026, buses replace trains between Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost, and from March 30 to May 14, 2027, between Spiez and Interlaken Ost.
• By car: navigate to “Schlossstrasse 16, 3700 Spiez”.

Parking: we parked directly in front of the castle on Schlossstrasse, where there are a few spaces with a parking meter; from there the Walenrain meadow is only a few steps away. The Parkhaus Spiez Bucht (Schachenstrasse 2) is a paid car park by the bay, and the paid “Regez” car park on Seestrasse is 5 minutes on foot from the castle. Fees are shown at the machines. On a Tuesday evening we had no trouble; on summer weekends the bay is much busier.

How to plan your visit

For a half day, visit the castle museum before 17:00, walk through the park and the vineyard, and finish with a swim or a boat trip. With only an hour, do what we did: park, terraces, gardens and shore.

• Full day: go up the Niesen in the morning for the clearest view, then spend the afternoon in Spiez or take the boat.
• With Oeschinen Lake: spend the day above Kandersteg and stop in Spiez on the way back. Remember the museum closes at 18:00 at the latest.
• Swiss Travel Pass: it gives free entry to the museum and free boat rides.
• Winter: the museum is closed from November to April, but park and bay are still worth a short stop.

Spiez fits into many trips through the Bernese Oberland. We stayed in Brienz and used Spiez as the turning point on our way to the Kander Valley.

Tours and tickets

Castle tickets are sold at the museum entrance, boat tickets at the landing or on board. If you travel without a car and want a guided day around Lake Thun, these options include Spiez or the Niesen:

FAQ: Spiez

What is Spiez known for?

For its castle on the bay of Lake Thun, the Romanesque castle church from around the year 1000, its own vineyard and the view of the pyramid-shaped Niesen.

How much does Spiez Castle cost?

In 2026 the museum costs CHF 12 for adults and CHF 5 for children from 6 to 16. Park and church are free, and the museum is free with a Swiss Travel Pass.

Can you swim in Lake Thun at Spiez?

Yes, in the Frei- und Seebad from May to September or at free spots along the shore. We swam at a pebble shore below the castle.

How do you get from Spiez to Interlaken?

By train in about 20 to 25 minutes, or by BLS boat to Interlaken West in about 1 hour 20 minutes in summer.

Are dogs allowed at Spiez Castle?

Yes, on a leash in the park and in the café, but not in the museum.

Check Spiez and Lake Thun tours →

Planning more stops? Start on our Switzerland travel home page, or head up the Kander Valley to the turquoise water of Oeschinensee.