Castles, towns and cultures on Lake Thun

Spiez Castle
Spiez Castle is situated on a peninsula on Lake Thun and is a cultural asset of national importance. The castle with its early Romanesque castle church, the medieval castle with its 13th century defence tower and graffiti and the baroque garden is worth a visit at any time of the year. Let yourself be taken back a few centuries and take a look at the Gothic parlours with kitchens, furniture and paintings. With attractions such as the Knights' Trail, a visit is also an experience for families with children. Other castles worth seeing are in Thun, Oberhofen and Hilterfingen.

The cities: Interlaken, Thun and Bern
Interlaken lies between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, in the heart of the impressive Jungfrau Region with the world-famous mountain peaks of the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau. Interlaken is considered the outdoor Mecca of Switzerland for adventure sports activities such as canyoning, paragliding, skydiving, bungy jumping, river rafting and much more.

Historic Thun with its castle, picturesque old town, parks and promenades is the tenth largest city in Switzerland and has been the centre of the Lake Thun region for centuries. Thun offers interesting markets, exhibitions, concerts and cultural events of all kinds.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and can be reached easily and quickly by train from Spiez. With its historic arcades, Berne invites you to go shopping and stroll through the city in all weathers, and the Zytglogge tower and the Bärengraben are not to be missed. 

Ballenberg Open-Air Museum
At Ballenberg, Switzerland is just as it once was: 100 original, centuries-old buildings from all parts of Switzerland, original gardens and fields, demonstrations of traditional crafts, many special events and 250 local farm animals make the past at Ballenberg an experience. And Ballenberg is unique!

Museum of local history and viticulture Spiez
The Viticulture Museum in Spiez is housed in a stately Simmental house, built in 1728 by the carpenter Christen Linder. It includes the Spycher, the baroque farm garden and the last surviving Spiez Trottenscheune with its grape press. In the basement you can visit the original wine cellar and the workshop of the last Spiez barrel coopers. On the ground floor, in addition to the living rooms, you can also visit a historic kitchen.

Art Museum Thun
In its exhibition programme, the Art Museum Thun is dedicated to both Swiss and international art. In special exhibitions focusing on contemporary art, the museum takes up contemporary positions and participates in the current art discourse.

Faulensee Artillery Works
At the Faulensee Artillery Works you can visit an underground bunker complex from the 2nd World War, connected by corridors, which was set up to protect the Thun-Lötschberg axis and camouflaged as farm buildings. The complex includes a command centre, various gun emplacements with cannons, accommodation, kitchen, etc.

Paul Klee Centre Bern
On 20 June 2005 the Paul Klee Centre in Bern opened its doors for the first time to art and culture enthusiasts from all over the world. The new cultural institution focuses on the person, life and work of Paul Klee (1879-1940). Klee, who also worked as a musician, educator and poet, is today one of the most important artists of the 20th century. With the Zentrum Paul Klee he will receive a monument of international standing in the city of Bern, where he spent half of his life.