Guide · Timetable

Interlaken boat schedule through the year

The Interlaken boat schedule changes with the seasons: Lake Thun keeps its boats all year, Lake Brienz takes a winter break. Here are the periods BLS publishes and where to check a departure.

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At a glance

01Lake Thun: Boats all year; a winter timetable runs 13 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.¹ ²
02Lake Brienz: Boat season 3 April to 6 December 2026, then a winter pause.³ ¹
03Next spring: Lake Brienz boats return on 26 March 2027.⁴
04Steamers: The Blümlisalp sailed from 9 May to 11 October 2026.⁵
05Where to check: BLS posts its 2026 and 2027 timetables as PDFs.⁶

How the boat year is divided

The Interlaken boat schedule is set lake by lake. BLS runs its boats on Lake Thun all year, but it does not operate cruises on Lake Brienz in the winter months, from 7 December.¹ Swiss Travel System describes the same pattern, with Lake Thun all year and Lake Brienz from April to December.⁷ Each lake then splits its year into timetable periods, and the departures change from one period to the next.

For Lake Thun, the BLS 2026 timetable has an autumn period from 12 October to 14 November and a winter period from 15 November to 12 December 2026.⁸ ⁹ The 2027 timetable carries on with a winter period from 13 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 and another from 4 January to 21 March 2027.² ¹⁰ Each change of period can move the first and last boat of the day, so note which one your travel date falls in.

On Lake Brienz, the 2026 boat season runs from 3 April to 6 December, and its last stretch, from 12 October, is a combined autumn and winter timetable.³ ¹¹ After that the lake has no scheduled boats until the 2027 season, which BLS sets from 26 March to 5 December 2027.¹ ⁴ All of these dates were read from the BLS timetables on 20 October 2026.⁴ If your trip is months away, look again in the week you travel and plan with the period dates first, the departure minutes second.

The boat year

From the spring restart to the winter pause

22 March 2027

Lake Thun spring

The spring timetable runs until 5 May 2027.¹²
26 March 2027

Lake Brienz restarts

The 2027 season on Lake Brienz begins.⁴
12 June 2027

Full summer

The Lake Thun summer timetable runs until 10 October 2027.¹³
11 October 2027

Autumn

Autumn timetables start on both lakes.¹⁴ ¹⁵
5 December 2027

Brienz pauses

The last day of the 2027 Lake Brienz season.⁴
Winter

Lake Thun only

BLS keeps its Lake Thun boats running all year.¹

Lake Thun from spring to winter

Spring on Lake Thun opens with a spring timetable from 22 March to 5 May 2027, followed by an early-summer timetable from 6 May to 11 June.¹² ¹⁶ The full summer timetable then runs from 12 June to 10 October 2027.¹³ Summer is also when the paddle steamer Blümlisalp joins the motor ships on the lake, which turns an ordinary crossing into a trip on a boat built in 1906.¹⁷ ¹⁸ It carries up to 750 passengers and is 63.45 m long.¹⁹

Autumn 2027 follows the pattern of this year: an autumn timetable from 11 October to 14 November and a winter timetable from 15 November to 11 December 2027.¹⁴ ²⁰ Interlaken Tourism notes that the BLS fleet keeps daily trips between Thun and Interlaken going through the winter.²¹ Between December and March, plan your lake day around Lake Thun, the lake BLS serves all year.¹ The boat stations in Thun, Spiez and Interlaken West close in winter, and tickets are then sold on board.²²

A full Lake Thun round trip takes 4 hours 40 minutes, including a 20-minute stop at Interlaken West, and Thun to Interlaken West alone takes around 2 hours 10 minutes.²³ Those durations matter more than a single departure time. On a short winter day, a late start can mean finishing the trip after dark, while in June the same loop still ends in daylight with hours to spare. Count backwards from the last boat you need and leave room for a coffee at the turning point.

Month by month

Interlaken climate and the boats through the year

Month	Daylight (h)	Darkness (h)	High / low	Wet days	BLS boats
Jan	8.9	15.1	4 / -3 °C	9	Lake Thun
Feb	10.3	13.7	6 / -3 °C	8	Lake Thun
Mar	11.8	12.2	11 / 1 °C	10	Lake Thun
Apr	13.5	10.5	15 / 4 °C	10	both lakes
May	15	9	19 / 8 °C	13	both lakes
Jun	15.8	8.2	23 / 12 °C	13	both lakes
Jul	15.5	8.5	25 / 14 °C	13	both lakes
Aug	14.3	9.7	24 / 13 °C	13	both lakes
Sep	12.6	11.4	19 / 10 °C	10	both lakes
Oct	11	13	14 / 6 °C	9	both lakes
Nov	9.4	14.6	8 / 1 °C	10	both lakes
Dec	8.6	15.4	4 / -2 °C	10	both lakes

Month by month at MeteoSwiss Interlaken, 1991 to 2020: daylight at the middle of the month, typical daytime high and night low, and how many days reach 1 mm of rain or snow.⁴⁶ Season according to Swiss Travel System.⁷

Three calendars

Lake Thun, Lake Brienz and the steamers

All year

Lake Thun

Interlaken West to Thun

Season: All year
Thun to Interlaken: About 2 h 10 min
Landing stages: 15

Compare

Spring to early winter

Lake Brienz

Interlaken Ost to Brienz

2026 season: 3 April to 6 December
Crossing: About 1 h 15 min
Landing stages: 8

Compare

Summer only

Paddle steamers

Blümlisalp and Lötschberg

Blümlisalp 2026: 9 May to 11 October
Lötschberg 2026: 23 May to 27 September
Built: 1906 and 1914

Compare

Decision helper

Which timetable do you need?

Choose your month and your lake

I travel between December and March I want a paddle steamer I am heading to Brienz in spring I want a ride in any season My trip is this week

Lake Thun

BLS runs Lake Thun all year and pauses Lake Brienz from 7 December.¹

Summer dates

In 2026 the Blümlisalp sailed from 9 May to 11 October.⁵

Check the start date

The 2027 Lake Brienz season starts on 26 March.⁴

The jetboat

OUTDOOR runs a ride from April to October and a winter ride from November to March.²⁴ ²⁵

The online timetable

BLS posts short-notice changes such as low water on its own site.²⁶ ²⁷

Our boats travel all year on Lake Thun. We do not operate our cruises on Lake Brienz during the winter months (from 7 December).

BLS Schifffahrt AG (BLS Lake Cruise Ltd.)Source 1

Lake Brienz from the spring restart

For the Interlaken Ost to Brienz boat timetable, look at the period first. In 2027 Lake Brienz has a spring timetable from 26 March to 14 May, a summer timetable from 15 May to 10 October and an autumn and winter timetable from 11 October to 5 December.²⁸ ²⁹ ¹⁵ The crossing itself takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, and the train from Brienz back to Interlaken Ost about 20 minutes.³⁰ A boat out and a train back is an easy pattern on any day the boats run, and it frees you from the last departure of the afternoon.

Between Interlaken Ost and Brienz the boats can call at Bönigen, Ringgenberg, Niederried, Iseltwald, Oberried and Giessbach, the 8 landing stages BLS lists for the lake.³¹ Iseltwald is about 45 minutes out and Giessbach about 1 hour.³² ³³ Read the line for your own landing stage, not only the departure from Interlaken, and check the return boat from that stage before you get off. Outside summer the gap between boats is longer, and a missed one can mean a long wait on the shore.

Water levels can change the plan at short notice. In its update of 19 October 2026, BLS reported that low water meant Niederried could not be served and that a smaller boat was running on Lake Brienz, with boarding not guaranteed.²⁶ BLS also warns that storms, dense fog or very high or low water can cause short-notice changes, and recommends checking the operating status before departure.²⁷

Checklist

Before you plan around a boat

Check

Which timetable period your date falls in
The return boat or train before the outward one
The BLS operating status on the morning you travel²⁷

Bring

Ticket or pass; tickets are also sold on board²²
A warm layer for the deck outside summer
A light rain jacket in summer

Video

This Is Switzerland's Most Beautiful Boat Ride | Interlaken - Brienz

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The paddle steamers and special cruises

The steamers keep a shorter season than the regular boats. In 2026 the Blümlisalp sailed on Lake Thun from 9 May to 11 October, and the Lötschberg on Lake Brienz from 23 May to 27 September, Wednesday to Sunday and on public holidays.⁵ ³⁴ BLS says both paddle steamers cruise in the summer months.¹⁷ The 2027 summer timetable on Lake Brienz runs from 15 May to 10 October, and that is where to look for next year's steamer days.²⁹ The Lötschberg dates from 1914 and carries up to 800 passengers.³⁵

Some special cruises run at fixed published times. The cheese fondue cruise on Lake Thun leaves Thun every Saturday at 19.10, from 14 November to 19 December 2026 and from 16 January to 27 February 2027.³⁶ On Lake Brienz, the Afternoon Tea cruise leaves Interlaken Ost at 15.10 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 13 October to 3 December 2026.³⁷ Both depend on the season, so check the date before you plan an evening around them. The fondue cruise costs CHF 75.00 for adults, and the Seepass, GA and Half-Fare travelcards are not valid on it.³⁸

In the winter months a boat at the Interlaken Ost pier still serves food: the restaurant boat Ufem Fluss is moored there from 12 December 2026 to 14 March 2027.³⁹ On Lake Thun, the Christmas cruise on 24 December 2026 departs Thun at 18.40 and returns at 21.15.⁴⁰ Restaurant tables are the only seats BLS lets you reserve, so book a table early for any cruise with a meal.⁴¹ ⁴² Picnics are allowed on board on the regular boats.⁴³

Where to check a departure

BLS publishes its Lake Thun and Lake Brienz timetables for 2026 and 2027 as PDFs on its timetable page, next to the online timetable.⁶ Use the period dates to find the right table, then the online timetable for the exact boat on your day. A PDF saved from an earlier year can be weeks off, because the period boundaries move from one year to the next, as the 2026 and 2027 dates above show.³ ⁴

Tickets are sold on board every boat, and from spring to autumn also at the stations in Thun, Spiez, Interlaken West, Interlaken East and Brienz, which are closed in winter.²² The piers are easy to reach: Interlaken West is opposite its railway station, and Interlaken Ost is a 4-minute walk from the station.⁴⁴ ⁴⁵ Arrive a few minutes early in summer to choose your place on deck. Seating is free on board and cannot be reserved, except for restaurant tables.⁴¹

BLS boats run in almost all weather.²⁷ What changes with the weather is the view and the comfort on deck. From May to August, Interlaken averages 13 days a month with at least 1 mm of rain, against 8 in February.⁴⁶ Keep a light rain jacket in your bag in summer, and treat a dry, clear morning as the moment to take the boat. August brings the most rain by volume at the station, 147 mm on average.⁴⁶

Planning a lake day around the seasons

Fewer boats run in spring, autumn and winter, a point the day-pass listing makes as well. At the Interlaken station the average daily high is 14.3 °C in October, against 14.9 °C in April.⁴⁶ Those months suit a crossing with a warm layer on, quieter decks and the colors of the season on the slopes, as long as you build the day around the boats that do run. In October and November, the Lake Brienz boats already run on their combined autumn and winter timetable.¹¹

In summer the full timetables, the steamers and the long evenings come together. July averages a high of 24.5 °C, and mid-June brings 15.8 hours of daylight.⁴⁶ This is the season for a complete Lake Brienz round trip, which BLS puts at around 3 hours including a 20-minute stop in Brienz.⁴⁷ Start in the morning and you still have the afternoon for a second lake. The day ticket for both lakes costs CHF 83.00 in 2nd class.⁴⁸

In winter, plan around Lake Thun and short days: Interlaken has 8.6 hours of daylight in mid-December.⁴⁶ On Lake Brienz, OUTDOOR runs its scenic jetboat from April to October and a separate winter jetboat from November to March.²⁴ ²⁵ The ride booked on this site lasts 50 minutes from Bönigen, with starting times shown by availability when you book. In December the average daily high is 3.9 °C, so dress for real cold on any open deck.⁴⁶

Your turn at speed