Guide · Jetboat

Jet boat in Interlaken: spins, spray and the Giessbach Falls

A jet boat in Interlaken starts from a small base on the Bönigen quay and heads out onto the milky turquoise of Lake Brienz. Here is how the ride works, what it costs, who may come aboard and how to dress for the spray.

Check availabilityfrom $147 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, interlakenboattour.comUpdated October 20, 20267 min read22 sources

This guide's tour Jetboat ride on Lake Brienz 4.7 (403 reviews) 50 minFrom the base in BönigenMinimum height 110 cm from$147per person Check availabilityFree to cancel as late as 24 hrs before

The short version

01The ride: About 50 minutes on Lake Brienz with OUTDOOR, roughly one hour with the briefing.¹
02Where: The jetboat base at the BLS port building on the Bönigen quay.
03Season and price: April to October, from CHF 119 for an adult on OUTDOOR's own list.² ³
04Who can ride: Anyone at least 110 cm tall; no experience or special fitness needed.⁴
05Book it here: The listing starts from $147, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

What the ride on Lake Brienz involves

A jet boat in Interlaken is a short, loud and very wet way to meet Lake Brienz. The ride sold on this site belongs to Outdoor Switzerland AG, known as OUTDOOR, and it leaves from the company's base in Bönigen and comes back to the same quay. The captain first gives a safety talk, then opens the throttle and throws in 360° spins once the boat is clear of the harbor. It is closer to a fairground ride on open water than to a sightseeing cruise.

The listing names the village of Iseltwald and the Giessbach Falls as sights along the way, but it lists no stops. OUTDOOR's own page for the same summer ride describes a short break in front of the Giessbach Falls, so that you can look up at the waterfall and the hotel behind it.⁵ Expect to see both from the water rather than to step ashore anywhere. Keep your eyes up when the engines drop to a murmur.

Interlaken Tourism describes the trip as running from Bönigen to the Giessbach Falls in spring, summer and autumn, with the route changed somewhat in winter to show off the snowy shores.⁶ OUTDOOR adds that the boats run in almost any weather and hand out rain gear, while extreme conditions can shorten or cancel a ride.⁷ A grey day therefore rarely stops the trip, and the spray soaks you either way.

Your booking

From the bus stop to the photo download

Getting there

Bus to Bönigen

Bus 103 from Interlaken Ost takes about 10 minutes.⁸
Before the start

Check in early

Be at the base 10 minutes before your slot.
At the base

Gear and briefing

Life jacket, splash jacket and a safety talk from the captain.
On the lake

Speed and spins

About 50 minutes on Lake Brienz with 360° turns.¹
Afterwards

Fetch your photo

One free photo, ready about an hour after the trip.

Getting to the base in Bönigen

Bönigen lies on the shore of Lake Brienz, a few minutes from Interlaken.⁹ OUTDOOR gives the jetboat base at the quay as about 5 minutes from Interlaken Ost.¹⁰ From the station, local bus 103 reaches the stop called Bönigen, See in roughly 10 minutes, and the base is a 2-minute walk from there.⁸ Drivers find parking right behind the base, marked with blue signs. The bus is the simplest choice if you are staying in town without a car.

Plan to be at the base 10 minutes ahead of your booked slot, as the listing requests. That margin is worth keeping, because the minutes before the ride go on life jackets, splash jackets and the briefing, so arriving on time keeps the start relaxed for everyone. Leave luggage at your hotel, since large bags are not allowed on board. Use the spare minutes to visit the toilet and to tuck long hair under a hood.

If you arrive early, walk into the village itself. Bönigen keeps small alleys and wooden houses built between the 16th and the 18th century, a quiet contrast to the roar of the engines at the quay.¹¹ A coffee by the water and a look at the lake before you board is a gentle start to an outing that ends with wet hair and a grin. The lakeside path back toward Interlaken also makes an easy walk afterward.

Published prices

OUTDOOR jetboat prices per guest, in CHF

CHF

OUTDOOR's own prices, read 20 October 2026; child means under 16 years.³ ¹²

Three jetboat options

Scenic ride, winter ride or a group boat

Interlaken: Scenic Jetboat Ride on Lake Brienz

Longest on the water

Scenic ride

April to October

Duration: 50 minutes
Minimum height: 110 cm
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours

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Interlaken: Winter Jetboat Ride on Lake Brienz

Snowy shores

Winter ride

November to March

Duration: 35 minutes
Extra gear: Gloves and a hat
Meeting point: Am Quai 5, Bönigen

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For teams

Group splash ride

A boat of your own

On the water: 25 minutes
Group size: Up to 11 people
Booked with: OUTDOOR directly

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Decision helper

Which jetboat outing suits you?

Pick the line closest to your plans

I visit between April and October I come in the snow season We are a group or a work team My child is very small I want a calm look at the lake

The scenic ride

About 50 minutes on the water with views of Iseltwald and the falls.¹

The winter ride

OUTDOOR runs it from November to March.¹³

A splash ride for groups

A whole boat for up to 11 people.¹⁴

Measure first

Riders must be at least 110 cm tall.⁴

A public boat instead

The jetboat is not suitable for people with back or heart problems.

You will get wet. In warm weather a T-shirt and shorts are fine, in cold weather wear quick drying layers. A life jacket is mandatory and provided.

Outdoor Switzerland AGSource 15

Prices, seasons and what you get

The jet boat in Interlaken price on OUTDOOR's own list is CHF 119 for an adult and CHF 89 for a child under 16 on the summer ride.³ A family ticket costs CHF 374 and a whole boat can be chartered for CHF 999.¹⁶ The summer season runs from April to October.² On this site you book the same ride through GetYourGuide from $147, shown in your own currency. Check the total at checkout, as the price shown follows your chosen currency.

The booking includes a 45-50 minute scenic ride, a life jacket, a splash jacket as required and one free photo. Tips, hotel pickup and drop-off, and food and drinks are not part of it. OUTDOOR also lists free lockers at the base among what the summer ride includes.¹⁷ Nothing else needs to be rented or bought on the spot before you set off. Phones stay behind in a free locker, and OUTDOOR sells an edited clip of your ride for CHF 29.¹⁸

Plans can stay loose. The listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start and lets you reserve now and pay later. It is rated 4.70 from 403 reviews. Starting times are shown when you check availability, so pick the slot that fits around the rest of your day by the lakes. An early slot leaves the afternoon free for a walk or a lake boat, and a later one suits a slow start.

Checklist

Packed and ready for the quay

Bring

Comfortable shoes that may get wet
Sunscreen, even on a cloudy day
Quick-drying layers in cool months
Arrive 10 minutes before your slot

Leave behind

Phones and loose items go in a locker
Handheld cameras; head-strap action cameras only
Large bags, luggage and pets
High-heeled shoes

Cost calculator

What the jetboat costs your group

Enter the number of riders to compare the summer and winter rides.

Scenic ride50 minutesfrom $147 Winter ride35 minutesfrom $98

People 2

Total from$294

per guest from $147

Check availabilityfree cancellation

A total multiplies each listing's lowest GetYourGuide fare by your group size, turned into your currency at today's ECB rate; checkout shows the final figure.

Video

The Most INSANE Jet Boat Ride

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Who can ride and who should not

OUTDOOR opens the jetboat to all age groups as long as the rider is at least 110 cm tall, and it asks for no previous experience or particular fitness.⁴ Children who pass the height mark can ride with their family, and the child fare on OUTDOOR's list applies to those under 16.³ Measure a small child at home before booking if you are unsure about the height. Ask the provider before booking if you are unsure whether a young rider qualifies.

The listing names who should sit this one out: pregnant women, people with back problems, people with heart problems, anyone under 110 cm and anyone over 150 kg. Those limits make sense for a boat that turns hard and bounces over its own wake. If a member of your group falls outside them, the public boats on the lake offer a calmer way to see the same shores. Anyone who is unsure about their health should ask a doctor before booking.

High-heeled shoes, pets, luggage and large bags are not allowed aboard. The listing marks the activity as wheelchair accessible, so ask the provider in advance about boarding if a wheelchair user is in your party. Guides speak English and German, which covers the briefing and the stories told on the water. Ask any question before the boat leaves the quay, since the engines are loud once you are under way and talking gets hard.

Getting wet and what to wear

There is no dry seat on a jetboat. OUTDOOR states plainly that you will get wet, and a life jacket is mandatory and provided.¹⁵ In warm weather it suggests a T-shirt and shorts, and in cold weather quick-drying layers rather than cotton.¹⁵ The splash jacket keeps the worst off your upper body, but trousers and shoes take the spray. Plan your outfit around getting wet rather than staying dry.

The listing asks you to bring comfortable shoes, sunscreen and clothes suited to the day. Sunscreen matters more than it seems, because light bounces off the water as well as down from the sky. A change of clothes in the car or a small bag left in a locker turns a soaking into a minor detail on the way back to Interlaken. A towel in the car is a small luxury afterward. Pack dry socks as well, since wet feet are the least pleasant part of the trip home.

Temperatures change a lot over the summer season. At the MeteoSwiss station in Interlaken the average daily high is 14.9 °C in April and 24.5 °C in July.¹⁹ By October it falls back to 14.3 °C.¹⁹ On a spring or autumn ride the wind over the lake feels colder than the shore, so a fleece under the splash jacket is a good idea. Gloves are welcome on a chilly day, as hands get cold quickly at speed.

Summer ride, winter ride or a boat of your own

The jetboat does not stop for winter. OUTDOOR runs a separate winter ride from November to March, from CHF 59 per guest.¹³ Its list gives CHF 79 for an adult and CHF 59 for a child under 16.¹² The winter boat returns to the base after about 25 minutes on the water, and OUTDOOR calls it the only winter jetboat tour in Switzerland.²⁰ ²¹ Snow on the slopes above the lake changes the whole mood of the trip.

On GetYourGuide the winter version is listed from $98, with a duration of 35 minutes, while OUTDOOR's own page gives about 25 minutes on the water. For winter OUTDOOR adds waterproof gloves and a warm hat to the splash jacket and life jacket.²² The listing asks for ski pants, a warm jacket and winter shoes. Dress as for a day on the ski slopes and you will be comfortable. Hands and ears feel the cold first at speed, which is why the extra gear matters.

Groups have a third option. OUTDOOR's Jetboat Splash Rides for Groups book a whole boat for up to 11 people, with 25 minutes on the water.¹⁴ It suits a team outing or a family party that wants the boat to itself. For a regular visit between April and October, the scenic summer ride is the one to book.² Ask OUTDOOR directly about dates and availability for a group boat. A group boat can also be split among friends, which spreads the charter cost.

Your turn at speed