Guide · Kayaking

Kayak in Interlaken: paddling the turquoise of Lake Brienz

To kayak in Interlaken you head a few minutes east to Bönigen, where Lake Brienz begins. Guided tours run in summer and winter, a short taster suits families, and rental boats let confident paddlers go alone.

Check availabilityfrom $147 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, interlakenboattour.comUpdated October 20, 20267 min read21 sources

This guide's tour Interlaken: Kayak Tour of the Turquoise Lake Brienz 4.9 (265 reviews) 3 hours from$142per person Check availabilityFree to cancel as late as 3 days before

In a nutshell

01Guided summer tour: Hightide runs it from May to October: 3 hours, 2 of them on the water.¹ ²
02Winter tour: From November to April in a drysuit, aged 12 and over.² ³
03Short taster: Hightide's 1.5-hour experience takes children from 5 years.⁴
04Paddle alone: Single kayak or SUP rental at Bönigen from CHF 30 an hour, mid-April to October.⁵ ⁶
05Book the summer tour: Listed from $142, with free cancellation up to 3 days ahead.

Where you paddle from

To kayak in Interlaken you do not start in the town itself but at Bönigen, the village where the river Lütschine meets Lake Brienz. Interlaken Tourism notes that in Bönigen you can rent a kayak or a stand-up paddle board and book courses and guided tours.⁷ The best-known school there is Hightide, which sits in the Hotel Oberländerhof, right by the water.⁸ From there the whole western end of the lake opens in front of your bow.

The tour sold on this page meets at that hotel, around the corner from the bus stop Bönigen See. Bus 103 from Interlaken Ost takes 10 minutes and leaves at 5 and 35 minutes past the hour, in the direction of Iseltwald or Bönigen. On foot the listing allows about 35 minutes along the river and the lake, past the jetboat base, and drivers find paid parking nearby. Leave a little extra time in case you miss a bus, so the coaching does not start without you.

Hightide states that it no longer works from the lido in Bönigen, so ignore older directions that send you to the Strandbad.⁹ Its rental point is at Am Quai 1 in the village, open from 10 am to 5 pm on a drop-in basis.⁵ Walk in, choose a boat, check the paddle and the life jacket, and push off from the village shore. Bring a payment card and a dry bag for your phone if you plan to take it along on the water.

A summer tour

Three hours from the bus stop back to shore

Arrival

Bus to Bönigen See

Bus 103 takes 10 minutes from Interlaken Ost.
At the base

Kit and coaching

Simple coaching helps you feel in control before setting off.
First stretch

Across the Lütschine

The group crosses the river outlet toward the north shore.
On the water

Along the cliffs

Views of Ringgenberg Castle and pauses for photos.
Back ashore

Change and dry off

About 3 hours in total, roughly 2 of them paddling.

The guided summer tour

Hightide's summer tour lasts 3 hours, with 2 hours on the water, and costs CHF 115 for an adult and CHF 80 for a child aged 12 to 15.¹ The listing says it runs regularly from May to October, and an evening departure follows the same route as the daytime one. Groups are limited to 6 participants, guided in English and German. The small group size means the guide can keep an eye on every boat.

The session starts with simple coaching on the shore, then the group sets off at a relaxed pace with pauses for photos and a breather. From Bönigen the route crosses the outlet of the River Lütschine and follows the north shore, with views of Ringgenberg Castle above the water. Under the cliffs of that shore the water can look especially blue-green. The evening departure suits anyone who prefers to paddle in the softer, warmer light of late day.

The minimum age on this tour is 12 years, and the maximum weight is 120 kg.¹⁰ The listing promises that Hightide operates in most conditions, including rain and even snow, and that a tour it has to call off can be rescheduled or refunded in full. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.88 from 265 reviews and listed from $142. Note that its free cancellation window is counted in days, not hours, so check it before you book.

Tours and rentals

Hightide's paddling options at a glance

Option	Season	Length	Adult price
Summer tour	May to October	3 hours	CHF 115
Winter tour	November to April	3 hours	CHF 139
Kayaking experience	June to September	1.5 hours	CHF 85
Single kayak or SUP	Mid-April to October	1 hour	CHF 30
Double kayak	Mid-April to October	1 hour	CHF 45

Hightide's own prices, read 20 October 2026; they are from-prices, not quotes.¹ ² ³ ⁴ ¹¹ ⁵ ⁶ ¹²

Three ways to paddle

Summer tour, winter tour or a short session

Most reviewed

Summer kayak tour

May to October

Duration: 3 hours
Group: Up to 6
Cancellation: Free up to 3 days

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Drysuit included

Winter kayak tour

November to April

Duration: 3 hours
Age: 12 and above
Cancellation: Free up to 3 days

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Shortest

Kayak experience

Close to the shore

Duration: 1.5 hours
Group: Up to 8
Cancellation: Free up to 24 hours

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Decision helper

Guided tour, taster or rental?

Choose the line that sounds like your group

First time in a kayak, summer visit We travel with young children I visit in December or February I paddle well and want freedom I want a full day on the water

The guided summer tour

Coaching first, then a relaxed pace with pauses.

The short kayaking experience

Hightide's 1.5-hour session takes children from 5 years.⁴

The winter tour

It runs from November to April in a drysuit.² ¹³

A rental kayak or SUP

Drop in at Bönigen from mid-April to October.⁵

Paddle to Iseltwald

About 1.5 to 2 hours each way along the coast.¹⁴

For safety reasons, rentals are unavailable during the winter months when the lake water becomes too cold without specialized gear.

Hightide Kayak School GmbHSource 15

Paddling in winter

Lake Brienz is not only a summer lake for paddlers. Hightide's winter tour runs from 1 November to 30 April, with departures in the morning and the afternoon.¹⁶ Groups stay small, limited to 6 people, or 8 on a private tour.¹⁷ Snow on the slopes and a still, empty lake give these trips a very different mood from a summer outing. On a clear frosty morning the reflections of the peaks can look sharper than the peaks themselves.

Warmth is the whole point of the kit. Hightide explains that the drysuit keeps water out, your own layers provide warmth, and it adds warm socks, neoprene boots and paddle mitts.¹³ The listing mentions a break for hot tea and cookies on the way, and a route past Ringgenberg Castle. No previous experience is needed to join. Hands and feet are what usually feel the cold first, so the mitts and boots earn their place.

The winter tour costs CHF 139 for an adult and CHF 119 for a child aged 12 to 15, with a maximum weight of 120 kg and a maximum height of 190 cm.³ The listing sets the age at 12 and above and asks you to check in 5 minutes before the start. It is listed from $173 and rated 4.89 from 281 reviews. If your holiday dates are fixed, book well ahead, because each group has only a handful of seats.

Checklist

In the bag for a day in a kayak

Summer tour

Swimsuit and a change of clothes
Sunglasses, sun hat and sunscreen
Waterproof footwear

Winter tour

Thick socks and thermal layers for under the drysuit
A thin jumper and extra layers if you feel the cold
Check in 5 minutes before the start

Cost calculator

What a paddle costs your group

Type in your group size to compare the bookable kayak tours.

Summer tour3 hoursfrom $142 Winter tour3 hoursfrom $173 Kayak experience1.5 hoursfrom $105

People 2

Total from$284

per guest from $142

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

Exploring Lake Brienz Interlaken ft. Hightide Kayak

Nothing loads until you tap play.

A shorter taster for families

Not every family wants 3 hours in a boat. Hightide runs a 1.5-hour kayaking experience that starts at 3 pm, with 1 hour on the water, for CHF 85 an adult and CHF 60 a child aged 5 to 15.⁴ The minimum age of 5 makes it the youngest option of the school's paddling sessions, and its homepage gives the season as 1 June to 30 September.⁴ ¹¹ Short sessions also leave the rest of the afternoon for an ice cream in the village.

GetYourGuide also lists a 1.5 Hour Kayak Experience on Lake Brienz from a base in Bönigen, reached by bus 103 to Bönigen See. Its listing describes a short route close to the shore, simple games and a swim when conditions allow, and paddling toward the mouth of the Lütschine if it is suitable on the day. Groups are limited to 8 participants. Ask on booking which company runs the session, as the listing does not name its operator.

That listing warns not to board the EXP103 express bus to Iseltwald by mistake. It runs in most weather, including rain, and asks you to arrive 5 minutes early. It is listed from $105 with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. For a first taste of the lake with children, a short session is easier to fit around naps and lunch. For children the splashing and the swim may matter more than the scenery, and that is fine.

Renting a kayak or a board

Confident paddlers can skip the guide. Hightide rents a single sit-on-top kayak or a stand-up paddle board for CHF 30 for 1 hour, CHF 45 for 3 hours and CHF 75 for up to 8 hours.⁶ A double sit-on-top kayak costs CHF 45 for 1 hour and CHF 95 for up to 8 hours.¹² There are no reservations, so arrive early on a sunny summer weekend.⁵ Check the wind before you set off, as conditions on open water can change within an hour.

For a full day, Hightide suggests a 7-hour expedition that follows the coast to Iseltwald, about 1.5 to 2 hours of paddling each way.¹⁴ Further along the shore, Abegglen in Iseltwald rents single SUPs and kayaks at CHF 20 for 1 hour and CHF 55 for 4 hours.¹⁸ Pick the starting point that suits the part of the lake you want to explore. Iseltwald is a pretty place to land for a picnic before the paddle back.

Stand-up paddlers should know the federal rule. The Federal Office of Transport says a board more than 300 meters from shore, or on a river, must carry at least a buoyancy aid.¹⁹ Stay close to the shore, keep clear of the public boats and their landing stages, and head for shore as soon as wind starts to ruffle the open water. A leash on a stand-up board keeps you from losing it if you fall in.

Water temperature and what to pack

Lake Brienz stays cool. Interlaken Tourism gives its average summer water temperature as 17 to 21 degrees.²⁰ Eawag's lake survey recorded a highest surface temperature of 20.6°C in summer 2002, with winter temperatures falling toward 5°C.²¹ A swim after the tour is refreshing, and the water stays cool even in August. Expect a jolt of cold if you capsize, and keep your life jacket fastened at all times.

That cold water is why rental stops in winter. Hightide explains that rentals are unavailable during the winter months for safety reasons, when the lake becomes too cold without specialized gear.¹⁵ In winter you go out only on a guided tour in a drysuit, which is exactly what that tour provides. Never treat a sunny March day as an invitation to paddle out alone. The guided tour, with its drysuit and boots, is the way to paddle in the cold season.

For the summer tour the listing asks you to bring a swimsuit, a change of clothes, waterproof footwear, sunglasses, a sun hat and sunscreen. For winter it lists thick socks, a thermal top and bottom, a thin jumper, a change of clothes and snacks. Gratuity is not included on either tour and is left to you. A small towel and a warm drink in a flask make the end of any tour more pleasant.

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