Switzerland > The Oeschinen Mountain Lake

It is Sunday morning and still quiet on the streets as we leave Lucerne at nine o’clock. Just outside the center, we enter a long tunnel. The Swiss road network consists of many passages through the mountains. What else would you expect in such a mountainous landscape? Just after the tunnel, the exit to Interlaken appears. Almost immediately after that, there is a six-kilometer-long tunnel. The road to Interlaken has many tunnels—sometimes short, but mostly several kilometers long. Thanks to these tunnels, the travel time between the two cities is significantly shortened. In the past, the only way was over the mountains via hairpin bends. Around ten o’clock, we see Interlaken. The town lies exactly between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. The city has developed around the Aare River, which connects the two lakes. We visit Interlaken only to do some shopping for lunch. By the river, we take a photo of the Unterseen Church with the Alps in the background. The mountains are still shrouded in clouds. Fortunately, we find a supermarket that is open on Sunday. We buy bread, milk, and sandwich toppings. From Interlaken, we drive south to Kandersteg. Here lies Lake Oeschinen. We plan to walk around the lake and have a picnic by the water. Our plans change when we arrive. The lake is not accessible by car. We have two options: take a cable car or hike down to the lake. We pack the lunch in our backpacks and choose the latter. Kandersteg is at 1,174 meters altitude. Lake Oeschinen is at 1,578 meters. That means we have to overcome five hundred meters of elevation. The path immediately goes uphill. Entire families are walking towards the lake. Clearly, it is a popular Sunday afternoon outing combined with the good weather. After just over an hour of walking, we arrive at the mountain lake. The clear blue water contrasts beautifully with the high cliffs.

Switzerland - Many people visit the Oeschinensee mountain lake on weekends

The cliffs reflect in the gently rippling water. What a beautiful environment. It is no wonder this lake is considered one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in Switzerland. Many day-trippers have already found a spot along the shore. Some have lit fires for simple barbecues at specially designated fire pits. We walk past the crowd and follow the waterline. We are lucky—just before us, a bench with a view of the lake becomes free. While watching the rowboats on the lake, we prepare our sandwiches and enjoy lunch. The way back goes easier. Only when descending do we notice how steep some parts of the route are. We carefully descend to avoid slipping on the loose stones. We arrive safely back at the car. At Kandersteg, the valley ends. You cannot drive any further by car. The only way south is the car train through the Lötschberg tunnel. It doesn’t seem busy. We buy a ticket and can board the train immediately. It feels a bit strange to drive the car onto the train wagons. We line up, set the handbrake and put the car in gear. The train moves and enters the Lötschberg tunnel. It gets dark around us. For over ten minutes, we drive through the nearly 15-kilometer-long rail tunnel in darkness. At Goppenstein is the final stop.

Switzerland - Taking the car on the train through the Lotschberg Tunnel

One by one, the cars drive off the train. In a caravan, everyone then drives further down the mountain pass. We continue our route towards Zermatt. This village lies closest to the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn, at 4,478 meters, is one of the highest mountains in the Alps. Because Zermatt itself cannot be reached by car, we stay overnight in Täsch. From here, we will take the train to Zermatt tomorrow. For our apartment, we have to check in at the Cito Hotel. It turns out we have been rebooked to this hotel. We can park the car under the hotel. Right opposite the hotel, the trains to Zermatt depart. We couldn’t be more central. Without fully understanding why, we receive vouchers totaling 100 Swiss Francs (about 90 euros) because we are staying at least two nights in Täsch. We can use these at restaurants, but also for the train and cog railway tomorrow. This will come in handy for our walk. On the terrace in front of the hotel, we order beer and wine. We decide to eat at the hotel in the evening. A fine and cozy choice.