A trip to Bernese Oberland: Brienzer Rothorn, Brienzersee, Harder Kulm

(This post was created on September 23, 2023)

September 8, 2014 -- We have special tickets to ride various mountain trains and cable cars, so this was a day to head up to new summits where we had never been before: The Nostalgic Brienz-Rothorn Steam Train, and the Harder Kulm Funicular... and why not cover the distance between the two by a boat ride on the turquoise waters of Lake Brienz?

We boarded the steam train in Brienz at about 8:35 a.m. for the one-hour trip to the summit station at the Brienzergrat ridge, then walked up to the summit of Mount Brienzer Rothorn where we had some pretty spectacular 360-degree views. Then back down at 11:05 a.m. to board the ship in Brienz at about 12:30. The ride took us past the lovely Giessbach Falls and the castle at Iseltwald, and we disembarked in Interlaken East, from where it was just a few steps to the Harder Kulm Funicular. Up at the restaurant and look-out platform we had views of the famous Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau Trio, although they were partly covered by clouds. We even did a 1-hour loop hike up there before descending back to Interlaken.

It was a great day, even though little hiking was involved. And just by luck, as the train passed through one of the tunnels on the way down from the Brienzer-Rothorn summit station, we caught sight of an ibex peeking at us through the tunnel window, and we were surprised as it then disappeared down the vertical cliff wall!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART I --Nostalgic Steam Train Ride from Brienz to Brienzergrat Ridge

Heading up to Mount Brienzer Rothorn on the 8:36 train. 

Watching the train head back down the mountain again

View along Lake Brienz toward the West

View to Sörenberg in the Mariental Valley on the north side of the ridge

Brienzer Rothorn restaurant and hotel

We walked to the summit of Mount Brienzerhorn, from where you can actually see the town of Brienz on the lake below. 

Mountains to the east

The lake is called Eisee

View to the East (a popular hiking trail follows that ridge to the right)

View to the Northwest to the Entlebuch and Schrattenflue

View Southeast into the Haslital Valley

View to the West across Lake Brienz

A surprise discovery: Some Edelweiss

Heading back down the mountain at 11:05

We spotted a young ibex peeking in the "window" and I just got it on a photo, although not so clear. 

The ibex disappeared down this cliff-side. I don't know how it did that. 

The chalets near the lake

Information about the Brienz Rothorn Bahn: The 7600-m railway line was built in 16 months in 1891-92. Travels at 9 km/hr. The locomotive requires 300 kg of coal and 2000 liters of water for one trip up the mountain. (There is a stop about half-way up the mountain where they have to fill up the water tanks.). 

PART II -- A ride with the boat on Lake Brienz from Brienz to Interlaken

(The map is not quite correct, as the boat does not go that far down the channel)

Boarding the ship in Brienz at 12:30

Giessbach Falls

Castle at Iseltwald

Disembarking at Interlaken Ost

PART III -- Interlaken Ost, and a funicular ride to Harder Kulm

The station of the Harder Funicular

(We also did a short loop hike when we were at the top, at Harder Kulm)

This is a funicular

A look down at the east end of Lake Brienz

This view is to Mount Jungfrau directly in the center, and the Eiger and Mönch mountains to its left. 

Harder Kulm Restaurant

Harder Kulm look-out platform

We did a loop tour up here, the "Rundweg Harder 50 minutes" before descending with the funicular back to Interlaken.