Legend has it that St. Beatus, the first apostle to Switzerland, fought a dragon in these caves near Interlaken.
You pay an entrance fee to wander about 1km through the caves on a paved walkway. You can book a guided tour, but it’s not really necessary as the included digital guide is pretty good.
The caves have lots of beautiful formations and a river rushing through the caves. Outside the caves, there is a restaurant and dragon-themed playground with a picnic area, a nice place for kids to run off some energy.
I’d recommend combining this with a visit to Niederhorn, a viewpoint on the mountain above the caves. The caves are a good option for rainy days and for hot days when you need to get out of the sun.
| Location: | near Interlaken, Berner Oberland |
| Address: | Seestrasse, 3800 Beatenberg GPS: 46°41’01.1″N 7°46’53.1″E |
| Car: | 1hr40 from Zurich, 10 mins from Interlaken |
| Transit: |
Beatushöhlen bus stop, |
| Trail: | about 700m each way in cave, about 1 hour visit |
| Condition: | slippery narrow path inside caves, no strollers |
| Skill: | easy |
| Open: | year round |
| Prices: | Adult CHF 19, Child CHF 11 |
| Services: | restaurant, picnic area, playground |
| More info: | www.beatushoehlen.swiss |
Overview
St. Beatus-Höhlen is a system of caves located northwest of Interlaken, near the lake shore.
The caves themselves consist of a long tunnel into the mountain with a series of caverns, with a fast stream rushing through the middle. You pay an entrance to enter the caves, a bit high in my opinion for what you see. Outside the caves, there is a small cafe, a museum, a playground and picnic area.
Getting There
By car: Drive toward Interlaken on A8 and take the Weissenaustrasse exit, following this road around the lake until you reach the cave parking. There is metered parking on the side of the road and a parking lot a short walk from the caves.
By transit: Take a bus from Interlaken to Beatushöhlen bus stop, which drops directly at the caves.
Photo story
From the bus stop and car parking, follow the paved trail up the hill to the cave entrance, where you buy tickets for the caves.
The path up on switchbacks is a bit steep so if you have someone with mobility issues, it could be a challenge for them. You can use a stroller on this path, but no strollers in the caves themselves.
You will pass some big waterfalls on the way, which might be more impressive than the caves.
Here’s the complex at the cave entrance. Buy your ticket here. Guided tours leave every 30 minutes, but you can also visit without a guide, which is new in 2015. We went without a guide, which for us, was better with kids since they aren’t patient enough to stand around listening to a guide.
There’s a kiosk, cafe and sit-down restaurant here. There’s also a museum, but we didn’t visit it.
The caves themselves are interesting, especially the super fast river rushing down the middle. It’s a bit scary for little kids as it’s quite dark.
No strollers in the caves. The path is narrow and has lots of stairs. The tour goes about 700m into the cave, so your little ones will have do some walking if you’re not carrying them. It’s not that bad, but just know what you are getting into.
They allow photos without a flash, but if you want nice pics, bring a tripod.
Here’s the dragon that lives in the cave, just outside the exit. I think it’s seen better days.
There’s a playground and picnic area a short walk down from the entrance on the south side.
We can also recommend the Höllgroten caves near Zug, which are much nicer than these.
