This epic ridge hike is one of my all-time favorite hikes in Switzerland. I love the dramatic landscape, super green hillsides covered in wildflowers, and unbelievable views.
If you were considering the infamously dangerous Hardergrat trail that also starts at Brienzer Rothorn, this trail is a much safer alternative and just as spectacular.
It’s a one way hike with mountain railways on both sides. So I’ve included detailed schedules below to help you plan the trip and save some money. All you need to do is wait for a sunny day and bring your hiking sticks.
Note: Due to storm damage, the Brienzer Rothorn mountain train is closed for the remainder 2024 season. Check their website for status in 2025. You can access this trail via the Sörenberg cable car instead.
| Location: | Berner Oberland |
| Start: | Brienzer Rothorn railway – Hauptstrasse 149, 3855 Brienz |
| End: | Turren-Lungern cable car – Wichelstrasse 9, 6078 Lungern |
| Car: | 1hr30 from Zurich Parking in Brienz: 46°45’18.1″N 8°02’09.7″E Parking at Turren cable car: 46°47’06.0″N 8°08’58.1″E |
| Train: | Start at Brienz, end at Lungern 2hr20 from Zürich HB |
| Trail: | 11.8 km one way, about 6 hrs |
| Elevation: | 330m up, 1060m down, highest point 2350m |
| Condition: | narrow rocky dirt alpine trail, no strollers |
| Skill: | difficult, total descent 1000m |
| Services: | restaurants at the beginning and end |
| Cost 2024: | Mountain railways: CHF 92/adult 50% discount with Swiss travel cards. |
| Open: | mid June through through October |
| More info: | brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch • Rothorn Webcam • Turren Webcam |
Gallery
Hiking Map
This hike starts by riding a mountain train from Brienz (1) to the Brienzer Rothorn peak (2). You hike along the ridge, hiking up and down, visiting a few peaks along way. The trail ends at the Türren cable car (3), where you can ride down to Lungern and take a train back to your starting point.
There are many trails in this area, giving you a variety of options to get from A to B. After hiking this trail a few times, I have a favorite version as shown on the detailed trail map below.
My version visits the Hoch Gumme peak, the highest point along the ridge besides the Rothorn. It also includes the maximum about of ridge before descending to the cable car. I like this version much better, even if the last couple km is an uninspiring slog on a paved road to the Turren gondola.
The route suggested by the Brienzer Rothorn website is a bit shorter and takes a more direct path to the Türren cable car. See trail map.
Trail conditions
This is white-red mountain trail suitable for experienced hikers. The path is a typical mountain trail with a narrow footpath and uneven terrain with some stairs. It is well-built and maintained with frequent trail signs. It does not have ladders, cables or any technical climbing sections that require equipment.
It does have several sections with very steep slopes to one side of the trail and no safety fence. You must be very careful on these sections. Not suitable for those with a fear of heights.
This trail should not be done in wet conditions, with snow patches, or with any threat of storms.
Due to safety concerns, I would not take small children on this trail. But older children with hiking experience should be able to manage, using caution on the exposed sections. Use your best judgment.
How to get there
This trail is located at the top of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain in the Berner Oberland. You reach the trail with the Brienzer Rothorn mountain train, which leaves from Brienz, about 20 mins from Interlaken. See on Google Maps.
This is a one way hike. So you’ll need to take public transportation back to your starting point even if you are traveling by car. It’s a bit complicated, so I’ll just briefly discuss here and at the bottom of this post, I have a more detailed timeline and train schedule.
By train
Take the regular train to Brienz (not Brienz West). Cross the street to the Brienzer Rothorn, buy your tix and ride up the mountain. Better to buy mountain train tickets online in advance so you can skip the line.
At the end of the trail, you’ll ride down the Turren-Lungern cable car, then walk 20 mins to the Lungern train station and catch a train back to your starting point.
One of our readers told me that the Lungern cable car offers a free shuttle to the train station (included in the cable car ticket price). You have to ask for it at the top and they call and inform the driver below before starting the cable car journey.
By car
If you are coming from Interlaken or Bern, best to park at the Brienzer Rothorn. There are a couple parking areas but it can fill up fast on busy weekends, so arrive early to avoid problems. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before your departure, allowing time to find parking, purchase your tickets and secure a seat.
At the end of the trail, you’ll ride down the Turren-Lungern cable car, then walk 20 mins to the Lungern train station (as shown above) and catch a train back to your starting point at Brienz.
If you are coming from Zürich or Luzern, best to park at the end of your hike at Turren-Lungern cable car station (Wichelstrasse 9, 6078 Lungern), this saves you a lot of extra driving. From the cable car station, walk to the Lungern train station (about 20 mins, shown on the map above) and take the regular train to Brienz.
The Lungern train leaves once an hour and it’s a tight connection once you reach Brienz. So best to book your mountain train tix ahead of time. If you are catching the early bird at 7:36 or 8:36, you only have 3 minutes to change over. We made it but I was in a panic!
At the end of the trail, you’ll ride down the Turren-Lungern cable car where your car is waiting for you. This cable car runs every 20 mins 8:20 – 17:00.
Planning your day
You need to buy two one-way tickets, one up the Brienzer Rothorn mountain railway and one down the Turren cable car. There is no “combo” ticket that includes both.
In 2024, the total cost is about CHF 94/adult full fare. Discount 50% with Swiss Travel Pass, SBB Half Fare Card or GA. Free with Lucerne Tell Pass.
Brienzer Rothorn mountain railway
To reach the trail, you need a one-way ticket for the Brienzer Rothorn mountain railway from Brienz to Brienzer Rothorn. In 2024, this costs CHF 62/adult, CHF 10/children 6-15y, free for children under 6.
You should purchase the ticket in advance, which includes a seat reservation for an additional CHF 8. This is important since the trains are often sold out.
Discount with Swiss Travel Pass, SBB Half Fare Card and GA. Free with Lucerne Tell Pass and Berner Oberland Regional Pass. If you are using a travel pass or card to get a discount, you can purchase just the seat reservation on the Brienzer Rothorn website.
Note: If you purchase tickets through SBB, you must present your voucher at the Brienzer Rothorn ticket office to exchange for a regular ticket. You cannot scan the code at the turnstile.
The Brienzer Rothorn mountain railway runs from early June to mid October. The train runs once an hour, starting at 8:36. On weekends in July, August and September, it has one earlier train at 7:36. We suggest taking the earliest train possible to give plenty of time for the hike. The train takes 55 mins to reach the top. See current operating times and timetable.
Turren cable car
At the end of the hike, you will ride the Turren cable car down to Lungern. The Türren-Lungern cable car operates from late May thru October. It runs daily, every 20 minutes.
In 2024, a one-way ticket costs CHF 24/adult full fare. You can purchase this ticket at the cable car station.
Discount for Swiss Travel Pass, SBB GA and Half Fare Card, Berner Oberland Regional Pass. Free with Lucerne Tell Pass. Children under 6 ride free with an adult.
Check current prices and timetable for Turren cable car.
Sample timeline
Since I live in Zurich, I prefer to park at the Turren-Lungern cable car at the end of the hike. Then I walk to the Lungern train station, take the train to Brienz.
For example, there is a 7:52 train from Lungern that arrives in Brienz at 8:33 and the Rothorn train leaves at 8:36. We took this connection and ran for the Rothorn train and luckily made the train. But it’s too close for my comfort. You could go a little later, catching the 8:52 train from Lungern that arrives in Brienz at 9:33. The Rothorn train leaves at 9:40.
Here is my timeline from my hike:
- 6:00 leave Zurich by car
- 7:20 arrive at Lungern-Turren cable car parking lot
- Walk from Turren cable car to Lungern train station 1.5km, 20 mins
- 7:52 depart train from Lungern, arrive 8:33 Brienz
- 8:36 depart Brienzer Rothorn train, arrive 9:31 at Brienzer Rothorn Kulm
- hike about 5 hours with breaks
- approx. 14:00 arrive Turren (cable car every 20 mins)
- drive 1hr10 back to Zurich
Photo story of the trail
1. Riding to the top of Brienzer Rothorn
Here’s the view from the top of the Brienzer Rothorn mountain railway.
There are a couple restaurants and lots of places to sit and enjoy the view.
Looking east from the top.
2. Starting the trail
Ready to hike? Start by follow signs to Schönbüel. You’ll be following the #65 trail for awhile but it will eventually split.
Looking at the trail leading across this ridge ahead of us.
Trail down this slope and across a scree field.
I felt a little nervous on parts like this. I’m sure my kids would be fine but no fooling around.
In lots of parts, the slopes on either side are very steep but not exactly a drop-off. Keep the kids close on these sections.
Many parts of the trail skirt along the ridge like this.
Took a slight detour off trail for a short snack break and pretty pics.
Looking across the trail to the higher peaks ahead.
Trail cuts into the rock.
Trail flattens out a bit near the end.
3. Descending to Turren
Follow signs to Turren, where you’ll find the cable car.
Just as pretty as before, but different.
You’ll pass through some farm buildings.
The end at the Turren cable car.
5. End of hike at Lungern – Connections
This hike ends at the Turren cable car. It runs every 20 mins taking you down the mountain. From the bottom of the cable car, it’s a 1.5 km walk to the Lungern train station, shown below. Trains leave from Lungern to Brienz/Interlaken every hour on the :52, as shown below. Trains leave from here to Luzern every hour on the :05.
Did we forget anything??? Wishing you a great time on the trail. Please leave a comment if you go to let me know how you liked it.
Video of trail
A short video from our hike at the end of June 2020.
35 Responses
Hi, what a wonderfully informative website! My plan is to hike from Murren up to Schilthorn, and catch the cable car down. My questions are, can i park a car in Murren, and how much is the one-way ticket down from Schilthorn to Murren? Thank you for any help you can provide.
No you can’t drive to Mürren. It’s a car free village at the top of some very high cliffs. So you’ll need to park in Stechelberg and ride a cable car up. You can check the Schilthorn website for the current prices.
Many thanks for all this great info, Tanya! My spouse and I completed this hike with our 7 and 12 year old kids going in the *opposite direction* (from Turren to the Brienzer Rothorn). So, let me note the following:
– Starting from the Rothorn the way you suggest is preferable because: (i) It is better to begin rather than end with the most challenging 3K on the route between the Rothorn and Zwischenegg (wrongly marked on some maps as T2 instead of T3 given the cables and steep drop offs). (ii) One can test upfront the T3 portions and bail out going back to the Rothorn if need be.
– Even if the best views are in the direction of the Rothorn, starting from Turren the way we did is worse because: (i) It is hardly possible to test and bail out from the most challenging T3 parts (above Eisee) after hiking 7K and gaining 700m in elevation – one is forced to complete the remaining 3K first going down through T3 sections and then gaining yet another 300m in elevation. (i) The risk of slipping on the T3 portions is greater when going down rather than up.
– Carrying some ropes/harnesses could help secure younger kids on some T3 parts, especially when going down rather than up. We had to improvise a harness for our 7-year old who was unable to always reach the cables.
– I couldn’t emphasize more your words of wisdom not to go on this path if it is wet (or there are strong winds, I would add).
Hope this can help other families considering this route, one way or the other. 🙂
Thank you sharing your experience and tips. Very helpful! Glad you and your children were safe.
Amazing hike, just did it yesterday. The panorama, sun, and refreshing wind! But we e could hardly move down the hill the last 30-40min after Berghaus Schönbüel. It was extremely hard also being in a hurry but we reached the last cable car 3min before its departure and the beginning of the rain. 🙂
I absolutely adored this hike!! Thanks so much for posting it, and for the komoot routes! I did option 2, and agree that the extra time to Höch Gumme and on the ridge was worth it, despite the road at the end. Hiking sticks were key, and the shuttle from Turren at the end was perfect. I didn’t call to request it (it was actually already waiting on a sunny Saturday in August), but I would in the future. If I had walked, I would have missed the train and needed to wait an hour to catch the next one.
I was really thankful to see the other comments about getting to Brienzer Rothorn using the Sörenberg-Schönenboden cable car. It runs more often and is less than half the cost of the mountain train; definitely a better alternative if coming by public transport.
Thanks again for another fantastic hike!
Glad you loved the hike and thanks for the feedback and tips about the shuttle. Very helpful!
I will be traveling here in early July. My plan is to spend the night at the hotel and then wake up really early the next morning to take my time to hike and enjoy the views 🙂 I was wondering, do you think it’s worth it to take the Turren cable car to Lungern, Lungern back to Brienz, and then take the Brienz train back UP to Rothorn and explore a different trail?
No, I think it would be more fun to explore a different area after doing that Brienzer Rothorn trail. Perhaps the Hasliberg region?
Thank you so much for such a detailed report! That’s amazing! Would love to do the hike now 🤗😍
Hope you get a chance to do this hike sometime soon!
Hi Tanya-
This hike looks amazing! We will be in Switzerland in July and plan to go up to Brienz Rothorn. We have 2 kids (age 8) so may not want to do the full hike, but I was wondering if doing the first 1/3 or 1/2 of the hike and then turning back would be reasonable? Are the steep ridge parts near the beginning of the hike? Thanks!
Yes, that’s definitely a possibility. You can hike down to the Eissee, 2.7km as described in this post. https://swissfamilyfun.com/brienz-rothornbahn/ Then ride the chair lift back up. I think that would be a much better choice for your 8 year olds. Enjoy!
I’m planning to do this one but found an alternative way to start, I think. Coming from Zurich by train the SBB app offers chf 36 one way to Brienzer Rothorn via cable car from sorenberg – schonenboden. Does starting that way work? Seems like just a 5 minute hike from Seilbahn to the Rothorn starting point.
If you are traveling by public transportation this makes sense. I did it the other way because I needed to get back to my car, which is more difficult if you parked at Sörenberg.
Thank you for the recommendation and the detailed description. Your write-up inspired me to try this hike yesterday and I loved it! I did it alone but want to take my wife along next time. And will definitely recommend your article to friends looking to do this hike. Thank you!
One note – at the Lungern cable car station, they offered a free shuttle to the train station ( or included in the cable car ticket price). I needed it after the hike! You just have to ask for it at the top and they call and inform the driver below before starting the cable car journey.
What a fantastic tip! I would definitely use that free shuttle after the hike. I was exhausted last time and it was so hot in the valley that day. Glad you had a great time and hope your wife enjoys it next time.
thanks for those beautiful pix. I hiked to Augstmatthorn with similar views, but this one on Brienzer Rothorn I will have to do too 🙂
Awesome! I want to hike that direction someday but the logistics are difficult. Did you hike down to a post auto from Augstmatthorn?
you can drive by car to Lombachalp above Habkern. Take coins with you for the parking. Try to come early as the small parking fills quickly. Then hike up to Augstmatthorn. Its a very steep hike up! Not far but really steep. Would avoid the weekends as the path is narrow and the Augstmatthorn became popular. Then you can walk around the ridge and go back the same path. Or you can hike from Harder Kulm.
Thanks for the tips! Can’t wait to do it.
Hi, could you let us know what month did you do this hiking? I am planning to do it at the end of this month, however, I still have concerns if it will be a bit cold.
I did this hike on July 4. We’ve had some cold weather lately and snow in the mountains, but it should be ok on this trail by the end of June. Check the webcams before heading out.
Hello Tanya,
In August 2019, my wife and I hiked the itinerary you suggested. Your pictures and instructions were super helpful. Remembering the pictures you posted reassured me and helped me determine that we were indeed on the right track (for example, when I saw the farm buildings towards the end of the trail). Thank you so much! Some parts of the trail were indeed scary, especially the parts of the trail that were cut into the rock.
You wrote that the cable car from Turren to Lungern accept SBB half-fare cards. If I remember correctly, the ticket booth attendant did not accept our SBB half-fare cards, so we paid full price. Not a big deal for us, considering the total amount of money we paid during our trip to Switzernland.
We rested a bit at the the Turren-Lungern cable car station (on the Lungern end) before we walked to the Lungern train station. We saw that the cable car station offered a shuttle service to the train station. I don’t know if it is free, but people can check on https://www.turren.ch/service/. My wife and I preferred to walk.
This was really one of the best hikes I had. Thank you again!
Best regards,
Hien
Hi Hien. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave your feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed the hike. I really need to do this one again. Thanks for the helpful tips from your experience. When I was there, they accepted the SBB Half-fare card and the website says they accept it https://www.turren.ch/seilbahn/ So I’m disturbed to hear that the ticket attendant didn’t accept it when you were there. And thanks for the tip about the shuttle service. Wishing you many more beautiful hikes wherever you travel.
Hi there!
Thank you SO much for this. I’m visiting with my friends next weekend and very excited.
How do we book the train in advance? I don’t see the option on the website?We are going to use your idea of getting the 8:36 am on the Saturday to get a discount.
Many thanks in advance,
Jess
You can buy train tix in advance online on sbb.ch (print at home) or at a larger train station at the ticket window. You can also use the SBB mobile app to book the tix. Have fun!!!
Hello- is this the other end of the Hardergrat trail?
Yes, that’s my understanding. I wish I had the skills to do the Hardergrat, too scary for me!
Dear Tanya, I cannot thank you enough for posting all of the information about hiking in Switzerland. My husband and I are coming in August, flying into Zurich on Thursday August 15th. I’m so thankful for your information!!!! Should we try toget maps before we leave or just print the maps that you have shared? Will these maps be accurate enough?
Thank you. So happy I could help. If you want the detailed trail maps (the ones I draw on GPSies), then you might want to print them out beforehand. But most every mountain resort provides free illustrated summer hiking maps at the ticket office. They are high level, but are usually sufficient since the trails are so well marked. Curious, where are you planning to hike?
Will this trail be open in mid June? Otherwise, what other recommendations in the brienz area?
Possibly but I wouldn’t count on it. I would definitely have a Plan B. Perhaps Schynige Platte or the Niederhorn, which are both nearby and both ridge trails. They could also still have some snow so wou’ll have to check the webcams and websites to see the status. If those won’t work, then maybe the Maybe the Mürren Mountain Trail in the Jungfrau region or Oeschninsee.
https://swissfamilyfun.com/schynige-platte-panorama-trail/
https://swissfamilyfun.com/niederhorn-ridge-hike/
I’ve been dying to do this trail for years but worry that it might be too tough on my knees… are the ascents and descents really steep? Or do you think it might be possible to walk a portion of it (say one hour), cut the hike short and return the way you came?
I saw that there is also a cable car from Sörenberg that goes up the Rothorn. Have you tried that? It seems like it would be both cheaper and quicker than the train, but I can’t tell from maps where it drops you off in relation to the beginning of this trail.
Definitely hard on the knees. Maybe some strengthening exercises for a few weeks before trying it?