Seerenbach Falls: Hike from Betlis

The Seerenbach Falls are a cascading set of waterfalls along the Walensee lake, southeast of Zürich.

You can reach the falls with a short hike, strolling through beautiful meadows filled with wildflowers and rustic farmhouses.

For more fun, you can start with a boat ride on the lake to reach the trail. The trail also has fun activities for children, with treasure chests hidden along the way with puzzles to solve.

You can make a full day of it, picnicking at one of the several fire pits or taking it easy at the restaurant with a playground and a view.

There is even a lake swimming area and a grassy lawn for lounging. Even if the water is too chilly, kids love throwing rocks lakeside while parents enjoy the view.

We do this hike almost every spring, usually in May, an easy and affordable day trip from Zurich. I think you’ll love it!

Quick info

Region	Eastern Switzerland • Heidiland Region
Start:	Or drive to Betlis
By car:	Parking in Betlis: 47°08’09.5″N 9°08’41.7″E 45 mins from Zurich
By public transport:	Bus stop: Weesen, See, then boat to Betlis 1hr from Zurich HB

Trail:	1h • ⬇️ trail map
Distance:	3.5 km
Difficulty:	moderate • 110m up & down
Condition:	paved road and dirt, strollers partially ok
Elevation:	435m to 800m

Open:	April to Nov • waterfall best May to July
Cost:	boat return trip and/or parking fees
Discount:	No discount on boat with travel cards.
Services:	restaurant near Betlis, multiple picnic areas with fire pits
More info:	www.amden-weesen.ch • www.walenseeschiff.ch • weather • webcam

Overview

The Seerenbach falls are located along the Walensee lake, southeast of Zurich. You can reach the falls by hiking from Weesen (car or bus) or Betlis (car or boat).

The short hike starts in Betlis, which you can reach by car or boat Weesen or Mühlehorn. Then hike to the falls and back, about 90 mins round trip. 

Near the falls, there is a picnic area. At Betlis, there is a restaurant and picnic area at the lakeshore, where you can also swim.

Hiking map

This trail starts in Betlis, a tiny village on the Walensee lakeshore, which can be reached by car or ferry. From Betlis, the trail is 1.75 km to the waterfall on a quiet farm road to the falls, suitable for small children and strollers.

See trail map on Komoot • SchweizMobil

When you get close to the falls, a 10 min detour from the main trail leads up the hill through the forest to a close up overlook of the falls. There is a nice fire pit here with wood and a water fountain.

After admiring the falls, walk back down to the main trail and continue walking east for a couple minutes to a bridge over the river, where you can admire the falls from below.

Then return the way you came. Or you can loop back on a slightly higher trail to see something different on the way back.

With kids

While the posted time was 25 mins, it usually takes us 45-60 mins each way with little kids. Our first time, it took us an hour with our almost 2 year old walking most of the way himself.

Strollers are ok until you reach the forest path near the falls. Just leave your stroller near the fire pit at the edge of the forest and do that last few minutes to the waterfall lookout on foot. 

Longer hike

You can skip the boat and walk from Weesen to Betlis. It takes about 1 hour, walking on a one-lane access road along the lake. See trail map.

For an even longer hike, continue hiking past the Seerenbach falls, ending in Quinton. This takes about 2 hours – See trail map for Quinton to Betlis.

Where to eat

Near Betlis there is a restaurant with a small playground and rocky shores where you can swim. There are at least two picnic areas with benches are fire pits, one at “castle” near the Betlis ferry dock, another near the waterfall at the edge of the forest.

How to get there

This trail is along the north side of the Walensee lake, southeast of Zürich.

The trail starts in Betlis, which can be reached by car or ferry. The map below shows Weesen on the right, where you catch the ferry to Betlis. The ferry option is more fun, but also more expensive and less convenient because the ferry runs very infrequently.

By public transport

Take a train to Ziegelbrücke, then bus to the Weesen, See stop. The bus drops you very close to the ferry dock.

If you are skipping the ferry, you can ride the bus a bit further to the Fli, Seestern stop. Then walk along the one-lane road to Betlis.

By car to Weesen

The nicest way to reach this trail is by ferry from Weesen. In this case, you can park in the long term parking at Ziegelbrückstrasse, 8872 Weesen. Then a 7 min walk to the Weesen ferry dock.

Note: there are parking lots close to the ferry dock, but they are short term (2 hours and less), which is not enough time for this outing.

By car to Betlis

If you want to skip the ferry, you can drive to Betlis. But it’s very narrow one-lane road (traffic runs in one direction every 15 mins), through very narrow tunnels, not nice to drive on it. Plus parking spots very limited and expensive.

To reach Betlis by car, drive to Weesen and turn right on Betliserstrasse, following signs to Betlis. When this road reaches the lakeshore, you’ll see lots of metered parking along the side of the road. You can park here, but then you’ll walk 2km along the road to Betlis.

After you pass a lakeside cafe, you’ll reach a stop sign (see on map) and a waiting area for cars. At this point, the road turns into a one lane, one-way road. 

Traffic on this section is controlled so traffic flows only one direction, switching every 15 minutes. So you can drive to Betlis at xx:00-05 and xx:30-35 each hour. This gives enough time for the cars to drive the 2 km to Betlis before cars start driving the other direction. In Betlis, there is room for about 40 cars to park. It costs CHF 2/hr, payable in coins. On busy weekends, the spots can fill up fast.

Driving on this section is stressful, with very narrow sections through tunnels, tight curves. Plus you have to watch out for hikers and cyclists are on the road. 

Riding the Boat

Boat tickets

If you are riding the boat from Weesen to Betlis, you can purchase tickets on their website (show QR on the boat) or on the boat. You cannot purchase boat tickets on the SBB app.

In 2024, a return ticket costs CHF 16.20/adult. Children 6-16 and dogs are half price. Children under 6 are free. 

No discount with Swiss Travel Pass, SBB Half-fare or Junior Cards. 

Boat schedule

The boat has a very limited schedule, so check the timetable carefully beforehand. Here’s the summer 2024 boat schedule:

The ferry ride takes about 15 mins. Strollers are easily accommodated on the boat.

Make sure you carefully read the codes on the ferry times. Some boats only run on weekdays, others only Sundays. If you miss the last ferry, you’ll have to walk along a road for an hour back to Weesen. We’ve done it and it’s annoying with kids.

Sample schedule

On a Saturday, catch the 10:50 ferry from Weesen, arriving in Betlis at 11:05.

Plan about 2-3 hours for hiking and picnic. Then catch the 13:20 ferry from Betlis back to Weesen.

 

Photo story of the trail

Starting trail at Betlis

Hooray! You made it to Betlis. Now follow the trail signs to Quinton, which will lead you to the waterfalls.

Note: If you want to do the treasure hunt trail, follow signs to Restaurant Burg-Strahlegg (about 5 min from the Betlis boat dock) where you can pick up the Rätselpass, the activity book that accompanies the theme trail. More about the treasure hunt below.

If you took the ferry, you’ll first cross some cow fields before joining the paved road/trail.

If you have a stroller, you can avoid this section by instead following signs to the restaurant, left from the sign below, walking through a big field. At the restaurant, turn right and follow the paved road, which leads to the waterfall.

If you start on the dirt trail, you will pass the ruins of a little castle, which our kids found interesting. There is also a grill pit with benches next to the castle.

The majority of the trail follows this paved road, easy for strollers. It is not a difficult hike, but it is gradually uphill the whole way so little ones can get tired. But happily that means the way back is all down hill.

Along the paved road, there are farms with goats and cows. Our kids enjoyed this distraction.

As you approach the falls, you can see them on the cliffs above. The pics below show the difference from mid May and early October.

Up to the waterfall lookout

Near the base of the waterfall, you turn away from the lake and walk up a grassy hill and onto a dirt trail through the woods. Strollers can make it all the way but you could leave them at the entrance to the forest.

This official Schweizer Familie grill pit is located just before you enter the forest. There is wood and a water fountain.

The trail to the fall lookout is in the forest. The path is dirt, a little rocky but wide enough for a stroller and not difficult.

Here we are at the lookout over the waterfall – you’ll get a little wet from the spray. They run the biggest in May and June. On the right, you can see how the falls were very small at the end of July. One time in August, it was only a dribble. But one time in October, the falls were big again. Who knows.

You’ll see a narrow, steep, muddy, rocky trail with stairs that goes up from this point so you can get a little closer to the upper waterfall section. It’s a nice view but not safe for little kids.

Optional detour to another waterfall lookout

Walk back down to the main trail, then take a short detour for another view of the waterfall and river by walking east on that main trail into the forest toward Quinton. It turns into a narrow dirt path (no strollers) for just a couple minutes until you reach a bridge that crosses the river flowing from the waterfall. Here is the bridge.

Here is the view up to the waterfall from the bridge. Walking another minute further for another waterfall and bridge. Then turn around and walk the way you came all the way back to the restaurant. If you are following the treasure hunt trail, make sure to follow the map in the activity book and take the fork in the road.

Treasure Hunt Trail

If you want to do the treasure hunt trail, follow signs to the restaurant, where you can pick up the Rätselpass, the activity book that accompanies the theme trail. The book has a map showing generally where chests are hidden and a page that corresponds to each treasure chest activity. See Amden Weesen website for more details in German. We last did this treasure hunt in 2017, I hope it’s still there when you go.

Here are a couple of the treasure chests. They aren’t too hard to find, usually visible from the main trail but maybe not right on the trail itself.

Here are some sample pages from the book. The text is in German only.

Restaurant & Playground

After walking back to Betlis, you can stop at Restaurant Burg-Strahlegg, which is about a 5 min walk from the Betlis boat dock. It has a little playground and a lovely view of the Walensee and surrounding mountains. The menu is small, with just sausages and salads. But it filled our tummies and it was relaxing. They also have ice lollies to go.

While you’re waiting for the ferry, there are plenty of rocky beaches where your kids can throw rocks and splash around. Reminder: the ferry doesn’t run frequently and changes based on the season, so check the schedule online before you go to make sure you’re not waiting for a long time at the dock.

Lake Swimming

If it’s a hot day, I highly recommend swimming. There is a big swimming and picnic area near the parking in Betlis as shown below.

The “beach” is very rocky and hard to walk on barefoot. You might want water shoes.

There are two fire pits with grills right next to the water and a grassy lawn for games.

My kids also had a great time climbing around on these rocks near the Betlis ferry dock. It gets deep on the other side of these rocks, so put water wings on non-swimmers and watch them carefully.

Swimming in Weesen

Back in Weesen, there is a swimming area on the south side of the river, as shown with the marker below. You can park near the main road and walk a few minutes out to the pebble beach.

It’s shallow enough for wading. We liked that we could build a fire right on the beach.