Posted by Lake Thun is a lake located in the south of the Swiss canton of Bern, in the Bernese Oberland. It is a large lake, the footpath around Lake Thun is more than 50 kilometers long. The two important places on the lake are the towns of Thun (see below) and Interlaken. On the lake you can do water sports, there are several ferryboats running, especially for the many tourists in the area.
Lake Thun is beautifully situated. From the lake you can see the high peaks of the Bernese Alps like Eiger and Mönch. From the mountains you can see the great lake below in the valley.
The elongated Lake Thun is more than 17 kilometers long (west to east) and about 3.5 kilometers wide. Its area is almost 48 km². The water is over 200 meters deep.
A highway runs along the southern lake. More beautiful is the road north of Lake Thun. Here you drive comfortably often directly along the lake and pass through beautiful villages. If you travel by car between Thun and Interlaken, you should also take the road north of the lake. The railroad line Interlaken – Thun and further to Bern runs, with a stop in Spiez, south of Lake Thun.
At both ends of the long Lake Thun are the towns of Thun (see below) to the west and Interlaken to the east. The lake is connected to its neighboring lake, Lake Brienz. The connection is the river Aare. Between the two lakes (distance about 2 km) is the town of Interlaken, the largest tourist resort in the Bernese Oberland.
There is a lot of ferry traffic on Lake Thun. Ships connect the big places like Interlaken, Spiez and Thun. The departures are frequent and usually close to the center of the towns. Most tourists visit other places around Lake Thun with the ferries once or several times during their vacation.
By the way, Lake Thun is the largest lake in the lake country Switzerland, which is completely in one canton (Canton Bern). The water surface of Lake Thun is 558 meters above sea level.
Tickets Lake Thun and Lake Brienz for one day
Tickets for individual trips on the spot are quite expensive. However, there are day tickets on the Internet, you can ride the ferries on both lakes for a day: More info and booking
City of Thun
Thun is the largest city on Lake Thun. With about 40,000 inhabitants, Thun is the 11th largest city in Switzerland and the largest city in the Bernese Oberland. It is located at the western end of the lake, about halfway between Interlaken and Bern.
Worth seeing are the old bridges or locks in the city center over the river Aare. You can still walk over the old wooden bridges today.
The Aare is divided into two parts here, in between is the city center of Thun with pedestrian zone (Bälliz).
Another important street is the Obere Hauptstraße east of the two arms of the river (picture below).
A trip to Thun is well worth it. We especially liked the relaxed atmosphere in the city center with many street cafes, restaurants and a large pedestrian zone.
Video Lake Thun
Film. boat trip with public ferry on Lake Thun from YouTube.
By the way, in German Lake Thun is called Thunersee.