Spiez
Spiez is a picture postcard town in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland.
Understand
Spiez is a small, quaint little town (pop 12,500) on the south shore of Lake Thun. It has a wonderful medieval castle and offers spectacular views across the lake.
The tourist office is located on platform 1 of the station (May–Sept M–F 08:00–18:30, Sa 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00; Oct–April M–F 08:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00).
Get in
By train
Spiez is a major junction and so is served by trains from all over Switzerland. Trains go to Berne and Interlaken, as well as further destinations such as Brig, Basel and Zürich.
There are direct connections to Milano (Italy) and Berlin (Germany) too. Visit sbb.ch for further information.
By boat
Regular boat service to Thun and Interlaken
2 Spiez Schiffstation (Ferry Terminal).
Get around
Spiez itself is easy to discover just by "getting around". So you can catch this special "holiday feeling", which made Spiez a famous wellness and wellbeing location. Discover the "Spirit of Spiez" while walking - from the train station - towards the lakeshore and the castle. In 1954 Germany's football national team found this spirit too and won the world cup.
Don't forget to take a tour through the vineyards: There you'll get a great view all over the city, the lake and the whole panorama of the always snow-covered Alps.
Don't be shy: ask the people, where to go. Almost everyone speaks English, most speak French and some speak Italian. So ask them, where to go, where to get a drink or beer and where to spend the night or to enjoy the nightlife.
If you travel by car you'll be able to park in one of the many parking lots. For your first visit, you can park at the train station next to the tourist information office.
You will find more parking in the city centre (Coop, Lötschbergzentrum, Spiez-Park) and at the lake near the castle.
See
- 1 Spiez Castle (on the lake water-front). 30 March to 21 October. Museum M 2pm-5 pm, Tu-Su 10am-5pm. The first castle at this site was built yet in 933. Nowadays castle houses museum and a cafe. It's also possible to climb the castle tower. Museum 10 CHF, Special Exhibition 15 CHF.
- 2 Mountain Niesen (The Swiss Pyramid). Mountain with the near-perfect pyramid shape, the highest point of which is 2362m. To get there first take a train to 3 Mülenen, and funiculair from there, 57 CHF for a return ticket (as of Oct 2018). Or do a hike, available trails can be checked at this page.
- 4 Homeland and viticulture museum (Heimat- und Rebbaumuseum Spiez).
Do
Take a tour on the forest-covered lakeshore between Spiez and 5 Faulensee and see the harmony of lake and mountains. After this two hours walk enjoy a great meal in Hotel Restaurant Eden, or the Restaurant Al Porto, or the tiny but famous Restaurant Schlosspintli just aside the lake.
There's a cinema and a bowling centre, too.
There are many activities to do around the lake, as sailing, wind-surfing, river-rafting, bungee-jumping, biking, swimming, canyoning, climbing, paragliding - ask at the tourist office for reservation, rates and further details.
Buy
Eat
1 Hotel Restaurant Seegarten Marina, Bucht, ☏ +41 33 655 67 67, reception@seegarten-marina.ch. Friendly, local restaurant with a good range of local food and wine, including fresh fish from the adjacent Thunersee (Lake of Thun). The restaurant's garden terrace faces directly onto the small, picturesque marina and offers a lovely view of houses cascading down the hill to the lake, as well as the pyramidal Niesen above the town.
Drink
In summer, take a rest at the lake in the afternoon and check out the nightlife of Spiez's suburbs Thun or Interlaken. For a drink, choose some of the many bars in Spiez and don't forget to taste the local "Spiezer" wine. This wine is an excellent choice with your meal. It is produced from the vineyards around Spiez and is available in white or red.
The local beer, called Rugenbräu, is brewed in the suburb "Interlaken". Great taste with the typical alpine freshness.
Sleep
Budget
- Krone, ☏ +41 33 654 41 31, fax: +41 33 654 94 31. Seestrasse. Shared bathrooms.
Mid-range
- Hotel Bellevue, Seestrasse 36, ☏ +41 33-654 84 64, hotel@bellevue-spiez.ch. 150 CHF.
- Eden Swiss Quality Hotel, Seestrasse 58, fax: +41 33 655 99 01, welcome@eden-spiez.ch. Four star superior hotel situated 0.5km away from the railway station, 100 m from the city center. Single room from Fr. 215, double room from Fr. 305.
Splurge
* Hotel Belvédère, Schachenstrasse 39, ☏ +41 33 655 66 66, info@belvedere-spiez.ch.