Brienz is located in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland. It is a small village with approx 3000 inhabitants. Brienz is famous as the Swiss centre for woodcarving.

Get in

Brienz can be reached by a 30 minute rail journey from Interlaken Ost- all the Luzern trains stop at Brienz. Or you can take a 1.5 hour boat journey from Interlaken- the boat leaves frequently behind Interlaken Ost railway station. All kind of rentals available at Funrental Interlaken. Scooter bike gokart funcar atv motorcycle etc.

Get around

Brienz has one main street Hauptstraße, so getting around on foot is fine. To walk the full length of the street will take approx 15 minutes. You may walk uphill from the Hauptstraße on subsidiary side streets and public paths to view chalets built using traditional log construction technique dating from over one hundred years ago.

See

There is beautiful Swiss scenery to see- the lake is a beautiful blue colour and the surrounding mountains spectacular. At the west end of the village you may visit the community church to view its unique hand-carved woodwork fashioned by Brienz wood carvers.

Do

Walking, sightseeing and looking in the Woodcarving Shops.

On a clear day in season take the (last remaining in Switzerland) steam rack railway to the Rothorn - trains depart from the station across the road from the Zentralbahn station. Hotel at the top, sun terraces, and superb views both South over the Bernese Oberland and North as far as Germany. Can get very busy, so go early if you can.

Nearby is also the Ballenberg [1] "swiss open-air museum", showing traditional swiss living.

Buy

There are 3 main Woodcarving Shops- Schild, Jobin, and Huggler.

Schild is near the train station and so is easy to find. It has a large amount of woodcarvings which can be purchased.

Jobin [2] is still the biggest woodcarving shop in Brienz. It has been completely refurbished since the floods in Brienz in 2005. This business has a living museum which you can have a tour of and see the woodcarvers at work. Jobin has a big souvenir shop which sells woodcarvings and typical swiss souvenirs. Jobin is open daily in summer.

Huggler [3] is another woodcarving business. The shop stocks woodcarvings. Like Jobin, Huggler has been in business for over 100 years.

The woodcarvings in Brienz may be collectors items in the future as you will find they are one off pieces of work. They are high quality carvings.

Eat

Opposite the woodcarving shop Jobin to the right is a Coffee Shop/Restaurant/Bar.

Drink

Please see eat category.

Sleep

There is a Hotel immediately opposite the train station.

Try the youth hostel for good value, albeit basic, accommodation. Near the lake-side and only ten minutes walk from the railway station and five minutes from the bus stop. Watch the sun set over the lake in the evening!

Go next

In Brienz you can shop in the woodcarving shops or take a walk along the promenade. Its well worth a visit. Its , like Switzerland, a very scenic place.