Six Best Things To Do in Giessbach, Switzerland – A Popular Stop For The Lake Brienz Cruise

In this article, I will be listing down 6 best things to do at Giessbach (See), Switzerland. This is a popular stop for tourists taking the Lake Brienz cruise between Interlaken and Brienz. The two famous landmarks here are the beautiful Grandhotel Giessbach and Giessbach Waterfalls. This article was last updated on 02 March 2020.

1. Giessbachbahn

The Giessbachbahn is a historic funicular that brings passengers up to the Grandhotel Giessbach from the boat dock.

It travels up a 345 metre long track, with an elevation gain of 104 metres. It is a short ride of around five minutes.

If you do not want to take the funicular, there is a trail that leads up to the hotel. The walk up will take around 15 minutes.

2. Lunch at Grandhotel Giessbach Restaurant

The Grandhotel Giessbach Restaurant is a classy restaurant that offers delicious Swiss food in a beautiful environment.

The outdoor patio offers amazing views of the scenic Lake Brienz on one side and beautiful Giessbach Waterfalls on the other.

3. Giessbach Waterfalls

The Giessbach Waterfalls is one of the most famous waterfalls in Switzerland.

It consists of a series of 14 small waterfalls cascading over a distance of 500 metres into Lake Brienz. The Grandhotel Giessbach (named after the falls) is located near the foot of the falls.

To get the best views of the falls, you can take the funicular up to Grandhotel Giessbach and take an easy walk to a bridge.

It is possible to continue hiking up the falls from the bridge, but the trail is steeper and can be tricky for young children.

4. Beautiful Hiking Trails

View from Axalp

There are plenty of amazing hiking trails here! A popular and easy hike is to walk up along the Giessbach waterfalls to admire its beauty and power up close.

It is also possible to hike from Giessbach to Iseltwald. This is an easy trail that goes along the lake through a shady forest. There are even picnic and barbecue areas along the route.

If you are fit enough, you can go on the adventurous hike up to Axalp. This alpine pasture offers breathtaking views of Lake Brienz and the majestic Swiss Alps from an elevation of 1,535 metres.

Check out the full list of hiking trails at Giessbach.

5. Lake Brienz Cruise

If you are staying in the Grandhotel Giessbach, one of the most popular activities is to take a scenic cruise on the beautiful Lake Brienz. Click here to see how you can book the cruise.

The wife and I took the cruise and we managed to catch a glimpse of the beautiful hotel and Giessbach Waterfalls as our boat was passing by.

6. Stay at Grandhotel Giessbach

The Grandhotel Giessbach is an elegant refurbished hotel that has managed to retain some of its classic Belle Epoque splendour. It is perched high up on a hill, offering fantastic views of Lake Brienz.

The rooms are spacious, and the hotel service is very good. There is also a small playground and grassy area for young children to play.

The hotel restaurant is highly rated, offering delicious food and an outdoor terrace that provides spectacular views of Giessbach waterfalls and Lake Brienz.

Grandhotel Giessbach was also used as a fictitious music school in the Korean drama “Crashing Landing On You” – there is a scene where Ri Jeong Hyeok is walking down the hotel steps with his schoolmates, just before meeting Seo Dan.

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Jungfrau Region Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?