Oeschinensee, the magical lake from Switzerland

Oeschinensee is a magical blue lake situated at the altitude of 1578 m in the Bernese Oberland, the highest area of the Bern canton. Oeschinensee is 4 km away from the village of Kandersteg and since 2007 is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage. It is one of the most beautiful lakes in Switzerland.

Because some of my friends have been to lake Oeschinen (Ochinensee is the German name) a few weeks ago, this weekend, we decided to go and visit Ochinensee. The main route to get to the lake starts from Kandersteg.

Oeschinensee Kandersteg Switzerland

How to arrive in Kandersteg?

You have two main options: to go by train or by car. We chose to go by car and thus drove on a spectacular road. To make the adventure even more thrilling, I took the Sion-Gampel Bratsch-Kandersteg route, not the highway from Bern. This road, besides the fabulous landscape, offers you another surprise: you'll just place the car in a train and cross the mountains through a tunnel! An adventure I could not miss! This is the Lotschberg tunnel, which is 14.6 km long and you will travel in it for about 20 minutes. The crossing fee is CHF 30 per car. A super cool adventure! This tunnel links the Valais and Bern cantons from the village of Goppenstein to Kandersteg. 

The road to Kandersteg through the Lotschberg tunnel

How to get to Oeschinensee?

After you will exit from the tunnel and leave the train, you will have a few more kilometers and you will arrive to the parking area near the Kandersteg cable car. There you will park your car, pay the parking (5 CHF for 24 hours) and start the hike towards Oeschinen lake on the marked path. 

The hike to the lake takes about 2 hours and is very, very beautiful. One part of the hike goes through the woods, then on the edge of the vicious river that flows from the lake. Throughout the climb you are surrounded by majestic mountains. The hike to Oeschinensee is rather easy, but you have to consider that it is mainly uphill and I advise you to have trekking shoes.

Read our article about Grande Dixence, the world's highest gravity dam!

So after about two hours you will reach the lake. If you are lucky and if there is sun and no clouds the view is fascinating because the lake has a blue-green color similar to the Mediterranean Sea. The beuty of the lake is unreal and the whole landscape is really magical!

Now that you have reached the lake you deserve a picnic with your friends or eat in one of the Oeschinensee restaurants.

After the picnic on the lake shore you can go back to the car or follow one of the many mountain trails available arround the lake!

When visiting Oeschinensee you should keep in mind the following:

• The Kandersteg cable car runs from May to October; outside of this period you can reach the lake only on foot (access to the lake with cars is strictly forbidden)
• In the summer, you can enjoy the 750m long Oeschinensee tobogann which is situated near the cable car or rent a boat and fish in the lake.
• In the winter, the area is very good for skiing and when the lake is frozen, you can skate on it or practice ice fishing because it is very popular (Oeschinensee is generally frozen from December to May). The ski season in the area starts around December 23rd, and then the restaurants and the hotel from Oeschinensee will open ( they close at the end of October).

Oeschinen Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen! Go and visit it.

Useful web links for visiting Oeschinensee:
- here you will find general information about Oeschinen lake and the surrounding region
- here it is the webcam Oeschinensee

Go and discover the magic Switzerland!