Giessbach Falls
On Gingerguide's self-guided Interlaken audio tour, Giessbach Falls is a stop worth about ~60 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Interlaken Interlaken guide
About Giessbach Falls
A great cascade that tumbles into Lake Brienz in fourteen stages below a historic Belle-Époque grand hotel, reached by the oldest funicular in Switzerland still running, opened in 1879.
The Giessbach Falls pour down the steep southern shore of Lake Brienz in a staircase of fourteen cascades, one of the most romantic sights in the Bernese Oberland. Above them stands the Grandhotel Giessbach, opened in 1875, which was saved from demolition in 1983 by the Swiss environmentalist Franz Weber and is now a protected national monument. A footpath even leads behind one of the falls. In the 1820s the fourteen cascades were named after famous figures from Bernese history.
The falls and the hotel are linked to the lake by the Giessbachbahn, a funicular that opened in 1879, the oldest funicular in Switzerland still in operation and one of the oldest in Europe, with its original red wooden cars preserved. It was the first funicular in Switzerland built purely for tourism. From the boat landing on Lake Brienz, the little railway climbs up through the woods to the hotel and the falls. The funicular runs seasonally, roughly from April to October.
Did you know? The Giessbach stream tumbles into Lake Brienz in fourteen separate cascades; in the 1820s each was named after a famous figure from the history of Bern.
How much time do you need at Giessbach Falls?
Around ~60 min works well for Giessbach Falls — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Giessbach Falls?
Yes — Giessbach Falls made the cut as one of 13 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Interlaken. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Interlaken
Day 2 of the Interlaken in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Giessbach Falls
Preview the Interlaken tour free in the Gingerguide app.