Our Weekend in Kandersteg was as spontaneous as they come.
Amana’s at home browsing Skyscanner, randomly checking for cheap weekend deals, and all of a sudden, GOLD! £85.96 for a return flight to Basel, Switzerland for 2 people. We couldn’t believe our luck. Kandersteg had been on our list for a while ever since we saw the toboggan ride on the mountains.
Accommodation
Kandersteg is around 165 km away from Basel airport. Depending on how much time you have, the following are the main options for your stay:
- Spend the night in Basel and go to Kandersteg for a day trip
- Drive to Kandersteg and stay there the whole weekend
- Spend the night in Bern (capital city of Switzerland), which is between Basel and Kandersteg and go to Kandersteg for a day trip
After much thought, we decided to spend the night in Bern. This way, we would be able to explore Basel and Bern on Day 1 and then spend the whole day in Kandersteg on Day 2.
Although the flights were a bargain, accommodation in Switzerland is very expensive. We stayed in an apartment called Max Aviation Apartments in Bern which cost £100 for a night. The hotel is located centrally and only a 15-minute tram journey to the city centre. The rooms come with free tram passes valid for the duration of our stay! And they also provide complimentary mouth-watering Swiss chocolates!
Transport
Trains are plentiful albeit quite expensive in Switzerland. There are certain deals available online and at the train station which may help bring the cost down. If you’re travelling in a group, it might work out cheaper to rent a car (this was the case for us).
Public transport
Basel airport to Basel SBB (train station in city centre)
- Bus no. 50:
- duration: 20 minutes
- price: around CHF 6
- frequency: up to 8 times per hour, from 4.28am to 12.02am
- Train: no train stations at airport
Basel SBB to Bern Bahnhof
- Train:
- duration: around 1 hour
- price: CHF 10 +
- frequency: approximately 35 trains per day from 12.01 am to 11.01 pm
Bern Bahnhof to Kandersteg
- Train:
- duration: 1 hour 7 minutes +
- price: CHF 10 +
- frequency: approximately 18 trains per day from 12.13 am to 11.39 pm
Basel SBB to Kandersteg
The train from Basel to Kandersteg has a stop in Bern (see above). Therefore, a combination of the above two would be applicable. Check link below to minimise your transit time as necessary.
website: https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html
Rental car
We opted to rent a car as we were travelling with friends and it would give us the flexibility of exploring Basel and Bern at our own pace. We rented from Hertz Car Rentals and were happy with the services.
The only unusual thing you need to be vary of is that you need to return your car to the correct Hertz Car Rentals counter. Basel airport has three entrances and exits from/to France, Germany and Switzerland. We rented from the Swiss Hertz company. We accidentally took the car to the French one. Although the two counters are a few minutes away from each other, you need to make sure you bring the car back to the correct country. We learned this the hard way and had to go back on the motorway/highway and take the correct exit to Swiss entrance!
Fun fact: Basel airport is actually located within the French border.
Day 1: Exploring Basel and Bern
Things to do in Basel
Our plan for Day 1 was to check out the three countries bridge in Basel. It’s exactly what you think it is. A bridge that crosses three countries; Switzerland, Germany and France. How cool is that? It is supposed to be the world’s longest single-span pedestrian bridge. The overall length is 248 metres and its main span is 229 metres.
We didn’t do much else in Basel, although there’s a whole host of sites to see. We’ll cover some of our favourites from our later visits in case you want to spend more time exploring Basel.
Take a stroll through Basel’s historic old town. Most of the famous sites are located near each other in the old town, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get in your 10,000 steps.
A few minutes walk from the Basel SBB train station, you’ll find the most famous landmark in Basel; Basler Münster (cathedral). A climb to the top of the Gothic cathedral’s tower will give you beautiful views of the surrounding Rhine river.
A stroll through the old town would not be complete without seeing the City Hall. The imposing structure located in Marktplatz (market square) is spectacular with its red exteriors. The entrance is free, but do bear in mind it’s closed on the weekends. While you’re in the area, explore some of the market stalls in Marktplatz selling fresh local produce.
Last on our list is Spalentor. It is a magnificent city gate and is one of 3 remaining from the city’s ancient city walls.
Things to do in Bern
A common misconception people have of Switzerland is that their capital city is Zürich. Although it is the largest city in Switzerland, it is not the capital city of the country. This title is reserved for the smaller city of Bern, located in the west-central part of the country.
For a short trip, the best thing to do in Bern is to walk around and explore the old town. The medieval town was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 1983 and is not be missed.
Once of the quirkiest sites in the old town is the Zytglogge (a medieval tower). The site has seen many uses over the years ranging from the city’s guard tower to a prison. It is now most famous for its astronomical clock. Thousands of people gather at four minutes before the hour to watch the quirky figurines (dancing bear, cheeky fool & crowing rooster) come out from the clock.
For history buffs out there, make sure you make a stop at the Einstein House; the place where Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity. Entrance for adults is CHF 6 and CHF 3 for children (8 – 15-year-olds).
Fun fact: Albert Einstein was a lecturer at the University of Bern.
End your day at the Sky Terrace as you watch the sun sets over the city’s old town.
If you have the time, hire an inflatable raft from one of the boat companies at Thun-Schwabis and go on a three-hour cruise downriver to Bern. Stretch your legs, take in the sun and relax as the stream carries you effortlessly.
Day 2: Arriving in Kandersteg
After about half an hour of driving and almost turning onto the wrong side of the road (oops! my first time driving on the “wrong” side of the road), we finally arrived at Kandersteg.
Things to do in Kandersteg
The main purpose of our trip was to go on the toboggan slides in the mountains around Lake Oeschinensee. This is where we spent majority of the time, but there are definitely much more you can do in Kandersteg. We will list some of them as well.
Having arrived first thing in the morning, we first went to Oeschinen Lake. The alpine lake with its turquoise water and Swiss Alps in the backdrop makes for a spectacular sight.
Enjoy a picnic as you take in the view, or get up close and personal by renting a row boat and be in the midst of the lake. You can also enjoy fishing all year-round although keep in mind that during winter the lake will be frozen – perfect for ice-fishing. You will need to get a fishing license which costs CHF 28 for adults.
Finally, the best thing to do in Kandersteg is, without a doubt, to go on the toboggan run/bob run (mountain coaster)!!! As you coast your way through the mountain, you’ll be rewarded with the best views of the surrounding alps. This is a definite bucket list activity!
We enjoyed it so much that we ended up doing 10 trips each on the toboggan run. 1 ride is CHF 4-6 and 5 rides is CHF 18-27. Check here for the most up-to date prices.
After a fun-filled day, we headed to a restaurant called Landgasthof Ruedihus where we had the most delicious cheese fondue. Make sure to get a seat outside the restaurant to enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and to hear the occasional bells from cows.
Other things to do in Kandersteg include going on hikes (there are countless ones), skiing during winter and visiting Lake Blausee.
How to get to Oeschinen Lake & Tobbogan run from Kandersteg
If like us, you’re driving to Kandersteg, you can park your car at Oeschistrasse 50, 3718 Kandersteg, Switzerland for CHF 5 all-day (make sure you have coins). Here, you’ll find the cable car that takes you up the mountain above Kandersteg where the lake is located. If you take the train to Kandersteg instead, the cable car is a 15-20-minute walk from the train station.
From here, you can either hike up the mountain or take the cable car. The hike takes around an hour and is meant to be an easy walk. We took the quicker but more expensive route, the cable car at a cost of CHF 30 for a return trip. Check the most recent prices here.
Once you arrive at the top of the mountain, you’ll see the toboggan run nearby. The lake is a 30-minute walk from here and is clearly sign-posted.
You can see just how beautiful Kandersteg is because all of these photos (except for the one with the cows in it) has had no editing done. I’m not a particularly good photographer but Switzerland manages to make me look like I take great photos!
We were quite happy with the amount of activities we were able to cram into the weekend. If you found this helpful or enjoyable please share the love and let us know what you thought in the comments below!
Happy travels!
Bobbé
If you would like to read about some of our other weekend trips have a look HERE for our trip to Russia. We have also written about our weekend trips to Germany, France, Portugal, and Romania.