Blausee: A Fairytale Lake

If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram and seen photos of a bluer-than-life clear lake in Switzerland, you were probably looking at Blausee. Its name is very straightforward: Blue Lake (blau=blue, see=lake). Blausee is a lake in the Bernese Oberland located in a little nature park. It is a little under an hour and a half from Bern by public transportation (assuming you time your train departure right) or just under an hour by car. We opted to travel by public transportation, taking a train from Bern to Frutigen and jumping on the #230 bus in the direction of Kandersteg. There is public parking available, but you need to get there earlier in the day. We went in the fall and arrived a bit before 11 and there was plenty of parking in the main lot. By the time we left, however, both the main and overflow lot was full. In the summer I am sure you need to arrive earlier. The bus comes by once an hour in either direction so make sure you time your departure right. As it is the only bus, it seems that the driver will wait for train passengers to make their way to the bus stop that is right outside the tiny station. Don’t dawdle though; there is no time for a bathroom break between the train and the bus. There is a fee for parking, and entry is 12 CHF for adults on weekends (less during the week).

The lake sits on 20 hectares of park land with multiple little walking paths. One pays for a ticket at the entrance (there is a person you can pay with or an electronic kiosk) and then follows the signs for the lake. There are a few different paths you can take. We opted for the main path, which is paved and very gentle. You could easily push a stroller on this path. Turning the corner to the lake was very dramatic. On a sunny day, the lake really is as blue as it looks in pictures. The turquoise color of the water is probably due to glacial melt and mountain runoff. There are trout that live in the lake but otherwise there aren’t any animals, and it is very still, so the silt is fairly undisturbed. Swimming is forbidden during the warm season, but you can scuba dive in the lake from November to March in ~8*C waters (we don’t know if we will partake of this particular dive just yet). Of course there is an old story about a heartbroken young maiden who turned the lake blue with her tears that you can read here. There is a sunken statue by the bridge in her honor.

A visit to Blausee is a fairly relaxed and quiet affair. The lake itself is very small and has a walking path around it that can be completed in about 20 minutes, assuming one does not stop to take photos every few feet like I did. There are other little hiking trails, a playground for the kids, a grill if you want to bring your own food, a cafe, a restaurant, and ample benches to soak in the sun and admire the view. There is also a little 15 minute boat ride included with your entry ticket. The boat has a glass bottom and takes you around the lake, by the bridge and the statue of the maiden.

As I mentioned earlier, the lake is full of trout. There is also a trout farm on the premises that you can visit. There is a fishing event once a year, but otherwise fishing is prohibited. You can, however, sample some of this fish on the premises. The snack shack has delicious battered and fried trout nuggets, and the restaurant has trout fillet on its menu. We tried out the trout nuggets with fries and a beer while sitting on a bench in the sun. We also snagged a trout shaped almond flour cookie

Afterward, we wandered around the lake admiring the ducks and the fish. Once that was all done, we headed out. Since it had been such a relaxing day and we had ample time, we walked to the next bus stop down to catch the bus and said hello to some neighbourhood cows. We also saw a lot of field cats on both bus rides. If you like cats keep an eye out for them in the fields and grassy lawns.

Overall, Blausee was a very enjoyable trip. It isn’t as grand of an adventure as some of the lakes and hikes in Switzerland, but it really is gorgeous, and if you have half a day in the area it is a lovely way to spend the time. Perhaps next time we will combine it with a hike from Kandersteg.