Oeschinensee and Blausee: Switzerland's two famous blue lakes

Both lakes get called “the blue lake near Zurich” online, which is confusing because they are two separate places, 20 minutes apart by bus, with almost nothing else in common except colour. Oeschinensee is a large alpine lake above the tree line, framed by the Blüemlisalp glacier and reached by cable car and a walk. Blausee is a small, fenced nature park you can circle on foot in ten minutes, famous for water so clear the trout seem to float in mid-air. This guide covers how to reach each one from Zurich, what they actually cost, and the maintenance closures that catch out anyone who shows up in low season.

Two lakes, one valley, above Kandersteg

Both sit in the Kandersteg area of the Bernese Oberland, one valley over from Adelboden and within sight of the peaks that separate the region from Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. If you are researching this as part of a wider Bernese Oberland trip, it sits naturally alongside the mountain excursions covered in our guide to the best mountain excursions from Zurich, and the Kandersteg valley is also the starting point for the Lötschberg car-train south to Valais, which is a separate trip in its own right.

Oeschinensee is the bigger draw: a genuinely large lake, roughly 1.1 kilometres long, sitting at 1,578 metres with the Blüemlisalp glacier visible above it. Blausee is closer to a curiosity: a 30-metre-wide pool of extraordinarily clear water inside a private nature reserve, with a trout farm and a restaurant, more suited to an hour’s stop than a day out.

Getting to Kandersteg from Zurich

Both lakes are reached via Kandersteg, which sits on the BLS line south of Spiez. From Zurich HB, the standard route is Zurich to Spiez (around 65 minutes on the direct InterCity), then change to the regional train to Kandersteg (about 35 minutes further). Total journey time is close to two hours each way, so this is a long day trip rather than a quick one, and it eats into the time you actually have at either lake.

Leg	Journey time	Change
Zurich HB to Spiez	~65 min	Direct IC
Spiez to Kandersteg	~35 min	Regional train
Kandersteg to Blausee-Mitholz	~5 min	One stop, then 20 min uphill walk
Kandersteg station to Oeschinen cable car	15 min on foot	—

A Swiss Travel Pass covers the full rail journey; see our Swiss Travel Pass guide if you have not already decided which pass suits your trip, and getting around Zurich on the ZVV if you are combining this with city transport on the same ticket. If you would rather skip the two train changes altogether, a private door-to-door option removes the logistics:

a private day trip from Zurich covering both Blausee and Oeschinensee picks up in the city and handles both stops in one vehicle, which matters if your window for the day is tight or you are travelling with people who would rather not manage train connections.

Oeschinensee: the UNESCO lake above Kandersteg

Oeschinensee sits inside the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site, the same protected zone that covers the glaciers around the Jungfraujoch further west. The lake itself is not separately UNESCO-listed, but the boundary of the site runs through this valley, which is part of why the surrounding slopes have stayed undeveloped beyond the cable car and a handful of mountain restaurants.

The cable car and the walk down

From Kandersteg station, it is a 15-minute walk through the village to the valley station of the Oeschinensee-Bahn. The cable car ride to the top takes about four minutes. From there, most visitors walk down to the lake shore, which takes 20 to 30 minutes on a clear gravel path with a drop of around 150 metres — manageable in normal shoes, though it is steep enough that trainers with worn soles are a bad idea after rain. Walking back up afterwards takes closer to 45 minutes if you skip the cable car on the return.

If you would rather have someone explain the geology and glacier history on the way rather than working it out from a signboard, a guided option covers the walk properly:

a guided hike around Oeschinensee with a local mountain guide takes in the lakeshore path and usually extends further into the surrounding trails than most visitors manage alone in a single afternoon.

Summer toboggan run

At the top cable car station, a summer toboggan run (Sommerrodelbahn) operates from roughly May to October, weather permitting. It is a single-seat cart on a fixed metal track, around 700 metres long, and each ride costs a few francs, paid per run at the start of the queue rather than booked ahead. It is a reasonable way to fill 20 minutes while waiting for a lunch table, and it is popular enough with families that queues build up on sunny August afternoons.

Swimming in glacial water

Swimming is permitted and common on hot days, but Oeschinensee is fed by snowmelt and glacial run-off from the slopes above, and the water rarely climbs past the high teens Celsius even at the height of summer. Most people go in for a few minutes rather than a proper swim, and there are no lifeguards, so treat it the way you would any unsupervised alpine lake. There is a small shingle and grass area near the restaurant suitable for laying out towels, though it gets crowded by early afternoon in July and August.

Boat hire and lake walk

Rowing boats and pedal boats can be hired from a kiosk near the lower restaurant, priced by the half hour. A full walking circuit of the lake takes around two hours on mixed terrain, with the eastern side notably quieter than the section near the restaurants. Anyone planning a longer walking day in the region should also look at our roundup of the best hikes near Zurich, several of which start from this same valley.

Blausee: the smaller, bluer, no-swimming lake

Blausee sits between Kandersteg and Frutigen, a short bus ride or a 20-minute uphill walk from the Blausee-Mitholz stop on the same rail line. It is a privately run nature park with an entrance fee, and unlike Oeschinensee, swimming is not permitted — the lake is left undisturbed partly to keep the water as clear as it is.

Getting from Kandersteg to Blausee

From Kandersteg, either take the train one stop to Blausee-Mitholz and walk uphill for around 20 minutes, or catch the local postbus that runs seasonally between the two villages. There is no direct cable car or lift; it is walking or bus only. Anyone driving through the wider region on a Bernese Oberland loop can also fold this in alongside stops further afield — see the Bernina Express guide or GoldenPass Line guide if a scenic rail leg is part of the same trip, and Lauterbrunnen waterfalls if you are staying in that valley instead.

What’s inside the nature park

The park itself is compact: a circular path around the lake, a working trout farm where the fish are visible through the surface, a restaurant, and a small shop. Photographs of Blausee tend to flatter it — the water really is remarkably clear, but the site itself is small enough that most visits last 45 minutes to an hour, restaurant meal included. It suits families with young children better than serious hikers, since there is little walking beyond the lake loop itself. Families weighing this against other options nearby should also check family day trips from Zurich and Zurich with kids for comparable half-day ideas.

If travelling with children and wanting more than the lake loop, a family-oriented itinerary in the same valley adds a proper walking element:

a family adventure hike on the Vogellisi trail near Adelboden covers playground-style stations along an easy alpine path, which works well as a second stop on the same day as Blausee.

Oeschinensee versus Blausee at a glance

Feature	Oeschinensee	Blausee
Size	~1.1 km long, genuine alpine lake	~30 m wide, small pool
Access	Cable car plus 20-30 min walk	Train plus 20 min walk, or bus
Swimming	Permitted, cold (14-18°C)	Not permitted
Entrance	Cable car ticket, toboggan extra	Nature park entrance fee
Typical visit length	Half day	45-60 minutes
UNESCO status	Within Jungfrau-Aletsch site	Not within the protected zone
Best for	Hikers, swimmers, longer day out	Families, a short scenic stop

Doing both in one day

It can be done, but the maths is tight. After roughly four hours of Zurich-Kandersteg-Zurich train time, you are left with around six hours in the valley. A reasonable split is a morning at Oeschinensee — cable car up, walk down, an hour by the water, walk or ride back up — followed by the bus or a short taxi to Blausee for a late-afternoon stop before heading back to Kandersteg station. It works better as a plan on paper than in practice if you are relying on the postbus timetable, which runs less frequently outside peak summer months. For a trip built around exactly this pairing without juggling connections:

a private day trip from Zurich with a guided hike to Oeschinensee is worth considering if the train changes and bus timing feel like more coordination than you want to manage on the day.

When to go, and when the lifts stop running

The cable car to Oeschinensee and the summer toboggan run both close for annual maintenance, usually for a stretch in November after the autumn season ends, and again briefly in spring, often in April, before the summer schedule starts in earnest. Outside the June to October window, always check the operator’s site before travelling — this is the single most common reason people arrive in Kandersteg to find the lake effectively inaccessible on foot in reasonable time. Blausee, being at valley level with no lift involved, stays open for most of the year, though the restaurant may run reduced hours in winter.

July and August are the busiest months at both sites, with car parks at Kandersteg filling by mid-morning on weekends. Late June and September offer a reasonable compromise: lifts running, water still swimmable at Oeschinensee, and noticeably thinner crowds. For a wider view of seasonal planning around Zurich and the Bernese Oberland, see Zurich in summer and best time to visit Zurich.

Prices at a glance

Item	Approximate price (CHF)	Notes
Oeschinensee cable car, adult return	~34	Half Fare Card discount applies
Summer toboggan run, per ride	~6	Pay at the queue, no booking
Rowing boat hire, Oeschinensee, 30 min	~20	Kiosk near the restaurant
Blausee nature park entrance, adult	~9	Cash and card accepted
Zurich HB to Kandersteg, one way, full fare	~65	Halved with a Half Fare Card

Prices move most years, so treat these as a planning guide rather than a quote — check the operator sites before the day if the exact figure matters to your budget. For the wider cost picture of a Switzerland trip, our Zurich travel costs guide breaks down where the real expense sits.

Where to eat

Both lakes have a restaurant on site. At Oeschinensee, the mountain restaurant near the lower cable car exit serves rösti, soup, and grilled sausages at prices roughly in line with other mountain restaurants in the region — expect a main course around CHF 25 to 30. At Blausee, the restaurant’s signature dish is trout from the on-site farm, generally the better reason to eat there rather than order something unrelated to the setting.

Mistakes worth avoiding

Do not assume Blausee has a beach or swimming area; visitors expecting an Oeschinensee-style dip are turned away, since the whole point of the reserve is an undisturbed lake. Do not plan a same-day visit outside June to October without checking the cable car’s maintenance calendar first. And do not treat Blausee as worth a dedicated day trip from Zurich on its own — the four-hour round-trip train time is disproportionate to a 45-minute stop, and it makes far more sense paired with Oeschinensee, Adelboden, or a wider Bernese Oberland day such as those covered in day trips from Zurich.

For anyone building a longer stay around this region rather than a single day trip, a five-day summer Alps itinerary from Zurich gives Kandersteg proper room alongside Interlaken and Grindelwald rather than squeezing it into one long day. And if the water sport theme appeals more broadly, canyoning and rafting near Interlaken and the Aare Gorge are both within reach of the same base.

Oeschinensee and Blausee: your questions answered

How do you get to Oeschinensee from Zurich without a car?

Take the train from Zurich HB to Kandersteg, changing in Spiez, which takes around two hours. From Kandersteg station it is a 15-minute walk to the valley station of the Oeschinensee cable car, which climbs to Oeschinen in about four minutes. From the top station it is a further 20 to 30 minute walk downhill to the lake shore.

Can you swim in Oeschinensee, and how cold is it?

Yes, swimming is allowed and popular on warm summer days, but the lake is fed by glacial meltwater and snowfields above it, so water temperatures typically sit between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius even in July and August. Most people manage a quick dip rather than a long swim.

Is Blausee worth the entrance fee?

Blausee charges an entrance fee to what is a private nature park, and the lake itself can be walked around in under 15 minutes. It is worth it for the striking colour and the trout farm if you are already in the Kandersteg area, but it is not worth a special trip from Zurich on its own.

Can you visit both lakes in a single day trip from Zurich?

It is possible but tight. Realistically you get around six hours in the Kandersteg area after the return journey, which is enough for a proper visit to Oeschinensee plus a short stop at Blausee, but not enough for long hikes at both. A private guided day trip covers the logistics if you want to fit in both without watching train times.

When does the Oeschinensee cable car close for maintenance?

The cable car and the lake facilities typically close for annual revision in November and reopen in December for winter, then close again briefly around April before the summer season starts. Exact dates shift each year, so check the operator’s website before travelling outside June to October.

Is Oeschinensee part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Yes. Oeschinensee lies within the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site, which protects the wider glaciated landscape running from the Bernese Oberland peaks down to this valley. The lake itself is not separately listed, but it falls inside the protected zone.

Do you need to book the summer toboggan run in advance?

No booking is needed. The summer toboggan run at the top of the Oeschinensee cable car operates on a pay-per-ride basis and you simply queue at the start of the track, though on busy August weekends queues can run to 20 minutes or more.