What the Swiss Travel Pass takes off the Brienzer Rothorn fare
The return from Brienz to Rothorn Kulm is CHF 96 at full price, and CHF 48 with the pass. That's a 50% cut, and you're paying for a steam locomotive shoving you up more than 1,600 metres of mountain, which is not nothing.
Children 6 to 15 pay CHF 28.50, or nothing at all if a parent holds the pass and the kids have a Swiss Family Card. Under 6 travel free. Dogs are CHF 10. Manual wheelchairs can be carried by prior arrangement, but electric and oversized ones can't be taken at all, so sort that before you turn up at Brienz.
When the Brienzer Rothorn railway actually runs
The railway is closed for more than half the year. Trains run as far as Planalp only from 9 May to 5 June, then the full service to Rothorn Kulm goes hourly from 6 June to 25 October. The pattern repeats every year, though next year's exact dates aren't published yet.
Why the CHF 8 seat guarantee is worth paying for
The CHF 8 seat guarantee is separate from the CHF 48 fare and it's charged per booking, not per person and not per leg, so if you book both directions at once it covers both. Reviewers don't call it advisable, they call it essential, and on a sunny Saturday in July they're right.
Trains sell out in high season. The queuing at Brienz gets chaotic, with pushing and line jumping, and CHF 8 buys you out of standing in it wondering whether you're getting on. Book it if you're going at a weekend, in the summer holidays, or on any day the forecast looks good.
Getting to Brienz and the ride up
Brienz is the bottom station, and it's easy to reach on the pass from either side of the mountain.
- From Interlaken, 20 minutes by train, or slower and nicer by boat across Lake Brienz. Both are covered.
- From Lucerne, about 90 minutes.
- From Zurich, roughly 2 hours 15 minutes via Lucerne or via Interlaken.
The climb takes about an hour each way. There are up to eight departures a day starting around 08:30, plus an early 07:36 on Saturdays and Sundays in July, August and September. The last train down is 17:40, and that time is the one to write on your hand. Halfway up you stop at Planalp for about five minutes while the engine takes on water, which is also when the Steam Sausage Cruiser appears: a sausage cooked in a copper kettle and served with bread shaped like a cogwheel. Yes, really.
Turn up at Brienz 30 to 45 minutes before your departure. There are lockers at the station if you don't want to haul a suitcase up a mountain.
What's at the top of Brienzer Rothorn
Sources put the summit at 2,244m and at 2,350m, because they're measuring different things, and honestly you won't be able to tell the difference from the terrace. What you can see from up there is Lake Brienz directly below, the Bernese Alps, the Grimsel area, Pilatus and the Hogant.
For a summit at the end of an hour's climb, there's more up there than you'd expect.
- The Rothorn Kulm mountain hotel, five minutes' walk from the station, open around the clock in season and sleeping up to 100.
- A panoramic terrace, a viewing terrace and a swing photo point.
- A gift shop.
- Two restaurants: Rothorn Kulm does a traditional three-course meal, and Restaurant Rothorngipfel sits at the cableway station.
- Ample toilets, according to one reviewer, which is genuinely useful information.
Give yourself 30 minutes at the top as an absolute minimum. Expect it to be about 10C colder than it was in Brienz, so bring a layer even if you left in a t-shirt.
Walking down instead of taking the train
If you'd rather use your legs, there are two routes and they're very different in ambition.
- Summit to Planalp: 2.5 to 3 hours, then pick up the train for the rest.
- Brienz to the summit on foot: 5 to 6 hours, uphill all the way, which is a full day.
The Brienz to Sörenberg through route, and whether to do it
Instead of coming back down the way you went up, you can carry on over the mountain and descend the far side by cable car to Sörenberg, which takes 10 minutes, then get a bus and train back. The full round trip is CHF 125.50, or CHF 62.75 with the Swiss Travel Pass.
It's a better day than an out and back, and the cable car needs no reservation. Worth knowing: that cable car also runs in winter, so if the steam train is shut you can still get up there from the Sörenberg side.
Swiss Travel Pass vs the regional passes on the Rothorn
Both the Berner Oberland Pass and the Lucerne Travel Pass cover the Brienzer Rothorn in full rather than at half price, which changes the maths on the through route in particular.
| Swiss Travel Pass | Berner Oberland Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Brienz return | CHF 48 | Free |
| Brienz to Rothorn to Sörenberg | CHF 62.75 | Free, including bus and train back |
| Interlaken to Brienz boat | Covered | Covered |
That's one mountain, though, and the Swiss Travel Pass is buying you the rest of the country. If you're basing yourself in the region for a week, read the Berner Oberland Pass comparison or the Lucerne Travel Pass comparison before you decide, and the full mountain coverage list if you're weighing several peaks.
Things that catch people out on the Brienzer Rothorn
The main one: not every departure is hauled by steam. One reviewer got diesel going up and steam coming down, and the operator doesn't publish which service is which, so there's no way to game it in advance. If steam is the entire point of the trip, you can't pick.
The queue at Brienz is the other complaint that keeps coming up, with pushing and line jumping, which is exactly why the seat guarantee is worth CHF 8. Weather-wise, the train runs in the rain, so a grey forecast doesn't cancel your plan, it just changes what you'll see. Going up, the left side is slightly better, but a window seat matters more than which side you're on.
FAQ
How much is Brienzer Rothorn with the Swiss Travel Pass?
CHF 48 return from Brienz instead of CHF 96, a 50% discount. The longer Brienz to Rothorn to Sörenberg round trip is CHF 62.75 instead of CHF 125.50.
When does the Brienzer Rothorn steam train run?
Trains go as far as Planalp from 9 May to 5 June, then the full hourly service to Rothorn Kulm runs from 6 June to 25 October. The same pattern repeats each year, but next year's dates aren't published yet.
Do I need to reserve a seat on the Brienzer Rothorn?
Strongly recommended in good weather, at weekends and during the summer holidays, when trains sell out. It's CHF 8 per booking, on top of the CHF 48 fare, and because it's per booking it covers both directions if you book both at once.
How long does the Brienzer Rothorn train take?
About an hour each way, including a five-minute water stop at Planalp. Allow at least 30 minutes at the top, and arrive at Brienz 30 to 45 minutes before your departure.
How do I get to Brienz?
It's 20 minutes from Interlaken by train, or slower by boat across the lake, and both are covered by the pass. From Lucerne it's about 90 minutes, and from Zurich roughly 2 hours 15 minutes via Lucerne or Interlaken.
Is the Brienzer Rothorn open in winter?
The steam railway from Brienz isn't, it shuts after 25 October. The cable car up the far side from Sörenberg does run in winter and needs no reservation.
