Giessbach Waterfalls Hike – A Swiss Fairy Tale Trail

The Giessbach waterfalls are a series of scenic waterfalls along the shores of Lake Brienz that can be reached on a short, easy hike from the parking lot near the Historical Grand Hotel Giessbach.

It really is a fairy tale location, with its series of waterfalls that drop in 14 steps into the waters of Lake Brienz. All, with the beautiful turquoise water of the lake, the view of the Emmental Alps, and the beautiful Grand Hotel Giessbach. 

Even then, many of the waterfalls are worth seeing in themselves. 

Table of Contents

Overview of the Giessbach Waterfalls Hike & Map

The hiking trail around the Giessbach falls is a well-maintained path that follows the river upstream and downstream and then forms a loop around the hotel. It is an easy hike.

The Giesshbach falls can be visited year-round, although in winter, they could be partly frozen and the volume of water greatly reduced. It’s a great Autumn and Spring hike.

How to get to the Giessbach Waterfalls trailhead and Parking

Giessbach is located on the southern shore of Lake Brienz, and it is easily accessible from Interlaken, but also from farther away towns like Bern or Lucerne. It takes a little over 20 minutes to drive from Interlaken to the Giessbach Falls, and a little over one hour from Luzern or Bern.

Visiting the Giessbach waterfalls is free, and you’d only have to pay for parking if you are coming by car, or to pay for the boat ride from across the lake and to the funicular that connects the dock to the Grand Hotel.

I’d recommend planning this hike early in the morning or later in the afternoon. It can be quite packed otherwise.

• Driving Directions: The trailhead is easily accessible from the A8 highway. Take the exit “Brienz/Giessbach”, and then follow the signs for Giessbach. The road between the highway and the parking area is a relatively narrow mountain road, so at times it may feel like you are heading the wrong way, but keep going until you reach the parking area.
• Parking: Paid parking is available at the Naturpark Giessbach Parking, right above the hotel.
• Public Transport: There is a relatively close bus stop, Brienz BE, Abzw. Giessbach, served by line 155. Timetable on postauto.ch. For an overview of the boar tires, the official website provides all the necessary details.

The parking area, which is also the trailhead

The Giessbach Falls Hiking Trail

You can access several of the waterfalls directly from the parking area and, in that sense, there is no preferred direction of travel. You can either walk to the lower falls by the hotel first, or walk uphill to the higher falls further up the mountain.

Most of the trail is on easy-to-walk paths

If you want to do the shorter hike and view the nicest waterfall, the one you can walk behind, I’d recommend taking the trail downhill here and doing the loop around the hotel. If you want to do the whole hike, I’d recommend going uphill first and then hiking back down to do the same loop.

Giessbach Upper Waterfalls

I chose the latter, so I first hiked up the mountain, taking the trail to the left of the parking area. From there, you will reach the first waterfall, a short five-minute uphill walk. Here, you both have a good view of the hotel and the lake from the cascading river.

On the way uphill, you will come across another couple of larger waterfalls. It’s not possible to get close to most of them, but you get good enough views from the trail. Next, as you continue to follow the trail uphill, you will reach a pedestrian bridge across the river. This is where you have a great view of Lake Brienz, as well as of the falls behind the bridge.

This is also the turning point of the hike. From the bridge, you can turn around and walk back down to rejoin the loop around the hotel.

The upper Giessbach waterfalls

View from the bridge across the upper waterfall.

Giessbach Waterfalls Loop

On the way down, you will first pass by the same waterfalls again. Then, instead of heading to the parking area, you can continue downhill to the next waterfall. It is also the nicest one, a waterfall you can walk behind. This waterfall offers a great view from each side, as well as from behind it.

The trail then continues downhill, on the other side of the waterfall, where you will find more views of the same falls from downstream. Here, you can either turn back to the hotel and the parking area or walk all the way down to the shores of Lake Brienz next to the dock and funicular station to see a couple of smaller waterfalls.

Giessbach Waterfalls Photos and Photography Tips

Especially for photography, it would be key to be here early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It’s an easy-to-get-to get to and popular place, so it gets quite crowded during the day.

Also, the waterfall faces the North, so there is some sidelight on the lake and the background in the morning or late afternoon. This also means the waterfall will be in the shadows at that time, and will only catch some sunlight in the middle of the day.

Personally, I would focus on the upper waterfall at the top of the circuit and the one you can walk behind, purely for landscape photography. Especially the waterfall you can walk behind, which provides great views from behind it, as you can include the hotel in the shot. But it’s also nice from the opposite side and from the bottom, where you have a view of the whole series of waterfalls.

View from the upper fall.

The “upper” part of the upper falls, behind the bridge across the waterfall.

Overall, it’s a very fun location to shoot at, as in the end, compositional opportunities are virtually endless, considering how long the falls are

Bring lenses from ultra wide to medium tele – and of course a tripod and ND filters! Also, a microfiber cloth, as some waterfalls produce a decent amount of vapor/droplets.

Where to stay

The Grand Hotel Giessbach is obviously the closest, but realistically, anywhere around Lake Brienz is a good spot. The Interlaken area is a popular choice to stay at, as it is within easy reach of places like Lauterbrunnen or Murren, and can be used as a base to hike to Augstmatthorn or the Brienzer Rothorn.

Additional Resources

• For a comprehensive overview of Hikes in Switzerland, check out my main Switzerland page.