The city of Thun sits beside the lake of the same name in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland region. With an 12th century castle and 13th century church, this stunning swiss town carries all the charm you’d expect from a European lakeside town. If that wasn’t enough the back drop of the Swiss Alps and the turquoise glacial fed lake just add to it’s allure.

So, a couple of years ago I went on a road trip from my uncles house in Froidevaux (France) to the Black Forest (Germany), over to Thun, then Montreux (Switzerland) and back again. We only had two days in Thun and wanted to get a bit of a taster and we wished we had booked longer to enjoy and explore this ancient gorgeous city.

I don’t know what I was expecting from Thun, I wanted to go somewhere new in Switezerland (as this was my third time) and purposefully tried not to look up too much. I wanted a bit of a surprise and only read one article that explained a bit about the history of this town and the fact it has lovely views (I was sold).

On our short trip we managed to enjoy exploring the city and some of it’s highlights. We identified some awesome experiences for our next visit.

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Things To See And Do In Thun

Schloss Thun aka Thun Castle

Schloss Thun is a site of national significances in Switzerland. The castle sits high over the town looking towards the Bernese alps and lake Thun. This stunning castle was built by Duke of Zähringen in the 12th century and was modified in the 15th century by following ownership.

Today it serves as a museum housing local historic artifacts and is owned by the city. For a while the castle was a reional working courthouse. Centuries before it was home to a prison and fortress. We went inside but didn’t take pictures out of respect to the museum, but it is well worth a visit. One of the best things about Switzerland are it’s preserved castles that are steeped in history. No trip is complete to Switzerland without visiting one of it’s many gorgeous castles.

Stadtkirche Church

On your way to the castle you will spot the beautiful Stadtkirche Church which was built in the 1300’s. It has been maintained and can be seen like the church from all around the city (Pictured below and above).

Oberhofen Castle

Just outside of Thun on the north side of the lake sits the medeavil Oberhofen Castle. This 13th castle has stunning gardens and is open during the day to walk to. There are also boat trips that can take you over from the quiant marina in the city.

We only noticed this castle on our second day when walking around the lakeshore on the south southern side. We spotted this stunning architecture and nipped to our accomodation to ask them what it was called and check the opening times. We had missed it unfortunately.

Other Notable Architecture

On our next trip we plan to visit a few more historic buildings that were either shut or had ques. On the top of our list is:

• Hunegg Castle
• Schloss Schadau (this is a hotel and restaurant which was fully booked for dinner), but stunning never less and sits on the lake shore in its own grounds.

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Lake Thun

This stunning lake is just breath taking, although you may not be able to see this fully in these pictures, the colour of the lake and river that runs through the town is a turquoise and deep blue, this paired with the vibrance of the greenery surrounding the lake, the white snow capped peaks and the blue skies on a changeable day in spring, just left us in awe.

I’ll be honest we spent a lot of time dawdling along the shoreline just staring, admiring and verbally stating how beautiful the lake is… this went on for a while (we were a bit in awe). I took a fair few pictures but they definitely don’t do it justice (see above and below). We saw lots of people out on canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and sailing on both days. This is something we’d like to do next time.

More Things To See and Do In Thun

• You will spot a typical historic covered footbridge usually synonymous with Lucerne but those of you who have travelled Europe more extensively will have spotted these in other Swiss towns such as Thun and in some Austrian towns also. I’ve included some more pictures at the bottom of this article.
• Don’t miss the market that runs in the town square selling a mixture of local fresh food and handmade items.
• If you want to find restaurants and bars there are plenty along the north side of the river (this is the side closest to the castle) and around the town square.

• Our first choice would be to get on the water. We have noted down that we would love to do windsurfing, sailing or paddleboarding out on the lake from Hona Club on the lake front. We both love being on the water and doing water sports.

• You will spot a typical historic covered footbridge over the River Aare (below) usually synonymous with Lucerne but those of you who have travelled Europe more extensively will have spotted these in other Swiss towns such as Thun and in some Austrian towns also.
• Don’t miss the market that runs in the town square selling a mixture of local fresh food and handmade items.
• If you want to find restaurants and bars there are plenty along the north side of the river (this is the side closest to the castle) and around the town square.
• If your budget allows it you can opt for a helicopter tour above Lake Thun and over the mountains of the swiss alps. The cheapest one we have found so far is £890 but that is for a group of 3 people with Viator (so you could split the cost) Click Here to have a look.
• We would love to get on the water next time we visit. We have noted down that we would love to do windsurfing, sailing or paddleboarding out on the lake from Hona Club on the lake front. We both love being on the water and doing water sports.

Travelling To Thun With Children, Don’t Miss The Foxtrail

This scavenger hunt is set up around the city with escape games, puzzles and is perfect for families. We over heard a family raving about this during our breakfast so had to include this. Here is a link to the tickets for £28.84 – Click Here.

Why Not Visit the Near By Towns and Cities

Interlaken

You could hop on the train or go on a hop on hop off boat trip for £27.49 (Click Here) to Interlaken. Alternatively you could drive over by car which would only take you about 30 minutes. Interlaken is a great hub to explore the mountains with lots of hiking trails, the Hardklum viewpoint and the station to head up the mountains into the Jungfrau region and Oberland Adventure Valley.

• Don’t forget to check out our article on Interlaken by Clicking Here.

Speiz

Speiz is just a 15 minute drive aloong the lake (or again you can get the train). This charming town sits on the side of the lake and is home to Speiz Castle. The turreted castle has landscaped gardens with more stunning views. We had a lovely dinner here at the wonderful Eden Speiz on our way out of Thun and we highly reccomend it (don’t forget to book ahead). We would consider staying here on our next trip too.

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