96 Hours in Kandersteg
Is Kandersteg for You?
This destination is perfect for couples and families looking to escape the daily city noise, and wake up in a quiet Swiss village surrounded by beautiful mountains.
What we love about Kandersteg is that while it’s a tourist town, it doesn’t get as many crowds like Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, and Grindelwald.
How Do You Get to Kandersteg?
By train: The train station in Kandersteg is also called Kandersteg.
If you’re coming from Germany, you will likely have a transfer at Basel, then either Spiez or Bern, in order to catch the Regional Express (RE 1) towards Brig. Kandersteg is the next stop after Frutigen.
If you’re starting at Zurich, then you’ll likely have a transfer at Spiez or Bern to catch the RE 1 to Kandersteg (in the direction of Brig).
By car: You can easily drive to Kandersteg by navigating to it on Google Maps, Apple Maps, or your vehicle’s embedded navigation.
Must-Visit: World-Famous Kandersteg Mountain Coaster (Rodelbahn)
One of the must-try bucket-list activities in Kandersteg is the world-famous “Rodelbahn”, or to be precise, “Sommerrodelbahn”.
For English-speaking travellers, you might have heard about it as any of the following:
Kandersteg Mountain Coaster,
Kandersteg Mountain Toboggan Run,
Kandersteg Summer Toboggan,
Swiss Mountain Coaster
Not to make things even more confusing, this Kandersteg Rodelbahn is actually listed on the Oeschinensee website!
Don’t worry, just go to this direct link to make your life easier: Kandersteg Swiss Mountain Coaster (Oeschinensee)
How Can You Get to the Kandersteg (Sommer) Rodelbahn?
Before we dive in, remember that Rodelbahn (Mountain Coaster) is only available in the summer months. In 2025, it opens on May 10, 2025.
Here’s a pro tip for first-timers: To get to the Rodelbahn, you have to take the Oeschinensee gondola up the mountain.
How Much is the Cable Car from Kandersteg to Oeschinensee?
As of February 2025, the cable car (gondola) from Kandersteg to the Oeschinensee starts at 12 CHF.
In case, you get stuck on the German-version of the website, you should look to depart from Kandersteg (Talst. Oeschinen) and arrive at Oeschinen (Bergstation).
You can buy the tickets directly from the SBB website (or download the SBB mobile app).
Is the Cable Car (Gondola) Ticket Required for the Kandersteg Rodelbahn?
Yep, there’s no other way around it.
Can You Buy the Rodelbahn (Mountain Coaster) Tickets Online?
No, you must buy the tickets in-person - either at the ticket office, or at the ticket machine.
Our Experience: We actually had to wait another 30-minutes before our first run because the barcode of tickets, that we bought from the ticket office (at the base), was not being recognized at the turnstyle.
We brought it up to the 1 person managing the Rodelbahn & we were just told to wait to the side until an English-speaking staff was available.
Despite that, it took another 10 minutes for the staff to call someone at the office to ask what to do.
If you surf through the Google Reviews, you’ll see similar complaints.
Tip: As a lesson learned, just buy your tickets from the machine next to the Rodelbahn. Everyone that bought it from there went through the turnstyles stress-free.
How Much Does the Rodelbahn (Mountain Coaster) Tickets Cost?
You can choose from any of the 3 Rodelbahn pricing packages:
1 ride for 6 CHF
2 rides for 11.50 CHF
3 rides for 17.00 CHF
When we went in 2022, we bought the 3-ride package but we only ended up going twice because of a large group of scouts showed up.
So instead of throwing our 3rd ride ticket to waste, we offered it to 2 young kids who couldn’t be any happier to get one more free run 😄 .
Tip: Keep that in mind. It’s possible that you could be waiting 20-30 minutes in between each run!
Besides the Rodelbahn, What Else Can You Do in Kandersteg?
Hiking, hiking, hiking!
We recommend doing the Oeschinensee (Lake Oeschinen) Loop Trail of 8.7 km that takes about 3.25 hours to complete.
When we hiked this trail in 2022, it took us ~4 hours roundtrip with a lunch stop at the lake (and a quick dip in the glacier cold Oeschinensee).
Is the Oeschinensee Hike Worth It?
Absolutely! But be aware that it can be quite a challenging trail, so bring your hiking shoes and even hiking poles for additional support.
This trail offers a lot of scenic viewpoints for photo opportunities, even the walk leading into the trail (from the town).
At the 75% point, you will find many other day-hikers enjoying their lunch with a view. Hop a squat and experience your lunch by the lake.
On the return path, you will walk beside the running creek leading you back to the town of Kandersteg.
Tip: We recommend going clockwise when doing the Oeschinensee Loop trail. This path lets you do the difficult incline in the first half, then descend towards the lake, and wrap up with a mellow mild incline back to Kandersteg.
Now, Where Should You Stay in Kandersteg?
We really enjoyed our stay at the Belle Epoque Hotel Victoria when we visited in July 2022.
It’s not a ‘modern, luxury, fancy’ hotel by any means.
Instead, Belle Epoque offer more of a contemporary, Victorian chalet vibe.
Our room also had a beautiful balcony overlooking the central Kandersteg church with a stunning backdrop of mountains.
Thanks to our Genius level at Booking.com, we had the complimentary breakfast buffet in their dining room.
But if it’s a beautiful sunny day outside, take your plate & cup of coffee out to their patio - and be rewarded with the best breakfast view in Kandersteg.
Location-wise, Belle Epoque is a ~5-minute walk from the Kandersteg train station.
It’s conveniently located at the main intersection in the town - where Bahnhofstrasse, Innere Doftstrasse, and Aussere Dorfstrasse meet.
This meant that you are walking distance to the cafes, restaurants, tourist center, ATMs, and the local Coop supermarket.
Overall, we highly recommend Belle Epoque for hiking couples visiting Kandersteg.
What Amenities Does Belle Epoque Have for Families?
This hotel is also very family-friendly with something to do for all ages.
Itching to be active?
Belle Epoque has a tennis court and swimming pool for you.
In the summer, take a scenic bike ride among the mountains.
Or in the winter, you have several skiing options nearby.
After your activities, relax and recover in their sauna & steam bath.
And for kids?
The hotel also has a children’s playground and a big, green yard outside of the hotel.
Which Restaurant Has Outdoor Seating with a (Mountain) View in Kandersteg?
Our favourite restaurant was the Schweizerhof Kandersteg, which was literally a 1-minute walk from our Belle Epoque hotel.
We spotted this restaurant from our hotel room’s balcony, as it overlooked the village - and it just stood out.
This restaurant’s outdoor patio was nested in the middle of this beautiful mountain valley.
It’s even more stunning during the golden hour at sunset.
Basically, everyone gets a mountain view, especially for couples dining facing each other.
Visit Schweizerhof’s website to see their opening times (Offnungszeiten), food menu (Speisekarte), and drink menu (Getrankekarte).
How to Get to Kandersteg from Interlaken Ost (Without a Car)?
By train: The fastest travel time is just over 1 hour (or 1 hour & 11 minutes).
This requires you to take either an IC-train or an RE-train from Interlaken to Spiez.
Transfer at Spiez to catch an RE-train in the direction of Brig, or Domodossola, Italy.
Note: At the train station, you may see these signs as “Richtung Basel SBB” and “Richtung Brig”. From Spiez, the 4th stop is Kandersteg (in the direction of Brig).
So, is 4 Days Enough in Kandersteg?
Yep, 4 days is plenty of time for first-timers in Kandersteg.
Whether you are visiting to hike in the summer, to ski in the winter, or simply to unwind in nature, 96 hours in Kandersteg is more than enough for you.
This village is easily accessible without a car, so we recommend travelling by train, especially if you’re travelling light.
Stay at the Belle Epoque Hotel & start your day with their delicious breakfast buffet. If you’re lucky, you make even see guests dressed up in their Victorian outfits!
Reserve an outdoor patio table at the Schweizerhof for a sunset dinner. When it gets cold after the sun goes down, they have complimentary blankets to keep their guests warm.
And don’t miss out on the world-famous Rodelbahn and Oeschinensee.
Take lots of pictures, videos, but in the end, remember not to live behind your camera.
As always, travel safe, have fun, and share your experience with us!
