Oeschinensee is the quintessential Swiss lake — and my new favorite — with its dramatic mountain landscape rising out of shockingly turquoise water. The trail was dotted with grazing cows wearing bells and when we arrived at the lake there were even more lounging around the shoreline. I couldn’t put my camera down!
We drove from Geneva to the Bernese Oberland last Sunday morning and arrived in Kandersteg around 11am to take the cable car up the mountain. Once we arrived at the top, we hiked about 40 minutes until we reached the lake (it’s probably a 15-minute hike but we kept stopping to take in the scenery) and snagged the last table overlooking the water at Oeschinensee’s outdoor restaurant. After a tasty lunch and a couple of beers, we hiked around the shoreline and then decided to rent a rowboat to get up close to a sprawling waterfall that is only accessible from the water. Clearly, however, we underestimated the size of the lake. We made it to the waterfall only to realize that we had 20 minutes to get back to the dock and had to call upon on Gui’s Energizer bunny-like rowing to return the boat on time — He has the blisters to prove it!

The lake was quite cold (hello alpine water), but on a very hot day I am sure a swim would be paradise. In any case, I dare say that Oeschinensee is a must-see (see what I did there) for your next visit to Switzerland. Give me a ring and I’ll gladly join you 🙂