Fifty minutes past Interlaken, at the end of the Kander valley in the Bernese Oberland, a small spring-fed lake does something no photograph really prepares you for: it stays a deep, luminous blue all year round, even under grey October cloud. The Blausee — "Blue Lake" — is the centre of a 20-hectare nature park, and it is the most rewarding single day trip from Montreux that is not on the lake itself.
Blausee at a glance
- Where
- Kandergrund, Kander valley (Bernese Oberland), 148.8 km from Montreux by road
- Open
- Daily from 09.00[2]
- Adult entry
- CHF 11.00 Mon–Fri · CHF 13.00 Sat, Sun & holidays[2]
- Children
- 6–15 years CHF 7.00 / CHF 9.00 · under 6 free[2]
- Boat
- Glass-bottom rowing boat, included in the entry fee[1]
- Getting there
- Car 1h53 free-flow, or train to Frutigen or Kandersteg then bus to "Blausee BE"[5]
- Best season
- May–October; autumn for quiet paths and clear water
A landscape 15,000 years in the making: "a magical landscape spanning 20 hectares that was formed 15,000 years ago by a massive rock fall from the Fisistock mountain." — Source: blausee.ch (Blausee Nature Park, official).[1]
Short answer: the Blausee is a small, intensely blue lake inside a private nature park at Kandergrund in the Kander valley. Entry is CHF 11 on weekdays and CHF 13 at weekends (children 6–15 CHF 7/9, under 6 free), the park opens daily from 09.00, and a glass-bottom rowing boat ride is included in the ticket. By car it is 148.8 km from Montreux — about 1h53 in free-flowing traffic — or roughly three hours by train via Frutigen or Kandersteg and the local bus to the "Blausee BE" stop.[1][2][5][6]
Photo: Shesmax, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In this guide
Why go: the Kander valley's blue lake
Montreux has the lake and the vineyards. What it does not have is a spring-fed lake whose colour survives every weather forecast — and that is the Blausee's particular trick. The lake sits in an enclosed nature park with pay-and-enter gating, forest paths, a trout farm and a restaurant, which is why it stays calm and walkable even in high season rather than turning into a lakeside carnival.
It is also the easiest "different Switzerland" day trip from the Riviera: same country, same language family, completely different geology. You leave the terraced vineyards of Lavaux behind and drive into the limestone and larch country south of Spiez, through Frutigen and up the Kander valley to Kandergrund.
If you are comparing day trips, the closest thing we cover elsewhere is the Creux du Van, the natural amphitheatre in the Jura — similar distance, very different landscape, and equally good in autumn.
What you actually see
The visit starts with a short walk: "A short walk of 200 metres through the pristine nature park brings you to the world-famous lake and its crystal-clear waters in the most beautiful shades of blue."[1] From the entrance it is a flat, easy path, so the Blausee works as well with a stroller as with hiking boots.
The colour is worth understanding before you get there. The lake sits only 17 metres from the Kander river, but the two bodies of water are not connected the way you would assume: "the Blausee is fed by groundwater flowing from the Kander valley", and because only the blue part of the light spectrum is absorbed on the way down, blue is the colour that reaches your eye.[1] The clarity is the striking part: "Tree trunks and boulders immersed as much as 12 metres down appear to be only just under the surface."[1]
- The boat. In summer a glass-bottom rowing boat crosses the lake and the ride is included in your entry fee — no extra ticket, no booking desk to queue at.[1] It is the single best reason to visit between late spring and early autumn; outside the season the lake is view-only.
- Forest paths and small gorges. Paths run out of the park in several directions — one leads to the "Felsenzimmer" and "Wolfsschlucht" gorge sections, another to the lake house and playground — over tree roots, stones and soft earth between old firs and moss-covered rock.[1]
- The organic trout farm. The park runs its own trout farm and a trout shop next to the restaurant — Blausee fish crispies are the local speciality rather than a generic menu filler.[1]
- The Wasserhaus and the playground. A self-service bistro by the water, open through the summer season in fine weather, with a playground, picnic tables and barbecue spots with firewood beside it — the reason families end up staying half a day rather than an hour.[1]
- The Blausee saga. Every Swiss lake of character has a legend, and this one is told on the park's own signs: a herdsman killed in a fall, a maid who kept returning to the water at night, and a lake that has been deep blue ever since — "as blue as the eyes of the unfortunate maid".[1]
Tickets & opening hours 2026
The park is open every day of the year from 09.00.[2] Tickets are sold at the entrance (and online through the park's own ticket shop):
| Visitor | Mon–Fri | Sat, Sun & holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | CHF 11.00 | CHF 13.00 |
| 6 to 15 years | CHF 7.00 | CHF 9.00 |
| Children up to 5 years | free | free |
| Dogs | free, on a leash | free, on a leash |
Three details that are easy to miss. First, there is a reduced late-day rate from 17.00 (adults CHF 9.00 on weekdays), which is a good option if you are driving up from Montreux in the afternoon.[2] Second, the park publishes special opening hours for individual dates — on 22 and 24 October 2026 it stays open until 19.30, with the restaurant from 11.30 to 16.30 — so check the current-hours block on the official site before a long drive.[2] Third, dogs are welcome free of charge and must be kept on a leash.[2]
Getting there from Montreux
By car is the straightforward option: 148.8 km from Montreux, about 1h53 in free-flowing traffic (OpenStreetMap/OSRM routing — add time for the A6 around Bern at peak hours).[6] The route runs up the lake to Lausanne, then the A9/A6 towards Spiez and Frutigen, and finally the valley road to Kandergrund. The park's own car parks sit directly at the entrance.
By train it is a genuine full public-transport day out. The official advice is to "take the train to Frutigen or Kandersteg, where you change to the bus" and get off at the "Blausee BE" stop.[2] A sample Saturday connection from SBB's timetable data: Montreux dep 09:10 → Blausee BE arr 12:08, 2h58 with two changes.[5] The upside is that the bus stop is effectively at the park gate — no parking, no valley traffic.
Our practical recommendation: drive if you want to combine the Blausee with a second stop (below), take the train if the Blausee is the whole day. If you are coming straight from the airport, our Geneva Airport to Montreux guide covers the first leg of the journey, and the Montreux Riviera Card covers local buses and trains once you are back.
When to go
The Blausee's colour is not weather-dependent in the way most alpine lakes are, but the experience around it is. Summer gives you the glass-bottom boat, the Wasserhaus bistro and the trout farm in full swing — and the biggest crowds. Spring and autumn give you the paths almost to yourself, wet-green moss, larches turning gold and the same deep blue water; the park stays open daily all year.[2]
Late October is our own favourite window: the regional school holidays are over, the light is low and soft, and the drive down the Kander valley is at its best. It is also the last realistic window for the second stop below, which closes for winter.
Making it a two-stop day: the Aare Gorge
If you are driving, there is one obvious extension east. The Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht) at Innertkirchen is a walkway bolted to the side of a limestone gorge — the official description is "a 1,400 m long and 200 m deep natural wonder", and it "takes around 45 minutes to walk through".[3] Entry for individuals is CHF 13.00, and the west entrance is open from 3 April to 1 November 2026 — so late October is the very end of its season.[4]
Be realistic about the geography, though: Innertkirchen is not next door to the Blausee. Our routing puts it at 62.3 km / about 1h16 further east by road, via Frutigen, Spiez and Interlaken.[6] A Blausee + Aare Gorge day from Montreux therefore means roughly 150 km up, 62 km across and around 180 km back — a long but perfectly doable full day if you leave Montreux by 08:00 and are back for dinner. If that sounds like too much driving, the Aare Gorge also works as a stop on a wider Oberland trip; see our Interlaken & Bernese Oberland tour for how that route fits together.
Base yourself in Montreux
Every one of these day trips starts from a Montreux apartment: kitchens for early starts, parking nearby, and the lakefront ten minutes' walk away when you get back.
See our apartmentsRelated reading: Creux du Van day trip · Interlaken & the Bernese Oberland · Geneva Airport to Montreux
10+ years in hospitality. BBA Hospitality (Glion), MSc Tourism (FHGR), MSc Data Science (HSLU).
Frequently asked questions
What is the Blausee known for?
Its colour and its clarity. The lake is fed by groundwater from the Kander valley rather than by the river 17 metres away, and only the blue part of the light spectrum is absorbed as the light travels through the water — which is why it reads deep blue in every season. Tree trunks and boulders 12 metres down look as if they are just under the surface, and a glass-bottom rowing boat ride is included in the entry fee.
How much does the Blausee cost?
Adults CHF 11.00 Monday to Friday and CHF 13.00 at weekends and on holidays; children aged 6 to 15 pay CHF 7.00 or CHF 9.00, and children up to 5 go free. Dogs are welcome free of charge but must be kept on a leash, and a reduced late-day rate applies from 17.00 (adults CHF 9.00 on weekdays).
Can you visit the Blausee and the Aare Gorge in one day from Montreux?
Yes, if you drive and start early. The Blausee is 148.8 km from Montreux (about 1h53 in free-flowing traffic) and the Aare Gorge lies a further 62.3 km east, roughly 1h16 away, which makes for a long but workable full day. Note that the Aare Gorge's west entrance closes on 1 November 2026 for the winter.
How do I get to the Blausee without a car?
Train to Frutigen or Kandersteg, then change to the local bus and get off at the "Blausee BE" stop — the stop is effectively at the park entrance. A sample connection runs Montreux dep 09:10 to Blausee BE arr 12:08, 2h58 with two changes; check the current timetable before travelling.[2][5]
Is the Blausee open in winter?
The park is open daily all year from 09.00, but the summer extras — the glass-bottom boat, the Wasserhaus self-service bistro — operate in the summer season and in fine weather only, and the park publishes special opening hours for individual dates, so check the current-hours block before a long drive.[1][2]
Sources
- Blausee Nature Park, official "Nature park" page (English) — 20 hectares / 15,000 years / Fisistock rock fall, the 200 m walk to the lake, groundwater feed and 12 m clarity, glass-bottom boat included, paths, trout farm, Wasserhaus, playground, the Blausee saga — blausee.ch/en/nature-park
- Blausee Nature Park, official "Opening hours & prices" page (English) — daily opening from 09.00, entry prices, late-day rate from 17.00, special opening hours (22 & 24 October 2026), dogs free on a leash, train + bus access via Frutigen or Kandersteg — blausee.ch/en/welcome/Opening-hours
- Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht AG), official "A natural wonder" page (English) — 1,400 m long, 200 m deep, ~45 minutes to walk through — aareschlucht.ch/en/Info/aareschlucht/natural-wonder
- Aare Gorge, official "Information" page (English) — west-entrance season 3 April – 1 November 2026, individual admission CHF 13.00 — aareschlucht.ch/en/Info/information
- SBB / Swiss public transport open data (transport.opendata.ch) — sample connection Montreux dep 09:10 → Blausee BE arr 12:08, 2h58, 2 changes — transport.opendata.ch
- OpenStreetMap routing data via the OSRM engine (project-osrm.org), read through the local maps client — driving distances and free-flow times: Montreux → Blausee 148.8 km / 1h53, Blausee → Aare Gorge (Innertkirchen) 62.3 km / 1h16. Free-flow times exclude traffic and stops — project-osrm.org