New Years Eve in Brienz, Switzerland

Basics

• Our Childs Age: 0 – 1

• Suitable For: All

• Cost: 2020

  • 979 CHF for 3 nights (326 per night) with half board excl NYE program which was paid extra, for the 3 of us

  • 150 CHF each (300 for us both and the baby didn’t pay) for 5 course dinner with all the entertainment, bubbly wine to start and to toast New Year, and coffee and schnapps. Wine with dinner excluded

I have included this one for completeness, however I understand the New Years Package which at the time was referred to as ‘Fire and Ice’, is no longer run or scheduled. And while that does affect the specific celebration we had compared to what would be available today, it does not affect the more general blog on the area, with what to see and do and the fun to be had. You will still find it interesting and useful with plenty of tips to have an amazing celebration in this area even if a different gala dinner package is booked.

Getting there

To get to Brienz, you will need to get to Switzerland, either Basel or Zurich airport would be best, Geneva is also possible, but slightly further. From these airports it is easiest to take public transport. Swiss trains are incredibly reliable and comfortable, with frequent services. The journey is likely to be picturesque, stress free, comfortable, and generally speaking hard to get lost, when a train is taking you from A to B.

It is no problem to drive and take a car, there is no issue with this at all, do check the roads and conditions and ensure the car is adequately equipped, winter tyres etc. You can drive or rent a car to get around.

Brienz General

Brienz is a small town pretty much smack bang in the middle of Switzerland, on the shores of a lake sharing the same name, Lake Brienz or locally called Brienzersee. If you were to draw a ‘V’, with Brienz being on the lower point, the two upper points would be Bern (Swiss Capital) on the left point and Luzern on the right point.

At the other end of Lake Brienz is Interlaken, creatively named, literally a town between 2 lakes, Brienz and Thun. Interlaken perhaps being the nearest most familiar town you have heard of.

If you have been in Switzerland or a similar Alpine country / region you may know and already be aware of the countryside and scenery you can expect. If you have been a city dweller and never seen a sort of Alpine landscape – it is jaw dropping. Get ready to be in awe of nature and the incredible place you are about to see.

Staying in Brienz you will be on a beautiful lake, jump on a train for 10 to 20 minutes, you will see a second beautiful lake. There will be mountains all around you and very accessible, with a couple of towns which are certainly worth a look, Brienz itself being our base on this trip. This is nature at its best.

The Hotel

Lindenhof Hotel is up the hill a little from Brienz train station. Nothing that’s unmanageable, take it easy and you will be fine, I think you can arrange a shuttle to make it easier with luggage on arrival.

I loved this New Years Celebration; there are a number of reasons why this could have been. It was the first for the 3 of us, so a special one. It was the first that showed us there is an alternative to capital city or large city street parties, and certainly evidence that the 3 of us could still see in the New Year in style. It was a really nice, well thought out program, with great entertainment, it was mega safe and allowed us an escape plan if anyone (well, particular or specifically our son) was uncomfortable. The hotel hosts were friendly and helpful. And another reason why this could have been so enjoyable, and I probably shouldn’t mention it, I hope no one gets in trouble - I am convinced it was the only New Year celebration in Europe, in that particular year, due to a certain famous virus. We were at the only New Year Party in Europe is exactly what I tell people. True or not? I have no idea, but I have a feeling it would be fairly close to the truth.

It was a little expensive, not wildly and I do think it was good value. However, said famous virus being present throughout that year and even beyond, meant we were essentially locked up under house arrest for most of the year, and therefore had more flexibility to spend on this trip, as other get aways and breaks were not possible. Personally, for my sanity at the time, having so many freedoms restricted, I needed this escape and break, and wanted a celebration.

The hotel is not a typical one building establishment, it has several outbuildings. Our particular room, we had to cross outside over the terrace to get to the main building, reception and restaurant. When I say cross outside, we are talking meters not miles, within a few seconds from the outbuildings you will be in the main building.

Our room was small but very beautiful. We had our son who was still not quite 1. For sure with a bigger kid or multiple children you would need a bigger room. For us, we kept the push chair outside the room, had our bed and his cot, and while it was small, it was cozy and still enjoyable. The room was rustic almost chalet styles. Windows and a small balcony facing onto the lake and mountains which was a stunning sight to see each day, honestly the view from the room was amazing.

Breakfast was exceptional, with meats, cheeses, warm dishes and yogurts, cereals etc. The breakfast was top notch.

We were an English-speaking family in a Swiss hotel, with a new born baby – we were celebrities! The staff treated us well and we built a good relationship with them, but the odds were stacked in our favour of course.

Around

In this tiny town on a lake, how can you fill your days?

There is so much to see and do! Where should I begin on what we did here?

Brienz itself is small with not much in particular to do in the town, you will want to head down to the lake, you can walk around the lake and see the sights here – which is mainly views of the nature. At the time of year, biking, I would say is off the cards, but it is nevertheless an option, the lake road is mostly flat and it wouldn’t be a bad ride, but for me, it would be one for the better weather months.

Just on the other side of the lake at the same end as Brienz, is a historic hotel, Grandhotel Giessbach, which is a very cool start and finish location to go and explore the nearby waterfalls, Giessbachfalls. Beautiful waterfalls set into a forest flowing off of the mountain and into the lake. There are several small and easy walking trails here, a kind of upper circular route which takes you from the hotel, up a bit to the falls, you will pass under the falls themselves and then head down the other side, giving you wonderful views from different perspectives. Another trail which goes from the hotel down to the lake, where the falls are more a river at this point, giving views of the mountains and lake. The hotel providing options for food and drink to either warm up and / or just to take in the sights and tranquil atmosphere. You may want to look at and consider any New Year program they have here in the Grandhotel.

Whilst on this side of the lake, high above the falls is the first mountain you could visit if you wish, Axalps. A bus will take you up the road to the top and to the mountain station, where a chair lift can finish the last part of the journey off for you, to get you to the peak. You can ski here, if there is snow, sledging is an option as well as winter walking routes.

The most obvious thing while in Brienz is to visit Interlaken, the town or city between two lakes. Interlaken is a nice place, I like it here, but I guess there’s not much going on in the town itself, it’s the access the town gives to the surrounding area and it’s a great base to explore. Interlaken is a bit of an adventurer’s mecca. The town has many hotels and hostels, bars and restaurants. The chances are you will still see sky divers landing in the middle of the town; it’s a really common activity. When we went, and it was bitterly cold, we even saw a few people on stand-up paddle boards – it maybe for you, but it certainly wasn’t for me, if the water is not like a bath, I would rather give it a miss! I do expect the stand-up paddle boarders felt refreshed and alive being out there on the water in late December.

As this New Years is really about the nature, if the weather was particularly bad and you were stuck for something to do, you can also find a wellness place to go to here in Interlaken.

On our trip to Interlaken, we decided to do a winter hike in the mountains. We took the bus to the base station and the cable car up to Murren, from Murren we walked to Gimmelwald. With a large wheel push chair, I think it would be possible to use, with a push chair that’s perfect for airport terminal floors and has tiny wheels, I guess you will struggle. For us we used one of those torture devises called baby carrier backpacks. Our child was very small at the time. In fairness, at least at that age and size, it was ok to carry him in it, but later on it can be less enjoyable for Mums and Dads. The hike or walk is easy on a slight downhill, so already from 3 or 4 years old, he would have been fine to walk it himself. It’s light, short distance, downhill and on paths or roads (no cars), in the worst case with compacted snow, you can really do this hike with minimal planning and equipment, you will not need to dress like Scot of the Antarctic. With city clothes, jeans etc, warm coat, and decent footwear, again nothing crazy but decent. You will be able to do this walk. And you should! Or at least do something similar. While in an Alpine region, you must head up a mountain for a look.

The other thing to point out, you can take the cable car to the top of Murren, there are plenty of places to stop by for a bite to eat or a drink. If you were nervous about being well dressed for such a walk, just go up to the top of the cable car, stop off for a coffee and cake and contemplate if you are dressed well enough to continue. Remember, you are at the highest point here, if your clothes are fine, you will be walking down hill, it should get easier. You’ll be fine.

It is special to be in the mountains. And you don’t have to be extreme to enjoy being up one. If you only want to go for a drink and do nothing else, that’s fine, just keep in mind there is lots on offer, from snow bikes, skiing, hiking, sledging. Anything you want to try or give a go; the chances are you will be able to hire and try it. A little tip I will share with you, do not assume the weather down at the lake or hotel you are staying in, is the same as up on the mountains. Mountains do their own thing. You could go to the top of the mountain and burst through the clouds for a beautiful, and dare I say, even hot stay while on the peak – conversely, it could go the other way. Webcams maybe your best option here to really see what it’s like where you plan to go.

I have suggested Axalps and Murren / Gimmelwald as these are mountains we went to. You have so many options in this area which are all easy to get to and provide similar activities to keep you busy. For example, the famous downhill slalom, the Lauberhorn, in Wengen is close by. Lauterbrunnen the base station that will take you up to the top, is a nice town to visit itself. In better weather people do cycle this route Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen.

Bottom line, you should, as a minimum, go to the top of a mountain if only for a coffee!

Back in Interlaken, other things going on, there is the local brewery, Rugenbrau, which does sell beer and whisky nationwide, it’s not a microbrewery. Typically, you can arrange tours and tastings here, which I know are not available on Sundays. I am inclined to say it may not be available between Christmas and New Year as its possible they are on a shut down, for sure the shop is open, which is big. Not so much a souvenir shop rather an off license selling drinks. You can get everything here, beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, and it didn’t appear limited to their brands. When we were here it seemed, locals were showing up in their cars to buy in large quantities for parties or just to stock up – the reason I point this out, it implies to me it’s not a tourist trap and the prices are probably quite good.

Regardless of making it to the brewery, be it on the tour or in the shop. As you are in the area, try a local beer. We always try to keep it local when it comes to food and drink, it’s great to try new and local staples. Maybe you like it, maybe you don’t, but at least try. If I am honest, the beer for me is so so, but the whisky is very good. And even knowing what the beer tastes like, if I am in Interlaken, for sure I will enjoy a pint of Rugenbrau, it would be rude not to.

For our trip we frequently travelled from Brienz and headed to Interlaken with more options and activities to do, that short journey along the lake between the two towns passes several little quaint towns and villages which you may want to stop off and have a look at. This kind of sightseeing tourism is going to be more for the adults than children, I can imagine them quickly getting bored, so if you can combine it with something in the second half of the day with a kid friendly fun activity more focused on them, the balance will allow for a great break for all. While I won’t spend ages talking of the little walks we did, the one I will mention is stopping just before Interlaken in Ringgenberg. Here there is a nice castle/church to visit, and it’s called castle church, Burgkirche. It is very historic and a nice place to spend 10 or 20 minutes visiting, from here you have an easy peaceful walk directly into Interlaken following the waterway.

With these activities we easily filled our days in Brienz and the surrounding area, for us we had a relatively short stay compared to other NYE trips. We do know this area well and have been at other times, I want to give you some other quick tips and ideas, we have done in the past, which allows you to fill more days or have greater options if you do pick Brienz as your New Year holiday destination.

The first, and it’s a special one. You would need to be without young children or be doing this trip with teenage children, any younger than 10 may make this activity difficult. It is VERY cool. It’s called the Brienz Hotpot. You will see these when you arrive probably and wonder what they are.

Varying size barrels to allow for varying size groups. Filled with water and heated with burning wood. You can enjoy an outside, alfresco, in the middle of winter, sit in a hot jacuzzi bath in the barrels at the lake shore, surrounded by mountains, while being served cheese fondue and wine. You will need to book well in advance, but what a special and unique experience. I highly recommend this, but with smaller kids on this trip I think you may need to come back when they are older, or find a babysitter.

If it’s your first time visiting Switzerland, a day in Luzern is going to be worth it, a beautiful city not so far from Brienz, and the train ride there is very rural and scenic through the mountain meadows and lakes.

Otherwise, Bern, the capital, and Thun are both worth a look if you do have a longer stay. Switzerland being small and well connected with public transport the list of things to see and do is kind of endless, as almost everything is of little effort to get to.

New Year’s Eve

On New Years Eve during the day, we did our Murren walk. We came off the mountain and headed back to the hotel to prepare for the evening. In our particular case, I mentioned a few times, it was during a terrible period in terms of a virus shutting down the world. I took the opportunity to be on our balcony, open a bottle of Swiss bubbly wine and toast with my girlfriend our first NYE as 3, and while toasting I felt the need to do a symbolic medical face mask burning, an offering to the ‘Gods’ in the hope that this lock down and life with restrictions would quickly come to an end. Light-hearted fun really, but with a genuine hope and desire it would soon end. Having such a beautiful view and balcony, it would have been a sin not to share and enjoy a toast on it, a mini celebration for the 3 of us before joining the main event organised by the hotel.

Leaving our room to walk across the terrace to the main building, each guest was greeted by the main lady performing much of the evening’s entertainment. Dressed in white, shining and looking like an Ice Queen on stilts, as was her mandate I believe, she welcomed us all with an apero to enjoy and prepare for the evening ahead.

Upon finishing the apero and entering the main building we were shown to our table to settle in for the evening.

The dining room and restaurant decorated well for a celebration and party, including photo props on the table, with Polaroid pictures taken and given for free. Attentive staff taking care of us, the package was a delicious 5 course meal.

I had an idea of the evenings program format and plan as it was shared in advance, so I was super excited with anticipation to see my son’s reaction when the performance with not only a python snake, but an albino python, was to start, I thought he is going to be so intrigued and delighted to see this alien animal, I couldn’t wait to see his face and expression – of course, he fell asleep about 10 minutes before the snake showed up!

The Ice Queen now quickly turned into an exotic Middle Eastern belly dancing snake charmer, complete with wicker basket. Performing an enjoyable and fun show.

Between the main course and dessert there was a break. Now I liked this. It allowed us some time back in the room to freshen up and our son could be fed and have some time to relax, for us this worked really well. Maybe some would find it odd to have this interval, all I can say is, at the time it was perfect for us.

Returning after the interval, we were again welcomed on the terrace with goulash cooking away in a cauldron over a bonfire served with coffee and schnapps. It had this mountain celebration feel about it, a very nice buzz.

Once we were warmed with our Goulash and schnapps, we returned inside the main building to enjoy our dessert, we start to enter the countdown period. There was a fire show, our Ice Queen and Snake Charmer now turning into a Goddess of Fire and performing a show outside which we could watch from the warmth of the dining room and conservatory. Ensuring we all had some bubbles to cheer and drink for the stroke of midnight, the countdown started, and midnight was marked by a firework show in the hotel grounds, not huge, but still fun and something, plus of course it was in addition to all the other entertainment and backed on to the fire show we had earlier.

For us, this concluded our evening, finishing our drinks, allowing the food to digest and wishing other guests well for the year ahead, around 12:30 / 1 ish we retreated to our room for a well-deserved sleep.

New Years Day

The 1 January, a New Year! We had as much of a relaxed start to the day as anyone can with a zero-year-old child. Actually, it wasn’t bad, we were lucky that our son from early age always slept well.

Casually getting ready and in parallel half packing our cases. We headed over to the main building for breakfast. Of course, our wonderful hosts, as part of their planned program, had a special New Year Day breakfast organised. Prosecco being served to those who wanted it, delicious smoked salmon and just about anything else that was fancy, delicious and an indulgence. All good things must come to an end, we finalised packing, vacated the room and checked out. I would say a fitting end of our trip; we were lucky with our return journey taking us on the train ride from Brienz to Luzern and the amazing landscape this route passes.

Conclusion

This was our first New Years Eve as a bigger family, and our first that we had to adapt and make work for our newest little member, it was during a mad period in the world. It was great, really really great. We couldn’t have asked for more, and I am convinced we were at the only party in Europe for that year. The ‘Fire and Ice’ New Years Celebration at the Lindenhof Hotel may not be available anymore but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an equally cool and enjoyable evening possible, with all the other activities, the beautiful location, the scenery, Brienz and Interlaken remain a good option in my opinion.

Because of the snake, the dancing and fire, plus the varied activities possible in the area, based on the celebration we had, this would have been enjoyable for children of any age, certainly more memorable if they stayed awake for the snake, nevertheless, this was suitable and fun for all.

The room with a balcony on the lake is going to be a view you may struggle to beat. The effort and the entertainment the hotel arranged was superb. Brienz, Interlaken, I highly recommend you go and visit.

Take Aways

• Public transport in Switzerland is likely to be the best option, well serviced and comfortable, although a little costly. You will not need to drive, if you do not wish to

• Use webcams to check the mountain weather. Do not assume the mountain is the same weather as the towns

• Do go to a mountain if in the area

• If you plan to do a winter walk in the mountains, with a warm jacket and decent shoes, mostly city clothes will be fine, jeans etc

• Give the local food and drinks a go

• Luzern – Brienz or the other way, is a beautiful train journey