Niesen

11.674 steps, the longest stairway in the world, then you are there, on the top of Niesen, a mountain with the shape of a pyramid, 2.362 meters above sea level. Well, this is only allowed once per year, during the Niesen Race, so we also had to (luckily) take the 2-section funicular rail. The track and waggons began service in 1910 but is still looking fantastic due to the skilled maintenance staff. The 3,5 km are done in 30 minutes, whereas the best of the stairway runners need about one hour 🙂 The view from the top, actually 360°, over Lake Thun and to the Kander Valley is great. When the weather is good, the Alps and the Jura mountains are also visible. There is also a panorama restaurant, with a huge terrace. By the way, the next Niesen Race will be in the middle of June 2019 🙂 Places are limited – just telling…!
On our way home we visited Iseltwald, just to see if the tiny castle on the peninsula is a beautiful as it looks on the 1000’s of pictures on Instagram – and yes, it is 🙂 And Iseltwald itself is a cosy village, lots of opportunities to take a swim in the turquoise blue water.

www.niesen.ch/en
www.niesenlauf.ch/