Frequently asked questions

In spring, summer and autumn, all tickets and combination tickets are available on our boats and at the stations in Thun, Spiez, Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost as well as Brienz. During the winter months the stations remain closed. On Lake Brienz, navigation is suspended during the winter.

Day tickets & combi tickets
Culinary cruises & special offers
Route tickets

Yes, the boat trip can easily be integrated into a round trip ticket. You can also purchase tickets for sections of the boat trip at practically all sales points in Switzerland. Please note that special offers can only be purchased directly from BLS Navigation.

Day tickets & combi tickets
Culinary cruises & special offers
Route tickets

Yes, you can purchase the multi-trip tickets at all our sales points. 

Cash (CHF and EUR); Reka, PostFinance and EC cards; as well as all major credit cards.

Yes, you can also buy your ticket ahead of the actual day of travel. Nevertheless, due to simplicity reasons, we recommend to buy your ticket at the day of travel.

The following season tickets are valid on scheduled cruises:

100% discount, no surcharge or free with

• GA travelcard
• Staff rate – general season ticket
• "Seepass" annual season ticket for Lake Thun and Lake Brienz
• Staff rate – day tickets
• 1-day travelpass for the Half-Fare travelcard
• Municipality day tickets
• Saver Day Pass SBB
• 1-day travelpass for children
• Dog day ticket/1-day travelpass for dogs
• Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Pass Flex with date entered, and Swiss Transfer Ticket
• Eurail Pass and Eurail Youth Pass with date entered
• Interrail with date entered
• Junior travelcard: children up to the age of 15.99 accompanied by a parent
• Children’s Co-travelcard: children up to the age of 15.99 accompanied by the cardholder

50% discount with

• Half-Fare travelcard
• Swiss Half Fare Card
• Children (aged 6 to 15 years)

The listed season tickets are not valid on our special culinary cruises; however, you will receive a discount with the GA and Half-Fare travelcards.

Yes, Fairtiq and EasyRide tickets are valid on BLS Lake Cruise. 

Yes, you can buy a class change to your existing 2nd class ticket on the spot at the boat station or directly on the boat.

With the Seepass you can travel unlimited in 1st class on Lakes Thun and Brienz for 1 year. Take a look at our Seepass offer.

Yes, the Swiss Travel Pass is valid for boat cruises on Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. In addition, the following passes/tickets are also valid: Jungfrau Travel Pass, Dong Shin VIP Pass (only valid during the summer season), Eurail (with date entered) and Interrail (with date entered).

Yes, both passes are valid for boat cruises on Lakes Thun and Brienz, provided the date of travel is entered.

On your birthday, you travel free of charge all day in 1st class on all scheduled services. You can obtain your free day ticket for Lakes Thun and Brienz on presentation of your identity card or passport at our sales points and on our boats.

Children under the age of 6 travel for free, while children aged 6 - 15 years only have to pay half-price. The Junior travelcard and Children’s Co-travelcard (for children aged 6 - 15 years) are valid on all scheduled cruises.

No discounts are available to seniors.

With the BLS Navigation day ticket, you can travel as much as you want on any of our scheduled cruises on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.

The GA or Half-Fare travelcard is not valid on our special culinary tours, as they are not part of our scheduled cruises. However, with the GA or Half-Fare Card you will receive a reduction on the price. The Seepass is also valid for a reduction, with the Seepass you pay the GA travelcard price.

Due to the piling up for important periodic maintenance work on the steamboat Blümlisalp, there will be no winter steam navigation on Lake Thun in winter 2023/24.

If you have forgotten your Seepass at home, you will have to buy a normal ticket (normal fare or half-fare, depending on whether you have a season ticket or not). Be sure to ask our staff to confirm on the ticket that you have forgotten your Seepass. The next time you travel by boat, you can show the confirmed ticket together with your Seepass and the amount will be returned to you minus a fee of CHF 5. A ticket without confirmation will not be refunded.

No, a ticket alone does not guarantee a seat on the boat. A seat respectively a table reservation is only possible in the on-board restaurant in connection with a consumption. You can make this reservation here.

Our cruises are subject to a regular timetable with various connections which must be adhered to. The boats can wait a few minutes, but no longer. The best thing to do is talk to the train staff so that they can inform the boat of the delay.

Dogs less than 30 cm tall at the shoulder can travel for free as long as they are in a suitable basket or bag. All other dogs require a valid dog ticket: 1/2 price, and no more than CHF 8.00 (dog day ticket)

The SBB 1-day travelpass as well as the GA for dogs are also valid aboard our scheduled cruises.

Dogs are allowed inside the boat as well as in our on-board restaurants.

Subject to space, we are happy to transport your bike. Cost per bike: 1/2 price, and no more than CHF 14.00 (bike day ticket) Please note: we cannot guarantee to transport your bike. The national SBB 1-day bike passes and annual passes are valid for BLS Navigation.

Our boats travel all year on Lake Thun. We do not operate our cruises on Lake Brienz during the winter months.

Our boats operate in virtually all weather. We cannot guarantee schedule adherence in storms, thick fog, or high or low water (where possible, we will inform you on site).

Picnicking on board is permitted. However, please note that the tables in the boat restaurant are reserved for diners.

Smoking is permitted on the outside decks. We ask that you please use the ashtrays provided. Smoking is not permitted in any of the indoor areas.

The playing of music on board our cruise boats is not permitted, as these are modes of public transport carrying many passengers.

In order to be able to carry out construction work in the shore area of Lake Thun, extraordinary lake level lowerings are carried out at certain intervals. During this period, Lake Thun is kept at a level of 557.00 m above sea level. The next extraordinary lake level lowering will take place between January 20, 2024 and February 20, 2024. Further information can be found here. 

During this time, navigation on Lake Thun will be limited due to the low lake level. More information will be provided with the communication of the winter timetable in the course of summer 2023.

Yes, you can bring your luggage on the boat, but please note that there are no luggage racks. Luggage must be supervised by yourself and we do not accept any liability.

The basic principle to always keep in mind: course ships have priority. These vessels can only swerve with difficulty and have a long braking distance. At the same time, with their large mass and propellers, they pose a certain danger to other water users. Therefore, it is important that their line of travel is clear and that they have enough space to maneuver.

Learn more about the topic:

Prevention on the water

Video important rules of conduct on the water

Apart from our smallest boat (MS Interlaken), all vessels are wheelchair-accessible.  The accessways to the outside decks and restaurants in second class are level. Aboard MS Berner Oberland and MS Thun, the first-class area can also be accessed by lift.

All boats (with the exception of MS Interlaken) feature a disabled WC.

Travel companions of passengers with the “Disabled Passenger’s ID Card ” travel for free on our cruises. This discount is not comprehensively available on our special culinary cruises; here, the travel companion must pay the child fee.

For groups of 10 people or more, we offer a discounted group rate (30% reduction on the single-person rate). To claim the discount, the group ticket must be purchased and paid for by one person and a reservation is required. 

For groups of 10 people or more, we recommend making a reservation in order to guarantee that all passengers can travel.

• Online reservation for groups
• E-Mail
• Phone: +41 58 327 48 11

Yes, you can inform us about the cancellation as follows: 

• E-Mail: info@schiffcatering-thunersee.ch
• Phone: +41 58 327 48 11

Our catering partner is happy to cater to our guests on board the Lake Thun and Lake Brienz boats. If you would like to enjoy a lunch, breakfast or drink, please reserve a table in the restaurant.

You'll find out more about the menu here.

Please place your reservation online. 

Yes, we have a menu for people suffering from allergies on every boat. Nevertheless, it is useful to indicate allergies when making your reservation so that we can prepare alternatives for you in advance. Here you'll find the menu for people suffering from allergies.

No, you can make a note in the comments section. We will then take this into account and keep the table ready for you for the return journey.

No, you can make a reservation from any station. For example, simply enter "from Spiez" in the comments. For us, this means that the reservation and boarding are from Spiez.

You have the following payment options in our onboard restaurants:

• Cash
• Debit card
• Credit card
• Vouchers (issued by Schiffcatering Thuner- und Brienzersee or BLS Lake Cruise)

Gastronomically, no distinction is made between 1st and 2nd class. Compared to 2nd class, 1st class offers a higher level of comfort and due to its location on the upper deck, the view is often described as more impressive.

We take all requests regarding the choice of table (online via comments) and try to accommodate your wishes as best we can. However, we can unfortunately not guarantee anything, as the wishes are taken into account after the reservation is received (date of request).

Gift vouchers can simply be redeemed for a cruise. However, you unfortunately cannot use them to pay for onboard catering (Schiffcatering Thuner- und Brienzersee).

Voucher shop

Expired gift vouchers with the BLS Navigation value stamp will still be accepted on board the boats and at the boat landing stages after they have expired. This does not apply to vouchers with the Hotel Freienhof logo or to promotional and competition vouchers.

Currently there are various technical defects on the steamship "Spiez", which is why modifications have to be made to the affected parts. As soon as the DS "Spiez" is operational, we will communicate this on our website. We regret the delays and thank you for your understanding.