Thun Castle & Other things to do in Thun Switzerland 

Schloss Thun. On the first day of our Switzerland Family Holiday, we were looking for things to do inside near Interlaken. Visiting in early April the weather forecast for our first day was not looking great. After deciding to visit St Beatus Caves in the morning we opted to carry on to the city of Thun Switzerland. To visit Thun Castle Museum or Schloss Thun. Which is only about a twenty-minute drive from Interlaken. The drive itself along the side of the lake is very pretty and worth doing even without the trip to the castle. There are plenty of places to stop and take in the views and even enjoy a paddle in the lake water if you are brave enough. We even found one with a park area for the boys to play. It really is such a relaxing place. 

Where is Thun Castle located?

Located in Thun it is hard to miss the authentic medieval castle as it is quite a prominent feature on the skyline. Especially as you drive in from the east you get a spectacular view of Thun panorama. The small fort is also a Swiss Heritage site of National significance. Thun unsurprisingly is located at one end of Lake Thun, near Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland region of Central Switzerland. The Schloss Thun itself is located in the old town of Thun, at the top of Castle Hill and is best reached by foot. Although it is quite a steep walk up, you can not help but be enchanted by the narrow cobblestone streets and views of the town below. 

Where can you park when visiting Castle Thun?

As we drove into Thun we passed a number of smaller car parks. Visiting in the afternoon meant that the town was already quite busy. Ideally wanting a car park that we could pay for by card we kept going and stumbled on Parkhaus City Ost Schlossberg. Not only is a large, looks brand new and had a good lift system. It is not badly priced and if you park on the upper levels it will bring you right out next to the bottom of the castle. Ideal if you are visiting with kids. It was a complete fluke that we found it. If you use the address, Schlossberg, 3600 Thun it should bring you right to it. The only thing I would say is if you are planning on visiting the rest of Thun then it is on the outskirts and we ended up walking around the long way to get back to it. Not being able to navigate back to the castle exit we used initially. 

How much does it cost?

Just like many of the other attractions we visited during our stay in Switzerland. The lady at the ticket desk was very helpful. Even though we had discount cards she said the best option was a family ticket for 20 CHF as this also included the special exhibition that they were running. Even though under 6s are free like everywhere else it worked out the cheapest option. You can find a full price list on their website. With so much for the kids to do there, we stayed around two hours so it worked out good value on that basis. When compared to how much some of the other attractions we did cost.

What can you see at Thun Castle?

For the kids

When we visited they were running a special exhibition in the historical museum on armoury and swords which the boys enjoyed. They hold this in the rooms next to where you purchase the tickets. It is not very big and it wasn’t exactly what we were expecting so I was a little worried about what the rest of the Schloss Thun was going to be like. However, I need not as it was brilliant.

Set out over four floors of the tower there is a central display on each level. There are interactive elements to keep the kids entertained throughout the history museum. Which gets better the higher up you go until you are in the massive roof. The boys particularly liked the stocks and had great fun putting each other in them on the new prison level. And the opportunity to play knights in the roof. With plenty of dress up and the ability to get on a wooden horse and pretend you are heading into battle.

For the adults  

From an adult perspective, the spectacular views across Thun and the lake from the corner towers are reason enough alone to visit. Not to mention the Swiss alps and surrounding mountains in the background. But being able to get into the structure of the roof is pretty impressive and definitely worth seeing. There is also the knights’ hall which is used as a town hall and a seat of their local administration. All of the exhibits are in English and German so easy to understand. Plus there is a fair amount of history around how the castle grounds were used and developed over hundreds of years. Including elements of the new castle as it was built and the residential wing that was added in the 17th century. I particularly liked the stained glass on display. Outside there is a small castle courtyard which you can walk through before descending the hill.

If you enjoy visiting castles in the UK then you should add Castle Thun to your list. It is quite different to any castle we have been to in the UK with its white washed turrets and I know I have said it already but the roof is brilliant. Add Schloss Thun to your list. 

What else can you do in Thun Switzerland?

Cute covered walkways 

After visiting the castle we took a wander down into the small town of Thun. If you walk out the main entrance and keep going you will come to a little wooden covered walkway. Which is very cute and then this leads you into the shopping streets. As it was late afternoon it was quite busy and the boys wanted ice cream. So we kept wandering and chanced upon a street of little bars and restaurants right on the Aare river that feeds the lake. 

Ice cream and soak up the atmosphere along the River Aare

We had ice cream and a cup of coffee at Intrigo and I highly recommend them. Well priced and delicious and overlooking the clear turquoise river. I almost forgot we were in Switzerland and not Italy. You can find it by using this address – Aarequai 58, 3600 Thun.

Beautiful carved lock gates & walkways

Across the river, there is an old wooden lock gate with a raised promenade which you can walk along. All intricately carved the covered wooden bridges are popular in Switzerland. It dates back to 1726 and is worth a wander. The boys also enjoyed playing poo sticks on the larger uncovered bridge next to it. 

Paddle and play in Lake Thun Switzerland

I would have liked to have spent longer wandering the streets of Thun. But the boys were desperate to go for a paddle in Thun lake. Since the sun had made an appearance and they had been fish spotting in the river. If you leave Thun and drive back towards Interlaken. Aim for the museum called XX. Right opposite the sign is a small parking area. It cost 1 CHF to park. 

Here you can get direct access to the lake. There are plenty of places to sit along the shore line, a BBQ to make your own. And also a small play area which the boys really enjoyed. I can imagine it is a popular spot in the Summer, even when we visited it was reasonably busy with people milling around. I recommend taking some snacks or a picnic and just enjoying the tranquillity and the views of the snow-capped mountains.

If when you visit it is too busy then there is a further stopping place with more parking a couple of miles down the road. Here we found some painted rocks and there are picnic benches although you can’t access the lake very easily. We stopped a third time even closer to our Manor Farm campsite. Although that didn’t quite go to plan when Harry managed to get his boot full of water! So be warned…

The castle of Thun and the medieval old town make a great day trip from Interlaken. I would definitely recommend a visit on your Switzerland itinerary.

Related blog posts

You can read about the other popular day trip and tourist destinations that we visited during our trip below.

Ballenburg Swiss Open Air Musuem

Our visit to the Giessbach Falls near Interlaken Switzerland

Lake Brienz Cruise – everything you need to know

Visiting Harder Kulm Top of Interlaken

Jungfraujoch Top of Europe – how to plan your visit

Grindelwald First – the best things to do

The Eiger Express Grindelwald – everything you need to know

Helimwehfuh 

St Beatus Caves & Waterfalls Lake Thun Interlaken Switzerland

Have you visited Thun Switzerland? What was your favourite thing you did while there, let me know in the comments below?

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