Looking for an offbeat destination in the ever-popular tourist friendly country of Switzerland? Sounds like a difficult search but indeed it exists! In this blogpost I will tell you about such a hidden gem called Walensee. It is an ideal location to spend a relaxing short break away from the hectic city life.

1. Scratch the map

Walensee is a beautiful lake mainly in the canton of St. Gallen (and some part in Glarus) in eastern Switzerland. Located near the German and Swiss borders, Walensee is approximately 67 km from Zurich. On the northern side of the lake, is the Churfirsten mountain range which rises almost vertically out of the water. 

2.How to reach 

You can take a train from Zurich to Walensee and reach Unterterzen train station in 1-1.5 hours. The village of Unterterzen is situated on Walensee in the municipality of Quarten. However, the best way is to drive to Walensee which takes less than an hour.

3.Tour Highlights

There are a number of little towns around the lake and they all are special in different ways. We spent 2-3 days in Walensee exploring the spectacular scenery in this region.

3.a Quarten

Quarten can serve as a perfect base to explore the surroundings in the vicinity of Walensee. We stayed at Marina Walensee Resorts in Quarten just next to Walensee. The resort is in a lovely location with amazing views of the lake. You can spend an idyllic vacation here by enjoying the beauty of the lake and its serene environment, taking a casual stroll in the city or visiting a dozen other beautiful spots nearby for hiking or skiing.

3.b Quinten

This car free town on Walensee is definitely worth a visit for its superb views, charming vineyards and special kiwis and figs. On one side it is bordered by the lake and on the other by the Churfisten range. It can be only reached via ferry from Unterterzen or by foot from Weesen. This dreamy village offers some of most amazing views of Walensee and surrounding towns. You can also spend some time sipping a cup of coffee or grabbing some food at the Restaurant Seehus while enjoying the surreal beauty of the lake.

3.c Betlis (Seerenbach Falls hike)

Don’t miss the opportunity of a lovely hike of 3.5 km from Betlis to one of the tallest waterfalls in Switzerland (Seerenbach falls). We took the ferry from Unterterzen to Betlis and started our walking trail from there. You can also drive to Betlis and park your car in the open parking area near the starting point of the trail. It generally takes 3 hours to complete the hike both ways, but you will most certainly spend more time since it’s difficult to resist oneself from stopping on the way to click pictures of the amazing views along the hiking route. The With lush green alpine meadows all around, cows grazing here and there, blue waters flowing along the route, you can’t really ask for more!! It was almost like a scene from the fairytales that we read in childhood. By the way, this is a fairly easy hike and will be a fun day trip from Quarten. On the way, there are a couple of places where you can also arrange barbeque and have a nice picnic as well. 

3.d Flumserberg

Flumserberg is a famous family friendly resort area in the Swiss Alps high above Walensee and is known for skiing and hiking trails. Even if you are not a ski enthusiast, you can enjoy fantastic views of the mountains and the lake from the mountain peak and along the way up in the cable car. The journey can be completed in two parts with easy cable car rides- first from Unterterzen to Tannenboden in 35-40 minutes while the second part from Tannenboden to Maschgenkamm with the new gondola lift "BergJet" in 15 minutes. It was a unique experience with superb views of green fields and lake Walensee in the first half and white snowy landscapes and mountain ranges in the second half. Also, there are some good restaurants at the top of the mountains where you can relish good food while admiring the fantastic scenery around. 

4. Useful Tips 

• Number of days: It would be ideal to spend atleast 3 days in Walensee for a relaxing vacation.

• Ferry timings: The ferries are not very frequent in this area- hence make sure to check timings before planning your day.  

• Accommodation: The location of Marina Walensee resort is perfect for enjoying the picturesque views of Walensee and the Churfisten range.

• Quinten: Although Quinten is a beautiful village, and the best way is to explore it on foot, do keep in mind that the roads are quite steep and can be a bit difficult for aged people.

5. Goodbye Notes

Walensee is quite an underrated destination in Switzerland but maybe it has helped to preserve the charm and beauty of this lake and its surrounding villages. I would surely love to come back to Walensee again and hope that you are also excited enough to plan your visit here. Happy travelling guys!!!