Merlingen - St. Beatus-Höhlen
I did this hike on the 26th of February, 2026. I had once before visited the St. Beatus caves, but on a very rainy day, so I had been meaning to come back, and do a hike in this area. It was early in the season, but due to the low elevation, the hike was completely snow free.
Full route: Swisstopo
I started out in the village of Merlingen, which I reached from Zürich by train and bus. The morning was cold, but I quickly got warm as I started the ascent out of Merlingen and got into the sun. The trees were still brown and without leaves, but flowers had several places started to come through the soil.
You quickly get up above the road and lake, and the trail leading to the caves, has very nice views over lake Thun and in direction Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen. The trail is mainly gravel road and at a few places more narrow hiking path, but a relatively easy one.
I really like the entrance to the caves, and when you arrive with car or bus on the road below, you have great views up towards the towers and the waterfalls coming down. The St. Beatus caves are among the largest accessible caves in Switzerland, and I have really enjoyed the two visits I have had.
Inside the caves, there is a designated path you follow, which at the end makes a loop, and leads you back out again. There are different information boards along the way, where you can find both geological and historical information.
This time, I was almost alone in the caves, which was a really nice experience. The path is quite narrow, so on busy days, it is difficult to take everything in, in your own pace. There are many smaller waterfalls and ponds in the caves, making for some great scenery.
After an hour, I reentered the hiking path and continued in direction Interlaken. From the caves, the hiking path goes down towards the lake, which you follow for a while. This part was really nice and I had a long lunch break in the sun, before reaching Interlaken.
As I got closer to Interlaken, I decided to to take a detour and hike up once more, before heading for the train. I found some nice viewpoints along the way, where I had great views in direction Lauterbrunnen and the snow covered peaks rising above.
Back in Interlaken, I caught the direct train to Bern, from where I got on a train back to Zürich.
