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.

No, the Seapass is personal and non-transferable. The accompanying person and accompanying children must be accompanied by the person registered on the card in order to travel on the ship and benefit from the Seepass partner discounts. Whether Seepass ONE or Seepass FLEX, only one Seepass card is issued per person/purchase.

No, the Seepass is not valid on trains and buses. The Lake Pass is only valid on the scheduled boats on Lakes Thun and Brienz.

The Seepass is only available in advance from 15.11.2023 to 20.03.2024.

The Seepass can be purchased online via the ticket shop or at all BLS Travel Centres. If you have any questions or queries, please contact the Travel Centre Shipping by e-mail (schiff@bls.ch) or by telephone (+41 58 327 48 11).  

Link to order

Opening hours of the Travel Centre Navigation

The Seepass is a unique offer that can only be purchased online. If necessary, our BLS Travel Centres or the hotline can help you to purchase your travelcard before the deadline (20.03.2024). After 20.03.2024 there will be no more sales for the lake pass.

Payment options online shop

Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Amex), PostFinance Card, Reka, Twint

It is not possible to order on account for this offer.

We will be happy to replace your Seepass. Please take the order confirmation* to a boat station or boat ticket office. There you can buy/apply for a replacement card for CHF 30 and receive a temporary sea pass until the new card is delivered. This is only valid together with the order confirmation.

*If you no longer have the order confirmation, you can request this from the Travel Center Shipping by sending an e-mail to schiff@bls.ch. Please let us know your subscription type, address and date of birth.

Yes, the Junior Travelcard and Children's Co-travelcard are valid if the accompanying adult has a sea pass.

No, travel is only possible with the adults listed and works in the same way as with the Junior or Children's Co-travelcard.

GA and Half-Fare travelcards are not valid in combination with the Seepass. Additional discounts (student or senior discount, etc.) on this offer are not possible.

The Seepass card must be physically presented to the control personnel in card form. Upon request, the holder of the Seepass must be able to identify himself/herself accordingly (identity card or identity card such as a driver's license, Swiss Pass, etc.).

If your personal details on the Seepass are incorrect (surname, first name, date of birth), please notify us as soon as possible. If you have already received your Seepass, please return the Seepass to us with the incorrect details. (BLS Schifffahrt AG, Lachenweg 19, 3604 Thun) We will accept adjustments free of charge until the closing date of 20.03.2024.

No, it is currently not possible to load the Seepass onto the BLS App or the Swiss Pass.

Yes, if there is a change of name during the year of validity (e.g. due to marriage), this is possible once a year. A fee of CHF 30.00 will be charged for the creation of a new Seepass.

The Seapass cannot be returned as it is a special offer

In the event of death or prolonged incapacity to travel due to illness (at least 30 days), the Seepass can be transferred to another person for a fee of CHF 30.  

A death certificate or medical certificate as well as the card to be rewritten and the details of the new holder are required to have a Seepass rewritten (send to BLS Schifffahrt AG, Lachenweg 19, 3604 Thun).

If you have forgotten your «Seepass», you must buy a valid ticket. You can then have this refunded at a boat station/boat ticket office. To obtain a partial refund at the ticket office, you will need the following:

• Original «Seepass»
• Purchased ticket with confirmation from the boat's control staff (note on the back of the ticket «Seepass vergessen», as well as your first and last name).

Note: A processing fee of CHF 10.00 will be charged for each refund.

There is no dog «Seepass». You can travel with your dog as your companion with the «Seepass» FLEX, the Dog Pass for the lake (CHF 80.-, available at the boat stations and boat ticket offices from 29.03.2024) or the Switzerland-wide Dog Pass (available at all railroad stations but not available at BLS Lake Cruise). Alternatively, dog day tickets for the boat (CHF 10.-) can also be purchased.

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.

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 10.00 (dog day ticket). Alternatively, a dog pass for the lake can be purchased for CHF 80.00 for one year. 

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 15.00 (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

Playing music on the course ships is prohibited.

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.