Two mountains stand over Lake Thun that nobody confuses and everybody weighs against each other: the Niesen, a free-standing pyramid, and the Stockhorn with its rock face above the Simmental. 70 minutes from Interlaken Ost, and almost every figure comes out close — except one: the Stockhorn runs in winter too.
Quick Facts
- Getting There
- 70 min from Interlaken Ost, train + cable car
- Duration
- Half to full day
- Price
- CHF 62.00
- Season
- Summer 11 Apr–22 Nov 2026, winter 3 Dec 2026–21 Mar 2027
- Best for
- Views, mountain lakes, step-free circuit
Journey time checked
What your pass is actually worth here
If you are travelling Switzerland on a pass, this is the paragraph that decides the day — and it is the one most often shortened elsewhere to "mountain railways are included". At the Stockhorn they are not, and the operator's own reductions table splits three ways:
- Swiss Travel Pass: 50 per cent — half of CHF 62, so CHF 31. Reduced, never free.
- Berner Oberland Pass: free — valid for the Erlenbach–Stockhorn return journey. This is the only pass that rides for nothing.
- Interlaken Guest Card: 20 per cent, as with the Panoramacard Thunersee, the Simmental Card and the guest cards for Adelboden, Kandersteg and Meiringen–Hasliberg.
And the sentence underneath the table: «Die Reduktionen können nicht kumuliert werden» — the reductions cannot be stacked. A Half Fare travelcard plus a guest card does not add up; you take whichever is better.
Getting there: train, ten minutes on foot, two sections
Measured against the Swiss timetable for Wednesday 12 August 2026, over eight departure times as a daily minimum: train to Erlenbach im Simmental, then — the operator's own figure — ten minutes on foot to the valley station, then the cable car via the Chrindi middle station to the summit.
- 59 minutes by train in the normal case — one change at Spiez, hourly.
- 46 minutes at the daily minimum — the direct GoldenPass Express, on this Wednesday at 09:07, 11:07 and 14:07 from Interlaken Ost. A seat reservation is recommended in 1st and 2nd class and compulsory only in Prestige class, per BLS, which co-operates the train; the Swiss Travel Pass, GA, day passes and Half Fare travelcard are accepted.
- 9 + 5 minutes by cable car — first section Erlenbach–Chrindi, second Chrindi–Stockhorn, per the operator.
In both seasons the cable car runs every 30 minutes, daily, and at busy times the operator adds unscheduled cars every 10 to 15 minutes. You can decide by the weather rather than by the last descent.
What is up there: a platform built into the north face
A panorama viewing platform is built into the Stockhorn's north face. The operator describes a 240-degree view and a glass panel set into the floor that opens a drop of some 400 metres beneath your feet; a summit gallery with information boards leads through the mountain to reach it.
The real difference from comparable viewpoints is access. The operator states the platform is easily reachable for people using a wheelchair or with walking difficulties, and for families with a pushchair. From the Chrindi middle station the «No Limits» circuit runs around the Hinterstockensee, with off-road wheelchairs provided. The operator is more candid than most brochures and names «einige anspruchsvolle Abschnitte» — some demanding stretches: roughly 85 metres of ascent and descent, two tunnels and a bridge. Advance reservation is requested.
Two mountain lakes sit at the middle station: the Hinterstockensee, five minutes' walk, and the Oberstockensee, about 40 minutes. If you want to fish them, note a rule that otherwise wastes the trip: the fishing permit is sold only together with a cable car ticket at the valley station, never up at the lake — and it allows a maximum of six fish, with fishing permitted from 06:00 to 18:00.
Two seasons — and two gaps between them
The Stockhorn is one of the few viewpoints on this list with a winter season of its own. The operator gives:
- Summer: 11 April to 22 November 2026, daily, every 30 minutes.
- Winter: 3 December 2026 to 21 March 2027, daily, every 30 minutes.
That still does not make it year-round, and neither gap appears in any brochure: ten days between the timetables, 23 November to 2 December 2026, and a second one in spring, because the winter timetable ends on 21 March 2027. How long that second gap runs is stated nowhere: the operator gives no start date yet for the 2027 summer timetable, describing the season only as «Sommerbetrieb von April bis November» — summer operation from April to November — and in 2026 it began on 11 April. If you are planning for late November or early April, check the date twice.
Is it worth it for you?
Probably yes if you want a viewpoint in winter that needs no ski equipment — the Niesen is shut then. Probably yes if mobility matters: few summits in the region are this far opened up for wheelchairs and pushchairs. And probably yes if mountain lakes appeal more than the highest point, in which case the Chrindi ticket at CHF 44 is enough.
Probably not if your days around Interlaken are short. At 70 minutes each way the Stockhorn sits at the outer edge of a half-day trip, and it lies in the opposite direction to the Jungfrau region — the Oeschinensee is the nearer comparison in that direction. And probably not if your pass is the reason you are going: only the Berner Oberland Pass rides free.
Fares and timetable at Stockhornbahn AG
Where it is
The Stockhorn rises above Erlenbach im Simmental, at the mouth of the Simmental towards Zweisimmen and Gstaad; the valley station sits on the Spiez–Zweisimmen railway. From Interlaken that is the far side of Lake Thun. Coordinate and altitude come from the Swiss federal gazetteer and height service, queried on 12 August 2026: 2,189.4 metres at the point «Hauptgipfel Stockhorn (BE) – Stocken-Höfen». The gazetteer lists four peaks named Stockhorn — three of them in Valais, above Binn, Baltschieder and Zermatt. Searching the name alone returns all four.
Weather at 2,190 m
The forecast applies to 2,190 m above sea level — 1,622 metres above Interlaken (568 m). It is computed for that altitude, not for the valley.
Loading the forecast …
Forecast for 2,190 m — data: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Stockhorn covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?
Reduced, not free. The Stockhornbahn lists the Swiss Travel Pass in its reductions table at 50 per cent, so you pay half of the CHF 62 return. The only pass that rides free here is the Berner Oberland Pass. The Interlaken Guest Card gives 20 per cent, as do the Panoramacard Thunersee and several other guest cards. One sentence is easy to miss: the operator states «Die Reduktionen können nicht kumuliert werden» — the reductions cannot be combined, so you pick one. Read on the operator's own fare page on 19 August 2026.
How do I get to the Stockhorn from Interlaken?
Train to Erlenbach im Simmental, then ten minutes on foot to the valley station — the operator's own figure — and up by cable car in two sections. 70 minutes in total as the daily minimum, measured against the Swiss timetable for Wednesday 12 August 2026 over eight departure times. The 46-minute train leg in that figure is the direct GoldenPass Express; the normal case is 59 minutes with one change at Spiez.
What does the Stockhorn cable car cost?
The return trip Erlenbach i. S. – Stockhorn costs CHF 62 for adults, or CHF 31 with the Half Fare travelcard, the GA or for children aged 6 to 15.99. A one-way ticket is CHF 40. Going only as far as the Chrindi middle station costs CHF 44 return. The hiking ticket — three sections by cable car, one on foot — is CHF 58. Read off the operator's raw page on 19 August 2026.
Does the Stockhorn cable car run in winter?
Yes, and that is what sets it apart from the Niesen. For winter the operator states «03. Dezember 2026 bis 21. März 2027: täglich alle 30 Minuten» — 3 December 2026 to 21 March 2027, daily, every 30 minutes. It is still not year-round: ten days sit between the two timetables (23 November to 2 December 2026), and a second gap opens after 21 March 2027. How long that one lasts the operator does not say: it gives no start date yet for the 2027 summer timetable, and in 2026 it began on 11 April.
Is the Stockhorn accessible by wheelchair?
The operator states that the panorama viewing platform in the north face is easily reachable for people using a wheelchair or with walking difficulties, and for families with a pushchair. From the Chrindi middle station the «No Limits» circuit runs around the Hinterstockensee, with off-road wheelchairs available; the operator asks for advance reservation. The circuit covers about 85 metres of ascent and descent, two tunnels and a bridge — and the operator itself names «einige anspruchsvolle Abschnitte», some demanding stretches.
How high is the Stockhorn?
The main summit is around 2,190 metres. Measured against the Swiss federal height service on 12 August 2026 it is 2,189.4 metres. A warning when searching: the federal gazetteer lists four peaks called Stockhorn, three of them in Valais (above Binn, Baltschieder and Zermatt). The one meant here is «Hauptgipfel Stockhorn (BE) – Stocken-Höfen».
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