St. Beatus-Höhlen

St. Beatus-Höhlen Review

Lovers of Old Swiss style should consider trekking out some 8 km (5 miles) from Interlaken to take in St. Beatus-Höhlen. Whether or not you're into natural caverns remains to be seen, but no one could resist St. Beatus's extraordinary entry hillside pavilion: a Hansel-and-Gretelesque extravaganza of 19th-century Alpine Gemütlichkeit, replete with dollhouse-issue waterfall. Beauty is not just skin deep, however, for the deep St. Beatus caves are marvels, too. Their legend goes back to the 6th century, when the missionary St. Beatus arrived on the Thunersee to find the local population terrorized by a dragon who lived in the lake and surrounding grottoes. Exorcised by Beatus, the fleeing dragon fell to his death on the rocks plunging down to the lake. The caves then became the hermit's home; today you can see the stalagmites, stalactites, and pools inside. There's even a replica of Ponzo, the dragon, for children to explore, and a Ponzo-decorated steamship plies the Thunersee. You can reach the caves by taking Bus 21 from the Interlaken West train station or by crossing by boat from Interlaken West station to Sundlaunen, then a quarter-hour hike to the caves.