unique since 1892

Berghotel
Oeschinensee

Welcome to Oeschinen Lake!

The Wandfluh family has been your host at Oeschinen Lake since the Berghotel was built in 1892. The house is now managed by a team of 30 in the 5th generation. Some employees have been part of the business for over 25 years.

Mountain hospitality at 1,600 meters above sea level is not the same as city hospitality. Our team handles all the logistics ourselves – every carrot, every bottle of wine, and every roll of toilet paper is loaded onto the train and transported from the mountain station to the lake. Good purchase planning is therefore essential. We also operate our own drinking water network.

In the kitchen, we use fresh and regional products, and our chefs prepare the dishes with a great deal of expertise. We have a selection of vegetarian, vegan, lactose- & gluten-free dishes. All meat comes from the region, and is organic whenever possible. For our lamb dishes, we exclusively use meat from our farm in Kandersteg. We are very proud that everything in our kitchen is homemade (with no ready-made products / convenience foods).

Enjoy your stay at Oeschinen Lake and “ä Guete”! (Enjoy your meal!)

Lea & Christoph, hosts in the 5th generation

Restaurant directly on Oeschinen Lake 

Mountain Restaurant Oeschinensee: 'Open' Restaurant open daily from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm

The restaurant directly on the lake with a view of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

A cozy fireplace and fine lamb specialties from our own farm, or homemade spaetzli dishes invite you to enjoy. Here you will find a delicious cake buffet with fine fruit cakes, muffins or the "Best Nut Gipfel of the Mountains". 

Lactose-free and gluten-free dishes are available as standard for allergy sufferers. A vegetarian and vegan selection is also a matter of course.

  • Opening hours

    March 17 – May 09, 2025: 9 am to 4 pm | Open 7 days a week
    May 10 – November 09, 2025: 9 am to 5.30 pm | Open 7 days a week

Restaurant Bergstübli (at the mountain station)

Restaurant Bergstübli (mountain station): ‘Open’ daily for self-service from 09:00 to 16:00

This restaurant, boasting the sunniest terrace in winter, is located right by the mountain station and next to Kinder-Oeschiland. You'll find everything here from simple snacks to hearty meals. 

Lactose-free and gluten-free dishes are available as standard for allergy sufferers. A vegetarian and vegan selection is also a matter of course.

  • Opening hours

    March 17 – May 09, 2025: closed
    May 10 – November 09, 2025: 09:00 to 17:30 | Drinks and snacks | Open 7 days a week

Café-bar directly on Lake Oeschinen | only during the summer season

  • Opening hours

    until May 09, 2025: closed
    May 10 – November 09, 2025: 9:00 to 17:30 | Drinks and snacks | Open 7 days a week

Café-Bar (on the shore of Lake Oeschinen): ‘Open’ Daily 10:00–16:00

Fondue Sledge (Fondue2Go) | only during the winter season

Nature, peace and quiet, and a view – a perfect alternative to visiting the restaurant. That's what the Fondue2Go sets offer. 

They can be pre-ordered easily and conveniently until 11:30 am. Pick up the box at the Restaurant Bergstübli (mountain station) and find your favorite spot for your adventurous enjoyment. The sets are provided with a sled and a woolen blanket. 

  • Opening hours

    available again from December 2025

#unique since 1892

Berghotel Oeschinensee – a family business since 1892

Early on, guests from all over the world recognized the beauty of Lake Oeschinen above Kandersteg. This is one of the reasons why David Wandfluh decided to build an inn on Lake Oeschinen in 1890. At that time, great-great-grandfather Wandfluh was a farmer in Kandergrund. In addition to gastronomy, our family has also preserved the tradition of being farmers. The Berghotel is now run in its fifth generation and is wholly family-owned. No investors and one hundred percent independent – unfortunately, businesses with a long-standing tradition are becoming increasingly rare. We are therefore particularly proud to stand for tradition, quality and humanity.

Agricultural business

Sheep have long been our passion and our family meditation. The farm comprises around 30 animals. The sheep spend the summer on the steep slopes below the gondola lift. Only feed that grows on our own meadows and is harvested in summer is used. All the meat is butchered locally in Kandersteg and processed and prepared by us in our own kitchen. The hard but beautiful work makes us happy and we are very proud of our meat products. We also sell the sheep and lambskins at Lake Oeschinen. Since 2023, the farm has been run jointly with the Grossen family from Reginahof in Kandersteg and comprises around 40 cows, 20 cattle and 50 sheep.

Berghotel Oeschinensee - History

Today
We want to move more and more from a seasonal to a year-round business. With the small range of products in the restaurant directly on the lake, a basic range is therefore also offered in times without cable car operation. Thanks to the new hiking trail from Kandersteg to Lake Oeschinen, visitors can reach Lake Oeschinen more easily and, above all, safely all year round. The cooperation on the mountain is better than ever. All partners are pulling together and regular meetings are held with the neighboring businesses. The uncertainty of the "Spitzen Stei" brings us together.
Setting new sails
Visitor numbers are steadily increasing, and personnel departures are also being recorded time and again. The team dwindles from 40 to 23 employees within a few weeks. However, the average length of service of the team is still 16 years. In just six weeks, we successfully converted the business to self-service in order to continue to offer our guests first-class cuisine. Unfortunately, our request to expand the toilet facilities was rejected by the canton. The hotel will initially remain closed for overnight stays from the summer.
Logistics
An Iveco van with a lifting platform was purchased, which means that all logistics are now handled via the gondola lift instead of via the private road. Due to regular official closures of the access road due to natural hazards from the "Spitzen Stei", reliable planning is no longer possible. Intensive investments are being made to make work easier (ergonomics) throughout the company. Furthermore, press containers for waste from the entire mountain region were purchased with all partners on the mountain. We take care of the disposal to the waste incineration plant in Thun ourselves.
Pandemic
The uncertain situation surrounding the "Spitze Stei" and the coronavirus inspired us to come up with new ideas. Together with our team of 30, we are constantly developing new offerings. This led to our "Fondue2Go" and "Oeschi-Glacé". Fortunately, we were able to overcome the pandemic without any financial assistance. All employees remained employed throughout this period, and there were no layoffs.
Food Trucks & Bergstübli
The first food truck was custom-made by a carpenter according to our specifications. A second one followed a year later. We also took over the Bergstübli (small mountain restaurant) near the mountain station. The possibility of the "Spitze Stei" being closed by the authorities with only 24 hours' notice is always in the back of our minds. Therefore, the mobile food trucks and the Bergstübli allow us to continue serving our employees and guests even if the Berghotel by the lake has to close.
Return
David jun. (Christoph's older brother) returned home after his years of travelling. Since then, he has been working in the kitchen, providing us with strong support.
5th Generation
Christoph (hotelier) & Lea (PR specialist) Wandfluh take over the business in the 5th generation. Together with their two children, the family spends the summer at Oeschinen Lake. The team consists of around 15 employees. The entire first floor is being renovated, and the cold storage rooms are also being expanded.
Fiber Optic & Sewer System
All businesses on the mountain are required to connect to Kandersteg's sewer system. Additionally, a fiber optic cable is being laid to Oeschinen Lake. A new pipeline is being dug for the Berghotel's drinking water supply. All costs are covered privately, without public funding.
Horse-drawn Carriage
More and more elderly guests found the way back from the lake to the mountain station too far. This resulted in heart attacks. Therefore, from 2003 to 2006, a horse-drawn carriage transported mainly elderly guests from the mountain station to Oeschinen Lake. The work was too strenuous for the horses, and from 2007 onwards, an electric vehicle was used (the first prototype was a flop).
4th Generation
David & Susanna Wandfluh take over the family business and continue to run it in the 4th generation. Over the next 30 years, the house was completely renovated and refurbished. The kitchen was expanded, the cooling systems were enlarged, all rooms were renovated, and a solar system was installed as early as the 1990s.
Construction of the Chairlift
David Wandfluh built the 2-seater chairlift from the Von Roll Bern company from Kandersteg to Oeschinen. The construction of a chairlift was a pioneering achievement at the time - not much success was expected from a cable car through the air. At that time, funiculars on rails were more in vogue than a cable car in the air.
1945
During the war, international tourism collapsed completely. Mainly Swiss guests and many school trips visited Oeschinen Lake. Daily menu: Soup with sausage, CHF 2 - one sausage for two children.
Expansion 1912
The Berghotel was generously expanded. Today's floor plan largely corresponds to that of that time. Among other things, an open "Trinkhalle" (covered outdoor area) was built. The "Eselstall" (donkey stable) is still preserved today.
Foundation 1892
David Wandfluh built the Berghotel on Oeschinen Lake as a small guesthouse with 10 rooms and a restaurant.
2024
2023
2022
2020
2019
2015
2012
2013
2003
1981
1949
War time
Expansion
Construction of the Berghotel

Contact & Arrival

Berghotel Oeschinensee AG
3718 Kandersteg

office@berghotel-oeschinensee.ch  

+41 33 675 11 19

 

No public access
You can reach Lake Oeschinen from Kandersteg on foot or by gondola. Overnight stays are currently not possible. In winter, a snowshoe trail leads from Kandersteg to Lake Oeschinen. Follow the signs from the gondola valley station (approx. 1.5 hours). From the mountain station, we are a 25-minute walk away.

Car or motorcycle
Google Maps coordinates 
Parking spaces are available at the gondola valley station.

Public transport
From Bern or Brig: Hourly connections to Kandersteg with the BLS. From Kandersteg train station, you can walk (15 minutes) or take the local bus (8 minutes) to the Kandersteg-Oeschinensee gondola valley station. You can find the timetable here.

Electric shuttle from the mountain station to the lake
In summer, daily from 10:45 to 16:45 / 17:45 from the mountain station to Lake Oeschinen, CHF 10 per trip. People with limited mobility or senior citizens always have priority.

Arrival from the airport
There are hourly train connections from Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and Bern airports to Kandersteg. We do not offer an airport pick-up service.