Hiking with kids: Rabeflue viewpoint above Thun and the Cholereschlucht gorge

Sometimes there are hikes in which our kids can surprise us unbelievably. For example, our recent one on the Rabeflue viewpoint above Thun. The beginning of the route is quite a steep climb. Like an elevation of about 300 meters in two kilometers along a narrow forest path full of roots and wooden stairs. While I was panting heavily up the hill like a steam locomotive (and I think I am in a pretty good condition), our kids just ran up the hill. And when I say ran, I mean they ran. And I think that if they didn’t have to wait for us all the time, they would simply run to the Rabeflue viewpoint in one go and break the world record.

Arrival

If you are coming from Bern, take the A6 motorway at then take the Thun-Nord exit. Then continue to the city center, via Bernstrasse, Burgstrasse and Hofstettenstrasse continue to the Göttibach car park. Just above it, there is another parking lot at the Marienkirche church. Parking from Monday to Saturday is 2 francs/hour, on Sundays and public holidays 1 franc/hour. As there are not many parking spaces here, I recommend coming as soon as possible.

Rabeflue viewpoint

From the car park, follow the signs for the Göttibach quarter in the direction of Rabeflue. As I wrote, the trail leads a lot uphill. Before you get to the Rabeflue viewpoint itself, there are other viewpoints waiting for you, from which there is a fabulous view of the town of Thun. After about an hour you will reach the highest point of the tour – Rabeflue.

Barbecue area

There is a fireplace and a picnic table right on the viewpoint. Alternatively, a few hundred meters further in the direction of the route is the cottage Rabeflüehütte, where you can relax if all the benches on Rabeflue were occupied.

Cholereschlucht

From the cottage, continue along the contour line in the direction of Scheidweg/Thun. You can reach the main road and the Schweidweg bus stop in about twenty minutes. The signpost points down the direction of Thun, but make no mistake and follow the road in the direction of Heiligenschwendi (the one on the right). But be careful here, there is no sidewalk. Fortunately, it is not so frequented and you can walk along its edge. In 400 meters you will reach another signpost, which points down to Cholereschlucht, Hünibach, and Thun. Now all you have to do is zigzag down the gorge and past the small waterfalls in the rock gorge.

Hünibach – Thun

We came out of the gorge on the outskirts of the village Hünibach and followed the tourist signs. If you are tired, you can get back from Hünibach to Thun by bus line no. 21 from the stop “Hünibach, Chartreuse” (directly opposite the restaurant in the photo that gave the stop its name), or by boat. Because from the main road in the center of the village you can walk in about five minutes to the port by the lake.

There is also a children’s playground, the cozy Mätt´s Hüsi bistro, and a small beach by the lake. However, it was closed at the time of our visit, but even so, it did not prevent us from dipping our feet in a beautifully clean lake. Refreshed with ice cream, we went to the last leg – a pleasant walk along the lake back to the car. In front of the Kunstmuseum, we stopped at the playground and then hurry to the car.

Summary

The route measures 8 kilometers and is not suitable for strollers.
The “wanderweg” section through the Cholereschlucht is closed from 1 November to 31 March due to the risk of falling rocks.