Half price with the Swiss Travel Pass, free if it's your birthday
The funicular gives you 50% off, so a return from Mülenen to the summit costs CHF 34 instead of CHF 68.
The oddity is the birthday rule. Turn up on the day you were born, show a passport or an ID card with the date on it, and you ride for nothing. Not half of nothing, nothing. If your trip happens to straddle your birthday, this is the mountain to save for that morning.
Mülenen is a request stop, so press the button
The valley station is a four minute walk from Mülenen station, which is five minutes by train from Spiez and roughly 2 hours 20 minutes from Zurich via Bern and Spiez. Mülenen is a request stop, and the train will sail straight past if nobody asks it to stop.
- On the way there, press the button inside the carriage door before you reach the station.
- Walk four minutes to the funicular valley station.
- On the way back, press the marked button at the station entrance so the train stops for you.
In practice someone else usually presses it first, but don't bet your afternoon on a stranger.
30 minutes to the summit, in two stages, at 68% gradient
The funicular climbs 1,943 metres to a summit at 2,362m, in two 15 minute stages with a change at Schwandegg. At its steepest the track runs at 68 or 69%, which is steep enough that you'll find yourself gripping something for no good reason.
Cars leave every 30 minutes from 08:00 to 17:00, and every 15 minutes when it's busy. No reservation, no reservation fee, just show up. If you use a wheelchair, note that each car takes one or two at most.
The whole thing was built between 1906 and 1910 by an average of 200 men, with no cranes and no helicopters. Look at the gradient again and let that sit for a moment.
The longest staircase in the world runs beside the track, and you can't use it
All 11,674 steps of it, in the Guinness Book of Records, right there next to the rails. It's the maintenance access for the funicular, which is why it's closed to the public.
The exception is the Niesen Treppenlauf in mid June, when runners race up the lot. That's the one day of the year anyone who isn't on the maintenance team gets to set foot on it, and it brings a crowd, so if you want a quiet summit pick another week.
The view from 2,362m covers two lakes and the Eiger
You get a full 360 degrees: Lake Thun and Lake Brienz below you, the Bernese Alps with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lined up opposite, the Simmental, the Bernese Mittelland and the Jura.
Spiez Bay has been called possibly the most beautiful in Europe. The mountain's own pyramid shape has been painted by Hodler, Klee and Amiet.
What's at the top: a hotel from 1856, a glass pavilion and paragliders
Berghaus Niesen Kulm went up in 1856, fifty years before the funicular existed, when the only ways up were on foot, by hired mule, or carried in a chair by four men. It has eleven double rooms if you want to stay for sunset and sunrise.
- The summit platform, a short walk above the Berghaus.
- An award-winning glass pavilion, plus a terrace and a sundeck.
- An info trail with 12 boards.
- Paragliders launching off the top, which is free entertainment and better than it sounds.
Eating at the top: brunch, 320 seats and a Full Moon Dinner
The restaurant seats up to 320 indoors and out, serving regional food and local wines, and there's a Niesen Brunch buffet if you go up early. Water is pumped 600 metres up through the slate to get there, a fact the staff will happily tell you about, and fairly so.
The Full Moon Dinner runs twice a month, five courses by candlelight, Wednesdays from July plus Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are essential and booking early gets you a better table. One reviewer went expecting a gimmick and rated it very highly, which is about the strongest recommendation a candlelit set menu on a mountain can get.
Walking up from Mülenen or Wimmis takes 4 to 5 hours
Both routes take 4 to 5 hours on foot, which is a serious climb given the 1,943 metres involved. The clever part is what happens at the top: you can send your luggage up on the funicular, shower for free when you arrive, and ride back down.
Berner Oberland Pass beats the Swiss Travel Pass on this mountain
The Niesen is one of the peaks where a regional pass pulls ahead, so it's worth checking what you're carrying.
| Pass | What you pay for the Niesen |
|---|---|
| Swiss Travel Pass | CHF 34, half of CHF 68 |
| Berner Oberland Pass | Nothing, covered in full |
| Jungfrau Travel Pass | Not covered |
If the Niesen is one of several Oberland peaks on your list, read the Swiss Travel Pass versus Berner Oberland Pass comparison before you buy either. What the pass is worth on every other summit is on the mountain coverage page.
The funicular runs late April to mid November only
There's no winter service. The 2026 season is 25 April to 8 November, daily, and outside those dates the mountain is simply shut.
FAQ
How much is the Niesen with the Swiss Travel Pass?
CHF 34 return from Mülenen, half of the full CHF 68 fare. That covers the whole funicular, both stages, up and down.
Is the Niesen really free on your birthday?
Yes. Show a passport or ID card with your date of birth on it at the valley station and the ride costs you nothing.
Can you walk up the 11,674 step staircase?
No. It's the maintenance access for the funicular and it's closed to the public, apart from entrants in the Niesen Treppenlauf in mid June.
Do you need to reserve the Niesen funicular?
No, and there's no reservation fee. Cars run every 30 minutes from 08:00 to 17:00, every 15 minutes when it's busy. The Full Moon Dinner is the one thing you must book, and booking early gets you a better table.
When is the Niesen open?
Daily from late April to mid November. In 2026 that's 25 April to 8 November, and there's no service outside those dates.
How do you get to Mülenen?
Five minutes by train from Spiez, then a four minute walk to the valley station, and around 2 hours 20 minutes from Zurich via Bern and Spiez. Mülenen is a request stop, so press the button inside the carriage door before you arrive.