Private Bern, Emmental & Interlaken Day Trip from Lucerne

The Emmental valley

Less than an hour from Lucerne, the road enters the Emmental, the valley of the Emme river, a gentle green landscape of hills, forests and scattered farms. The farmhouses here are among the largest in Switzerland, with sweeping hipped roofs that almost reach the ground, carved wooden balconies and geraniums at every window. Covered wooden bridges, some nearly two centuries old, cross the river, and villages such as Langnau keep a calm rural rhythm.

On this private Emmental tour your driver chooses quiet back roads and stops wherever you want photos of the farms and pastures. Is the Emmental worth visiting? If you want to see everyday rural Switzerland rather than the big resorts, this is one of the most authentic valleys in the country, and it is beautiful in every season, from spring blossom to snowy winter fields.

Emmental cheese country

The valley gave its name to Emmentaler, the mild cheese with large holes, made in wheels that can weigh up to about 120 kg, among the biggest cheese wheels in the world. The holes form naturally as the cheese matures in warm cellars. In Affoltern im Emmental, a show dairy lets visitors watch the cheese being made, see the maturing cellar and buy cheese directly from the producers.

A stop at the dairy is optional and any entry or purchases are at your own cost; because the vehicle is private, your driver can easily fit it in if your party is interested. Allow around 45 minutes. Local farm shops also sell honey, bread and pastries. Halal-certified food is limited in the Emmental villages, so we suggest lunch in Bern, which has a much wider choice.

Bern old town, arcades and the Zytglogge

Bern's old town sits on a narrow peninsula wrapped by the Aare river and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. Its sandstone streets are lined with about 6 km of covered arcades, among the longest weatherproof shopping promenades in Europe, and decorated with 16th-century fountains topped by painted figures. At the centre stands the Zytglogge, a medieval gate tower whose astronomical clock from 1530 sets moving figures in motion a few minutes before each hour.

A private Bern tour from Lucerne usually reaches the capital in about 40 minutes from the Emmental. Your driver drops you close to the old town, and you have around 2.5 hours to explore at your own pace, watch the clock show, browse the arcades and enjoy lunch. Bern is compact and mostly flat along the main streets, which makes it easy for families.

Federal Palace, Bern Minster and the bear park

At the edge of the old town, the domed Federal Palace, completed in 1902, houses the Swiss parliament and government, and its terrace looks down over the Aare to the Alps on clear days. Nearby, Bern Minster has the tallest church tower in Switzerland, about 100 m high, and a richly carved main portal showing the Last Judgement; the platform terrace beside it is one of the city's best viewpoints.

At the far end of the old town, across the Nydegg bridge, the bear park lets the city's symbol roam a green riverside enclosure. Just above it, the Rose Garden offers a classic panorama of the red roofs and the river loop. If you want to know the best time to visit Bern, late spring and summer bring roses in bloom and swimmers floating down the Aare, while December adds Christmas markets.

Interlaken between two lakes

From Bern the motorway follows Lake Thun to Interlaken, about 50 minutes away. The town lies on a flat strip of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and from its central meadow, the Höhematte, you look straight up the valley to the snowy Jungfrau. Elegant 19th-century hotels line the main avenue, and the small old quarter of Unterseen sits across the river.

Plan about 1.5 to 2 hours here for a stroll, photos and a coffee. If time allows, the funicular to Harder Kulm, at your own cost, rises in about 10 minutes to a viewpoint over both lakes. Interlaken has several halal-friendly restaurants. The return to Lucerne crosses the Brünig Pass along the shores of Lake Brienz and Lake Lungern, about 1 hour 10 minutes of beautiful alpine scenery.