Spiez Castle

Spiez sits on a bay that curves round below vineyards, with the castle on the point and the old church beside it - a composition that has been painted since the nineteenth century and is best seen from the road descending into town. The massive square keep was built around 1200 and raised to 39 metres in 1600, with later halls added by the von Bubenberg and von Erlach families who held it in turn; the interiors are shown as a museum with period rooms and a hall of family portraits. The church next to it is Romanesque, built around the year 1000, with a crypt and fragments of wall painting - plainer than the castle and older. The vineyards on the slope are among the higher-altitude wine plantings in the region.

The main sights

• A keep on a bay point - the composition with the church and vineyards.
• A Romanesque church of about 1000 - crypt and fragments of wall painting.
• Period rooms and portraits - the museum inside the castle.
• Lake-slope vineyards - high-altitude planting above the water.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

What to expect

The museum is seasonal and closes for winter; the church and grounds stay open. Interiors are modest by castle standards. The bay is busy in summer with boat traffic. The walk down from the station is steep on the return.

Nearby

Oberhofen is across the lake; Thun is north-west.

Key facts