Simmental house path (terrace path)

20.68 km long
Difficulty: difficult
Condition: difficult
Thematic Trail
  • 6:30 h
  • 20.68 km
  • 1,100 m
  • 725 m
  • 682 m
  • 1,059 m
  • 377 m
  • Start: Oey
  • Destination: Boltigen
With the marked house paths, the Bernese Heritage Protection aims to make these treasures of local architectural culture accessible to a wider public and thus promote understanding of their preservation. The house paths are best explored on foot, partly on asphalt roads with little traffic, partly on natural trails. The numbered houses are located on official hiking trails and are marked with small brown signs. These display the most important information about the respective house. Understandably, the house paths only touch on a few gems in the landscape. Besides the mentioned houses, there are many pretty houses along the way, as well as proud barns, wooden bridges, storages, gardens, flowers, trees, and forests with lush meadows. The Simmental house path consists of two sections: the valley path and the terrace path. The terrace path leads from Erlenbach to Boltigen.

Past the Agensteinhaus (valley museum) up to the center of Erlenbach with its valuable building fabric from the 18th century and the fully painted medieval church. Valuable buildings can also be found on the ascent over the valley to Moos/Oberberg. Without significant elevation difference, you reach the hamlets Eschlen, Balzenberg, and Nidflue (to Därstetten 25 min), where further noteworthy houses testify to how perfectly the carpenters of past centuries mastered their craft. Wonderful views up and down the valley can be enjoyed from the Weissenburgberg (to Weissenburg 20 min), before crossing the deep trench of the Buuschebach at the site of the former Weissenburg baths. The hamlets Buusche, Büel and Wyssebach, located on a sunny terrace, feature further remarkable buildings. West of Oberwil, the Gasthof Hirschen, a former muleteer’s inn, invites you to a well-deserved rest. Via Zälg and Wüestenbach, you reach Eichstalden (to Boltigen 30 min), where one of the most beautifully painted houses of the Simmental can be found. Here the house path again describes a loop over the Adlemsried, located 100 m higher, and via Tubetal to Boltigen.

Berner Wanderwege
Berner Wanderwege

Good to know

Pavements

Asphalt (44%)
Trail (33%)
Street (2%)
Path (21%)

Best to visit

suitable
Depends on weather

Equipment

We recommend the following equipment: light trekking shoes, light backpack, sun protection, rain jacket, first aid kit, light picnic, sufficient fluid, mobile phone.

Directions & Parking facilities

Public transportation

Arrival: By train via Spiez to Erlenbach in the Simmental.

Return: From Boltigen station

Additional information

License (master data)

Safety guidelines

The themed path runs mostly on signposted trails categorized as hiking paths

Map

Swisstopo hiking map 253T Gantrisch 1:50,000

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