Laupen is in the area around Bern, about 25 kilometres from the city, where the Sense and Saane rivers meet. The medieval town centre has covered arcades and houses dating from the 11th century. The castle, riverside spots, and trails offer different highlights, allowing you to tailor your trip to your interests in history, culture, and outdoor activities.
Castle, Old Town, and Culture
Laupen Castle is a monument of national importance, and the castle complex is open to the public year-round. Its features include a rusticated façade, the Late Gothic New Castle, fortifications, historic furnishings, and a well-preserved castle hall.
The Laupen Castle Museum includes a von Mülinen room and a wedding room. The latter displays the coats of arms of the Bernese bailiffs who resided at Laupen Castle. The museum’s Käfigturm tower offers short audio plays with dramatised court hearings, as well as original texts from church court rulings. The rooms and texts each provide a distinct way to explore the history of the place.
The Reformed Church is also notable for its architectural and artistic features: built in 1734, it has stained-glass windows by Paul Zehnder and Adolf Kreuzer, a carved Renaissance pulpit, and an organ in a Baroque style. The church is used regularly for special occasions such as concerts and weddings, though no specific event schedule is implied. The Laupen Farm Museum presents rural life from 1750 to 1900. The «die Tonne» cellar theatre is at Marktgasse 21, below the church on the left-hand side.
Achetringele is part of the local New Year tradition. On New Year’s Eve, bells and cowbells ring out as the procession moves from the castle towards the town, led by its leader. The old custom is still celebrated today with great attention to detail.
Hikes and Riverside Experiences
The Römerweg is an approximately two-hour hike along the Saane, which also passes through alluvial forest. Special signs along the way provide information about past events, and the route also passes a Roman gallows. Further afield in the region, it offers a detour to the Auried nature reserve, where you can observe various bird species. You can also follow the old Roman route on foot or take a circular route to the old Aare.
The Saane-Sense-Spitz is a riverside experience in Laupen. At the natural bathing spot, you can swim, build stone cairns, barbecue, and sunbathe. Alongside hiking, there are also activities to enjoy right by the water.
Since 1 August 2026, the riverside path between Laupen and Neuenegg on the right-hand side of the Sense, along the railway line, has been open again to pedestrians and cyclists; hiking and cycling routes run along it once more. As construction conditions can change, check the current situation before setting out.
Activities for Different Interests
The Laupen Adventure Trail is a circular route combining nature, play, and fascinating stories, designed for families with children and adults. For more activity, Regio Badi Sense offers swimming lessons for children and front crawl lessons for adults. These options appeal to different age groups and interests, without requiring you to plan the same kind of outing.
At Bogenhalle Laupen, you can try indoor archery at a range of targets and 3D animal targets. The venue offers courses for beginners and advanced archers, as well as individual and group training. This makes the archery hall a different activity option from the riverside trails or visits to the town centre.
Getting There and Finding Your Way
To get to the Laupen Castle Festival, you can travel from Bern to Laupen on the S2, which runs every half hour; check the current timetable before your journey. From Laupen station, it is about a five-minute walk to Laupen Castle. The Schienenvelo.ch depot is about a ten-minute walk from the station. These approximate walking times can help you find your way; check the route when you arrive.
Discover more destinations: Frauenkappelen, Neuenegg, Wangen, Saanen, Oberaargau, Signau, Bern, Burgdorf.
Go to the main travel overview: Bern.
