How to Plan an Elopement in Oeschinensee: A Complete Guide (Updated 2025)

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

An Important Update if you’re looking to plan an elopement in Oeschinensee: Couples cannot get married at Oeschinensee as of 2024/2025 onward. Oeschinensee is dealing with mass overtourism, leading to environmental degradation. The cable car operators and local landowners request that couples and photographers respect these rules, the community, and the environment by getting married elsewhere.

The good news is: there are plenty of other cool AND secluded locations in the Swiss Alps, which I’m all about making you discover. Reach out and let’s start chatting about your options!

Oeschinensee: The Iconic Elopement Destination at the Heart of Switzerland

If you’ve been doing research for your elopement in Switzerland, chances are you stumbled upon one of our most famous natural mountain lakes: Oeschinensee. Often cited in touristic articles as « the » place not to miss for your swiss trip, it’s a jewel of swiss nature. Nestled in the heart of the mountains, easily accessible, what more could you dream of, for your elopement, right? Well, my friends. Today, as your local Switzerland elopement photographer, I am going to tell you all about the experience, if you elope there.

Why Choose Oeschinensee for Your Elopement?

Of course, the scenery is exceptional. You get blue waters, with a stunning mountainous background. You don’t need to hike to access the lakeside, although you may end up having a lot of people around you if you stay there. There’s a restaurant that serves food during the day, and a hotel with views over the lake. Both are not open year-round, so be careful with that!

How to elope to Oeschinensee: Let’s Get Practical!

Where is it located in Switzerland?

Oeschinensee is situated in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland, nestled in the mountains above a town called Kandersteg. Kandersteg can be reached in aproximately 3h by train from Zürich Airport, or 2h15 by car.

How to access Oeschinensee

First of all, to access Oeschinensee, you’ll need to take a gondola in Kandersteg, that leads you to Oeschinnesee Bergstation. Fares and tickets can be found here: https://www.oeschinensee.ch/en/tarife-fahrplan/.

Kandersteg gondola station can be accessed by car, but the car parks are often crowded during summer, so be mindful of that! You can also come by bus, which is a bit more tricky, but doable.

After you arrive in Oeschinensee Bergstation, it’s either a 20-30 minutes walk to the lake itself, or you can take an electric shuttle, that runs approximately every 30 minutes, and that costs 10CHF per person and per ride (so 20CHF total)

The Best Time to Elope at Oeschinensee

Although the gondola to access Oeschinensee is open during the winter season and the summer season, I would definitely suggest eloping during summer, since hiking trails will be open, allowing you a chance to get away from the crowds that gather at the lakeshore. There are some snowshoeing/hiking options during winter, but they are much more limited.

Read my article: When Is The Best Time To Plan Your Elopement In Switzerland

Opening Times

Oeschinensee gondola is open from the end of November to mid-March (check online for exact dates!) for the winter season, and from mid-May to mid-November for the summer season.

Where To Stay

You can either stay at the Arva hotel in Oeschinensee directly, or find accomodation in the nearby area. I would really recommend the Blausee Hotel, which is not too far from Kandersteg, and has beautiful rooms overlooking another small famous lake in the area, the Blausee.

What To Expect

Now, this is where you’ll get the tea, directly from a local. Your elopement in Oeschinensee can look wildly differently, depending on the time of year/day, the weather, and other factors.

Remember when I told you this was the most famous mountain lake we had in Switzerland? It’s heavily advertised everywhere, in an area that itself, is the most advertised and touristic part of the country. This means that unless the weather is « bad » (I love the rain, but let’s use that term), there will be people. Sometimes not that much, sometimes, A LOT, to the point that it can be hard to figure out where to do your ceremony without having people in the background.

I would advise you to avoid July and August at all costs, if you truly want to elope there, since these are the summer holidays. I had an elopement there in August, and there were lots of people. I had to photoshop a lot of them in my pictures. Not what you would expect for your « wild » elopement experience, I know.

There are ways to go around the « tourist problem », which is to stay after the gondola closes, and to hike down for an hour. This is possible for now, but as you’ll see in my next section, I’m not sure if it’ll stay like that forever (for reference, this article has been written in January of 2025).

Do We Need A Permit To Elope There?

For now, you don’t. But I as this natural jewel is becoming more and more used for photoshoots and elopements, things are slowly moving. I will write more about this as soon as I have more information.

Is Oeschinensee Right for Your Elopement?

All in all, Oeschinensee can be an amazing place for your elopement. But I would really advise you to think about your expectations. This isn’t the wild and natural location you’re probably envisioning. You have to follow the gondola times, you probably won’t be alone, and it is strongly advised to stay on the trail, as this area is starting to suffer from overtourism, which can really impact the land and flora, and might lead to more access restrictions in the future. As a certified Leave No Trave photographer, I always make sure we step on land respectfully. In conclusion, it really depends on what kind of elopement experience you are after. If you think you’d like a more intimate and quiet day, you’ve come to the right place here.

Eloping at Oeschinensee vs. Other Hidden Swiss Elopement Locations

Here’s the secret: Switzerland doesn’t stop at the Bernese Oberland area everyone seems to be talking about online. A good chunck of the country is crossed by the Alps, including other areas that are often overlooked, either because they’re too far, or not on the typical tourist roadmap. Another area I absolutely love is the Valais/Wallis area, which is located south of the country, where I live. Home of the Rhone Valley, it’s full of hidden valleys, stunning sceneries, and a LOT of mountain lakes, too, whose beauty can definitely compet with Oeschinensee.

Plan Your Dream Elopement in Switzerland: Choose the Right Location for You

Planning an elopement can be daunting. But I got you covered. My goal, as an elopement photographer, is to help you have the most personalised experience, that reflects who you are, your values, and that aligns with who you are as a person. Through questionnaires, I narrow down your needs, and then offer you tailor-made recommendations, that I think will fit YOUR personalities. I don’t work for Instagram pictures and famous places. There’s nothing I like more than having my couples discover less well-known places, where we can be reasonably sure we’ll be alone, for you to really enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. If this sounds like the type of experience you’re looking for, I’m your gal!