Hike Zimmerwald-Niederscherli

Easy and close to the city, yet at a high-altitude, this walk is extremely promising. It offers wide meadowland, shady forests, varied paths, as well as extensive distance to hills and mountains.

As a small “village in the village”, the village of Bi der Chilche is located just outside the village core of Zimmerwald. From the bus stop near the church, walk back a few steps along the main road, and then rise between meadows and the farm. The observatory Zimmerwald is here, which is used by the astronomical institute of the University of Bern.
In a slight ascent, continue past the crossroads to Lisiberg. Despite the name, this is not a real mountain, but the view you can enjoy from here is as good as a high alpine panorama: the fields and forests stretch towards Lake Thun, with the chain of the Bernese high Alps looming over it.
After a short descent on winding paths in the Kühlewil forest you reach a slight ascent to village Egg. Probably the most beautiful part of the hike begins here: a far-sighted view to the Jura and Gantrisch chain on the route to the viewpoint Zingghöch. The descent to Oberscherli is accompanied by charming views to the village of Oberbalm on the opposite side of the valley. The last section of the route runs through the forest and is quite steep.
Köniz is the largest municipality in Switzerland with non-urban status. The municipality was awarded the Wakker Prize of the Swiss Homeland Security for its exemplary measures of townscape care. 40,000 people live in the municipal area, which, in addition to city centers such as Liebefeld and Wabern, also includes markedly rural villages like Oberscherli. From here, you have to climb up again a little, until you reach the farm. Afterward, walk through the forest, mostly through a light, sometimes steeper descent, and finally through an impressive narrow path between sandstone rocks to Niederscherli.