Active holidays on Lake Thun: training between the lake and the mountains

Just after seven, the lake lies so still that the Niesen appears twice – once as a mountain, once as a reflection. On the shore at Merligen, a water bottle clicks into its holder; a bike rolls through the park towards Seestrasse. The morning still smells of water and wet grass; the first few kilometres are all yours. The circuit around Lake Thun is one of the most beautiful cycle routes in the Bernese Oberland – and it starts right here, on the doorstep of the BEATUS.

What makes Lake Thun so special for active people is the freedom of choice. You cycle along the water’s edge on flat, even terrain – ideal for long endurance sessions where your heart rate stays steady and your mind can wander. If you’re looking for some elevation gain, simply turn off the route: above the lake, the climbs towards Beatenberg and Justistal rise up, steep enough to really put your power output to the test. And if you leave your bike behind, you can step straight into the water from the hotel’s own sandy beach. Lake swimming in summer, stand-up paddleboarding in the evening, kayaking when the lake is calm – the entry point is less than fifty metres from your room.

It’s precisely this proximity that transforms your training. You don’t have to plan a journey; you just set off. One planned workout turns into two shorter ones – a bike ride in the morning, a swim before dinner. In a sports hotel in the Bernese Oberland, the journey to exercise is rarely as short as it is here by the water.

Just because the lake is the main training partner doesn’t mean the hotel relies solely on outdoor activities. Gravel bikes, e-bikes and e-mountain bikes are available for guests, along with a lockable bike storage room featuring a workshop and washing area – a detail that anyone who has ever stood in front of a hotel garage with a muddy bike will appreciate. From Monday to Saturday, the hotel’s nature guides lead walks of varying difficulty levels, and the daily sports programme ranges from aqua aerobics to endurance training and cardio-cross fitness.

Inside, a 63-square-metre gym awaits, offering views of the lake and mountains – featuring Peloton bikes, ski ergometers, strength training equipment and a functional training area covering everything from kettlebells to TRX. In the 54-square-metre class room, yoga, qigong, breathwork, mobility and bellicon training are offered in rotation throughout the season; those wishing to delve deeper can book one of the retreats, ranging from SUP to breathwork formats. The yoga classes range from Hatha through Yin and Vinyasa to Aerial. And for swimmers, alongside the mineral bath, there’s a 16-metre indoor sports pool where you can really put in some serious laps.

After the workout comes the part that many people underestimate. At the heart of BEATUS is its saltwater bath: natural saltwater, heated to 35 degrees, both inside and out, with unobstructed views across the lake and mountains. What sounds like pure pleasure actually has a measurable effect on your body. Warm water dilates the blood vessels, the hydrostatic pressure aids the return of blood from the legs, and the salt supports you so effortlessly that it completely relieves the strain on your joints and muscles. Twenty minutes in the saltwater bath after a tough cycle ride – and the next morning your legs feel as though someone has reset the counter.

Added to this is a sauna complex with seven different saunas, where you can target specific areas with heat, and a spa that takes regeneration seriously. The 277-metre stretch of private lakeside – the longest of any Swiss hotel – is also part of the experience: beach chairs in the park, feet in the gravel, a view of the Niesen. That, too, is relaxation – just without the technical jargon.

Merligen lies on the sunny side of Lake Thun, twelve minutes from Thun and twenty from Interlaken. Close enough for an easy journey, yet far enough away to leave the daily grind behind. In the evening, you can sit in one of the three restaurants enjoying Alpine-Mediterranean cuisine, as the light softens and the lake takes on a dark hue – and you realise that an active holiday on Lake Thun has two speeds: one on the bike and one afterwards.

You can find all the details on training, the mineral baths and the location in the hotel presentation for the BEATUS Wellness & Spa Hotel on bestfitnesshotels.com.

Perhaps that’s the real strength of this place: it doesn’t force you to do anything. The lake is there, the mountains stand ready, the warm water awaits – and every morning you decide anew which form of exercise you’ll go for today.