Raclette Rafting in Interlaken: Same Raft, Same Lake, Now with Fondue

Sooner or later, someone loses their bread. It slips off the fork, sinks into the cheese, and suddenly the whole raft is leaning over the caquelon with advice. Nobody is checking their phone. Everyone is looking at the same pot.

That's the short version of why Raclette Rafting in Interlaken no longer exists. In its place, we now run the Cheese Fondue Float on Lake Brienz. Same raft, same lake, same evening departure from Bönigen. What changed is the pot in the middle, and with it, the whole feel of the evening.

No. Raclette Rafting is no longer part of our program. If that's what you were searching for, the Cheese Fondue Float is its direct successor, and most of what made the old format work is still there.

You still head out onto Lake Brienz in a raft in the evening. A guide still does the paddling. You still stay dry, wrapped in a warm blanket, with Swiss cheese and white wine at the centre of it all. The season hasn't moved either: September to April, departure at 18:00.

The difference: instead of individual raclette portions, there's one caquelon of fondue for the whole raft.

Raclette is great, and we're not here to argue otherwise. But it's a meal with an individual rhythm. Everyone looks after their own portion, waits for their own cheese to melt, scrapes their own pan. On the raft, that meant a lot of people quietly concentrating on their own little project while the evening went by.

Fondue works the other way round. There's one pot, and everybody's in it. You dip, you stir, you pass the bread, you hand the wine across. Conversation happens by itself, because you're all leaning towards the same spot anyway. For a small group on a raft at night, that's exactly the point.

There's also less to do. The fondue is prepared and served on the boat, so nobody is busy cooking. Your guide paddles, you eat. That leaves the evening for what it's actually for: talking, looking around and being out on the water while Interlaken switches on its lights.

And if you ask visitors to name one Swiss dish, most of them say fondue. The ritual is simple and everyone gets it within thirty seconds: one pot, long forks, bread on the end. There's also an old tradition about what happens when you lose your bread in the cheese. We'll leave that one to your group.

You meet at 18:00 at the OUTDOOR Jetboat Base in Bönigen, right by the lake. Life jacket on, blanket handed out. The raft is already set up: caquelon, fondue forks, bread and sides. You climb in, find your spot, and that's the boarding done.

Then you head out onto Lake Brienz for a slow loop of about an hour. Your guide paddles. You take care of the bread, the cheese and the wine. The lights of Interlaken reflect on the water, and the mountains fade into the dark. The pace is deliberately slow: talk, eat, look around, repeat.

After the loop, you're back in Bönigen. All in, the evening takes 1–1.5 hours, so it fits easily after a full day out.

Couples, friends, families and small travel groups who want an evening in Interlaken that isn't just another restaurant. It works particularly well after a day in the mountains, when everyone has had enough activity but nobody wants to call it a night yet. You don't need any experience, and you don't need to be able to swim: you stay on the raft the whole time and wear a life jacket throughout.

Children are welcome from age 8; under 14s need to be accompanied by an adult. For groups of 10 or more, the price drops to CHF 90 per person. If you'd rather have the raft to yourselves, you can book a private boat from CHF 695.

Who it isn't for: if you can't eat dairy, this one won't work. The fondue is made with cheese, and there's no lactose-free alternative or menu adjustment. Also worth knowing: this is an evening on a lake between September and April. You'll stay dry, but it gets cold quickly once the sun is gone.

Fair enough. If what you really want is a plate of raclette with potatoes and pickles, you don't need a raft. Plenty of restaurants in Interlaken serve it, especially in the colder months, and that's the simpler option.

But if the part that caught your eye was eating Swiss cheese on the water, with the lake around you and the town lights in the background, then the Cheese Fondue Float is the version of that idea we run today.

Bring a warm jacket, gloves and a beanie or headband. Several layers work better than one thick one. A camera is worth bringing too, if only to prove you kept your bread on the fork.

The float depends on the weather. Strong wind or rain can mean a postponement or cancellation, and often the final call can only be made on the day itself. Make sure we can reach you with up-to-date contact details. If we do have to cancel, you can rebook, switch to another activity or get a full refund. More on that in our guide to bad weather days in Interlaken.

Our guides speak German and English. Travel to Interlaken isn't included, and the meeting point is the OUTDOOR Jetboat Base in Bönigen. Current dates, prices and availability are always on the Cheese Fondue Float page.

Raclette Rafting was a good idea. The Fondue Float is the same idea, with everyone sitting a little closer together.