Travel Guide Thun

Located at the western end of the eponymous lake, Thun (in French Thoune), the town of the Dukes of Zähringen (12th century), today has a population of 44,000. The imposing late-medieval Romanesque castle overlooking the old town is an architectural gem. Its tower, erected between 1180 and 1190, majestically dominates the old town. One of the town's surprising features is the high sidewalks of the main street, where stores and restaurants are spread over two levels. Famous visitors to Thun include Joséphine de Beauharnais, Felix Mendelssohn, Napoleon III... Don't miss the covered bridge and the mill and Scherzlig locks, from which you can watch surfers practicing their balance on a standing wave of the River Aare.The town has grown up around the Aare River, whose banks have been carefully preserved and landscaped to the delight of locals and tourists alike.