Hotel Aare Thun

Hotel Aare Thun is a hotel directly on the Aare river in Thun, close to the old town and to Lake Thun, that hosts weddings, birthdays and anniversaries in its own function rooms. Its celebrations page promises "ein rauschendes Fest" (a lavish party) right on the water, with seven function rooms, three spaces for the apéro and rooms of four categories for the guests. The site also names the Restaurant Freienhof, where the hotel's Sunday brunch takes place and which the wedding couple quoted on the site mention alongside the hotel.

Rooms for the celebration

The celebrations page, titled "Feste", says "Die sieben verschiedenen Säle bieten Platz für Festgesellschaften fast jeder Grösse" (the seven different halls have room for parties of almost any size). For the apéro there is a choice of three spaces: the roof terrace, the terrace with a direct view of the castle, and a winter garden. The events overview adds that parties can be held on the roof-top, on the Aare terrace with a view of the mountains and the river, or in one of the "charmanten Festsäle, umgeben von mondäner Schiffsarchitektur" (charming banquet halls, surrounded by sophisticated ship-style architecture).

Two of the rooms are named in the hotel's seasonal offers: the Saal Aare, which has a balcony, and the Raum Pergola on the 3rd floor. The pages do not list all seven halls by name or give their capacities; the downloadable celebration brochure is the place to look for them.

The team, the page says, will decorate the rooms festively and help with the detailed planning of the event. The events overview promises modern technology, high-quality food and an all-round service under the heading "The Stage is yours!"

Food and apéro prices

The page describes the food with "Die Kreationen unseres Küchenteam bestechen mit viel Liebe zum Detail" (our kitchen team's creations impress with great attention to detail) and offers three downloads: the celebration brochure, apéro suggestions and menu suggestions.

The hotel publishes one set of prices, for its after-work apéro, which gives a useful benchmark for a wedding apéro:

• Apéro Klein aber Fein: CHF 24 per person
• Apéro-Piccolo: CHF 34 per person
• Apero Medio: CHF 44 per person
• Drinks package for 2 hours: CHF 28 per person

The wedding menus and their prices are in the menu suggestions document, not on the page.

What a wedding couple wrote

The site quotes Jacqueline and Pierre-Antoine Blanc, a wedding couple, twice. On the celebrations page they write that thanks to the great team their wedding party had a wonderful time at the Hotel Aare Thun and the Restaurant Freienhof, and that the team "hat uns bei der Organisation der Hochzeit geholfen, unsere Fragen beantwortet und Lösungen für uns gefunden" (helped us organize the wedding, answered our questions and found solutions for us). On the events overview they praise the location on the Aare and near the station, the look of the rooms and the renovation, and add that the quality of the food was the finishing touch: "Nachdem wir es probiert hatten, wussten wir, dass wir am richtigen Ort sind" (after we had tasted it, we knew we were in the right place).

Recognition

The events overview reports that the hotel was rated 8.7 out of 10 at the Swiss Location Award 2025. According to the page, 75'021 organizers, visitors and an independent expert jury voted, and the hotel counts itself "zu den schönsten Seminar- und Eventhotels der Schweiz" (among the most beautiful seminar and event hotels in Switzerland).

Rooms for guests

The rooms page offers four categories. Standard rooms are described as elegant, comfortable and well thought out, with a space-saving interior modeled on a ship's bunk. Boutique rooms promise "einen Hauch Glamour" (a touch of glamour). Deluxe rooms, 16 of them at 25 m², face the Aare, with elite double box-spring beds (180 x 200 cm), a walk-in shower and in some rooms a bathtub. The Suite category has 2 rooms of 33 m², each with a balcony on the Aare side, which makes an obvious wedding-night room.

Rooms include free WiFi, a flat-screen TV, a minibar, a Nespresso machine with tea, Rituals toiletries, a hair dryer, a safe and EU and Swiss sockets. Guests receive the Panorama Card Thunersee, with free travel on the STI buses and other benefits for exploring the region. Check-in is from 15:00, check-out by 11:00, later on request. The hotel has its own bus stop and paid parking.

Getting there and language

The room pages mention the hotel's own bus stop and parking, and the wedding couple quoted on the site mention the station nearby. The site's menu has a contact and directions page. The site has German and English versions, which helps couples planning from abroad; the pages do not say which languages the events team uses. The menu also links pages on the building's architecture and history, the team, a guests' A to Z, experiences and vouchers, and an online form for reserving an event, so much of the groundwork can be done before the first call.

Extras around the date

The hotel runs seasonal offers that show how its rooms work for dinners. From 25 September to 25 October 2026 it offers a Thuner Wasserzauber dinner in the Saal Aare with a balcony view of the water show, and an exclusive version in the Raum Pergola, with water shows at 19:30 and 21:15. Every Sunday from 11:30 there is a brunch at the Restaurant Freienhof, which could suit a day-after brunch for wedding guests.

What the site does not settle

The pages give no capacities per hall, no room hire prices, no wedding menu prices on the page and no deposit or cancellation terms. They do not describe a ceremony at the hotel, civil or otherwise. They do not say whether a wedding has exclusive use of any terrace, or when the party must end.

Who it suits

Hotel Aare Thun suits a couple who want a town wedding by the water, with an apéro on the roof or the Aare terrace, dinner in one of the hotel's halls and guests sleeping upstairs. The published apéro prices help with budgeting and the English site helps with planning. The caveats are the missing capacities and hall names, and the need to arrange the ceremony elsewhere.