Its area is 29.8 square kilometres (11.5 sq mi); the surface is 564 metres (1,850 ft) above the sea-level.

Not far north from Lütschine's inflow, the lake drains into a further stretch of the Aare at its western end.

[1][2] The culminating point of the lake's drainage basin is the Finsteraarhorn at 4,274 metres above sea level.

[3] The village of Brienz, from which the lake takes its name, lies on the northern shore to its eastern end.

The ships are operated by BLS AG, the local railway company, and link Interlaken Ost railway station, which they access using a 1.3-kilometre (0.81 mi) long navigable stretch of the Aare, with Brienz and other lakeside settlements.