Ank Kumar · File:Interlaken view from Harderkulm (Ank Kumar) 03.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interlaken_view_from_Harderkulm_(Ank_Kumar)_03.jpg
Interlaken
A flat strip of town between two lakes, and the place every Jungfrau, Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald day starts from.
Interlaken
A resort town on the flat ground between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, which exists as a base rather than as a destination — and is very good at it.
Explore Interlaken on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
Beyond the temples
A railway into the high Alps, a valley of waterfalls, a funicular for the view, and the adventure sports the town is now equally known for.
The Jungfrau day
- The Jungfraujoch — marketed as the Top of Europe — is the saddle between the Mönch and the Jungfrau, and its station is the highest in Europe at about 3,454 m. Trains climb from Interlaken Ost through either Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg, then inside the Eiger itself to the top.
- It takes a full day and it lives or dies on the weather. Going up into cloud is a long, costly look at fog, so check the mountain webcams the evening before and keep the day movable.
- Consider the alternatives honestly. Schynige Platte, Harder Kulm and the Schilthorn all deliver enormous views for far less time and money, and on a marginal day one of them is the better trip.
The valleys
- Lauterbrunnen is a trough-shaped valley with vertical walls and waterfalls coming off them — the Staubbach falls straight off the cliff above the village, and the Trümmelbach falls run inside the rock and are reached through the mountain itself.
- Above it, car-free Wengen and Mürren sit on opposite shoulders of the valley, both reached by rail or cable car, and Mürren is the way up to the Schilthorn and its revolving restaurant.
- Grindelwald is the other valley, under the Eiger north face, with First above it for ridge walks and the cliff walk in summer and skiing in winter.
From the town itself
- Harder Kulm is a short funicular straight up from near Interlaken Ost to a viewing platform over both lakes and the three peaks. It is the cheapest big view in the region and the best possible first afternoon.
- Interlaken is one of Europe's adventure sports centres: paragliding off Beatenberg over the Höhematte, skydiving, canyoning and rafting. The paragliding in particular is the thing non-adventurous travellers most often surprise themselves by doing.
- The lake boats on Thun and Brienz are an easy half-day, with the castles along Lake Thun and the wooden-carving village of Brienz at the far end of the other.
Four days in Interlaken
Arrive and orient
Into Interlaken Ost, settle, then the funicular up Harder Kulm for the view over both lakes and the three peaks. An easy afternoon that makes the rest of the trip legible.
Lauterbrunnen and the cliffs
The valley, the Staubbach and Trümmelbach falls, and up to car-free Wengen or Mürren for the afternoon. The day most people end up describing when they get home.
Jungfraujoch, if the sky allows
The full day to the Top of Europe through Kleine Scheidegg. If the forecast is poor, swap this with the valley or with Grindelwald and go the next morning instead.
Grindelwald, the Schilthorn or the lakes
First and the ridge under the Eiger, the Schilthorn from Mürren, or a slow boat on Thun or Brienz. Whichever the weather has been kindest to.
Arriving & getting around
One of the densest mountain transport networks anywhere, and it is half the reason to come.
Arriving
- Trains reach Interlaken from Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Bern, and directly from Lucerne — which is why the two towns sit next to each other on most Swiss itineraries. Arrive into Interlaken Ost if the trip is about the mountains.
- The GoldenPass scenic route runs through here towards Montreux and the Lake Geneva side, and is a journey in its own right rather than merely a way of moving.
- Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa, arranged as part of the booking and started early.
Into the mountains
- Everything starts at Interlaken Ost. The line splits at Zweilütschinen for Lauterbrunnen on one side and Grindelwald on the other, and the two branches meet again at Kleine Scheidegg for the Jungfraujoch train.
- Funiculars and cable cars serve Harder Kulm, Schynige Platte, Wengen, Mürren, the Schilthorn and First. Seasons and sections change every year and some close between winter and summer, so what is running is confirmed close to the date rather than assumed months out.
- Swiss travel passes cover different combinations of these and the mountain sections are often discounted rather than free. Your specialist prices the pass against the actual days rather than buying one by default.
Where to sleep
- Interlaken keeps every option open and has the widest choice of hotels and food, which is why most itineraries base here and travel up each day.
- Staying higher — in Wengen, Mürren or Grindelwald — is quieter and more beautiful and puts you above the valley cloud on some mornings, at the cost of choice and flexibility. Wengen and Mürren are car-free and reached only by rail or cable car.
Interlaken in practice
The four decisions that shape an Oberland trip.
The Jungfraujoch is the one item here that a cloudy morning cancels outright. A four-night stay with an interchangeable summit day and valley day almost always gets a clear one; a fixed three-night stay often does not.
The mountain railways and the Lake Brienz boats start at Ost. A hotel near it removes a transfer from the start and end of every day, which matters more than it sounds over four days.
Summer has everything running and the walking open. Winter is a genuine second season for skiing above Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren. The shoulders in late spring and November are the unpredictable months when high sections pause between seasons.
The Jungfraujoch is high enough to be felt: take it slowly at the top, expect to be short of breath on the stairs, and dress for well below freezing regardless of the temperature in the valley.
How to be a good guest
A working resort town in the Bernese Oberland, and a long-standing fixture of Indian travel.
The Indian connection
- The Bernese Oberland has been a staple of Hindi cinema since the 1960s, and Interlaken has leaned into it: there is a statue of the director Yash Chopra on the Höheweg, and Indian restaurants are easy to find in a town of this size.
- The practical consequence is a good one. Vegetarian and Jain travellers are better served here than in most alpine resorts, and hotels are used to the request. Tell your specialist rather than solving it each evening.
Language and manners
- The language is German, and English is spoken almost everywhere in a town that lives on visitors. Greeting on entering a shop is expected.
- Timetables are exact. Mountain railways and connections run to the minute, and a two-minute margin is a real margin here rather than a notional one.
Eating
- Oberland cooking is cheese, rösti, cured meats and lake fish, with fondue and raclette available year-round for visitors. Prices are alpine-resort prices; supermarket picnics on the Höhematte are entirely normal and save a great deal.
Insider tips
What regular visitors do differently.
Planning the days
- Go up Harder Kulm on the first afternoon. It orients the whole valley and makes the following days make sense.
- Check the mountain webcams the night before the summit day and be willing to swap it with Lauterbrunnen. This single habit is the difference between a good Oberland trip and an expensive one.
- If the forecast is poor all week, take Schynige Platte or the Schilthorn instead. Both are spectacular and neither costs a whole day.
On the ground
- Dress in layers for any mountain day. It can be warm on the Höhematte and well below freezing at the top of the railway on the same afternoon.
- Tap water is excellent and free; the village fountains are drinking fountains unless marked otherwise.
- Buy lunch in the valley before going up. Prices at altitude are what you would expect of a restaurant reached by cog railway.
Up the valleys
Everything here is a train, a funicular or a cable car from Interlaken Ost, and back the same day.
Related to Interlaken
Journeys that include Interlaken — each one visits the city as part of its itinerary.
Common questions
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