Things to do in Interlaken
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Interlaken
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Core ski season. Lifts reliable from mid December to March, snow surest in January and February, into early April.
Spring closure window from mid April to late May. Summer lifts shut, many village hotels close, high trails snowbound into June.
Summer season. Schynige Platte runs 13 June to 25 October in 2026, high trails snow free mainly July and August. Peak prices in July and August.
Autumn sweet spot in September, quieter and good value, until summer lifts start closing in the second half of October.
Worst month. Late October to late November closure window, summer lifts stopped, ski lifts not started, villages largely shut.
What's on
- Touch the Mountains 1 January
Free open air concerts and fireworks on the Höhematte in Interlaken.
- Harder Potschete early January, traditionally 2 January
Traditional masked parade through Interlaken at the start of the year.
- Lauberhorn Races mid January
World Cup downhill weekend in Wengen, the longest downhill course in the world. Next edition 15 to 17 January 2027.
- Greenfield Festival mid June
Switzerland's biggest rock festival, three days on Interlaken airfield.
- Trucker & Country Festival late June
Large truck show and country music festival in Interlaken.
- Swiss National Day 1 August
Celebrations and fireworks viewing around the Höhematte in Interlaken.
- Jungfrau Marathon September
Mountain marathon starting in Interlaken and finishing by the Eiger.
Best things to do in Interlaken
Harder Kulm
Interlaken's house mountain at 1322m, a 10 minute funicular ride to the Two Lakes Bridge view over both lakes.
Jungfraujoch
Europe's highest station at 3454m by cog railway, for Aletsch Glacier views if the weather is clear and the budget allows.
Höhematte Park
The flat green heart of Interlaken where paragliders land, with Jungfrau views and room to breathe between excursions.
Unterseen
Interlaken's oldest and prettiest quarter, with timber houses and quiet Aare side streets across from the centre.
St. Beatus Caves
A lit cave system above Lake Thun with waterfalls and a small museum, an easy half day in almost any weather.
Trümmelbach Falls
Ten glacier waterfalls thundering inside the mountain in Lauterbrunnen Valley, reached by a tunnel lift.
Staubbachfall
A near 300m waterfall dropping off the cliff above Lauterbrunnen village, free to view and lit at night in season.
Schloss Thun
A 12th century castle above Thun old town with a museum and the best panorama over Lake Thun and the Bernese Alps.
Where to stay in Interlaken
Höheweg and the centre
first trip, classic grand hotel base
Faces the Höhematte and the Jungfrau view, 5 to 10 minutes on foot to either station, with the town's biggest hotels.
Unterseen
longer stays, food focused trips, quiet
The old town quarter across the Aare, calmer lanes, strong mid range restaurants and prices a notch below the Höheweg.
Matten bei Interlaken
budget and social stays
Hostel country 10 minutes flat walk south of the centre, with adventure operator meeting points and cheaper apartments.
Interlaken Ost
short stays built around early trains
Functional streets beside the excursion station for Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and Jungfraujoch departures.
Think twice about
- Highway side motels toward Ringgenberg or Thun
Interlaken prices for a bus dependent location with no station and no evening restaurant within a walk, for travellers without a car.
- Listings sold as Interlaken in Bönigen or Wilderswil
Pleasant villages, but evening buses from Bönigen thin early and Wilderswil only helps on Schynige Platte days. Check the map before booking.
Best restaurants in Interlaken
La Terrasse Brasserie
The Victoria Jungfrau fine dining room, the closest Interlaken gets to a splurge tasting experience.
Fondue Villa & Garden
An all you can eat cheese and chocolate fondue feast in a 1901 villa garden, Interlaken's most booked fondue night.
Goldener Anker
A lived in Unterseen institution mixing a Swiss kitchen, live music and a bar crowd that is not only tourists.
Restaurant Stadthaus
Unterseen's old town hall restaurant for rösti, perch and cordon bleu in the prettiest square in the area.
Restaurant Taverne
Hotel Interlaken's wood panelled tavern for fondue and Swiss classics, a reliable mid range dinner on the Höheweg.
Taj Palace
Interlaken's best rated Indian kitchen, a warming and better value change from a week of cheese and rösti.
Hüsi Bierhaus
A central brewpub for burgers, schnitzel and house beer at prices that count as cheap for Interlaken.
Restaurant El Azteca
A family run Mexican on Jungfraustrasse praised by locals and forums as an antidote to tourist menu pricing.
Outdoor things to do in Interlaken
Paragliding Interlaken
Tandem flights launch above Beatenberg and land on the Höhematte, the signature Interlaken adventure on a clear morning.
OUTDOOR - Interlaken Base
The established base for Saxeten canyoning for beginners and harder Grimsel trips, plus Lütschine rafting in season.
Schynige Platte
A nostalgic cog railway from Wilderswil to a 1967m ridge, alpine garden and an easy panorama trail above both lakes.
Niederhorn
A gondola from Beatenberg to a 1950m summit above Lake Thun, quieter than Harder Kulm with scooter bikes down in summer.
Lake Brienz
Turquoise water cruised by BLS boats from Interlaken Ost to Brienz, stopping for Giessbach Falls and Iseltwald.
Lake Thun
The deeper, castle lined lake cruised year round in reduced form, linking Interlaken West with Spiez and Thun.
Seilpark Interlaken
A forest rope park between Interlaken West and Wilderswil with courses for most ages, the cheapest adrenaline in town.
Bachalpsee
The classic postcard lake walk from Grindelwald First, about an hour each way with the Schreckhorn reflected on calm days.
Best hotels in Interlaken
Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa
The grand dame on the Höheweg since the 1860s, with a huge spa and Jungfrau facing rooms at true five star prices.
Grand Hotel Beau Rivage Interlaken
A five star grande dame by the Aare near Interlaken Ost station, quieter and more residential than the Höheweg strip.
Hotel Interlaken
Operating since 1323 on the Höheweg east end, a characterful mid range base with a garden and the Taverne restaurant.
Hotel Krebs Interlaken
A dependable family run four star near Interlaken West station, good value for train based trips without a car.
Hotel Beausite
A friendly family hotel in quiet Unterseen with Jungfrau views, a garden and lower prices than the Höheweg.
Balmers Hostel
Interlaken's famous social hostel in Matten, with dorms, a bar and a young adventure crowd in summer.
Youth Hostel Interlaken
A modern, calm hostel beside Interlaken Ost station, the budget pick that suits families as well as backpackers.
Is Interlaken expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CHF 140 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CHF 320 a person |
| Splurge | CHF 750 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Jungfraujoch: weeks ahead
- Paragliding Interlaken: a few days ahead
- OUTDOOR - Interlaken Base: a few days ahead
- Schynige Platte: a few days ahead
- Seilpark Interlaken: a few days ahead
- Bachalpsee: a few days ahead
- La Terrasse Brasserie: a few days ahead
- Fondue Villa & Garden: a few days ahead
- Reserve the Jungfraujoch seat as soon as a clear weather morning is chosen, days ahead in July and August.
- Book paragliding and Grimsel canyoning 2 to 4 days ahead in summer.
- Book Fondue Villa and La Terrasse days ahead, and Victoria Jungfrau view rooms and the Youth Hostel weeks ahead in season.
Is Interlaken safe?
- Interlaken has no unsafe district. Walking anywhere in town at night is normal, and the realistic risks are petty and environmental.
- Altitude at 3454m causes headaches and nausea in many visitors. Take advice first for small children and heart or lung conditions.
- Choose established adventure operators and respect weather cancellations. Glacier fed water is lethally cold even in August. Emergency number 112.
Interlaken travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Dining nightly on the Höheweg watch and jewellery strip, priced for captive tour groups.
- Jungfraujoch in cloud is the region's most expensive mistake. Check webcams and go on the first clear morning.
- Top of Europe is a brand. Jungfraujoch's true claim is Europe's highest railway station.
Getting around Interlaken: public transport and more
- Walk the town, West to Ost is 30 minutes along the Höheweg, and let trains do everything else.
- Use Interlaken Ost for Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, West for Bern, Thun and Lucerne, and the SBB app for boats and gondolas too.
- The hotel guest card covers town buses. You do not need a car here.
Who Interlaken suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Interlaken your trip
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