Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business This guide covers the best places to visit in Interlaken and the surrounding Bernese Oberland, with practical notes on timing, transport and when to go, so you can spend less time planning and more time looking up.
Harder Kulm
Unterseen old town
Lake Brienz, Iseltwald and Giessbach
Lake Thun and its castles
+5 more places
Few places in the Alps combine this much scenery with this little effort. A single regional rail network, the Berner Oberland Bahn, splits at Zweilütschinen to serve both the Lauterbrunnen valley and Grindelwald, and from there cogwheel trains and cable cars carry you up to viewpoints that once required days of climbing.
Down at lake level, the mood is gentler. Turquoise Lake Brienz and the wider, warmer Lake Thun are lined with villages, castles and swimming spots, and old paddle steamers still work some routes in summer.
The Höheweg is the main street linking Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost stations, lined with grand nineteenth-century hotels, watch shops and souvenir stores. Its best feature is the Höhematte, a large open meadow kept free of buildings so that the view of the Jungfrau stays clear.
A funicular from near Interlaken Ost climbs in about ten minutes to Harder Kulm, the town's own viewpoint at roughly 1,300 metres. From the platform you see both lakes at once, the town spread between them, and the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau lined up to the south.
Harder Kulm looks down on Interlaken and the strip of land between its two lakes. Photo: Ank Kumar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross the Aare River from Interlaken West and you reach Unterseen, a separate town with a small, quiet old center of painted houses, a church tower and a cobbled square. It is far less busy than the Höheweg and a pleasant place for a coffee or a bakery stop.
Unterseen's compact old town sits just across the Aare from Interlaken West station. Photo: Paebi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Boats on Lake Brienz leave from a pier next to Interlaken Ost and run east toward Brienz, stopping at small villages along the way. The water here is a striking milky turquoise from glacial silt.
Iseltwald sits on a small peninsula on the southern shore of Lake Brienz. Photo: Photochrom Print Collection, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Lake Thun boats leave from Interlaken West and stop at Spiez, Oberhofen and Thun, each with a castle worth a look.
Oberhofen Castle stands on the northern shore of Lake Thun, with a tower rising from the water's edge. Photo: Swissoptimist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
On the northern shore of Lake Thun, the St. Beatus Caves follow a long lit path past underground waterfalls, pools and dripstone chambers, with a small museum at the entrance. They make a good choice for a rainy day.
The Jungfraujoch is the glacier saddle between the Jungfrau and the Mönch, reached by the Jungfrau Railway, which tunnels through the Eiger and Mönch to Europe's highest railway station at about 3,450 metres.
The Sphinx Observatory sits above the Jungfraujoch saddle between the Jungfrau and the Mönch. Photo: NOTE: This image is a panorama of Jungfraujoch Sphinx-Observatory consisting of 5 frame…, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lauterbrunnen lies in a deep, glacier-carved valley with sheer rock walls and dozens of waterfalls. The most famous, Staubbach Falls, drops in a long ribbon from the cliff right above the village, and a short path leads to a viewing gallery behind the spray.
Staubbach Falls plunges from the cliffs directly above Lauterbrunnen village. Photo: Albert Bierstadt, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
A short bus ride up the valley from Lauterbrunnen, Trümmelbach Falls is a series of ten waterfalls inside the mountain, carrying meltwater from the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. A tunnel lift and a route of stairs and galleries take you right beside the roaring water.
Trümmelbach Falls carries glacial meltwater from the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau through a gorge inside the mountain. Photo: Simisa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Mürren is a car-free village perched on a cliff edge high above the Lauterbrunnen valley, with face-on views of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.
From Grindelwald, a gondola climbs to First, where a metal cliff walk bolted to the rock gives you a dizzying view down the valley. The most popular hike from the top leads gently to Bachalpsee, a lake that mirrors the surrounding peaks on calm days, in roughly an hour each way.
Bachalpsee is a popular walk from the First gondola station above Grindelwald. Photo: Yannick.stoldt, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A vintage cogwheel train climbs from Wilderswil, just outside Interlaken, to Schynige Platte, where an alpine garden displays hundreds of native mountain plants. The views take in the lakes on one side and the big three peaks on the other, and a well known ridge hike continues toward the Faulhorn for strong walkers.
The Schynige Platte railway has climbed from Wilderswil to its alpine garden since 1893. Photo: JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bernese Oberland cooking is hearty mountain food. Look for rösti, the crisp grated potato cake often served with an egg or sausage, and Älplermagronen, a dish of pasta, potatoes, cheese and cream usually topped with applesauce on the side.
From the lakes come perch and whitefish, often pan-fried and served with boiled potatoes.
Popular dishes to try in Interlaken
Central Interlaken, between the two stations, is the most practical base. It suits first-time visitors, families and anyone relying on trains, and hotels usually provide a guest card that covers local buses.
If you want to wake up in the mountains, Lauterbrunnen and Wengen put you close to the Jungfrau trains, with Wengen and Mürren both car-free and peaceful at night.
Where to stay in Interlaken
Summer, from June to September, is peak season.
Late spring and early autumn are excellent compromises, with fewer crowds and fresh snow on the peaks, though some lifts close for maintenance in the shoulder months, especially in late spring and November.
Zurich and Geneva are the main international airports, each a few hours away by train with a change in Bern.
Interlaken Ost is the hub for mountain trips: Berner Oberland Bahn trains depart for Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, with onward connections to Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg, Mürren and the Jungfraujoch. The town itself is walkable, and local buses connect both stations.
Walk the Höheweg and Höhematte in the morning, cross into Unterseen for lunch, then take a Lake Brienz boat to Iseltwald or Giessbach.
Ride the train to Grindelwald Terminal and continue by the Eiger Express and Jungfrau Railway to the Jungfraujoch.
Head to Lauterbrunnen for Staubbach Falls and Trümmelbach Falls, then ride up to Mürren for an afternoon walk along the cliff edge, adding the Schilthorn if the sky is clear.
Choose between a hike from Grindelwald First to Bachalpsee or a gentler day on Lake Thun with stops at Oberhofen Castle and Thun old town.
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