Interlaken sits between two glacial lakes in the shadow of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, making it the launch point for some of the most scenic mountain railways and cable cars in Europe. It's built for adrenaline and alpine views in summer, skiing in winter.
Good to know
- Book Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn tickets a day ahead and check the summit webcam — cloud cover ruins the view.
- A Swiss Travel Pass covers most trains, buses and boats in the region and pays for itself quickly.
- Mountain huts and remote restaurants often take cash or Swiss cards only — carry some francs.
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Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
A funicular straight up from town to a ridge overlooking both lakes and the snow-capped Bernese peaks — spectacular at sunset.
A tandem paraglide launching from the surrounding hills, landing in a meadow between the two lakes.
A pot of melted Gruyère and Vacherin shared over bread and potatoes, in a wood-panelled chalet restaurant.
A small, walkable town centred on a wide meadow with the Jungfrau framed at the end of the street.
A low-key mountain-lodge bar with local beer and mulled wine, popular with the day's climbers and hikers.
A small local museum tracing how Interlaken became one of the birthplaces of Alpine tourism in the 1800s.
A sheer-walled glacial valley with 72 waterfalls, including Staubbach Falls dropping almost straight from the clifftop.
Ten glacier-fed waterfalls thundering inside the mountain itself, reached by a lift and tunnel walkway.
A cogwheel train to Europe's highest railway station, tunnelled through the mountain to a glacier plateau with an ice palace inside.
A gondola up to First, followed by a steel walkway bolted to the cliff face with the Eiger's north face dead ahead.
A cable car to a revolving mountaintop restaurant made famous by a Bond film, with a 360-degree view of nearly 200 peaks.
A slow paddle-steamer ride past lakeside castles and vineyards, with the Alps rising directly from the water.