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Major city · Switzerland

Interlaken

Base here 2–3 nights for the Jungfrau valleys, not for the town itself: Interlaken is a rail hub between two lakes, 20 min from Lauterbrunnen.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CHF
Best months
Jun–Sep for hiking and lakes; Dec–Mar for snow
avoid Nov (many hotels and lifts closed), late Oct–early Dec
Airports
ZRH · BSL · GVA
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
  • Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
  • Switzerland ↗Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not the EU: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
  • Switzerland ↗Switzerland is outside the EU customs area: allowances on meat, alcohol and tobacco are strict and checked at borders.
  • Switzerland ↗Motorways need a vignette (sticker or e-vignette) before you drive on them.

Interlaken sits on the neck of land between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, with Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost stations about 1.5 km apart. Almost nobody comes for the town: it is the transport base for Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren and the Jungfraujoch, and the place where you sleep, eat and book adventure sports. Two nights covers the two valleys; three lets you add a lake or a summit without rushing.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Interlaken, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCHF 4–6
  • Beerdraught / supermarket canCHF 6–8CHF 1.50–2.50
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekCHF 15–30
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personCHF 35
  • Mid-range bedDouble room, mid-range hotel, a night, per roomCHF 190
  • High-end bedDouble room, mid-range hotel, a night, per roomCHF 320

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CHF 90 · Mid CHF 170 · High CHF 300

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Jungfraujoch and the Jungfrau-Aletsch UNESCO siteGateway to Lauterbrunnen and GrindelwaldParagliding and canyoningHöhematte lawn and the HöhewegLake Thun and Lake Brienz boats
Airports
ZRH Zurich (Train to Interlaken Ost via Bern, about 2 h; change at Bern) · BSL Basel-Mulhouse (Some trains run direct to Interlaken, about 2 h; others change at Basel SBB) · GVA Geneva (Train via Bern, about 3 h)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Interlaken: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

3°C

−3°C

10 rd

Feb

5°C

−3°C

9 rd

Mar

10°C

0°C

11 rd

Apr

14°C

3°C

11 rd

May

19°C

7°C

13 rd

Jun

22°C

11°C

13 rd

Jul

24°C

13°C

12 rd

Aug

24°C

13°C

12 rd

Sep

20°C

10°C

10 rd

Oct

15°C

6°C

10 rd

Nov

8°C

1°C

10 rd

Dec

4°C

−2°C

10 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable: West to Ost along the Höheweg is about 20 min. Buses and local trains are covered by the guest card your hotel gives you. Mountain trains leave from Interlaken Ost (BOB) and Wilderswil; boats for Lake Thun leave near West, for Lake Brienz near Ost. Taxis wait at both stations.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Lauterbrunnen

go

Door to door: About 30 min

BOB train from Interlaken Ost, about 20 min

Valley floor, Staubbach Falls and the cable car up to Mürren; the easiest half-day from Interlaken.

Grindelwald

go

Door to door: About 45 min

BOB train from Interlaken Ost, about 35 min

First gondola and the Eiger north face; go early, the valley fills by mid-morning.

Wengen

go

Door to door: About 1 h

BOB to Lauterbrunnen, then the Wengernalpbahn

Car-free village on the way to Kleine Scheidegg; a good lunch stop.

Mürren

go

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Train to Lauterbrunnen, cable car to Grütschalp, then the mountain train

Cliff village facing the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau; the Schilthorn cable car leaves from here.

Thun

go

Door to door: About 2 h 15 min by boat

Boat from Interlaken West, about 2 h; train about 30 min

Do the boat one way and the train back; castle and old town above the river.

Meiringen

caution

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Train via Brünig, about 1 h

Reichenbach Falls and the Aare gorge; worth it only if you have a spare day.

Kandersteg

go

Door to door: About 1 h 15 min

Train via Spiez, about 1 h

Oeschinensee lake above the village; a full day with the cable car.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Interlaken West / Unterseen

Old-town lanes, bakeries, the big Coop; 5–10 min walk to the West platforms. Best for a short stay with bags.

Höheweg (between the stations)

The hotel and souvenir strip facing the Höhematte lawn; 10–15 min walk to either station.

Interlaken Ost

Where the BOB mountain trains leave for Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen; best if you are up the valleys every day.

Matten

Hostel cluster (Balmer's, Funny Farm) south-east of the centre; 10–15 min walk to Ost.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
CHF 90–130 excl. bed
Mid
CHF 150–220 excl. bed
High
CHF 250+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Double room, mid-range hotel1 × 2 nights × CHF 190CHF 380
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × CHF 170CHF 680
Jungfraujoch return from Interlaken Ost2 × CHF 230 · check; cheaper with a rail passCHF 460
Harder Kulm return funicular2 × CHF 40 · checkCHF 80
Paragliding tandem flight2 × CHF 180 · checkCHF 360
Guest card local transport2 × CHF 0 · Free with a hotel stay; covers buses and local trains in the zone.CHF 0
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CHF 20CHF 40
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCHF 200
Trip total≈ CHF 550 per person per day, bed includedCHF 2,200≈ US$3,000

2026 estimate in Swiss francs; flights and rail passes excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeCHF 4–6
Entrée in a restaurantCHF 20–30
Cheese fondue for oneCHF 25–35
Beer: draught / supermarket canCHF 6–8 / CHF 1.50–2.50
Boat, Interlaken West to ThunCHF 30–40 (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekCHF 15–30

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Interlaken is a low-crime tourist town; the real risks are altitude and weather on the mountains, fast-moving adventure sports, and pickpockets on the crowded Höheweg in summer.
  • Reservations are near-essential in Jul–Aug; not all hotels open year-round.
  • The Jungfraujoch ticket is expensive and weather-dependent: check the live webcam before you buy.
  • Adventure sports are weather-cancelled often; book with a company that refunds or reschedules.
  • Souvenir shops on the Höheweg are the priciest in Switzerland for the same chocolate you can buy at Coop.

Emergency numbers

Police
117
Ambulance
144
Fire
118
Rega air rescue
1414
European emergency
112

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

InterlakenInterlaken

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Bitte zu dieser AdresseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police117
  • Ambulance144
  • Fire118
  • Rega air rescue1414

Embassy

No embassies in Interlaken; most countries keep embassies in Bern and consulates-general in Zurich or Geneva. The US has an embassy in Bern (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Interlaken Ost → Lauterbrunnen, BOB: about CHF 8, 20 min (check)
  • Interlaken Ost → Jungfraujoch, return: about CHF 230, 2 h 15 min each way (check)
  • Boat Interlaken West → Thun: about CHF 35, 2 h (check)

Say or show

  • Grüezi — Hello (GROO-ets-ee)
  • Merci vielmal — Thank you (MER-see FEEL-mahl)
  • Was kostet das? — How much is it? (vahs KOS-tet dahs)
  • Kann ich mit Karte zahlen? — Can I pay by card? (kahn ikh mit KAR-teh TSAH-len)
  • Wo ist der Bahnhof? — Where is the train station? (voh ist dair BAHN-hohf)
  • Die Rechnung, bitte — The bill, please (dee REKH-noong BIT-teh)

Guest card and mountain-train tickets are checked on board; keep them with you.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Interlaken. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Jun–Sep for hiking and lakes; Dec–Mar for snow · avoid Nov (many hotels and lifts closed), late Oct–early Dec · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 7 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contracts for ZRH, BSL and GVA: last trains, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking clusters with rescue anchors: West/Unterseen, Höheweg, Ost, Matten.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Jungfraujoch, Harder Kulm, Schynige Platte, St Beatus Caves) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Weather and hostile-arrival fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to Switzerland

Sources