Interlaken
Junction between Thun, Brienz and the Jungfrau
Interlaken is less a destination than a junction: a flat strip of hotels between two lakes, where the trains divide for Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and everything worth seeing lies thirty to ninety minutes uphill.
- AirportZRH — 2 h 10 by train · BRN — 1 h 10
- CurrencySwiss franc (CHF) · cards accepted almost everywhere
- LanguageGerman (Swiss German spoken) · English widely used
- Time zoneCET (UTC+1) · CEST in summer
- Best forJungfrau region, hiking, families, adventure sports
- Typical stay3 nights
Interlaken, in three paragraphs.
The town occupies the Bödeli, the alluvial flat between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, at about 570 m. Its centre is the Höhematte, fourteen hectares of meadow left undeveloped since 1864 so that the Jungfrau stays in view from the Höheweg. Grand hotels line one side, paragliders land on the grass through the afternoon, and that is more or less the whole of Interlaken proper.
What matters here is the two stations. Interlaken Ost is where the Berner Oberland-Bahn splits, one half to Lauterbrunnen and one to Grindelwald, and where trains for Lucerne and Brienz begin. Interlaken West is closer to the shops and the Thun boats. Almost every mountain trip, the Jungfraujoch included, starts from Ost, so the fifteen-minute walk between the two stations matters when you are timing an early departure.
Above sit the villages people actually picture: Lauterbrunnen in its cliff-walled valley, Wengen and Mürren car-free on opposite terraces, Grindelwald under the Eiger north face. Staying up there costs more and gives you the mountains before and after the day visitors arrive. Interlaken is the cheaper, better-connected compromise, and for three nights with a family it is usually the right one.
Where to stay
- Interlaken centre and the HöhewegThe hotel strip along the meadow between the two stations, with the Jungfrau view, the casino and most restaurants. Convenient and a little impersonal, but the easiest base for a first visit.
- Interlaken Ost and MattenThe quieter eastern end beside the station that every mountain train leaves from, plus the village of Matten behind it. Cheaper rooms and the shortest morning walk to your departure platform.
- Wilderswil and BönigenTwo villages within ten minutes, one at the foot of the Schynige Platte railway and one on the Brienz shore. Residential, calm, and a reasonable choice if you have a car and want space.
- Lauterbrunnen and WengenValley floor and the car-free terrace above it, both twenty to forty minutes up. Closer to Kleine Scheidegg and the Jungfraujoch, and far better in the evening once the day visitors leave.
- GrindelwaldThe largest mountain village, under the Eiger north face, with First, Männlichen and the Eiger Express on its doorstep. Expensive, busy and the right choice for skiing or serious walking.
When to send your clients.
Late June to late September is the only period when the high trails, the Schynige Platte railway and the Schilthorn are all reliably open, and September is the best part of it. July and August bring the crowds and the afternoon cloud build-up. Late April to early June and November are the awkward weeks, when several lifts close for maintenance.
Spring · March–May
The valley floor greens up in April while the high paths stay under snow. Trümmelbach Falls reopens around the start of April and the Staubbach runs at full force on snowmelt. Serious walking is out until late June, and the Schynige Platte cogwheel does not start until mid-June. Many lifts and hotels take a maintenance break in late April and early May, so check individual opening dates.
Summer · June–August
Long days, everything running, and the alpine flowers on Schynige Platte at their best in early July. Valley highs reach 24°C and both lakes are warm enough to swim. The pattern is clear mornings with cloud building after one, so take the first train up rather than the third. Rooms in Wengen, Mürren and Grindelwald need booking months ahead.
Autumn · September–November
September holds summer trail conditions with better visibility and far fewer people, and it is the month to choose if the dates are yours to pick. Larch colour arrives in October, though early snow can close high paths without notice. From mid-October the lifts begin their autumn closures in sequence, and by November the region is between seasons, with the Jungfraujoch railway a notable exception.
Winter · December–February
Interlaken itself rarely holds snow, sitting low and damp with highs near 4°C, while the ski areas above at Kleine Scheidegg, Männlichen, First and Mürren run from December to April. The Jungfraujoch operates all year and is at its clearest in settled winter high pressure. Base in Grindelwald or Wengen if you are skiing, since Interlaken is a long daily commute uphill.
What the weather usually does.
These are typical seasonal conditions, not a forecast. The figures below are long-run climate averages — the normal daily high and low for each month in Interlaken. No weather service is connected to this site, and no date-specific prediction is made or implied. Interlaken lies at 570 m between two lakes, so summers are warm and thundery, winters damp rather than harsh, and the Föhn wind can lift temperatures sharply in any season.
- Jan 3°-3° Damp in the valley · ski season above
- Feb 5°-3° Cold, often clear · Jungfraujoch at its best
- Mar 10°0° Valley thaw · high trails still shut
- Apr 14°3° Waterfalls at full force · lift maintenance
- May 18°8° Green valley · snow lingers above 2,000 m
- Jun 21°11° Schynige Platte opens mid-month
- Jul 24°13° Peak season · cloud builds after midday
- Aug 23°13° Warm lakes · busiest weeks of the year
- Sep 19°10° Best month · clear air, quieter trails
- Oct 14°6° Larch colour · lifts start closing
- Nov 8°1° Between seasons · many lifts shut
- Dec 4°-2° Ski areas open · valley often grey
Average daily high and low in degrees Celsius. Source: long-term climate normals. Conditions in any given week can and do differ.
Worth your clients’ time in Interlaken.
Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe
Trains from Interlaken Ost run via Grindelwald Terminal, where the Eiger Express tri-cable gondola covers 2.3 km to Eigergletscher in fifteen minutes, then rack railway through the Eiger to 3,454 m. Allow around ninety minutes each way. The return fare is roughly CHF 240, about half that with a Half Fare Card, and the Good Morning ticket on early departures cuts it further.
Lauterbrunnen valley and Trümmelbach
Twenty minutes by train from Ost to a flat-floored valley with vertical walls and seventy-two waterfalls. The Staubbach drops 297 m beside the village. Trümmelbach Falls, open roughly April to early November, is a series of glacial torrents cut inside the cliff and reached by a tunnel lift. A bus runs from Lauterbrunnen station in ten minutes.
Mürren and the Schilthorn
Cable car from Stechelberg or train and funicular via Grütschalp to car-free Mürren at 1,638 m, then cable car to Piz Gloria at 2,970 m, the revolving restaurant used in the 1969 Bond film. Birg, the intermediate station, has the Thrill Walk, a cliff-edge steel walkway. The Northface Trail from Mürren is an easy two-hour circuit.
Grindelwald-First
A gondola from Grindelwald climbs to 2,168 m in about twenty-five minutes, with the Cliff Walk platform cantilevered over the drop at the top. From there it is an hour on foot to Bachalpsee, the lake that returns the Schreckhorn reflection in most photographs of the region. First Flieger zip line and mountain carts run on the way down.
Schynige Platte
A cogwheel railway from Wilderswil, one stop from Interlaken Ost, takes 52 minutes to climb to 1,967 m on rolling stock dating from 1914. It runs mid-June to late October only. At the top there is an alpine botanical garden with several hundred species, and the Panoramaweg loop to Oberberghorn takes about two hours.
Harder Kulm and the lake boats
The funicular behind Interlaken Ost climbs to 1,322 m in eight minutes for the classic view down onto the Bödeli with a lake either side, and a two-nation viewing platform over the drop. At water level, BLS boats cross Lake Thun to Spiez and Thun and Lake Brienz to Giessbach and Brienz, both around two hours end to end.
2 bookable experiences in Interlaken.
- Activities & Adventure · Switzerland
Grindelwald First Adventure Day with Cliff Walk and Flyer
The First gondola, the Cliff Walk suspended over the valley, the First Flyer zip line and a mountain-cart descent, with the Eiger north face in front of you.
6 hours Instant confirmation AdventureAvailable
From$152 View detailsSign in to view agent rates - Rail · Switzerland
Jungfraujoch Top of Europe Rail Day Trip from Interlaken
The cog railway to Europe's highest station at 3,454 m — the Aletsch glacier, the ice palace and the Sphinx observatory — with reserved seats from Interlaken.
Full day Instant confirmation BestsellerAvailable
From$268 View detailsSign in to view agent rates
Prices shown are per-person selling rates in USD — the figure your client pays. Sign in to view agent rates, availability calendars and instant booking.
How Interlaken actually works.
Every mountain trip begins at Interlaken Ost, where the train splits: the front portion to Lauterbrunnen, the rear to Grindelwald. Both take about twenty minutes and run twice an hour. Read the carriage displays before boarding, since the halves separate at Zweilütschinen and only one of them goes where you are going.
Valid three to eight days, from around CHF 190 for three, covering the region including the railway to Kleine Scheidegg and the Eiger Express, with a supplement for the final leg to the Jungfraujoch. It beats the Berner Oberland Pass for anyone concentrating on the Jungfrau side rather than the lakes.
The Swiss Travel Pass covers the trains to Interlaken and Grindelwald in full, then gives twenty-five per cent off the mountain sections above Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. The Half Fare Card halves those higher fares and is often the cheaper choice on a stay built around two or three big ascents.
BLS ships leave from beside each station: Thun boats from Interlaken West, Brienz boats from Ost. Both lakes take about two hours end to end. Fares are covered in full by the Swiss Travel Pass and the Berner Oberland Pass, and the Brienz run stops at the Giessbach falls funicular.
Driving is straightforward to Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald but stops there. Wengen and Mürren admit no cars, so you park at Lauterbrunnen or Stechelberg, around CHF 20 a day, and continue by train or cable car. Most visitors find the car sits unused after the first morning.
Things worth knowing first.
Interlaken, answered.
Is the Jungfraujoch worth the fare?
Once, on a clear day, yes. It is the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 m, with the Aletsch Glacier from the Sphinx terrace and an ice palace inside the mountain. On a cloudy day you pay roughly CHF 240 to stand in fog. Check the summit webcam on the morning and be prepared to swap the plan.
Should I stay in Interlaken or up the valley?
Interlaken for price, choice of restaurants and easy onward connections; Wengen, Mürren or Grindelwald for the mountains at either end of the day and no commute. Families and shorter stays usually do better in Interlaken. Walkers with three or more days generally prefer to be up the hill.
How many days do I need here?
Three nights is the working minimum: one for the Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn, one for a proper walk at First or Schynige Platte, one for Lauterbrunnen and the lakes. Two nights forces a choice between them. Five allows for weather, which in this region is the single most useful thing to budget for.
What is the Eiger Express and does it replace the train?
It is a tri-cable gondola opened in December 2020, running 2.3 km from Grindelwald Terminal to Eigergletscher in fifteen minutes, which cuts about forty-five minutes off the old route to the Jungfraujoch. The Kleine Scheidegg railway still runs and remains the more scenic way, particularly for the descent.
Can I do the region as a day trip from Zurich?
It is possible at about two hours ten each way by train, but it leaves roughly five usable hours and rules out the Jungfraujoch, which needs three hours of travel on top. A day trip works for Lauterbrunnen and Harder Kulm. Anything higher deserves at least one night.
Is it worth coming in winter?
If you ski, yes: Kleine Scheidegg, Männlichen, First and Mürren form a large linked area from December to April. If you do not, the valley is damp and grey and many summer lifts and trails are shut. The Jungfraujoch, however, is often at its clearest in settled winter weather.
More on operating in Switzerland.
Rail assistance
Jungfrau Travel Pass and Jungfraujoch timed tickets issued in advance, with connection planning across the Berner Oberland-Bahn and the lake boats.
Europe packages
Pre-costed Jungfrau region itineraries that combine Interlaken with Lucerne and Zurich, priced with mountain ascents, lake crossings and sensible weather alternatives already built in.
Europe DMC capabilities
Ground handling across Switzerland, including car-free village logistics, luggage forwarding and on-trip support when weather forces a change of plan.
Build an itinerary for Interlaken.
The agent workspace turns this guide into a costed programme — 2 contracted experiences here, with net rates, live availability, a quote builder and a client-ready document, plus 24/7 ops on the ground once it runs. Everything on this public page is the selling rate; your cost sits behind sign-in.