Interlaken

The heart of Switzerland, Interlaken, is one of the oldest and most popular holiday destinations in Europe. It is overlooked by 3 magnificent mountains: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. With over 45 cable cars, ski lifts, chair lifts and fountain railways, Interlaken is the hub of sightseeing around central Switzerland.

Interlaken is a fantastic base for seeing the best of central Switzerland's magnificent scenery while enjoying the comforts of a chic lakeside resort. Tourist attractions are all around it, with boat tours on Lakes Thun and Brienz at either side of the town and thrilling train and funicular rides to the spectacular surrounding mountain peaks.

The beautiful natural surroundings of the place compliment the old world charm of the city and create a perfect vacation destination for everyone. A mix of heritage places to visit and lots of adventure activities, Interlaken is for sure going to woo you!

What to See In Interlaken

Harder Kulm

Standing at 1322 m above sea level, the Harder Kulm is the nearest mountain to Interlaken. It offers spectacular vistas of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger peaks. Harder Kulm is not just a viewing-platform, but also a springboard for adventure activities and nature-lovers.

Atop the Harder Kulm is the popular Panorama Restaurant, which resembles a castle straight out of a fairy-tale book. Apart from the sumptuous local fare one can indulge in at the restaurant, the sundeck here is a great place to capture beautiful shots of the Swiss Alps - the best time for this being sunset.

Höhematte Park

Hohematte Park covers an area of 14 hectares in the heart of Interlaken. The park is a marvellous avenue between the east and the west railway stations that affords a splendid view of the Jungfrau, enclosed by hotels and flower-beds. It is one of the top tourist attractions in Interlaken as is the preferred landing spot for the hangouts. This place is the most adventurous park in the region, but in case you want to experience less adventurous parks, then horse-drawn carriages park along the street is a park for you. In the winter, there is an ice-skating rink that’s comfortable for the faster skaters, but there is plenty of space available for beginners as well.

Jungfraujoch

Jungfrau is the highest mountain peak in Europe and is also known as the roof of Europe for the same reason. Situated at a height of 3,466 metres above sea level, this is one of the most popular places to visit in Interlaken.
You can ride the Jungfrau line from the town and reach the Sphinx Observatory; one of the highest astronomical observatories in the world, offering spectacular views. The train station at Jungfraujoch is also the highest in entire Europe and can only be reached by a cogwheel train, making the journey a memorable one!

Schynige Platte

Step inside one of the wooden coaches of the historic cogwheel railway that trundles up to Switzerland’s Schynige Platte, and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Then get out on the Alpine plateau, where sweeping views of the Eiger Mountain and the Jungfrau countryside await you.

Lake Thun (Thunersee)

Lake Thun—or Thunersee as its known locally—is a glacial lake near Interlaken. Its bright turquoise water and the surrounding mountains and valleys are pure picture-postcard Switzerland.

St Beatus Caves

Right above the northeastern of Lake Thun is a karst cave system that got its name from the 6th-century Irish monk, Beatus. He is claimed to have lived here, and according to legend ousted a dragon when he moved in. The caves have a kilometre-long walkway, impressive chambers where you’ll come across strange concretions, dark chasms and underground waterfalls. Also on the site is the Cave Museum, documenting the history of the caves, how they were explored in modern times and explaining their wildlife and geology.

Things to Do In Interlaken

Hardergrat Hike

The Hardergrat hike has to be somewhere at the top of this list. It’s known as one of the toughest hikes in Interlaken and has to be one of the most dangerous things to do in Interlaken. The trail begins at Brienz and runs along the Brienzersee (Brienz Lake) all the way to Harder Kulm Station. It takes fit hikers about six hours to complete and there are many parts with very, very steep drop-offs. It is for experienced hikers and to be avoided on wet days is the steep cliffs can be unforgiving. It is possible to get the train up at Brienz and then down from Harder Kulm but you will need to hike fast and with determination because if you miss the last train you will be hiking down another 800m of incline. The best route is to get the early train (it’s also half price) at Brienz and then work your way to Harder-Kulm Station and make sure you catch the last train down. Alternatively, if you are a hiking machine, you can hike up to Brienzer Rothorn, along the ridge to Harder Kulm Station and then down to Interlaken for a total of almost 30-kilometers and 3000m+ of incline throughout the day.

Paragliding over Interlaken

There’s one activity in Interlaken that seems to be a popular attraction with the younger tourists and that is paragliding. Interlaken has perfect flight conditions for paragliding and also possesses breathtaking scenery. Tandem paragliding flights are available in spring, summer, autumn or winter – each season offers a different and equally unforgettable flying experience. During your flight over Interlaken, admire the views of the famous Three Peaks – the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau – as well as Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. The bus will bring you to the take-off site in Amisbühl, Beatenberg in about 20 minutes. Take off and float high above Interlaken during your 10-20-minute flight, followed by a safe landing in the Höhematte Park in the centre of Interlaken with your professional paraglider pilot.

Schynige Platte to First Hike

The hike from Schynige Platte to First via Faulhorn is among the top things to do in Interlaken with an epic view around every turn. Expect a long day on the legs with 16km of the trail ahead of you and nearly 1000m of incline. The soup and coffee at Faulhorn with magical views make it all worthwhile. This hike is quite special because it has views of Brienzersee along the way before heading up past alpine lakes to the Fualhorn Mountain Hut.

Shopping in Interlaken

If you’re interested in shopping in Interlaken, here you will find everything from luxury stores to chain stores and souvenir shops.The main shopping strip, Höheweg Interlaken, stretches over one kilometre from near Interlaken West station to Interlaken Ost station.

Here, the shops in Interlaken sell designer watches and jewellery alongside ice cream parlours and souvenir shops. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants offering outdoor dining in summer, making Höheweg the perfect place to sit and people watch.

Interlaken is home to at least three large supermarkets and offers all the services of a large regional town.

What to Eat In Interlaken

This beautiful city features eating places to suit all tastes and budgets. Tourists will find attractive restaurants and cafes in almost every area of the city. Tourists who prefer healthy food are recommended to visit Blueberrys Juice Bar restaurant, which is one of the most attractive budget dining facilities of the city.

Goldener Anker restaurant is a great family friendly place. Visitors with children will be provided with a special menu.

Restaurants specializing in the national cuisine are among the most attractive in Interlaken. Many of them have a beautiful country-side design. These restaurants usually offer the most popular regional dishes, including Raclette and different types of Fondue. The latter dish has become a synonym of delicious Swiss cheese for many travelers. Interlaken restaurants also offer such a delicious dessert as chocolate fondue. Switzerland is famous for its outstanding chocolate making traditions.

Best Time to Visit in Interlaken

Summer seems to be the best time to visit Interlaken for a memorable holiday. When summer arrives in the city between June to August, the weather warms up and it rains intermittently. This is a busy season in Interlaken as tourists flock to ‘the city of lakes and mountains’ to enjoy a whole lot of outdoor activities. Winter is probably the least ideal season to visit with its freezing subzero temperatures. But it is the perfect season for skiing enthusiasts.

How to Reach Interlaken

At around 100 km, Zurich Airport is the closest international airport to Interlaken. Reaching Zurich from India is quite easy. There are multiple airlines such as KLM Royal Dutch, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airline operating flights to Zurich. These flights operate from all major cities of India such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai.

From Zurich Airport, the fastest way to reach Interlaken is to take the train. Swiss Railways has a regular service connecting the two cities and it takes almost 2 hours to complete the journey.

Thomas Cook has a wide selection of carefully curated Swiss holiday packages to choose from. Select yours today! Book your holiday online or visit us at your nearest Thomas Cook branch for a customised holiday package.